front sprocket removal

[gumby1220]

ok i am changing my front and rear sprockets along with my chain. i am to the part to loosen the front sprocket nut of which is a pain. anyone have any tips on how you kept the rear wheel from moving in order to loosen the nut?

[frosti108]

impact gun or hit the wrench with a hammer. by the way, could you please tell me what size socket your using on the front sprocket nut? i need to go get one

[woobie]

wrap a 2x4 or 2x2 in a towel and wedge it between the spokes and the swing arm, that'll hold the wheel still while you undo the bolt. Or stand on the rear brake (I use the 2x4 method).

A breaker bar comes in handy for extra oumph.

[gumby1220]

yeah iusing a breaker bar just can't get the rear wheel to stay in place even when steping on the rear brake. i actually tried the 2x4 method before posting but it was crunching down on the exhaust. is there a certain place to put it so it won't damage the exhaust?

oh and its a 32mm socket you'll need.

ahh i got it you put the 2x4 under the swingarm thanks man

impact gun or hit the wrench with a hammer. by the way, could you please tell me what size socket your using on the front sprocket nut? i need to go get one

theres a really good post in the how to section with pictures and all on how to replace sprockets and chain. it is a sticky so you won't need to do any searching

[Jax]

Throw it in gear...no brake needed...I loosened one with just a breaker bar but the engine was out..put it into first and it came off eay..

[gumby1220]

Throw it in gear...no brake needed...I loosened one with just a breaker bar but the engine was out..put it into first and it came off eay..

i'll try that and if all fails i'm doing the 2x4 method

[thetable]

When taking it off I use an impact wrench and step on the brake. Putting it back on, well that depends on how many beers it took me to do everything else, but standing on the brake and a torque wrench is the right way. The nut should be held on with some blue thread locker, so a little heat would help, but that would make me nervous with a rubber seal behind everything. How about some CRC Freeze-Off? Sounds like you just need something to break the threadlocker loose. Ah, Google to the rescue, Methylene Chloride will disolve the thread locking compound. And from Wiki, "It is widely used as a paint stripper and a degreaser."

[ctandc]

+1000 on the foot on brake and impact to loosen. Added benefit you can smoke a cigarette AND hold a beer while doing it this way

I used torque wrench to tighten while on the brake.

[Teh_K]

FYI, a 1-1/4in socket works too (32mm = 1.26in).

I can only remove the front sprocket if I have another person sitting on the bike with their foot on the rear brake. Also, the bike can't be on a smooth-ish surface like a sealed concrete garage floor - have to move it to unsealed concrete or asphalt. Take a breaker bar (or steel pipe in my case) and slide it over the ratchet. Should be good to go.

[gumby1220]

ok this is what i did i kicked it into gear and couldn't get a 2x4 to fit in where it wouldn't do damage so i grabed a wooden broom stick and wedged it through the spokes resting on the swing arm work like a charm to hold the wheel still. thanks for the responses. all i have to do now is drink another beer and then start putting the chain and rear wheel back on

[albuKat]

Throw it in gear...no brake needed...I loosened one with just a breaker bar but the engine was out..put it into first and it came off eay..

x2

That's how I got mine off as well... hit the breaker bar with a firm hand to break it loose while in gear. (would have used impact if I had compressed air though)

You could do that, or just pull the emergency brake to hold the rear wheel.

[gumby1220]

x2
You could do that, or just pull the emergency brake to hold the rear wheel.

hahahahah now that would be a trip if some actually asked if there was an E brake

[coggs]

Hope it comes off easier than mine. Had to take mine to the local stealership (actually a good bunch) who had to heat the nut to cherry red with oxy-acetylene and use a high impact gun and even then it took 2 or 3 goes!!

[gumby1220]

Hope it comes off easier than mine. Had to take mine to the local stealership (actually a good bunch) who had to heat the nut to cherry red with oxy-acetylene and use a high impact gun and even then it took 2 or 3 goes!!

definitely glad that wasn't the case for me. i did have to kick it in gear apply brake and shove a broom stick in the wheel to stop it from moving

[coggs]

Good going! I was hopin mine was going to be that easy but I snapped the piece of 2" x 3" timber I put through the wheel - should be easier next time though.