I dropped my front wheel down tonight so I could replace the front rubber fender bumper on my FLHPI. Just before I put it back together I kicked the axle spacers and could not remember which was which. One spacer has three notches equally spaced on the edge of one side and the other axle-spacer is plain. The notched one is about 1/16 of an inch thicker. My first attemp the wheel bound on the brake so I switched the spacers and now it seems OK. I torqued the axle nut first then the pinch bolts. Everything seems good but I was wondering if anyone knew for sure which was right and left? If your near your bike the notches are easy to see. Which side is that notched spacer on and which way are the notches facing, toward the fork or the wheel?
Thansk,
Tom

does this look right?

 

What year is your bike?

My 2009 touring HD service manual says,

"Note"

"Be sure that the grooves on external spacer(s), or index pin on the front wheel speed sensor(if ABS equipped), are on the outboard side. If motorcycle is not ABS equipped, external spacers on the left and right side of the wheel hub are interchangeable."

I bold and underlined for your reference.

You look good on your install from what I can tell from your pic's. Hope that helps.

 

Thanks. I'm pretty sure the right and left spacers are slightly different on my 06. I don't see any ABS stuff.

 

My '04 HD Service Manual says it differently than the '09 quoted above. You have the shorter (w/o notches) on the correct (bike's right) side. The notched spacer is installed with the notches on the bearing side: "With the three notches on the bearing side, push the axle through long external spacer and left fork leg . . ."

Without a service manual, how did you know what torque value to use for the axle nut and pinch bolts?

 

My '05 says the same...Make sure you use inch/lbs on the pinch bolts and not ft/lbs...don't ask me how I know...

 

Thanks for the help! I'll turn the left spacer around. What is the torque on the pinch bolts? I tuned them to 25lbs. Too tight??

 

Spec in my '04 manual is132-180 in-lbs. 25 ft-lbs=300 in.-lbs.

Do yourself a favor and buy the service manual.

 

As HP said by yourself a service manual, but 132 - 180 in/lbs is what my manual says also. I made the mistake of misreading the spec as ft/lbs rather than in/lbs and torqued the first one at 150 ft/lbs...Snapped the stud right off. Trust me it was not fun getting it out either!

 

I've done that chit too.

 

Yikes! I turned them way too tight. I got the spec here. I re-torqued to 15inch/pounds What about the axle nut? read here it was 50 foot/lbs??