Topic: Rear wheel won't stay put

[thelowmax]

I'm confused. I put on my rear wheel, as I have done several times in the past with no problem, but this time I can't get it to stay put. It seems to loosen on the right side of the axle. The adjuster starts to loosen and it and the wheel start to jiggle on the swing arm. If I remove the pin and tighten the main axle nut, it either is too tight and prevents proper brake use, or it's too loose, and I'm back where I started. What is going on? I've done this before and I think I'm doing it the same way but I am a little dixelsic, so who knows?

I'm going to get my camera.

[754]

Which bike. . Did you have sprocket carrier off and forget to install greasyspacer ?
 The only way i can see the brake tightening is if the bearing retainer backed off and the bearing on brake side moved further toward center of hub..

[flybox1]

the adjuster should have a lock nut on it, to hold the adjustment you've made, but this will not hold the axle tight on the swingarm.
if your axle stack/bearing retainers are not installed properly, your axle castle nut will work loose, and this puts pressure back on your adjuster, kicking it out of adjustment.

check your bearings, retainers, sprocket carrier....etc.  make sure everything is right.
you should be able to adequately torque down the axle nut without effecting the rear brake once your adjuster is set.

[MCRider]

What flybox said, and 754. The thing to remember is you can't tighten the axle too tight. The design is such that you can crank the axle nut to 100ftlbs++++ and everything should work fine.  Actual torque is around 75ft lbs. Roughly a 150lb person standing on a 6 inch wrench. That will hold the wheel in place for anything including drag racing.

If not, you've got a problem, usually with a spacer left out, inverted, or wrong kind.

[thelowmax]

I think I have gremlins. Went outside to where I rebuilt the wheel and there on the picket fence post was a spacer. It must have fallen off when I leaned the wheel against the post, as I double checked it.

Yeah, that's it. Gremlins.

[MCRider]

I think I have gremlins. Went outside to where I rebuilt the wheel and there on the picket fence post was a spacer. It must have fallen off when I leaned the wheel against the post, as I double checked it.

Yeah, that's it. Gremlins.

Yikes you got it!  I actually left that out one time myself. And that was my lesson on how the rear wheel actually works.

[Schnell]

I think I have gremlins. Went outside to where I rebuilt the wheel and there on the picket fence post was a spacer. It must have fallen off when I leaned the wheel against the post, as I double checked it.

Yeah, that's it. Gremlins.

I think it's called gravity!

[lucky]

Poor shop practices as far as where you put things.

[D-Ral]

Poor shop practices as far as where you put things.

Ha ha. Can't help but wonder how cranky you are in real life.

[Black 750K8]

Poor shop practices as far as where you put things.

Ha ha. Can't help but wonder how cranky you are in real life.

Don't mess with lucky. He was a Honda tech. back in the day

[thelowmax]

Poor shop practices as far as where you put things.

Thanks Sherlock. That's very helpful.