I’ve a 2012 Diavel with me at present for its Desmo service. Heaven knows where this one’s been living virtually every single fastener has been corroded in place so far, the job is progressing slowly just to strip the bike down to get at the heads. However my biggest hurdle is an inability to remove the front wheel . I need to drill out these 2 bolts so I can get the rads off and the shrouds and gain access to the H head. As you can see they’re very badly corroded and are seized. However to get access to drill them out I need to remove the front wheel and the forks. But…… the front wheel axle is corroded to the spacer on the LH side. You can see the corrosion creeping out to the right of the spacer. Heat, penetrating fluid and over 3 hrs on it have, so far, made no difference. I’m assuming who ever had it out to replace the tyre didn’t bother greasing it when they put it back. Im fearful I’m going to have cut the axle but where? Ideally between the spacer and the bearing but there’s no access there. Any ideas? Anyone had to deal with this before?
Try putting a clamp around the fork legs so that they don't spread when you are knocking the axle. The legs will spring absorbing some of the impact. You should try to get the clamp as near as possible to the axle but it will be difficult because the discs will get in the way.
Good idea. Thank you. I could perhaps try and clamp the fork leg to the wheel too, thus keeping the wheel up tight against the spacer and knock the axle through it. I might damage the wheel bearing but I can replace that.
You'll almost certainly burr the end of the axle too but once it starts to move you can grind or cut the end off so that it can be knocked through. Expect to replace it anyway.
Not familiar with Diavel's, so no idea if the front wheel spindle has a flange on one end, or is just clamped in the forks, but can you drop both fork legs complete with the wheel as an assembly which will give access to the fairing fasteners, and also allow better access to sort out the front wheel spindle issue (remove one or both fork legs off the spindle, then the spindle from the wheel, and then the spacer)?
