Hi All
trying to drop the rear wheel out of my Iron but the axle seems to be stuck in there? I removed the nut and loosened the adjusters and pushe dthe wheel forward but the axle doesn't want to come out? I can turn it okay but it wont tap out? Am I just being too gentle with it and need to hit it harder or am I missing something obvious here?
Thnaks

 

tap it with a rubber mallet, I'm not sure what your axle looks like but sometimes there is a divet in the middle of the axle on the end I put a phillips screwdriver in that and tap it out

 

I had the same problem with my Dyna the first time I removed it. The anti/seize, grease, or whatever the factory had applied to the axle and it had hardened. I had to beat on it very hard to get it out. So much so that I was concerned that I may have damaged the bearings in the process. On reassembly I used grease and have never had a problem since the first time.

 

guess the bike is lifted in a jack, if the wheel is in the air, it's weigth is on the axle, so put some wood blocks or car jack under the wheel to releive the pressure

 

definitely coat the axle with anti seize when you reinstall it.

 

Thanks guys. It just needed some "impact engineering"! I just wanted to check before applying it.

It was messy in there and as you said perki48 all the oem grease had gone hard etc. I'll buff evreything up and apply anti-seize before reassembling.

 

The first time I took the rear wheel off my OL's '04, I beat on the axle so hard, it mushroomed and split. I tried penetrating oil, rotating the wheel, taking weight off the wheel, etc. Nothing helped. I had to have the bike ready the next day, so a new axle, with over-night shipping, cost me a hundred bucks. In '04, Sportsters had a 3/4" rear axle. The only year for that size in the rubber-mount frames. PITA! The local dealer had the wheel bearings in stock, so I pressed new bearings in, too. About a $150 fix, plus my time and aggravation, because the factory can't use 50 cents worth of anti-seize. I cut off the end of the axle and use it in a make-shift wheel-truing stand. I wish I had a pic of the axle, before I cut it. A real horror show.
Lesson learned, when I did my '05, I started applying penetrating oil, liberally, two days prior to removal. MUCH easier.

 

What mischief are you up to now Mr T?!

 

Fitting a 170 rear tyre!

 

Aha! What brand are you going with?