Stoopid Simple - Front wheel removal

[Liamfm]

I'm chasing gremlins first of all - this is a new to me bike, and the PO obviously didn't keep things quite the way I'd like.

I can't for the life of me figure out how to get the front wheel off. I have the caliper removed, and I was able to get the right fork off by removing the four little bolts.

There was no axle though - My manual shows an axle with a quick release looking bar welded to it, and an axle nut on the other side. It says to remove the spedo cable (I don't have a cable, so no worries there), then remove the axle nut which it shows on the side with the brake, then remove the axle and remove the wheel.

I'm so lost on such an easy task. What the hell am I doing wrong?

Maybe I don't want to break anything either - so I'm not pounding or beating it until it falls off (until you say "hit this part with a hammer")

 

[Liamfm]

Nevermind. I'm an idiot. It was just stuck on there... bigger wrench and I was all set.

 

[Joburble]

I know you have done it now, but for next time remember no need to do anything other than loosen the 4 small nuts on the axle holding clamp, undo the axle and pull it out, that's it. Then just pull the wheel forwards and you're done.
TIP: When putting it all back together, fit the speedo drive into the wheel, push the wheel into the correct position (aligning the disc between the pads), push the axle throught the right fork leg and through the wheel into the left fork leg and tighten it up. Here's the trick, gently tighten the 4 small nuts on the axle holding clamp so they are just finger tight but are holding the axle in place. Then take the bike off the stand and push the front suspension up and down a few times as far as you can make it go (without being silly about it). Once you have done this tighten the 4 small nuts on the clamp according to the correct torque specs. The reason for doing this is to make sure the forks aren't pinched at the botton end of the suspension stroke. Bouncing it up and down will force the forks into the right place on the axle, then you can tighten the axle holding clamp up and it should be all good to go.

 

[Liamfm]

Awesome! Thanks for the tip. Since I removed my forks completely (without marking them) what's the best way to ensure they are in the right place on the steering column when I put them back through the clamps? In other words, how do I know how much of the fork tube should be sticking up through the top of the steering column?

 

[Joburble]

You can run them so the top of the fork tube (not the fork cap) is level with the top of the triple tree (triple clamp) this will give you slower steering in the tight stuff but more high speed stability, or you can drop the clamps on the forks as desired to steepen the steering and make it turn better in the tight stuff but reduce high speed stability. I run my forks 10mm above the top of the clamp, but it's a bit unstable at high speed for me. Whatever you choose, both forks must be exactly the same height.

 

[sr5bidder]

it don't matter.. you can put 10mm sticking out for quicker steering or even with the top...just make the same on each side