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Message started by PerrydaSavage on 07/08/08 at 15:43:40

Title: Loose Front Wheel??
Post by PerrydaSavage on 07/08/08 at 15:43:40

I may have a slight problem with the front wheel of my new (to me) '05 S40 and was wondering if some of experiences wrenches might be able to shed some light?
Been Riding her pretty much every day since I got her a week and a half ago ... and this evening moving her in the shed I heard a "noise" coming from the front end when I turned the bars over ... snooped around until I found the problem ... can actually move the front wheel side-to-side while grasping fender with one hand and tugging on wheel/tire with the other ... spacers on each side of the axle can actually slide side to side about 1/8th inch or so with an audible "tink" when they touch the fork or the wheel hub ... am afraid to Ride her anymore until I get get a good idea of what the problem might be and get it fixed.
Are the front axle spacers supposed to be able to move back and forth like that? Never noticed that with my former '03 LS and just had a look at my friends old '86 and there doesn't seem to be any movement there??
Any input appreciated!

Title: Re: Loose Front Wheel??
Post by demin on 07/08/08 at 15:51:26

:o :oNOOOOOOOOOOOOO. :o :oTry to tighten it up.First loosen the pinch bolt(goes through the right lower leg{fork})then tighten the axle bolt.See if that helps,if it does then retighten the pinch bolt.
If that doesn't help,your bearings might be bad.

Title: Re: Loose Front Wheel??
Post by youzguyz on 07/08/08 at 15:54:49

Torque Settings Ft/Lb
Front axle nut 26.5 38.3
Front axle pinch bolt and nut 11.1 18.4

Title: Re: Loose Front Wheel??
Post by PerrydaSavage on 07/08/08 at 16:39:50

Thanks ... is it possible for the wheel bearings to be bad with only 1600kms (1000mi) on the Bike?

Title: Re: Loose Front Wheel??
Post by demin on 07/08/08 at 16:50:35

I doubt it.I didn't realize that's all that was on it.Duh,I read the posts when you got it. ;DProbably just needs tightened.Probably need to go over the whole bike.Basically that's what the 600 mile service is for.

Title: Re: Loose Front Wheel??
Post by verslagen1 on 07/08/08 at 17:06:06

One possibility is a bad bearing or stuck and it grabbed the axle and twisted it loose. but more likely it was not tightened properly.

Title: Re: Loose Front Wheel??
Post by steely on 07/08/08 at 17:41:09

When I went to pull the front wheel off of mine, the pinch bolt was simply not there. My axle had not loosened any, but I would check that first.

Title: Re: Loose Front Wheel??
Post by PerrydaSavage on 07/09/08 at 15:45:40

Thanks for all the suggestions folks! Had a chance to check it out in detail this evening ... improperly tightened pinch bolt and axle ... less than 5 mins. with a 14mm socket wrench and a good allen key and the LS was good to go again!

Title: Re: Loose Front Wheel??
Post by savage2k on 07/09/08 at 16:07:03

7B4E5959524F4A784A5D4A4C4E2B0 wrote:

Perry, glad you got it fixed..Pretty scary stuff though, wondering who overlooked this. I wouldn't be surprised if it was like that from the dealer.

I took my Savage in for a new front tire....I was in the office paying when I heard a horrible BANG BANG BANG.......I looked out through the glass and this dumb a$$ had a wrench on my front axle banging it with a hammer........I quickly went out and screamed for him to stop....He replies " Well that axle bolt is seized and I can't get it off......The idiot didn't even know enough to remove the pinch bolt.
When I showed him he says " Oh well that's different, I ain't never seen one like that before"...Like where do they hire these people? Turned out he was a work prep guy that wasn't even a mechanic!

I raised a real fuss and told them if my forks were bent or the seals gone I was coming back after them.

Just goes to show, it isn't safe to let anyone work on your machine unless you know them and their credentials.

Glad you didn't have a mishap on your long road trip back >:(

If I were you I would be taking a couple of hours on the weekend and going over that puppy in detail...

Title: Re: Loose Front Wheel??
Post by bill67 on 07/09/08 at 16:10:21

I just change my tire on my 1500 Suzuki and once the pinch bolt for off I could turn the main bolt 2 times before it was tight.

Title: Re: Loose Front Wheel??
Post by PerrydaSavage on 07/10/08 at 00:32:18

savage2k wrote:

Quote:

I wouldn't be surprised if it was like that from the dealer.

Neither would I ... and an independent m/c mechanic friend of mine agrees as well.

The Bike was bought by the original owner at a 'Zuki dealership in Grand Falls, Nfld ... she rode the Bike for 981km (608mi), put it in storage over a year ago and I've since put an additional 950km (590mi) on her ... 560km (347mi) of which were on the highway at speeds up to 60mph ... and I'd say the darn axle was not properly torqued from day one ... just sh!t luck I didn't end up in a ditch or as a grill ornament on an oncoming semi ... >:(
Reminder to folks buying used ... don't do as I did and assume that just because it's a low-milage Bike that looks brand new, that it is completely road-worthy from the get-go ...

Title: Re: Loose Front Wheel??
Post by verslagen1 on 07/10/08 at 12:13:12

373F3C3632253D500 wrote:

I took my Savage in for a new front tire....I was in the office paying when I heard a horrible BANG BANG BANG.......I looked out through the glass and this dumb a$$ had a wrench on my front axle banging it with a hammer........I quickly went out and screamed for him to stop....He replies " Well that axle bolt is seized and I can't get it off......The idiot didn't even know enough to remove the pinch bolt.
When I showed him he says " Oh well that's different, I ain't never seen one like that before"...Like where do they hire these people? Turned out he was a work prep guy that wasn't even a mechanic!

I raised a real fuss and told them if my forks were bent or the seals gone I was coming back after them.

Just goes to show, it isn't safe to let anyone work on your machine unless you know them and their credentials.

Glad you didn't have a mishap on your long road trip back >:(

If I were you I would be taking a couple of hours on the weekend and going over that puppy in detail...

Seems like that dealer owes you for the lesson you gave their so called mechanic.

Title: Re: Loose Front Wheel??
Post by sluggo on 07/10/08 at 12:31:15

5E59484841542D0 wrote:

When I went to pull the front wheel off of mine, the pinch bolt was simply not there. My axle had not loosened any, but I would check that first.

remember these things come over in a crate. generally the shop has to install the front wheel and other parts, that's done by the low guy on the totem pole. usually a young kid thinking about his next piece o tail, or motocross event.

the first thing i did when i bought thumper new was go through it with the ole tourqe wrentch. the were a few loose nuts.
don't know why but my upper left shock mount comes loose. locktite?

Title: Re: Loose Front Wheel??
Post by Robertomoe on 07/10/08 at 15:46:10

If I ever need to get my bike worked on by someone who Im gonna pay, I am going to look high and low for the oldest guy around with the longest beard and the dirtiest, calloused hands.

A certificate from a technical school is no match for years of experience.

Title: Re: Loose Front Wheel??
Post by bill67 on 07/10/08 at 15:53:45

I agreed 100%

Title: Re: Loose Front Wheel??
Post by Bleemus on 07/10/08 at 17:41:12

I went to the Suzuki dealer today. The kid behind the service counter couldn't even spell Savage on the service ticket. Hopefully they don't let him touch the bikes in the shop.

Title: Re: Loose Front Wheel??
Post by FreeSpirit on 07/10/08 at 17:55:38

LOL....that was good! Maybe you should make sure ;)