79 R65 Fork/Front axle nut & clamping bolt torque

[drgnfli]

Hello,
I just bought a 1979 R65 with about 10,000 miles and I just changed
the front tire.  I dont have any manual yet so if anybody can give me
the torque specification for front axle nut and clamping bolt .  Also
I am planning to change the rear tire and a torque value for rear
axle nut will be higly appreciated.  

thanks

[Bob_Roller]

Welcome drgnfli,

The torque value for the front and rear axle nuts is :  33-35 lb/ft .

Pinch bolt torque front axle : 10-12 lb/ft .

Pinch bolt torque for rear axle : 11-13 lb/ft .

Why the difference in torque for front and rear pinch bolts is beyond me, but those are the values out of the owners manual.

[montmil]

Well, Bob...  May as well start dragonfly out right and introduce him to Snowbum and the whole BMW wheel bearing preload angst. Bookmark his site.

http://bmwmotorcycletech.info/section_4.htm

So, 'fly, suggest you wade through the "section 4" link. There is a lot of good, solid info hidden between the rather wordy text. Such as the tip to snug up the front axle nut, install the pinch bolts finger tigtht, then jounce the front end to help align the whole bit and a final snug up.

The rear axle torque settings are sometimes referred to as suggestions rather than hard and fast rules. The tapered roller bearings have to have a certain pre-load or they will shortly thereafter self destruct. Not too tight. Not too loose.  [smiley=wall.gif]

Get a manual for your bike asap. Buy a minimum of two; a Clymer and the Haynes. Both are helpful and both address issues that the other may gloss over. Go figure. The Haynes is slightly more oriented toward the DIYer where Clymer suggests you'll need to acquire the BMW special tool.

With the rear wheel off, you may as well clean, inspect and regrease those rear wheel bearings, inspect the top hat spacers and replace the seals.

Welcome aboard.

Monte

[Justin B.]

I think that the important thing is to always re-torgue them to the same value used when setting the bearing play...

[nhmaf]

Agreed.

also, I think that the torque value for the front pinch bolts are slightly lower because they are threading into the softer alloy of the fork sliders, whereas the rear axle pinch bolt is threading into the steel of the swingarm.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I think that the torque value for the front pinch bolts are slightly lower because they are threading into the softer alloy of the fork sliders, whereas the rear axle pinch bolt is threading into the steel of the swingarm.

Not to rain on your parade, but these pinch bolts have (steel) nuts, so the alloy of the front fork is not really an issue.  No cut threads to strip out.  Just make sure you have the facing washers.

(NOT SO for the fork oil drain screws!!!)

[Mike V]

drgnfli,

Torque settings have always been a very controversial and debated subject. A while back I took the time to prepare a consolidated Torque Chart specifically for my 78 R100/7 as a single reference without having to search multiple publications and manuals. I will tell you this; during my research I found a great deal of contradiction between different publications and well known manuals in circulation. The factory manual seemed to have values a little higher than accepted values. I forwarded my chart to the Airhead experts and guru's for their review and approval and landed on the values reflected in my chart. If you are an Airhead member, refer to the current March Airmail issue, you will find my chart on the back page of that issue. I will attempt to insert the pdf file in this message, if I'm unsuccessful, feel free to contact me and I'm more than happy to forward it to you for your reference.
Keep in mind the Torque Chart comes with caveats and is by no means intended as gospel or final absolute values. It's creation was for a guide and reference tool for specific use on my 78 R100/7. As oak states in the publication "it's application to other models is restricted". You are more than welcome to use it as a reference - at your own risk. Hope this helps and you find it useful.
Let me know if the attachment fails.
Mike V. / San Diego
ABC
MOA
AMA

[drgnfli]

Wow, thanks guys.... appreciate all your help.
Nice to know I belong the right group of people....