Right, next question ...... Just adjusted the ride height to about 10mm wheel to ground clearance but found the whole thing took most of the afternoon. Got the tie bar out OK and had no trouble freeing the ends up but then had a bit of a struggle refitting until it was pointed out by Luigi's that the steel threaded bush pulls out of the swing arm and needs drifting back in before the lower eye will relocate. Once the tie rod was relocated I was able to get my desired height but then my worst suspicions were confirmed about the lower lock nut ..... one needs to remove rod to tighten the bloody thing. Then go through the whole refittting pantomime again. Which is not that easy when you're on your own in the garage and have very limited right arm use ... argh! Anyway ..... has anyone managed to modify a spanner to get to the lower locknut in situ?
I found that the lower steel bush had been incorrectly fitted on my ST2. There was play in the rear suspension and that was the cause. I wrote a blog post about it at the time. It is HERE
Not gone for another look but I don't think there was anything like that present on the outside face of the swingarm. As far as I understand the threaded insert locates into a blind hole and is prevented from turning by a couple of flats. It would seem that it is designed to have a degree of lateral movement so that when you tighten up the bolt that goes through arm, shock and tie rod the insert moves out of the swingarm and draws all the components together, thus removeing the enormous amount of play in the linkage. Anyway ... have you figured out how to alter the length of the tie rod without removing it from the bike?
Very simple on mine. Undo the bottom locknut, undo the top locknut, turn the rod one way to lengthen and the other to shorten, re-tighten both lock nuts. The locknuts are easily accessible with open ended spanners, you can see the bottom one in the pictures on my blog.
As you can see the locknut sits within the hollow of the swing arm casting. I can get a spanner onto the flats, just, but there's no way that I can turn it. Just wondering if anyone's found a way of modifying a spanner enough to turn it. Or failing that is there evidence that the top lock nut, if properly tight, will keep everything under control? Just occured to me the I could probably wedge the spanner onto the lower nut and tighten the tie bar against it and then tighten the top nut. If you see what I mean?
Oops, just seen exactly what you describe on the photo I've just posted. Think I need to go to Specsavers!
Looking at those pictures I would guess that you have an alloy swinging arm fitted to that bike. This is mine with a steel swinging arm and it looks very different to yours.
That would be the application of AngloGallic logic, then. Blind optimism dictates, however, that there must be some way of utilising the adjustment offered by the manufacturer without dismantling the 'kin motorbike. I suspect that the answer is to be found in the usual manner ......i.e retire to the garage with a comfy seat and an arromatic roll-up and await inspiration.
Holding the locknut and then turning the rod against it sounds like the way to go. The rod will have opposite threads at each end. As a result, when you turn the rod, it will effectively shorten or lengthen according to which way you turn it - just like a bottle-screw or turnbuckle on a boat.
Yup, I've achieved the desired tie rod length for now ...... the only problem being the difficulty of getting a spanner onto the lower locknut whilst in situ. That was less of a problem on this occasion as I wanted the rod off the bike to free up and lube the threads. But I'd rather not have to remove it (twice) every time I want to alter the ride height.
During the many years I served in the RAF as a grease monkey, we sometimes used a tool that we called a "crows foot". It was a ring spanner with a gap. I believe that it would suit your purpose.
I've just done mine, on an ST4 (so it may be very different), after having to get a new (second hand) tie rod. Now this may be a daft question but how much thread have you got at the top of the tie rod. I have the same amount of thread top and bottom and can get at the lock nuts easily both ends. If you have adjusted the length 'off the bike' you haven't taken it out one end and not left enough thread the other have you?? As I said it may be a daft question, and I am not maligning your engineering abilities, but I thought I'd ask, 'just in case'.
Perfectly reasonable point. No, I was carefull to spread the extension equally in order to minimise the risk of rod failure, bearing in mind a few threads on that subject. Initially I had considered just extending the bottom eye with a view to bringing the locknut clear of the recess in the swing arm but decided not to risk stressing the lower eye more than the upper. Has the ST4 got the alloy swing arm, or is it steel like the ST2?
Yeah, as above, steel, double sided! Shame but it looks like the best way is to get the length sorted on the bike then slip the rod out again, tighten up the bottom locknut, put the rod back in and tighten the top one! It's like having to remove all the fairing to get at the battery!! Why do they do this?? And I've just cross threaded the silencer mounting bolt! bugger, bugger and double bugger! :-(
Seems to me that all that is needed is to anchor the bottom locknut, which we know is possible, and turn the rod itself to either loosen or tighten the locknut. The top locknut can be loosened or tightened in the normal way. Once the locknuts are loose, the rod can be turned to adjust the length and the locknuts can then be retightened in the same way they were loosened. Seems simple enough...
