It's time to put some new rubber on my Red Devil GRiSO. I am trying to get the bolt for the front wheel loose and it is so over tight i nearly lifted the front off of the stand. it seems like so many things i go to work on have been over tightened by the dealer i purchased it from. I'll maybe give them some credit that it is over tight due to heat cycles in the front bearing. Regardless I am not sure what i am going to end up doing to get that front bolt loose.
I have been using a 2 foot breaker bar and on the slots on the axle pins i am using a 18in screwdriver. I have been worried the screwdriver will break it is bending so much. I switched from pulling up on the breaker bar to pushing and pulling against the front shock but so far only thing to happen is the pin twists in the clamps as it bends my screwdriver.
I don't want to use a torch near the shocks to loosen things up so looking here for ideas on how to get that bolt loose. I think i need something a little longer and stouter than the screwdriver so that I can let it push against the ground. I suspect loosening the wheel bolt clamps at this point will just make it worse not better.
Yeah I often find things way over tight. I think a lot of mechanics think an impact wrech makes a good torque wrench.
Anyway quick update, I had a couple thoughts after posting... none worked. I took it off the stand, I never loosen any other wheel bolts on the stand so not sure why I was doing the front wheel on the stand. I also found a SS shipping bracket from some industrial equipment I used to work on. I put that in the slots in the pin and tapped it with a hammer hoping to release some pressure on the bolt. As it was night time I did not tap very hard, did not want to disturb everyone.
Sadly all this did was bend the ss shipping bracket. Yeah time to find something a lot stiffer.
Subject: Re: Stuck front wheel bolt Thu Sep 19, 2024 2:39 am
I don't think the pin is supposed to move until you loosen the fork nuts at bottom....ideally you 'just' undo the spindle nut & then loosen the fork nuts to get/tap the pin out.
Pete Roper GRiSO Capo
Posts : 10670 Join date : 2013-05-29 Age : 67
Subject: Re: Stuck front wheel bolt Thu Sep 19, 2024 3:01 am
Correct. That’s why I was confused, (It happens a lot nowadays!). The nut is the first thing you do on the spindle. Then the pinch bolts and pull the spindle.
beetle GRiSO Capo
Posts : 10180 Join date : 2013-09-30
Subject: Re: Stuck front wheel bolt Thu Sep 19, 2024 3:21 am
Nothing to be confused about. The spindle nut is so tight it can't be loosened easily. The pinch bolts are still tight.
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Merl3noir Don Abbondio
Posts : 52 Join date : 2017-05-22 Age : 54
Subject: Re: Stuck front wheel bolt Thu Sep 19, 2024 4:08 am
Correct it is the spindle nut that is too tight.
Pete Roper GRiSO Capo
Posts : 10670 Join date : 2013-05-29 Age : 67
Subject: Re: Stuck front wheel bolt Thu Sep 19, 2024 5:07 am
Yup, don’t doubt it but if the pinch bolts are still tight and the spindle is spinning it must be tighter than fuck!
That being the case I’d go for a six point impact socket, a rattlegun and thoughts and prayers! Socket might need grinding down to get sufficient purchase.
tazio Carlotto
Posts : 35 Join date : 2016-04-07 Age : 61
Subject: Re: Stuck front wheel bolt Thu Sep 19, 2024 7:54 am
Not trying to be a smart-ass.. "righty tighty, lefty loosey"?? Or might had last person got happy with Permanent Loc-Tight??
Not trying to be a smart-ass.. "righty tighty, lefty loosey"?? Or might had last person got happy with Permanent Loc-Tight??
After 30+ years servicing industrial and hospital equipment if I made that mistake I would check myself into the old farts home... I was more worried it was a reverse threat so ran my fingernail in the 1.5 threads sticking out. As for loc-tight.. had that nightmare last night, but so far I see nothing. I picked up some 90deg angle iron i am hoping that will not bend... and I pretty sure I have a 6 edge impact wrech socket... I am hoping I can avoid getting an impact wrench but maybe as often as I see overtightenned or corroded bolts maybe I need to invest in one.
Subject: Stuck front wheel bolt 
Wed Sep 18, 2024 6:12 pm
