Should my front sprocket be doing this?

[alhendo1 3,045]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a_zpSS8gTSXV95R00ncS6eOrWsRCqMa0/view?usp=drivesdk

Afternoon folks...hope you're enjoying the weather...I decided to de gunk the front sprocket area and give the chain a wee clean....there seems to be a bit of sideways play in the front sprocket...should it be like this or tight with no play?....it was hard to video but you can hear the audible click. Thanks in advance.

[Andy m 23,527]

In one word, IMHO, no.

 

I think I can see the sprocket moving on the spline?

 

The bolt that holds it on should be so tight you often need a impact wrench to get it off. I'd remove the bolt and have a good look for

 

1. Signs of anything moved, stretched, mis-shapen. If the thread is damaged you don't want to tighten it up and rip out the thread.

2. Compare the spacers and washers you have to what Fowlers website shows in the parts book. A wavy or lock washer deformed or missing would be a positive diagnosis and easy fix.

3. Look for signs of Locktite. You are supposed to use stuff that will stand oil and heat on some fittings and if the last bloke didn't itcould just have come loose.

4. See if the sprocket is genuine Honda. Copy parts are often cheaper using a plain face where HondaSan machined a step. Check the sprocket for the "this side out" marks, bodgers have been known to put them on backwards to gain a few more miles. Acceptable up the desert, less to dispatching in London.

 

Whats the history of chain and sprocket jobs on it?

 

Andy

 

 

[alhendo1 3,045]

Thanks for the reply Andy...that was my gut feeling....the sprocket has very slight sideways movement on the spline....the bike is 1 year old and thus still under warranty so if it's meant to be tight I'll go and get the dealer to check it....I haven't done anything to the chain and sprockets other than clean and lube....I bought the bike with 180 miles on so can only assume it's all Honda stuff as it left the factory....

[Guest machinman]

Its normal

 

[Grumpy old man 4,673]

18 minutes ago, machinman said:

Its normal

 

+1

[TheEnglishman 401]

You don't need an impact wrench to remove the sprocket.  Just put a bar through the rear wheel /swingarm to stop the wheel turning.  Assuming your chain hasn't snapped.

 

Same, but other side of the swingarm, to tighten it up.

 

I think(could be wrong) that Honda use red locktite on the sprocket thread (Not that I've ever used it on any bike I've ever owned).   So getting it off may require a bit of effort, more than you anticipate.  If it were me I'd take the sprocket off and see if the shaft is wobbling or whether it's just the sprocket on the shaft.   I'd have thought that if the output bearing had gone you'd see oil weeping out - but more experienced bike mechanics would know for sure.

 

Or if it's under warranty and you've the time why not just take it to the dealer?

 

Oh - and, like the others,  I think they all do that, sir.  Which is what I suspect the dealer will say.

Edited May 7, 2018 by TheEnglishman

[gonzo 2,211]

5 minutes ago, TheEnglishman said:

You don't need an impact wrench to remove the sprocket.  Just put a bar through the rear wheel /swingarm to stop the wheel turning.  Assuming your chain hasn't snapped.

 

Same, but other side of the swingarm, to tighten it up.

 

I think(could be wrong) that Honda use red locktite on the sprocket thread.  So getting it off may require a bit of effort, more than you anticipate.  If it were me I'd take the sprocket off and see if the shaft is wobbling or whether it's just the sprocket on the shaft.   I'd have thought that if the output bearing had gone you'd see oil weeping out - but more experienced bike mechanics would know for sure.

 

Or if it's under warranty and you've the time why not just take it to the dealer?

+ 1

[Andy m 23,527]

You can use oil to see if the sprocket is moving on the shaft. Dribble a bit on from a can then jiggle and watch carefully. If it goes round the shaft moved, if its sucked into the gap the sprocket moved on the shaft. You can also go really old school and see if fag paper will slide in.

 

I'm not sure I like detectable movement as normal. They are wearing items, so sacrificing the chain and sprocket to save the shaft is maybe their intention, but its just crude. 

 

Red Loctite gets soft with a bit of heat so the paint stripper hairdryer or a little gas gun or even a fag lighter can help. Let if cool before undoing.

 

Andy

[Slowboy 20,451]

The front sprocket floating is normal for most hondas. It's not an issue that it moves a bit, that's what it's designed to do. 

Edited May 7, 2018 by slowboy

[Tex 36,817]

47 minutes ago, machinman said:

Its normal

 

 

29 minutes ago, Grumpy old man said:

+1

 

+2  Perfectly normal. It’s to allow for any misalignment in the chain ‘line’.

[alhendo1 3,045]

Thanks for all the replies folks....next time I'm getting it serviced I'll have a word with them and show them the video....as previously mentioned they'll no doubt say"they all do that sir"....I'd just never seen this before.....that's what they said when I told them its rough/vibey at 3000rpm and they test rode it....but that's another story......they don't want to know....

[Tex 36,817]

8 minutes ago, alhendo1 said:

Thanks for all the replies folks....next time I'm getting it serviced I'll have a word with them and show them the video....as previously mentioned they'll no doubt say"they all do that sir"...

 

They will. Because they do..  

[embee 7,288]

A bit of end float of the g/box sprocket on its shaft is normal as the others say. I admit I was a little surprised when I first discovered this, but that's the way it's designed to be. A clue is that the washer under the bolt is quite thin. It would be much more sturdy if it was intended to transmit the clamping load to the sprocket itself. It is there simply to limit the end float.

 

Personally I apply some moly60 paste to the g/boxshaft splines (as used by Honda on the drive shaft and wheel splines in things like Deauvilles etc.).

Edited May 7, 2018 by embee

[michael 324]

I was surprised to find this on mine as well.  One of the indicators this is normal is: The torque on that nut is not as great as other manufacturer's whom "lock in," the sprocket on the shaft.

 

Grease up the splines, torque to specifications and (as Yul Brynner says in The Magnificent Seven) 'ride on.'

[matt28 401]

It's quite strange, OEM sprocket was doing the same, but JT replacement is tight.

Locking nut torque is 56Nm according to manual, which is rather low.