KOOD's Chromolyaxle Shaft, introduced at the recent Web Motorcycle Show.
People who have installed it say, "My driving has changed! It's a lot easier to handle! And the praise has been pouring in........
On the other hand, it's not going to change just by changing axles. What's a chromoly anyway? What's the difference between that and the axle shaft that comes with the stock axle shaft? I'm sure many of you are wondering why.
So, we've installed KOOD's Chromoria axle shafts on the Webike staff's vehicle and I got to use it for my commute!
First of all, I'm going to give you a quick explanation of who and what a "chromoly" is!
To begin with, what's the difference between chromoly... and a stock shaft?
Its official name is "chrome-molybdenum steel.
Its strength does not change even in high-temperature and high-pressure environments, and its moderate bending helps absorb vibrations, so it is used in a variety of applications such as bicycle frames, crankshafts, stabilizers, and aircraft leg parts.
What about genuine shafts? It is said that iron and high-tension steel are often used. Because of the strength of high-tension steel, it has a hollow structure with a thick shaft. In recent years, chrome-molly shafts have also been adopted as standard on large supersport types.
In recent years, chrome-molly shafts have also been adopted as standard on large supersport types.
So there is no need to change to chrome-molly axle shafts...? You'd think, right?
KOOD's chromoly shafts are different!
To begin with, the stock axle shaft is a single pipe that is pressed and shaped, etc. KOOD's axle shafts are made from "machined"!
The plating process is copper plating, then strike plating, then electroless nickel plating, in that order, three layers of plating!
The base plating improves adhesion and the thicker layer makes the shaft beautiful and resistant to rust and cracking.
If you find rust when you remove the shaft for a tire change, you may be a little nervous about it not breaking, even though you know it won't.
I think it's very reassuring to know that you won't have to worry about that!
'I don't know what KOOD is to begin with...'
For those of you who don't, I'll explain it in three short lines
- A brand specializing in motorcycles and metal products
- From the selection of materials to manufacturing, everything is made in Japan (of course, the materials are also made in Japan!)
- It is not common to have three layers of plating for rust prevention and durability.
This is a brand that is obsessed with everything, even the choice of materials! It's great, it's cool.
Next up, let's get those particular axle shafts on in person!
Shaft replacement is actually not that difficult.
First of all, let's prepare the chromoly axle shaft and the bike that we will use for this test.
KOOD: Front Axle Shaft x Staff K's Commuter Rapid Grom(MSX125)
Let's get it installed right away!
Remove each part in the same way you would replace the front tire.
Since the front was lifted up high, the front fenders are not removed, only the calipers are removed and the shaft is pulled out.
I was able to remove it without any problems.
This is a comparison between the stock shaft and the new chrome-molly shaft.
The left is a chrome-molly shaft and the right is a stock shaft. The chrome-molly shaft seems to be more massive than the stock steel shaft.
More than anything else, the stock shaft has rust because of the steel.
And! Here's the part that caught my attention the most when I was comparing.
Do you understand?
The chromolyaxle shafts are more snug at the corners than the stock shafts!
The secret to this accuracy is
- Easy to process, a characteristic of chromoly steel
- The fact that it is not pressed but machined
By combining these two points, we can precisely process the shaft to reduce the dimensional tolerance (the gap between the shaft and the bearing).
So what happens when the tolerance is reduced?
The less gap between the bearing and the axle shaft, the less gap between the bearing and the axle shaft, the more accurate the operation of the wheel. It gets better. (←Important point.)
Now, let's get back to the work, but the area around the wheels is quite dirty, so we can kill two birds with one stone by washing the undercarriage of the bike.
Once it's cleaned up, the chromoly is slickened with grease and installed back in place. (Make sure you follow the prescribed tightening torque!!!!)
The installation was successfully completed!
I asked my staff k, to use it on his commute to work right away!
Staff K impressions
I felt that the push/pull was a little lighter.
It seemed to be a little weak in terms of feeling because it was originally a light body, but the stock shaft was installed. It was easier to get around than it was to get around.
I tried low speed driving and high speed driving, but I felt a change especially in cornering at high speed. It's a great feeling.
I could feel the ground contact of the tire and it was easier to tuck in than with the stock shaft. is now up!
However, it seems to pick up a lot of unevenness on the fine road surface, and when the road conditions are bad, it's not a good idea to use it. I thought it was unsuitable.
I want to ride it with a quick body roll down! If you've ever wondered what it's like to use a chrome-molly, you'll be able to understand how good it is once you try it.
It was difficult to feel the full power of the chromoly because I only changed the front shaft this time. It is.
However, the rear axle shaft and pivot could be changed as well to make the Grom more fun to ride. I thought.
As it turns out, chromoly shafts are good!?
How did you feel about this validation? Originally, the car was a light weight grommet, only the front axle shaft was replaced, but I got it running. Staff K. seemed to feel the effects.
In the end, he changed to KOOD's Chromolyaxle shaft.
What has changed.
- Easy to handle
- The amount of information from the front is increased and riding is more fun.
- It's cool because the plated coating makes it rust resistant.
- Is it easy to pick up gaps in the road surface, so it is easily affected by road conditions?
Just change the axle shaft and change the ride... it's such an easy way to try it! I wonder if there are any.
I heard KOOD is also making front color nuts and eccentric nuts...!
