• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

New monthly tech tip : Rear Wheel Removal

Status
Not open for further replies.
engineboy

engineboy

New member
Joined
Feb 26, 2002
Location
NV
Moto(s)
Does a quad count?
BARF perks
Mod Alumni
Last months tech tip, oil changes, can be found here

Oil Change Tips

First off, make sure the bike is set up on a stand or some other way of supporting the rear of the bike so it is stable

Mine has a center stand so the pics are of this type setup.

899991-rear_wheel_disassembly_016.jpg
 
Last edited:
You want to remove the brake caliper and anything holding it onto the bike, just roll it off the rotor and let it hang from the brake line, it wont really hurt anything, but some people prefer to hang the caliper with a piece of wire or tie of some sort from the bike, which isnt a bad idea :thumbup Most bikes just have 2 bolts holding it to the caliper bracket.

Now is a great time to inspect the brake pads and condition of the caliper. Look for any fluid leaks around the seals. If the pads need replacing, nows the time, although that tech article will be next month :teeth

Not a bad idea at this time to clean the area around the seals with a de-greaser/brake cleaner.

899998-rear_wheel_disassembly_005.jpg
 
Last edited:
Next remove the axle nut cotter pin or whatever is locking the axle nut onto the axle shaft.

Remove the axle nut and leave the axle shaft in the rim for now.

900005-rear_wheel_disassembly_015.jpg
 
Last edited:
Loosen the chain adjusters and lock nuts to their fullest release, and remove the chain from the sprocket.

Slide the axle out of the rear wheel and pay close attention to where there are any spacers and outer wheel adjuster slides. Pick up on the wheel while removing the axle to help it out.

There will be 2 outer washers with chain wear markings on them on the outside of the swingarm (1 on each side) , and 2 bearing spacers (1 on each side) and a caliper bracket mounting on the inside of the swingarm.

The inner spacers are different side to side so do not mix them up.

900016-rear_wheel_disassembly_012.jpg
 
Last edited:
Now just slide the rear wheel out and keep an eye on the spacers, paying attention to where they go.

Now is a good time to clean all those hard to reach places inside the swingarm;)

Notice I have the spacers sitting on the swingarm on the side they need to be installed on.

900026-rear_wheel_disassembly_001.jpg
 
Now you can remove the sprocket and inspect the teeth real good for wear, you want the teeth to be straight, if they are starting to lean towards the front of the bike its time for some new chain and sprockets

You dont have to unbolt anything, just lift the sprocket out of the wheel, it has a rubber "cush drive" underneath.

900027-rear_wheel_disassembly_006.jpg
 
Inspect the rear wheels seals for any wear, and also turn over the sprocket hub and inspect the "cush drive"

You want no broken pieces here, all should be tight in their respective slots and in 1 piece, if they are not, they need replaced.

These pieces should be installed back in their respective places, number if needed and keep them in the same slots they came out of. (thanks Kevo :thumbup)

900031-rear_wheel_disassembly_002.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thats about it, re-install everything just as it came out after you get your new tire mounted or whatever you needed to do that required wheel removal.

Few notes on re-installation:

Make sure the spacers go back where they came from.

900040-rear_wheel_disassembly_008.jpg
 
Install axle and caliper mount, dont forget the chain adjuster washers on the outside. Its a good idea to coat the axle shaft with a light covering of grease.

Yes its the same pic :p

900048-rear_wheel_disassembly_012.jpg
 
Last edited:
Install the outer washer and axle nut, but leave the nut a little loose. Adjust the chain to the specs included in your manual. Make sure chain adjustments are done evenly side to side and remember, its always better to have a chain thats just a little too loose than a chain that is too tight. Using the chain adjusting marks are OK, I do it, but they are not 100% accurate. There are other methods of getting a spot on wheel alignment, which we will cover at a later date.

Dont forget to tighten the adjuster jam nut.

After adjusting the chain, make sure to torque the axle nut to the proper specs, these specs can be found in a manual or call your local shop/dealer/friends that have this information. Do not forget to install a cotter pin or some sort of locking device, a bent over nail is better than nothing.

900052-rear_wheel_disassembly_013.jpg
 
Last edited:
Re-install caliper and tighten bolts, make sure the brake pads go on each side of the rotor.

As you can see, this is a good time to do any paint/cleanup you wanted to do.

900057-rear_wheel_disassembly_014.jpg
 
Here is a close up of the cotter pin location and how it should be installed. You need to tighten the nut to the proper torque, and then back it off to line up the hole in the axle with the spaces in the "castle nut" (axle nut) Never make the nut tighter to align the holes.

Slide the cotter pin through the hole and bend over 1/2 of the cotter pin, leave the other straight and cut the remaining portion off with side cutters.

In this pic you can also see the marks used to align the chain on each side evenly.

Im not familiar with the "string" method, and have never had an issue just making sure the same # of marks are exposed on each side of the swingarm.

Thanks for the suggestions Rags :thumbup

909716-cotter_pin.jpg
 
Thats all, just pay attention to what comes out and put it back the way it was, and enjoy the ride :thumbup

Feel free to PM me with any questions or suggestions, I can always use the help and will be happy to edit/include ideas I missed. :laughing

See ya next month for front wheel/brake pad replacement.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top