Safety wire project

[Super Dave]

More questions....

Can/should I safety wire the front sprocket?  I looked at it the other day and the locking tab/metal piece you bend over the nut was not installed right... as in the front spocket could have spun itself loose eventually.  Is it way overkill to use a locking tab and safety wire the nut to the sprocket?.

I have seen front sprocket troubles. 

Usually the fold over tab works great, then I use an electric impact to put on the nut.

Drilling a front sprocket can be very hard because they are hardened...no pun intended.

Put the tab on correctly, and you should be fine.

[Jeff]

I torque EVERYTHING, and for the front sprocket, if you get the kind with the holes in it, then wire it.  If not, don't try drilling it...

[cgorham]

I torque EVERYTHING, and for the front sprocket, if you get the kind with the holes in it, then wire it.  If not, don't try drilling it...

When you say front sprocket with holes... what good does safety wiring the sprocket do?  I've already successfully drilled the rear axle nut and rear sprocket nuts which are all hardened steel right?  I can tell though that the front looks a lot more tough, what about just putting a hole in the locking washer and pulling it tight towards the other side?  I don't think I should really worry too much about this since I should be checking the bike over each time I go to ride it... right? :)

[Team_Serpent]

When you say front sprocket with holes... what good does safety wiring the sprocket do?

Some front sprockets are made with a series of lightening holes so you can run the wire through there and then to a hole drilled through the flats of the sprocket nut.  What good will it do?  Piece of mind I guess.

[Jeff]

how much safety wire are you putting on this thing???  If you're trying to get to the WERA standard of 6-lbs, you're getting close!

[251am]

When you say front sprocket with holes... what good does safety wiring the sprocket do?  I've already successfully drilled the rear axle nut and rear sprocket nuts which are all hardened steel right?  I can tell though that the front looks a lot more tough, what about just putting a hole in the locking washer and pulling it tight towards the other side?  I don't think I should really worry too much about this since I should be checking the bike over each time I go to ride it... right? :)

OK, I take it you're not racing and just want to be thorough?

[GSXR RACER MIKE]

I've already successfully drilled the rear axle nut and rear sprocket nuts which are all hardened steel right?

The back stuff is generally soft, the front sprocket is hardend because it's a much tighter radius the chain is traveling around and all that force is being concentrated in a much smaller area. On a large sprocket the force is distributed over a larger area so you can get away with aluminum sprockets. If the sprocket is steel, and it's hardend, you won't be able to drill it without special drills (carbide).

Just for future reference, any of you guys that might be in a jam and have to drill something hardend you can buy masonary drills at a hardware store that are carbide tipped and use them to drill thru hard steel. It really helps if you can sharpen the carbide tip a little bit, but normal grinding wheels won't hardly touch carbide, it will just mess up your grinding wheel. Most people don't have access to a diamond wheel that's mounted on a pedestal grider, but you may be able to find a diamond wheel for a dremel or a diamond file that may help to sharpen the cutting edge a bit. If you try and drill with one of these drills use compressed air to blow down into the hole as you drill (wear safety glasses), this will remove the chips and help to cool the tip. Make sure and keep the drill sharp because as it gets dull and heats up the brazing that holds the carbide tip into the drill can melt and come apart and get lodged in the part your drilling. Apply firm but not excessive pressure when drilling (and do a pecking motion while drilling where you only apply pressure for a few seconds then back off to remove chips and reduce heat) or you will probably break the carbide tip since it's somewhat brittle. Hope this helps someone out of a jam someday. 

[cgorham]

OK, I take it you're not racing and just want to be thorough?

I'll be doing some WERA and mostly CCS at Summit Point.  The first race I'm going to is March 10th at VIR with WERA.  I'm getting my license on the 9th with Team Pro-Motion.  I am being very thorough with the safety wire, I started by redrilling some holes in the front caliper bolts to make the safety wire actually do something other than look pretty, and just made my way to the back.  I've got the foot pegs, the rear sets, exhaust, every coolant and oil line, safetied.  I just want to make tech real smooth...

[HAWK]

These guys sell repopinted carbide drill bits for really good prices. These bits will drill ANYTHING you want to put a hole in, I recommend using them in a drill press though since they are very brittle.

http://drillcity.stores.yahoo.net/10wirsizpac8.html

[Jeff]

From the sound of it, I think you're going a bit overboard with the safety wire.

Just wire what is required and ask others what they recommend.  I don't know that I've ever seen a rear sprocket wired, or rearsets wired.  Likewise, I haven't seen more than a very scarce few fluid lines safety wired.  Most if not all orgs simply require them clamped.  Sometimes safety wire can do more harm than good (cut rubber lines, poke holes in them, etc).

Just my opinion....

[mq105]

From the sound of it, I think you're going a bit overboard with the safety wire.

Just wire what is required and ask others what they recommend... 
Just my opinion....

I would have to agree. Safety wire is also a lot of work when removing/changing parts, so anything extra is just that much more work in the pits.

[Team_Serpent]

From the sound of it, I think you're going a bit overboard with the safety wire.

Just wire what is required and ask others what they recommend.  I don't know that I've ever seen a rear sprocket wired, or rearsets wired.  Likewise, I haven't seen more than a very scarce few fluid lines safety wired.  Most if not all orgs simply require them clamped.  Sometimes safety wire can do more harm than good (cut rubber lines, poke holes in them, etc).

Just my opinion....

Agreed, unless you're doing endurance racing - then a dab of silicon will usually do the trick on rearsets and alike.  I had the rear sprocket bolts/nuts drilled and wired on one of my bikes a few years ago but after a few times dialing in gearing for a particular track I blew off wiring them - pain in the