Hello Stemians,
Today I'm going to show you how to remove your rear wheel from your motorcycle. I will be doing it on my Honda Hornet, but the procedure is similar or same on most motorcycles.
There is a number of reasons why would you take your rear wheel off, like when the tire is getting to its legal limit of usage because you drank all the beer and just had to burn the tyre to the ground, or getting a flat. Or just to clean your rear forks from all chain lube you have been applying over the last few months or years. It is a very simple procedure that anyone can do at home with a few simple tools that you probably already have.
Let's get started, first remove the axle nut, and on some motorcycles, you have to remove bolts from your rear disc brake. Mine is just sliding off and it can be removed when the axle is out.
Now when the axle is removed the wheel will want to fall down on the floor so keep your foot underneath or place a plastic bottle to make movements more gentle (you don't want to scratch anything) and use an old cloth to remove the chain from the rear sprocket - these things are so dirty so you are going to need some protection like gloves.
Keep an eye on wheel axle distancers they will fall down when you start moving the wheel not to lose them.
It is a good idea to clean all surfaces that are dirty and usually out of reach. Use something like warm soapy water and for hardcore dirt use WD-40.
After you have done all you wanted to do it is time to put the bike back together.
Remember to instal distancers onto the axle hole on the wheel, adjust the rear brake on its position and onto the disc. It is a good idea to grease the axle a bit before reinstalling (don't oil the thread or nut).
Pop the wheel back on, making sure you placed the chain onto the sprocket and then try to push trought the axle through, maybe you are going to need to release chain tighteners. You can find them on the end of the rear forks.
Now when you can freely insert the axle all you need to do is to pop the nut on it, but don't tighten it all the way. Remember these chain tighteners?
You would need to tighten them up to a point where your chain has between 2.5-5 cm free play (0,5-1inch). Do not over tighten them.
Perfect! Now it is time to tighten the axle bolt to its specific torque.
And for the end tighten the chain tensioners so they stay fixed in place. It is best to lock them in a way where they are pulling the axle to the rear (direction of tightening the chain).
All done! Check that you have done all of the above, gear up, and disappear into the distance :)
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More to come...
All pictures, videos and text published in this post are my original work.
Braaaaap ON!
@mKaralic