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Stubborn Rear Axle

N

nawgee

New member
Joined
Jun 12, 2011
Location
Castro Valley, CA
Moto(s)
2003 R6, 2004 R1
Hey Guys,

I am trying to remove my rear wheel and I am having a great deal of trouble removing my rear axle :(

Does anyone have any pointers on getting the axle to slide out?

So far:
- I have used a dead blow hamer
- Used a block of wood over the axle while hitting it with the hammer ^^
- Combining the two mentioned above, I have even had a friend assist with "lifting" the wheel

Next options may be to hit the weight room :(
 
Is the chain super tight? Try loosening it?
 
Also, I don't know if this helps but, I realized that I did not have the spacers in which is why I am trying to remove the wheel and put the spacers on.
 
so u took it off, put it back on without spacers, tightened it, and now it wont come back out? id probably get a bigger hammer. put the nut on backwards and hit the nut w/ a regular hammer.
 
Last edited:
nawgee said:
Also, I don't know if this helps but, I realized that I did not have the spacers in which is why I am trying to remove the wheel and put the spacers on.
Click to expand...

Did you tighten the axle nut to the nominal 100ft/lbs before you realized you forgot the wheel spacers?
 
also, dont be surprised if something is damaged. at worst, u bent the swingarm. id also take a good look at the wheel bearings once u get it apart.
 
well, if u cant get the wheel w/ the spacers back in, its bent. otherwise, itd be hard to tell without taking it to a pro. google 'motorcycle string method' to see how u can check wheel alignment. that could work.
 
If the axle nut is aluminum I would not hit it. Unless you have a spare.

You have the right idea, bead blow (soft) hammer or block of wood and normal hammer. (try a bigger hammer, 5/lb hand sledge)

Something got seriously galled, gouged or bent. I'm sorry for your loss.

try to rotate/turn the axle if you can.
 
Many axle bolts have a larger diameter toward the shoulder end of the bolt. Even leaving a washer off under the nut can prevent proper tension from being established. I have a suspicion that your axle bolt has a larger diameter area on the left side that goes through the space and, by leaving it out and applying torque, you have drawn it into either the bearing or the spacer (or another piece). It's been pressed in. So your going to have to un-press it. With a sledge and a block of wood. Or another brute force method. Once you get it apart inspect EVERYTHING. The cost of new parts will be much cheaper than what happens when deformed ones are put into service and fail.
 
The brake carrier bracket might be stuck on the axle, try tapping on the bracket while tapping on the axle. Worst case, try using a large, dull screwdriver and tap it in between the carrier and the wheel or carrier and swingarm.
 
At this point, you're going to have to bear it out. Do you have a piece of aluminum or brass you can put in the axle then smack that with a sledge hammer?
 
JimE said:
Many axle bolts have a larger diameter toward the shoulder end of the bolt. Even leaving a washer off under the nut can prevent proper tension from being established. I have a suspicion that your axle bolt has a larger diameter area on the left side that goes through the space and, by leaving it out and applying torque, you have drawn it into either the bearing or the spacer (or another piece). It's been pressed in. So your going to have to un-press it. With a sledge and a block of wood. Or another brute force method. Once you get it apart inspect EVERYTHING. The cost of new parts will be much cheaper than what happens when deformed ones are put into service and fail.
Click to expand...
^^^ pretty much says it all. I'd do the 5-lb. sledge on wood method (2x4's work good.) As a last resort, you could double-nut it & see if it will "unscrew" the axle out. That left side tensioner looks a little tweaked, but that may be because you loosened it? Another method is chill the axle w/ice, heat the spacers w/a torch...

Your close in Hayweird, I'd come by but not driving/riding right now due to old man health problems. Got a pickup & stand? :afm199
 
Make sure the axle is the right way around when you put it back in. That kind of looks like a GSXR swing arm and on mine the nut goes on the sprocket side. On my GF's honda F2 the nut goes on the brake side.
 
nawgee said:
Yes i did. :(
Click to expand...

Unfortunate. I'm going to bet that you're swing arm is toast. And you may have buggered some other parts as well. For instance, I'm assuming your rear caliper was installed and over the brake rotor when you tightened everything. It may be that you bent your rotor as well.

Given that you totally missed the spacers (normally a very simple part of installing a wheel), that you may be pretty new and relatively inexperienced at bike maintenance. In which case, it might be worth your while to have a pro look the whole thing over and make sure that all damaged parts are replaced.
 
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