Rear wheel won't move forward (to adjust chain slack)

[tushardr]

Hi all,

My chain came off the sprockets during a ride sometime back and got stuck. Since it was all scratched up, I decided to buy a new chain and replace the old one. The chain adjusters on my bike are very close to the end of their travel (meaning the rear wheel is almost as far away from front sprocket as you can get it). So the provide enough slack on the new chain, I am trying to move the rear wheel forward by loosening the chain adjuster nuts. However, the rear wheel doesn't move forward much on the rear sprocket side and almost not at all on the rear brake caliper side. Just looking at the rear brake caliper assembly it seems like you cannot move the wheel without loosening the nuts holding the rear brake caliper in place. Is this correct? If it is, I am confused about regular chain slack adjustment instructions in my Haynes manual, since there is no mention of brake caliper in those instructions. Anybody have the same problem?

Thanks,
Tushar

[Watcher]

Loosen the axle, loosen both sides adjusters, strike wheel with a mallet.

[sledge]

You are correct

As well as backing off the adjusters and loosening the nut on the axlebolt you also need to loosen the bolts at each end of the torque arm to allow the rear caliper to move relative to the wheel and disc.

[tushardr]

Thanks for the responses. I did try hitting the tire with a rubber mallet, albeit gently. It didn't seem to make a difference. I will try Sledge's advice to see if I can get the wheel to move forward.

[Watcher]

Put some elbow grease into it!

You're striking an air filled rubber balloon that's mounted on a sliding  track.  Nothing bad will happen, realistically.

[gsJack]

With the bike on the center stand I stood behind it holding the grab handle tight with both hands and kicked the tire hard with one foot while standing on the other, worked every time.  Loosened the axle nut but loosening the torque bar was optional.

[sledge]

Slacken off the caliper and torque arm bolts and you won't HAVE to kick anything nor hit anything with a mallet.

The easy way or the hard way? Your bike, your choice 

[thanasi7]

Change the sprokets everything new

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[tushardr]

Thanks again to all for your tips. Turns out that I was being too gentle with the wheel. Anyway, the chain is adjusted to the right amount of slack and everything is all good now!

[yamahonkawazuki]

Loosen the axle, loosen both sides adjusters, strike wheel with a mallet.

this is it in a nutshell. btw with that much use on the old chain and such, what shape are the sprockets in?
Aaron

[sledge]

Look closely at the way the rear brake caliper is held relative to the axle bolt.

Ask yourself, if the alloy bracket that supports the caliper and that the axle bolt passes through cannot move freely along the length of the swingarm....how can the axle bolt itself move freely along the length of the swing arm?

Without of course smacking it with a blunt object until something gives or loosens up or even cracks or brakes!

Hit or apply force to anything connected to the brake caliper?

Do yourself a favour eh?

[Watcher]

Ask yourself, if the alloy bracket that supports the caliper and that the axle bolt passes through cannot move freely along the length of the swingarm....how can the axle bolt itself move freely along the length of the swing arm?

But can't it?  It's on a hinge so that as the axle bolt moves in and out the caliper rotates on the control arm.

I've never messed with that nut on the caliper through multiple chain adjustments and a chain/sprocket change.

[sledge]

Questions?

Do you as both a reasonably experienced motorcyclist and a respected member of this forum really advocate hitting with mallets, kicking and generally applying uncontrolled forces to various parts connected and fastened to  brake calipers?

Do you accept that there is a possibility however slight that parts including the calliper or its mount and supports could be unknowingly, fractured, stressed, loosened off, damaged etc  via the process you are suggesting?
Does this possibility not concern you?
Do you think it would be better and alltegether safer to use methods that don't present risks of damage to safety critical parts?
Do you think my points are valid and make sense?





No tell you what........don't bother answering. Every so often someone in here comes out with a comment that's mind blowingly irresponsible, looks like it's your turn today!

[qcbaker]

...
No tell you what........don't bother answering. Every so often someone in here comes out with a comment that's mind blowingly irresponsible, looks like it's your turn today!

Is it even physically possible for you to disagree with someone without being an enormous tool?

[sledge]

Errr........not when someone's personal safety or indeed life could be compromised.....no.

And to be honest, I am quite proud of the fact that it only seems to be me that thinks that way in here 

Older and wiser.....as they say.

[qcbaker]

Errr........not when someone's personal safety or indeed life could be compromised.....no.

