Holy sprocket nut Batman!

Anybody happen to know what size the front sprocket nut is on a '80 KZ1000?
I tried taking it off last night, but the only socket I have that even remotely fits it is a 1 1/8" deep well six point. But it fits a little loose and I can tell this is going to take a buttload of torque to get it off, and the last thing I want to do is round the nut off.
So, will a 1 1/16" socket fit on the nut, or do I have to buy a metric socket? And that would be a 27mm socket, right?
Or, does the front sprocket shaft happen to have left hand threads, (that would help explain things)? :blush:

Ooh boy... I seem to remember it being a 27mm... the funny thing for me was that I searched around ebay and found that some other guys had bought 27mm sockets for one-time sprocket work and re-sold them... I got a nice one for 99 cents plus shipping... and yes, it takes ALOT of torque (usually), and the different methods of front sprocket removal have been discussed in here at length... so you should have no shortage of responses when searching...

Well last night, I tried to wrench it off by using the 1 1/8" socket, my trusty rusty thirty year old breaker bar, and a long 1 1/4" box end wrench hooked to said breaker bar (instead of a piece of pipe like I shoulda but I can't find it). Very precarious, but I've done it a zillion times.
I was using a peice of 1/4" drill bit shank to jam the sprocket and chain to the block.
I pulled, I pulled, I pulled harder, even harder, and just about when I started wondering if I've ever put that old breaker bar through that much stress, "SNAP!!" went the drill bit.
I doused it with Kroil, drank a beer and called it a night, and decided to attack it tomorrow with better tools. Right size socket and a 4 foot piece of pipe, I should be good to go. And I think I can get a piece of 5/16" drill bit shank through the chain. If it snaps that, not sure what I'll do. I guess break down and buy an air impact wrench.

Hi RR,
When I removed my front sprocket, it was impossible even w/the correct size socket and a long breaker bar(pipe). I ended up carefully using my dremel to cut the old nut off and bought a new one.

Thanks Ron, great idea. I may end up doing that. Did you use one of them little Dremel cutoff wheels, or a router bit? I have some router bits that might cut it.
If I can cut deep enough, I should be able to crack it with a chisel without damaging the shaft threads, but I don't want to beat on the shaft bearing either. Maybe I can get my wife to hold a five lb hammer head on the opposite side of the nut while I tap it with a chisel.
Does Z1 sell them, or is that a dealer item?

Any KZ sproket nut that I have dealt with ( 440 and 750's) have come right off with a 1 1/16" socket and an impact wrench. I've borrowed an electric 1/2" drive impact, or taken the bike to my buddy at the Highway Dept. to use his air wrench. Since the, I've picked up a sweet DeWalt cordless impact wrench that is excellent for smaller stuff, but I only have a 1/4" drive adapter for it. I'm not sure if I could adapt up to a 1/2" drive...someday I will try it...

Edit: It is right hand thread, not left, if I remember correctly... If you are going to buy an impact wrench, I would look at the electric ones. I bought a cheap air wrench from Northern Hydraulics (like Harbor Freight) years ago, but my air compressor couldn't put out enough air to keep up with it.:S

Post edited by: Nevco48, at: 2007/02/20 13:57

riverroad wrote:

Thanks Ron, great idea. I may end up doing that. Did you use one of them little Dremel cutoff wheels, or a router bit? I have some router bits that might cut it.
If I can cut deep enough, I should be able to crack it with a chisel without damaging the shaft threads, but I don't want to beat on the shaft bearing either. Maybe I can get my wife to hold a five lb hammer head on the opposite side of the nut while I tap it with a chisel.
Does Z1 sell them, or is that a dealer item?

Hi RR,
I used a cutting wheel, I also didn't cut all the way through the nut. Instead, I cut the nut in 3 places as far as I could w/o hitting the spindle. I then used a regular hammer and chisle to "break" the nut off the spindle. I'm sure you could get it from Z1 but I got mine from "motorcycle-parts.com"...I think:)
good luck
Ron
Nev, I wish I could have removed the nut w/o cutting. I don't know why mine was rusted so bad, I really did try everything, except an air wrench(no access), including an impact wrench. It just was not comming off.

I'm going to try it one more time with a breaker bar and a 1 1/16" socket (which I just borrowed). I'm hoping the Kroil has done its job overnight.
If that don't get it tonight, then tomorrow I'll swing by Harbor Freight and pick up one of these: www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93866
Then if that don't do it, I'll go ahead and cut it off.
Thanks guys.

if you dont have a impact, you can buy a hand held impact driver, mine is set up for 3/8 drive but you can put a n adpt on it and get to 1/2, the driving force from the hammer should knock it loose.

kind of ironic, the locking washer on mine died and the nut fell off while riding, was not fun at all

riverroad wrote:

I pulled, I pulled, I pulled harder, even harder, and just about when I started wondering if I've ever put that old breaker bar through that much stress, "SNAP!!" went the drill bit.

And I think I can get a piece of 5/16" drill bit shank through the chain. If it snaps that, not sure what I'll do. I guess break down and buy an air impact wrench.

When I saw "SNAP" I thought the chain or output shaft broke...

To remove the nut on my bike, I put the bike in gear and had my 180lb son stand on the rear brake. Then I went at it with a breaker bar, pipe and 1-1/16 socket.

I'd recommend a better air tool than that $36 one. Although 330 ft/lb sounds like a lot, it's not when it comes to a frozen nut that size. I got a 18v electric Dewalt impact driver that claims 300 ft/lb that works great for lug nuts on my truck, but even those take 5-10 seconds each for the tool to break loose and that's just breaking loose lug nuts that I've tightened by hand. A frozen sprocket nut, no way. I think some of the better air impact tools in 1/2" drive are upwards of 900 Ft/lb which is pretty much what you need for something like this job.

Quit being such WIMPS!!...use Your fingers!:laugh: