99 Vmax Kosman wheel install question

BiggLagg · Jun 16, 2023

Good morning. I haven’t been on the forum much in the past few years. Having a young family makes riding a lot less regular than it used to be. Anyways….

I have a Kosman 17” wheel on my bike, it was installed by the PO. The bike had new tires on it when I bought it but strangely enough the Vmax likes to eat rears….

I got the rear wheel off with some difficulty (removing the shocks, didn’t have to pull the differential)

When the wheel came off splines of the differential, a washer fell out. From what I read on the forum, that washer pushes the wheel to the right just enough for the 180 tire to clear the swingarm. Even with the washer the wheel was really close to the drive side of the swingarm.

How do I get the washer back in place when I put the wheel back on? There isn’t anywhere for it to seat, it’s just kind of sandwiched between the male and female ends of the spline drive.

Do I need to remove the differential entirely and then run the axle through before reinstalling the entire assembly back into the shaft? Or is there a way to have to have the washer seat before sliding the axle through?

I know Kosman is out of business and Sandy passed away a few years ago, I also have no literature in regards to the conversion kit.

Any insight would be appreciated. Thank you.

maleko89 · Jun 16, 2023

You can put a dab of grease on the washer so it sticks. Or put your axle in slightly so the washer can hang off it.

Fire-medic · Jun 16, 2023

I do the latter.

BiggLagg · Jun 16, 2023

Thanks for the tips, I’ll try those methods and hope for the best!

marsmax85 · Jun 17, 2023

I use a dowel thru the diff side and dab of grease to hold washer in place then slide wheel into place push dowel in a little into wheel then slide axle thru pushing dowel out ....

Fire-medic · Jun 17, 2023

Yes, I can see where that works. For things like holding gaskets in-place during reassembly, I use water-soluble gel, KY is one name-brand, or use a generic equivalent.