Final drive / wheel Gap

BigBrakes

BigBrakes

Joined
Aug 3, 2026
Messages
47
Age
47
Location
ireland
Bike
honda st1100
Hi Folks anyone able to shed some light on if there is sopossed to be much of a clearance gap with rear wheel/ final drive pumpkin have wheel Torqued down also , pinch bolt , getting to the 4 drive nuts had to cut 2 off with mini grinder 24 months ago , how on Gods Green Earth are you supposed to tighten them especially top one nearest wheel let alone Torque them , my small Bicycle Torque 1/4 inch only Go's to 25 Nm my Big Half starts at 60 Nm but way to big / long get anywhere near nut,
Have included pics of Rear wheel look weight/wrong?
 

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BigBrakes said:
Hi Folks anyone able to shed some light on if there is sopossed to be much of a clearance gap with rear wheel/ final drive pumpkin have wheel Torqued down also , pinch bolt , getting to the 4 drive nuts had to cut 2 off with mini grinder 24 months ago , how on Gods Green Earth are you supposed to tighten them especially top one nearest wheel let alone Torque them , my small Bicycle Torque 1/4 inch only Go's to 25 Nm my Big Half starts at 60 Nm but way to big / long get anywhere near nut,
Have included pics of Rear wheel look weight/wrong?
Click to expand...
Right or wrong not weight!?
 
BigBrakes said:
Hi Folks anyone able to shed some light on if there is sopossed to be much of a clearance gap with rear wheel/ final drive pumpkin have wheel Torqued down also , pinch bolt , getting to the 4 drive nuts had to cut 2 off with mini grinder 24 months ago , how on Gods Green Earth are you supposed to tighten them especially top one nearest wheel let alone Torque them , my small Bicycle Torque 1/4 inch only Go's to 25 Nm my Big Half starts at 60 Nm but way to big / long get anywhere near nut,
Have included pics of Rear wheel look weight/wrong?
Click to expand...
 

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OK, I'm going to say it. Your posts can be VERY difficult to understand. People have already explained that when reassembling the rear drive you have to fit the rear wheel, brake caliper mount etc and then torque up the rear axle. You should then torque up the four bolts holding on the final drive. I am probably the worlds worst mechanic but still managed this a few years ago. I had to buy a different torque lever that allowed me to reach all four bolts. In fairness , there doesn't seem to be much wrong in your pictures though!
 
Flexit said:
OK, I'm going to say it. Your posts can be VERY difficult to understand. People have already explained that when reassembling the rear drive you have to fit the rear wheel, brake caliper mount etc and then torque up the rear axle. You should then torque up the four bolts holding on the final drive. I am probably the worlds worst mechanic but still managed this a few years ago. I had to buy a different torque lever that allowed me to reach all four bolts. In fairness , there doesn't seem to be much wrong in your pictures though!
Click to expand...
I know that only asked if The Gap was Normal seems to be ok , Also Mainly how folk managed to Tighten inside bolt near wheel the top bolt , Thanks for the feedback all the Same
 
BigBrakes said:
I know that only asked if The Gap was Normal seems to be ok , Also Mainly how folk managed to Tighten inside bolt near wheel the top bolt , Thanks for the feedback all the Same
Click to expand...
The one of 4 final Drive bolts
 
BigBrakes said:
Just being careful never changed out the swingarm before !
Click to expand...
Better to ask and be sure than go ahead and be sorry.
Soon you will answering someone who posts a question about the swingarm installation
Good luck with the installation.

Ps. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful as I’ve not removed or installed the swingarm but have taken the rear wheel off many times and put it back wrong a couple times
 
torque the bolts you can get too. Put a wrench on the one that's torqued tighten it to get a feel of how tight that is. It's not that critical.
 
BigBrakes said:
I..............................................................Also Mainly how folk managed to Tighten inside bolt near wheel the top bolt , Thanks for the feedback all the Same
Click to expand...
Well what I do is not per the manual if it even says "how to" on that nut (they are nuts you tighten on the final drive to swingarm joint).

I install the wrench onto the nut (14MM?) then I turn the wheel and let the wheel spoke hit the wrench until it's tightened.

Yup that's how I do it. No torque wrench, sometimes "feels right" works great.

YMMV (your mileage may vary)
 
Delving back into the dim and distant past - inside the final drive from the left hand side and accessible only when the wheel has been removed, is a spacing tube. It is quite long and sometimes drops out with the removal of the wheel. Often it stays in place and you don’t even know that it is there.

The end is visible inside the female final drive spline. It will pull out with fingers quite easily. On the fiche for the final drive it is referred to as a distance collar.

If I remember correctly, the distance collar is not a simple tube. On mine, one end seemed to have a slight taper, and the surface on that end had a slightly rough texture. It fitted better one way than the other. I think that I had to put the tapered / rough end in first. If you get it in the wrong way round, the wheel cannot sit properly on the final drive splines and that results in a gap between the wheel and final drive housing - just like the one in your photo.

I had an 1100T and an 1100AY. Hopefully someone like @Uncle Phil will be able to confirm or correct my 20 year old memory.

Edit

I found reference to it in an electronic manual - Part 28.

1787470528772.png

And in the assembly instructions:

1787470595251.png
Odd - it refers to the 'polished side'. Mine felt ground or textured rather than polished. Maybe a translation oddity ? It was definitley a short section at one end that was different and it inserted slightly further.

Whatever - I reckon that whichever way it is inserted now, it would be worth taking it out, checking it and putting it back the other way.
 
Last edited:
Al st1100 said:
torque the bolts you can get too. Put a wrench on the one that's torqued tighten it to get a feel of how tight that is. It's not that critical.
Click to expand...
I just Hand tightened them in the End never used to Torque any nut before had no problems!
 
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