Front Wheel Cotter Pin

I just noticed the cotter pin on my front wheel is missing. I have no idea as to how long, maybe since I bought the bike a couple of months ago.

Is this something to be replaced ASAP?

 

I would not ride the bike again until that pin is replaced! Think about how much vibration you feel in regular day to day riding and imagine how much more violent that vibration must be at the axle where the all of the force from every bump in the road is transferred.

You can pick one up a pin at any hardware store for a few cents. This is a good reminder for all of us to perform a regular safety inspection and to check that everything is torqued down.

Motorcycle maintenance is so much more important than auto maintenance. If your wheel falls off your car it's bad. If your wheel falls off your bike!...

..nuff said?

 

As daveflick says. The cotter pin keeps the axel nut from vibrating off the bike. The nut isn't terribly tight to begin with. Your axel would then need to vibrate out - much less likely but I wouldn't take the chance.

 

I WOULDN'T RIDE THAT BIKE EVEN IN A PINCH!!!

Your life is worth more than a few cents! Even go to the local auto parts (NOT on your bike!) and get a couple of different sizes in the general size to get you going again.

 

I just replaced my front tire today. The mechanic mentioned that the nut on the left side wasn't very tight, which would've been scary, but it had the cotter pin in it, so I wasn't too worried. Just a few pennies for a piece of mind doesn't sound like a bad deal.

 

It's a vital safety feature as everyone has mentioned.
Torque the Axle Castle Nut to specs and use a nail until you can get a real Cotter Pin.

You need something in there to keep the Nut from just getting loose and spinning right off.

The Pinch Bolt on the other side is some added protection ... But, you can't rely on that, alone.

It's better to be really Safe ... than, be sorry ... or worse!

 

I noticed two weeks ago... On the front tire, the bolt that puts pressure on the rod going through the tire was gone, no cotter pin on the opposite nut. The pin was slowly working itself free, and the nut would have come right off eventually. Not a pretty picture. I was pissed. Still angry at that shop that changed the tire, rebuilt front forks, brakes and pads.

I now inspect my bike Very often, close to every ride. we have about 1/4 of the traction on the road that a car does, and more than 4 times the danger. I am lucky that I had a few potentially bad things stay that way.

 

Part of the regular maintenance on our venerable old steeds is a visual inspection. In the owners manual of just about every bike I've owned is a little section on a Pre-Ride Inspection. This suggests that it is good practice (as does the MSF) that one perform this once-over each and every time you start the day's ride. You'll catch little things early rather than by surprise out on the road.
I've used a coat hanger in a pinch for a cotter, just made sure to wrap it around and twist the ends together (worked long enough to get the right part the next day).

 

Loc-tite is your friend, always take him riding with you

 

No, you don't Loc-tite a castle nut. You put a cotter pin through it. Well, I guess you could call that Loc-tite Silver.. 8)

 

I guess I can see what Polock is saying....in a pinch you could throw some loctite on it and get by just long enough to get to the next store when youre out far from help.

Only thing is now you have loctite to clean off of the threads of tht\e shaft and the nut.

 

I have a cotter pin on it now. It's not the official one - this one looks like a hairpin on steroids. But it fits and it works.

Next time I do a parts order, I'll get the OEM version. Only ~$1.

 

No reason NOT to put Locktite on there ... just as long as you have a Cotter Pin in there; too.

Basically, keeping fasteners from coming loose is what that stuff is made to do!