the kinetic tfr project

My clutch came loose and fell off yesterday. I don’t think that it was tight enough to begin with, so I decided that I needed a tool to hold the clutch still while I tightened. I have heard that a strap wrench will work on a puch (although I have never tried it), but on the TFR’s, the outside bell spins freely over the inner centrifugal weights and shoes which need to remain stationary while you tighten the nut onto the crankshaft. There are tools out there somewhere for this, but all of my internet research turned up nothing that looked like it was the right tool, so I decided that the concept was so simple, that I could make one myself for a few bucks.

I made it in 15 minutes and it worked great. Here is how to do it:

1. Go to Home Depot or any other hardware store and get some stuff:

1 flat steel bar (1 inch x 48 inches x 1/8 inch thick zinc plated)
3 bolts - 1/4 inch diameter (3/4 inch long)
3 nylon lock nuts.

2. Cut 2 pieces of the steel bar with a hacksaw or sawzal

Cut one 15 inches long and the other 9 inches long. This will leave you with another 24 inches in case you feel the need to make another one someday.

3. Drill some holes

Using a 1/4 inch bit, drill some holes in the bar. I clamped the two bars together so my holes would line up. You can see where the holes go in the photo:

4. Put the bolts on

Assemble the two bars with the bolts and lock nuts in a “y” shape. make sure that the two on the end face the same direction. Tighten them down really good.

Your tool is complete. Now go and tighten your clutch.