HD axle kit freewheel unscrewing itself

[Gammaray]

I bought one of these HD axle kits from gasbike with the freewheel for my 4 stroke engine bike. The first freewheel unscrewed itself after 5 minuets of riding. I got a replacement and the same thing happened again! I put it together correctly, the issue is the freewheel unscrews from the inside, causing the internals to be exposed and the bearings to fly out every which way. This is very frustrating, why is this happening and how can I fix the issue? Thanks in advance.

 

[GearNut]

Try to get it warranted?
I am impressed that you could find all of the teeny bearing balls to reassemble it again. Those things are so small they are annoying!
I suppose that if you are careful to keep the threads free of any grease or oil during reassembly you could use Loc-Tite red on the threads. Doing so would require some serious grease cooking heat to get it apart again if you ever found the need to do so.
The other method would to have the ring tack welded in place. It would only require one little spot weld to do it, preferably with a TIG welder.

 

[Gammaray]

Thanks for the quick reply Gearnut, much appreciated. You name seems to precede you. Ill give the loc tite a try although id much rather weld it as you suggested. The only issue is I have no access to any kind of welder. Im rather surprised that no one else has had this issue; at least my search proved to be fruitless to find a related thread. You would think the manufacture would have designed a after market freewheel sprocket that actually works!

ill conclude with the icon that best exemplifies my experience with this thus far...

 

[Gammaray]

Ok just an update. I used loctite high strength permanent 262
here is all the information if anyone is interested:
http://www.unitide.com.tw/Pic/Document/4_262-TDS.pdf

I going to let it dry over night and give it a go sometime tomorrow, hopefully this will be the solution I was looking for. Also before screwing the freewheel back in I cleaned all the low viscous grease and used "park tool grease" instead, applying it very generously. I believe the standard factory grease may have been why the wheel unscrewed, as it didnt not provide good lubrication. A combination of friction and bad design may be the culprits here...

Thanks for your help Gearnut, I will update again in the near future. I hope this thread can be of some help to anyone encountering similar issues.

 

[joepep77]

I had the same issue but I thought it was just a faulty freewheel. I didn't try to rebuild it. I just ordered another hd axle kit but this time I got the fixed sprocket version. Works great.

 

[scotto-]

I've been using the HD axle kit hubs on a few builds and the 2 freewheel versions that I used on my personal 4-stroke bikes I welded because I don't want them to freewheel. They are cheaply made and I can see how this happened with yours.

I've been searching high and low for the 6-bolt non freewheel flanges lately but none to be found......still need too find a few of them.

The first one I bought was the none freewheel type and I installed it on a 2-stroke I had at the time. I had a problem with it unscrewing while bump starting sometimes as it came without the lock ring required to keep this from happening.

 

[Gammaray]

I would like to keep the freewheel so I put less stress on my drive train. For example; when i feel like pedaling on the side walk without my engine running, the chain wont move. If im flying down a hill, my chain will stay perfectly still. To me this has a lot of advantages with less drag from the drive train, and more safety. Just my two cents on the matter.

If the loc tite fails to work, I was wondering what I could do or where I could go to get the freewheel welded into place permanently. Also taking into account that I don't want to much on it. 20$ sounds reasonable...

 

[maniac57]

You can usually talk muffler shops into doing small welding like you need by showing them your cool motorbike!
A few small tack welds should do ya.
Maybe $5-10 bucks?

 

[rustycase]

I do not know about this exact circumstance.

Occasionally, it is possible to use a set punch to upset the threads in one or two small places, to prevent un-intended loosening, but not so much that it could not be taken apart, with a little extra effort.

..worth a try???

Good luck
rc

 

[scotto-]

The main reason I braze or tack weld my free wheels is for using the engine for my main braking power on larger 4-strokes. I don't even use the back brake on my 212cc race bike.......don't need to as the engine and the disc front brake are more than sufficient for stopping.

 

[BigBlue]

I've been using the HD axle kit hubs on a few builds and the 2 freewheel versions that I used on my personal 4-stroke bikes I welded because I don't want them to freewheel. They are cheaply made and I can see how this happened with yours.

I've been searching high and low for the 6-bolt non freewheel flanges lately but none to be found......still need too find a few of them.

The first one I bought was the none freewheel type and I installed it on a 2-stroke I had at the time. I had a problem with it unscrewing while bump starting sometimes as it came without the lock ring required to keep this from happening.

FYI, Grubee has a new HD Rear Axle kit for 2014:
http://www.grubeeinc.com/USA/HD Rear Axel kit.htm

Good Luck,

Chris
AKA: BigBlue

 

[scotto-]

FYI, Grubee has a new HD Rear Axle kit for 2014:
http://www.grubeeinc.com/USA/HD Rear Axel kit.htm

Good Luck,

Chris
AKA: BigBlue

Thanks Chris! A couple things I'm wondering about them.........who and when will they have them available.....and do they have four sealed cartridge bearings like the old ones?

We shall see I guess.

 

[Gammaray]

As far as the freewheel version goes, through my experience i can see that its a bad design. However, i believe I found an easy solution for anyone who wishes to use it. This method requires that you do away with the drum brake that comes with the kit.

Also, Every kit comes with a small lock ring. Use this lock ring to squeeze a spacer (however thick depends on your build design) between the freewheel and and the lock ring. Give it as much torque as possible and Erika! This will prevent the freewheel from unscrewing itself. the only thing to look for is if the lock ring will unscrew itself. Iv been riding and no such issue has occurred yet. I will update if any discrepancies are presented.

 

[scotto-]

As far as the freewheel version goes, through my experience i can see that its a bad design. However, i believe I found an easy solution for anyone who wishes to use it. This method requires that you do away with the drum brake that comes with the kit.

Also, Every kit comes with a small lock ring. Use this lock ring to squeeze a spacer (however thick depends on your build design) between the freewheel and and the lock ring. Give it as much torque as possible and Erika! This will prevent the freewheel from unscrewing itself. the only thing to look for is if the lock ring will unscrew itself. Iv been riding and no such issue has occurred yet. I will update if any discrepancies are presented.

I never liked the crappy freewheel version.....that's why I weld them solid. The band brake that comes with them is trash and takes up space that can be used for better things, such as a disc brake.

I bought a stack of the perfect size spacers (for a buck) for these hubs.....very handy for chain alignment and such.

And the first HD axle set-up I bought from Spooky Tooth 6 years ago did NOT come with a lock ring and when I bump started my 2-stroke, the solid flange mounted sprocket would unscrew sometimes. A bottom bracket lock ring solved that little prob.

 

[Gammaray]

I much prefer the freewheel for reasons I said earlier. However, I would settle for the non freewheel version if I had to. Luckily I don't have to I feel more confident when I fly down hills knowing my drive train isn't moving and I get a sense like im on a regular bike all over again.

I just want to give many thanks to everyone for there input on this thread. Much appreciated.