Tips on rear axle insertion?

[breakdirt916]

Is there some sort of trick to getting it all the way through without things falling off, or becoming misaligned?

And how do you do it without having the rear brake pad from fall out?

If the rear brake lever is accidentally squeezed throughout this process, is there no other option but to remove the rear caliper, and rebuild it?

My friend test-fitted a bigger rear sprocket, but found that the chain wasn't long enough.

So upon re-installation of the stock sprocket, everything seemed to go wrong:
-rear fender was in the way of getting the rear wheel in
-sprocket hub kept falling out
-collars and spacers kept falling out
-chain would pinch fingers when trying to get it around the rear sprocket
-brake pad would fall out!
-while trying to hold the pad on the rotor by depressing the rear brake pedal, the rotor slips out of place and the pads clamp (closer) together
-rotor gets slightly scratched
-axle will not go all the way in; wheel keeps dropping slightly so axle is not properly aligned with other side of swingarm
-chain adjusters, out of alignment
-brake pad falls out when the 2nd swingarm insertion is at hand
-mosquitos decide to have a feeding frenzy
-flashlight dies
-cell phone rings without end
-we can't roll the bike into the truck to have a shop fix it

[Honclfibr]

-rear fender was in the way of getting the rear wheel in

Dunno much about this as I don't have a hugger, but get the rear aligned with the axle while it's on the ground then lift straight up.

-sprocket hub kept falling out

Really? Mine is held tight to the rear by the cush drive, this should be a pretty tight fit I'd think otherwise the drive line will hammer at the wheel.

-collars and spacers kept falling out

Yep, they do that, again line the rear wheel up with the axle on the ground, then put the spacers in and have someone lift the rear straight up while you hold the spacers on.

-chain would pinch fingers when trying to get it around the rear sprocket

Umm...don't stick your fingers in the chain while trying to get it around the rear sprocket? You should be able to slide the rear wheel forward enough inthe swingarm (without the axle inserted) that the chain can fit loosely around the sprocket, if this isn't the case it sounds like your chain is too small.

-brake pad would fall out!

There should be spring clips that hold the pad to the caliper, they're not the best but you should be able to line the rear wheel up with the axle, then slide the rear brake onto the rotor before you lift the rear wheel into position. Sometimes it's tricky and you need to have your friend hold the rear wheel in position while you fit the caliper on.

-while trying to hold the pad on the rotor by depressing the rear brake pedal, the rotor slips out of place and the pads clamp (closer) together

You can use a large screwdriver in between the pads to pry the pistons back, just try to avoid gouging the pads.

-rotor gets slightly scratched

By what? Anyway a few surface scratches won't be the end of the world.

-axle will not go all the way in; wheel keeps dropping slightly so axle is not properly aligned with other side of swingarm

Again you need to have someone lifting up on the rear wheel while you insert the axle so this doesn't happen. If you don't have an extra set of hands you can block the rear wheel up with wood, but it's hard to do this and keep the spacers in and line up the rear brake at the same time, an extra set of hands works wonders.

-chain adjusters, out of alignment

Adjust them once the axle is in, torque it down slightly so that there's a little bit of resistance otherwise the chain slack will change as you tighten the axle all the way.

-brake pad falls out when the 2nd swingarm insertion is at hand

You have two swingarms? What kind of bike is this anyway?

-mosquitos decide to have a feeding frenzy
-flashlight dies
-cell phone rings without end

Ok now you're just bitching.

-we can't roll the bike into the truck to have a shop fix it

Try harder, there's no real secret it's just a matter of patience, all those pieces came off that means they'll go back in, have a and try again

[Stoneman]

How'd this mini-mess pan out for ya? All squared away now?

[breakdirt916]

Well, I took all the tips by honclfibr and took it to the bike.

Originally posted by Honclfibr
-rear fender was in the way of getting the rear wheel in

Dunno much about this as I don't have a hugger, but get the rear aligned with the axle while it's on the ground then lift straight up.

By rear fender, I mean the factory mud-flap/plastic/license plate mount/turn signal holder. We had to tilt the tire and wiggle it under the fender first, then straighten it out afterwards.

Originally posted by Honclfibr
-sprocket hub kept falling out

Really? Mine is held tight to the rear by the cush drive, this should be a pretty tight fit I'd think otherwise the drive line will hammer at the wheel.
[/B]

You're correct. They do stay in. But because we were tilting the tire to get it under the fender, the hub was falling out due to gravity.

We used to hands to fix this: one to move the wheel, the other to hold the hub.

