cylinder torquing

[kawonda750]

Since finding the broken base gasket on my Gt550, I find that the cylinder base nuts are loose. They were tight when I assembled back in the spring.
On my other 2 strokes it is common to re-torque the head bolts after a few heat cycles. With the ram air cowling and carbs and exhaust , it is impossible to access the base nuts. Is it necessary to take all that stuff off and re-torque the head and base nuts?

Do I tighten the base nuts, then the head and then re-tighten the base nuts? I would think that tightening the head bolts may lift the cylinders to some degree. Maybe I am completely wrong in this thinking ???

[Alan H]

You'll have to take the carbs off to access the rear cylinder base nuts, but the front ones are easy with a ring/oe spanner.
Head nuts do require ram air cowl removal, but that's not a big job.

[kawonda750]

So, you do haveto re-torque after a few heat cycles?

[badgereng]

I did on my GT380 and have re-torqued my CX500 3 additional times after progressive heat cycles. No leaks

I also re-tighten my house radiator fittings after they’ve been off for flushing and been thru a heat cycle - That may say more about my traits as a person than fact and data driven needs but a leak is a failure in my messed up head

[kawonda750]

I am more just whining about what a big job re-torquing is with hard to get at base nuts and removing carbs and air box to get at them .Heads are not a big deal..but bases are unless I remove the exhaust too.

I know, big whiner....

[Alan H]

Exhaust stays where it is - just use a ring/oe spanner as I mentioned in the previous post for the front base studs, carbs off for the rear ones.

[kawonda750]

I had to look up what a ring spanner is. Here in Canada we call that a box wrench. Anyway, that is what I have been using but still very hard to get at the nuts and get enough room to tighten the nut without running into something.

And , oh yes, we call them wrenches here...yes, I know, darn Colonials.......

Thanks for the answers guys.

[Alan H]

BTW, oe is open ended (spanner!) & combi is ring one end & oe t'other!!!

[karl pa]

and removing carbs and air box to get at them

If I remember, someone has been practicing removing carbs and reinstalling them.

[kawonda750]

Yes Karl , truly an expert at that.

[kawonda750]

BTW, oe is open ended (spanner!) & combi is ring one end & oe t'other!!!

Well Alan, at least some of the terms cross over.

[Craig380]

What helps with the base nuts is to use what I think is called a 'starter wrench' in the US. The handle of the wrench is curved so it can fit around starter motors etc. You can get them cheap from eBay and they make it easier to get around the frame tubes / exhaust headers to tighten the front base nuts.

Like this:

[kawonda750]

Thanks . I got the wrenches shaped like an S for this.

[kawonda750]

I received the gaskets this morning. Bike is all butttoned up again and running nicely on all cylinders all the time. It doesn't race anymore with the choke on. This is where I have to give myself a stern talking -to. It raced because there was an air leak at the base gasket. I should have figured that in the first place.

So, I'll do a few heat cycles and then torque all over again. I did figure out the best way to turn the wrench for the base nuts so not expecting a big hassle do it again. Famous last words , yes but always the optimist.

Again, thanks for the input.

[kawonda750]

I did 5 heat cycles then tackled the re-torquing yesterday. After numerous contortions and verbal coaxing I got it all done. My conclusion is that it would be faster to remove the outer exhaust's few bolts and gain easy access to the lower nuts rather than tightening them a couple millimeters at a time and then searching for another toehold for the box wrench.... or ring spanner.