Front axle removal/installation

[onlead]

How are you guys loosening the nut on the front axle? The manual says to loosen the clamp bolts first and then the nut. If I loosen them the whole axle turns when I turn the nut. What type of tool are you using to hold the axle (the recessed hex?).

I worked around this by retightening the clamp bolts and then looseing the nut. Seemed to work, just wondering what everyone else is doing.

[creeky]

I worked around this by retightening the clamp bolts and then looseing the nut. Seemed to work, just wondering what everyone else is doing.

Same thing. A 17mm hex wrench will fit in the opposite end of the axle if you want to do it that way.

[onlead]

Thanks! I'm fresh out of 17mm hex wrenches -- in fact I don't know if I've ever seen one. In any case I won't be adding one to my trail kit for tire repair. I wonder why they didn't just go with a 17mm bolt head? Thanks again.

[minty0_10]

this is what you,l be wanting then

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/YAMAHA-WR-YZ-SPINDLE-TOOL_W0QQitemZ330251028420QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item330251028420&_trksid=p3286.m14.l1318

[Frostbite]

Thanks! I'm fresh out of 17mm hex wrenches -- in fact I don't know if I've ever seen one. In any case I won't be adding one to my trail kit for tire repair. I wonder why they didn't just go with a 17mm bolt head? Thanks again.

You could jam a nut on a bolt with a 17mm head, and then stick the head of the bolt in the axle and hold the nut with a wrench. I leave the pinch bolts on the opposite fork leg tight until the nut is loose.

[jandmsuburban7]

you have the front axle holder bolts. If you leave them tight and just loosen the axle nut first then everything is real fast and easy. Dont forget to keep everything in your bearing race and seals clean and get most grease out carefully and repack with good quality grease afterwards. Jason

[creeky]

Thanks! I'm fresh out of 17mm hex wrenches -- in fact I don't know if I've ever seen one. In any case I won't be adding one to my trail kit for tire repair. I wonder why they didn't just go with a 17mm bolt head? Thanks again.

I had a senior lapse there, meant to say 17mm allen wrench.

[BAHeron]

How are you guys loosening the nut on the front axle? The manual says to loosen the clamp bolts first and then the nut. If I loosen them the whole axle turns when I turn the nut. What type of tool are you using to hold the axle (the recessed hex?).

I worked around this by retightening the clamp bolts and then looseing the nut. Seemed to work, just wondering what everyone else is doing.

The back side of a spark plug socket works well. just put the extension in backwards. my .02 worth

[brad the best]

i see no reason to undo the pinch bolts first , it wont damage anything . that process is so you take it to the shop were they leave the pinch bolts tight and take the nut off anyway .

allan keys up to 30mm in my tool box , but i use them a lot . just on bigger things .

[yz-dwg]

+1 on the backwards spark plug socket, most everyone has one............

[Jeff_Steckline]

are you guys kidding??? leave the pinch bolts tight on the opposite side of the main nut, remove main nut, back off pinch bolts, remove axle.

K.I.S.S, keep it simple stupid. sorry just had surgery on a broken collar bone yesterday, (over the handle bars). ? Jeff S

[Strattos]

Is there a trick to lining up the front axle/forks/speedo? I've taken the front wheel on and off a few times but can't remember what the trick was.

All i remember was that you shouldn't have to force it, but for some reason I can only get it in about two inches - just after the thick outer part of the axle needs to slide into the fork leg. It gets started and just binds there. The other side (nut) looks fine and loose. It's getting stuck at the speedo end.

[FORMA MOTO]

Take your time, and it will slide in.

Don't forget to 'set' the front wheel in the forks:

- tighten the axle lightly, tighten the clamps lightly, with the non-nut side tighter

- press the forks up and down with the brake applied. Tighten the non nut side tight. Repeat fork press.

- Tighten clamp bolts on nut side, then tighten nut tight. Check for wheel run-out and no brake bind. Make sure your fork tubes are exactly the same height in the triple clamps too.

[rufusz]

Take your time, and it will slide in.

Don't forget to 'set' the front wheel in the forks:

- tighten the axle lightly, tighten the clamps lightly, with the non-nut side tighter

- press the forks up and down with the brake applied. Tighten the non nut side tight. Repeat fork press.

- Tighten clamp bolts on nut side, then tighten nut tight. Check for wheel run-out and no brake bind. Make sure your fork tubes are exactly the same height in the triple clamps too.

Correct me on this:

When you tighten the nut on the axles, it "pulls together" the 2 spacers, the bearings and it pulls it to the left fork. Afterwards, the pushing of the forks with brakes applied, is only to position the non-nut side of the axle in the right forks clamps. After this process, you can tighten pinch bolts.

Using your method, you're first tightening LIGHTLY the main nut, than tighten pinch bolts on the non-nut side (by this fixing the non-nut side of the axle), push forks (which has no effect since right side is tightened), tighten other side, push again (again no effect), tighten main nut (which can easily result in the forks not being parallel, bottoms being to close to each other)

So I believe your approach is wrong, according to the manual (and also me) :

- first tighten the main nut (if axle rotates, hold it with some tool)

- push fork several times with brakes applied

- tighten pinch bolts

[Backroad-Bob]

Here is a little secret I have been using for years. All this is a 3/4" bolt that was about 5" lg. Cut the threaded end off and bend the bolt near the head. I tack welded the washer on so it doesn't slide in the axle too far. You can rotate the axle and also push on the axle with this wrench. The axle comes off or goes on with ease. ?

[Strattos]

Take your time, and it will slide in.

Thanks Krannie, worked a treat. Must have been a bit impatient. What should have been a simple maintenance task got waaaay more complicated than it should have.