Originally posted by Honclfibr
-collars and spacers kept falling out

Yep, they do that, again line the rear wheel up with the axle on the ground, then put the spacers in and have someone lift the rear straight up while you hold the spacers on.

[/B]

I hate these. I really do.

The spacers won't go in unless the wheel is out of the axle. So we had to have a finger hold it in place while the wheel was straightened, and the axle went in.

Originally posted by Honclfibr
-chain would pinch fingers when trying to get it around the rear sprocket

Umm...don't stick your fingers in the chain while trying to get it around the rear sprocket? You should be able to slide the rear wheel forward enough inthe swingarm (without the axle inserted) that the chain can fit loosely around the sprocket, if this isn't the case it sounds like your chain is too small.

[/B]

Hahaha, I just have long, thin, girly fingers. They don't do too well when working with heavy duty, greasy, chains.

Moving the wheel forward certainly did help. Good call.

Originally posted by Honclfibr
-brake pad would fall out!

There should be spring clips that hold the pad to the caliper, they're not the best but you should be able to line the rear wheel up with the axle, then slide the rear brake onto the rotor before you lift the rear wheel into position. Sometimes it's tricky and you need to have your friend hold the rear wheel in position while you fit the caliper on.
[/B]

I think the spring might have fallen off and gotten lost for one of the pads. It just wouldn't stay in! So my friend tied it up with ribbon until we were sure the rotor was in the caliper.

Originally posted by Honclfibr
-while trying to hold the pad on the rotor by depressing the rear brake pedal, the rotor slips out of place and the pads clamp (closer) together

You can use a large screwdriver in between the pads to pry the pistons back, just try to avoid gouging the pads.
[/B]

He needs new pads, rotors, and to re-bleed the system

Originally posted by Honclfibr
-rotor gets slightly scratched

By what? Anyway a few surface scratches won't be the end of the world.
[/B]

Yes! It does make this a little easier.

Originally posted by Honclfibr
-axle will not go all the way in; wheel keeps dropping slightly so axle is not properly aligned with other side of swingarm

Again you need to have someone lifting up on the rear wheel while you insert the axle so this doesn't happen. If you don't have an extra set of hands you can block the rear wheel up with wood, but it's hard to do this and keep the spacers in and line up the rear brake at the same time, an extra set of hands works wonders.
[/B]

We used all the hands, and lots of violent kicking to force the axle through. I didn't feel to great about that

Originally posted by Honclfibr
-chain adjusters, out of alignment

Adjust them once the axle is in, torque it down slightly so that there's a little bit of resistance otherwise the chain slack will change as you tighten the axle all the way.
[/B]

Gotchya

Originally posted by Honclfibr
-brake pad falls out when the 2nd swingarm insertion is at hand

You have two swingarms? What kind of bike is this anyway?
[/B]

Haha, I meant on the other side of the wheel. But here we are back to the brake pad dilemma (solve by the ribbon).

Originally posted by Honclfibr
-mosquitos decide to have a feeding frenzy
-flashlight dies
-cell phone rings without end

Ok now you're just bitching.
[/B]

Come on...isn't it true that everything that can go wrong, does go wrong?

-we can't roll the bike into the truck to have a shop fix it

Try harder, there's no real secret it's just a matter of patience, all those pieces came off that means they'll go back in, have a and try again [/B][/QUOTE]

Amen, we DID get the wheel back on, thanks for your help

[OreoGaborio]

might be a little after the fact, but..... did you GREASE the axel?

[Stoneman]

Originally posted by OreoGaborio
might be a little after the fact, but..... did you GREASE the axel?

Speaking of grease: A little dab on those spacers is usually enough to hold 'em in place when you're putting it all back. Works for me...

[breakdirt916]

Originally posted by OreoGaborio
might be a little after the fact, but..... did you GREASE the axel?

Yes; when I owned the bike I did the full rear-wheel assembly check and service when I replaced the stock rear sprocket.

That includes re-packing the bearings with grease, checking the axle runout, and coating it with a thin layer of grease so it doesn't lockup.

Good tip though

[ZX-12R]

So long as you have a chair, a tire change can be a one man job. First I put the wheel and brake caliper into the swingarm and feed the chain around the sprocket while it is loose. I then feed the axel through while holding the first spacer. I then roll the tire backwards onto my foot and use my foot to raise and lower the wheel as necessary to shimmy the axel through. Once it is mostly through I tip the wheel and put the second spacer in. I then lift the wheel again and tap the axel through with a rubber mallet. Works like charm for me!