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Front wheel spindle and pinch bolt torque settings

Submitted by david_hambleton on Thu, 06/06/2024
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Heavy Twins

Hello everybody, I'm a new member. Recently bought a 1962 dominator 600cc slimline. I've come back to bikes after 40 years. My first norton. I unfortunately broke the pinch bolt leg trying to nip this onto spindle, didn't realise the spindle was worn. New leg purchased and fitted, also new spindle. I have found torque wrench settings in clubs online manual. Spindle at 60 lbsft + pinch bolt at 10 lbsft . I have tightened my spindle to 30 lbsft and thought this adequate. Has anyone used the above settings and got away without breaking anything. Thanks for your time Dave.

Submitted by michael_coare on Fri, 07/06/2024

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Pinch bolt a well known point of failure unfortunately. Many s/h sliders at autojumbles a testimony to that fact. Has anybody been able to produce a conversion to a more conventional bolts and split clamp arrangement?

Submitted by ian_soady on Fri, 07/06/2024

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.. is to nip the bolt up - 10 lb-ft sounds about right - then find a washer that just fits the gap. The pinch bolt can then be tightened down onto this without putting undue stress on the fork end.

Hi Ian , thanks for your reply. Yes I have fitted 2 fibre washers in the gap but I haven't as yet fitted the new spindle as I am waiting for another one from norton owners club to compare with the stainless one I've bought. Bit wary about the 10 ftlbs as I took it upto this before, although the spindle was 0.5 mm below spec. 

Submitted by jan_nelder on Fri, 07/06/2024

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I would use a nyloc nut, and washer to mostly fill gap, and try less than 10 ft lbs.

Submitted by richard_payne on Fri, 07/06/2024

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I use my largest combination spanner on the axle nut, with the awareness that I may at some point have to loosen it at the roadside. It can be good and tight as it is simply pulling the wheel bearings and spacers tight against the plain fork leg.

The pinch bolt side is then nipped-up once the forks have been bounced up and down and centred to find the correct alignment. It doesn't have a structural function if components are in good condition as the spindle is a push-fit anyway, it simply locates the leg in the correct alignment.

Thanks Jan and Richard, yes I have at present a plain nut and spring washer on at moment so I just tighten nut to flatten washer, but nyloc sounds good. And I thought at 30 ftlbs spindle was tight enough. Thanks everyone. 

Submitted by david_hambleton on Fri, 12/07/2024

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Update on front wheel spindle. New spindle from noc fitted. Tightened this up to 40ft/lbs. Bounced forks to centre wheel, nipped up pinch bolt with locking washer +plain nut. Found I could still move leg on spindle, kept nipping this up till it stopped moving, approx 5nm torque ( less than 4 ft/lbs) . Tried fibre washers in gap , removed pinch stud and fitted washers, refitted stud. Again torqued up to 5nm. I've had a couple of rides out and keep checking to see if leg moves on spindle, all OK. 

Submitted by philip_hannam1 on Fri, 12/07/2024

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A fibre washer will generally crush.  Use a steel washer.

Submitted by david_cooper on Sat, 13/07/2024

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I have two spindles. Micrometer gives them the same diameter to within 0.001".  One is stainless.  The leg can be moved quite easily when the clamp is as tight as I feel happy with.  The other is Norton (dull plated steel?).  The clamp cannot be moved (by me).  
My PO fitted a socket head screw.  The Allen key is quite small - maybe 2" - 3" long?  That discourages too much force.
I now put a drop of thread sealant into the gap.  I can no longer move the leg, even with the stainless spindle.  It still comes out quite easily if I twist it using the tommy bar hole.

I tried the finger tip test on some Dommies parked in a row.  Several slipped... so I wonder how much it matters anyway?  The spindle can't escape.  It can't matter very much if lots of them don't grip very well and the riders don't know.  Maybe it would be a bigger issue with a sidecar outfit?  There can't be much sideways force with a solo.

 



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