Rear axle no longer stuck! Time for first tire change!

Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 12:45 am

Hello all,

Just pulled my rear wheel off to change the tire, and found the axle was particularly hard to get out. I was able to get it out enough to get the wheel off, but it still won't pop out of the sprocket side of the wheel. I try to stay away from the "beat it with a hammer" method so as not to damage the axle, any ideas? Stock comstar wheel on an 80 cb750f.

Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 12:57 am

This has happoned to me before. Ended up pressing it out.

Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 1:18 am

Wire brush it off and grease it when it goes back in.

Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 11:19 am

has the spacer on brake caliper side come off ? sometimes this seizes and can be an absoloute pain. Blowtorch can work though.

Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 12:56 pm

Spacer is off - it was actually loose and spinning on the axle. I'll try beating on it with a wooden dowel rod or something. It's probably the threaded end that's getting stuck.

Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 1:51 pm

pb blaster works wonders then a hard plastic hammer

Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:31 pm

The down side of beating on it is you will likly trash the bearings. You always want to press where bearings are concerned if at all possible.,

Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 12:16 am

See Reality. PB Blaster and a BIG hammer. Replace pieces as necessary. And don't play with a wooden dowel. I have a big brass punch for times like these. Using an inadequate or incorrect tool guarantees fvcking it up. Hit it with the hand of an angry god.

Your bike is thirty years old. you needed bearings anyway.

Quit dicking around, do you want to RIDE????

Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 12:27 am

Once you get it out, give the axle surface a good polishing out w/ some emery cloth and rubbing compound.

Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 2:12 am

Lots of (spray rust buster of your choice here) Yeah brass is a good thread / axle end protector, don't just pound out, keep the rust buster coming and pound back and forth, sometimes a wall of guk will jam between the parts but going both ways will release it. also a very solid backing makes a world of difference, solid blocking to a concrete floor for the wheel dramatically increases the effectiveness of your blows.

Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 2:18 pm

79cb750f wrote:

See Reality. PB Blaster and a BIG hammer. Replace pieces as necessary. And don't play with a wooden dowel. I have a big brass punch for times like these. Using an inadequate or incorrect tool guarantees fvcking it up. Hit it with the hand of an angry god.

Your bike is thirty years old. you needed bearings anyway.

Quit dicking around, do you want to RIDE????

I second this method. Beat the crap out of it, replace the bearings, and grease it for corrosion protection. Remember the old addage - if it still won't budge, get a bigger hammer. Even pressing it out will brinell (ruin) the bearings if you don't push on the inner race of the bearing. The bearing are thirty years old - we have much better ones nowaddays. Go to McMaster Carr, they should be about $5-10 dollars a piece and they have free next day delivery. Whatever you do don't buy them from Old Bike Barn. You end up paying middle man prices. Just measure the inside diameter and outside diameter and width. Remember they are metric. Just ask if you need help with the bearing type. I think they are regular radial type bearings. Get ones that are double sealed.

Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 2:25 pm

+1 on Mcmaster, but if you have a local bearing house and the dimensions are not too off the wall, they probably stock them. Smile

Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 2:53 pm

lapoltba wrote:

+1 on Mcmaster, but if you have a local bearing house and the dimensions are not too off the wall, they probably stock them. Smile

While your at it replace the following - front wheel bearings, steering head bearings and swing arm bearings - just one more 'freshening up' box you can tick off your list..... Idea

Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 1:23 pm

I got it off. Turned out the axle was just a little rusted. I sanded the crud off, sprayed some PB blaster on it, let it site for a minute, then it practically feell out of the wheel.

The bearings look pretty good, no noise or anything, I have a feeling they might have been replaced by the prior, prior owner (the one who knew what he was doing, the prior owner slid the bike and got scared of it, hence it is now mine.)

I may take a look at the swing arm bearings, but I don't want to get into to much - the funds are rather short this month. I did manage to score a set of EBC brake pads from Ebay for 12$.

So, now on to my first do-it-yourself tire change... I'll keep you posted. I have a little tire pry tool that looks like a kayak paddle, but I'm thinking I may need something bigger....

Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 1:32 pm

breaking the beads is the next fun part then some lube and at least two preferably three tire paddles they typically are about 10" long by 7/8 wide some soft aluminum guards to protect the rim from gouging are always nice.

Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 1:35 pm

you might want to look through this doc before starting.
http://www.clarity.net/~adam/tire-changing.html

And yes I have most of what he describes built ad hoc for MC tire changing.

Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 2:08 pm

put the new tires somewhere where they can warm up even hot they will get more plyable and easier to handle. I change my tires all the time and use two 14" 1 1/2"pry bars and a couple pices of plastic from milk cartons wraped in duct tape so the rim does not get screwed up. Breaking the bead is simple with a 10 inch C clamp and two blocks of wood Don't forget to soap up the bead with a sulution of water and dish soap

Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 9:17 pm

Tire is now on, went okay. Not the easiest thing I've done, but with a little help from the step-father-in-law, went on okay. Even got everything in the rear end back together. Time for a test ride as soon as the brakes are fixed!!!