And to be honest, I am quite proud of the fact that it only seems to be me that thinks that way in here 

Older and wiser.....as they say.

I get where you're coming from. And I'm even inclined to agree that hitting stuff with a mallet probably isn't the best option. But it is possible to disagree with someone without being so pretentious and holier-than-thou.

[gsJack]

With the bike on the center stand I stood behind it holding the grab handle tight with both hands and kicked the tire hard with one foot while standing on the other, worked every time.  Loosened the axle nut but loosening the torque bar was optional.

Worked for me for 180k GS500 miles over 15 years of GS500 riding.

.................Older and wiser.....as they say.

Gotta agree with that one Sledge, how old are you?   

[Watcher]

Do you as both a reasonably experienced motorcyclist and a respected member of this forum really advocate hitting with mallets, kicking and generally applying uncontrolled forces to various parts connected and fastened to  brake calipers?

On my current Ducati there is a locator pin in the caliper that holds the pads in place, it is under spring tension, the side that would pull "out" sits flush against the caliper, thus the only way to remove it is to push it out from the opposite side.  I use a roll-pin punch and a hammer.  Putting it in is rather difficult as well, due to the mentioned spring tension.  One end is tapered to help pilot it into place.  Once it's started, I seat it with...  A roll-pin punch and a hammer.

I don't advocate beating on the caliper itself, sticking a screwdriver into the caliper to retract the piston, or anything unsafe or potentially damaging like that, but I understand this:  There is a right tool for every job.  Sometimes that tool happens to be a hammer/mallet.

Do you accept that there is a possibility however slight that parts including the calliper or its mount and supports could be unknowingly, fractured, stressed, loosened off, damaged etc  via the process you are suggesting?
Does this possibility not concern you?

No.  Because in this image the yellow circle is a HINGE which connects the top of the caliper, while the red circle is where the mounting bracket interfaces with the axle.  The very function of this setup is to allow the caliper to move in and out as the wheel does, so unless you tightened down the yellow circled nut so much as to allow the caliper to not move at all on that hinge, you won't damage anything by pushing the wheel forward, be it with a foot, a mallet, by striking, or by pushing.

Do you think it would be better and alltegether safer to use methods that don't present risks of damage to safety critical parts?
Do you think my points are valid and make sense?

I don't think what I suggested and what you think I suggested are the same thing.
What I did suggest is using a mallet to strike the wheel so that if it's bound up it will move forward.  I implied that it may require a stout hit.
What I didn't suggest is taking a 10 pound Sledge and putting a concrete-breaking swing into the rear wheel, which will definitely cause some damage and be a major safety violation.

I think my method is perfectly safe.
I think your points would be valid and make sense had I suggested the death-blow.
I think you overreacted.

[user11235813]

Brilliant Sledge old chap. This has been driving me nuts. I have a laser alignment tool so I know that the chain is definitely aligned but I always find that the plate that covers the end of the swing arm on the calliper side always seems to want to be loose even when everything else is right. I just put new shoes on the back and noticed again the loose plate but when I put the laser tool over the chain, it was in alignment.

But I just want to clarify, when you say the two bolts at each end of the torque arm did you mean each SIDE of the torque arm? Like just the bit where it pivots on the calliper, or did you actually mean each END. Meaning the bolt at the calliper and the other END of the torque arm near the rear brake hose?

You are correct

As well as backing off the adjusters and loosening the nut on the axlebolt you also need to loosen the bolts at each end of the torque arm to allow the rear caliper to move relative to the wheel and disc.

[sledge]

""No.  Because in this image the yellow circle is a HINGE which connects the top of the calliper""

Go back, take another look and think of the geometry involved between the calliper and torque arm.

Ask yourself.....what happens as the calliper moves forward along with the axle bolt while attached to the torque arm.....answer..... it pivots slightly through the alloy bracket, about the axle bolt in an ACW direction. The leading edge of the calliper will rise slightly and the swing arm will raise slightly to compensate for the caliper fixing point also rising as it pushes the calliper in the ACW direction against the direction of axle bolt travel. 

To allow the torque arm to raise as the calliper rotates it must be loosed at both ends because it needs to pivot at BOTH ends to allow this movement.  Even with a hinge on the calliper side as suggested no free movement of the axle bolt can take place unless there is also a hinge on the other side of the toque arm allowing it to rise, or indeed fall if the axle bolt moves backwards.

Think of the wheel linkage of a steam locomotive and try to draw a comparison

Simple mechanics my friend, simple mechanics