Castle nut question.

[sunchaser]

I'm in the process of replacing the chain and have a question about the torque for the castle nut on the axle bolt.  The manual says that the torque should be 40.6 ft/lbs, but I would have to either over or under torque the nut in order to get the slots in the nut to align with the hole in the bolt for the cotter pin.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Richard230]

I wouldn't worry about it. Either way should work OK, especially if you are installing a cotter pin to secure the nut. If it was me, I would probably go a little tighter as most rear axle nuts on Japanese ICE motorcycles (as an example) are usually tightened to around 80 pound-feet.

[empulsefan]

a spacer of a certain thickness should do the trick!

[sunchaser]

Thank you both for the input.  I ended up tightening the nut to about 35 ft/lbs which allowed just enough room for the cotter pin installation.  Initially I continued to torque the nut beyond the 40.6 ft/lb value until the castle nut position was correct, but the torque seemed excessive. 

I guess I'm hoping that being under by a small amount is better than going over by a large amount.  Brammo probably had a reason for recommending the torque value that's in the manual.