Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Front wheel removal

Hi all
Can anyone tell me what tool and size will fit the two hex shaped nuts that holds the front wheel to the forks, and if possible were you can purchase them from.
Had a flat last week and needed to take the bike in to get it fixed up (what a pain) if i could have taken the wheel off i could have thrown it in the ute and took it in with out any hassle. but no, num nuts here could not find anything to fit these type of nuts.
Many thanks
Herb

12 and 19 mm. Hope this helps!

And I believe 5 or 6mm for the pinch bolts. Do a quick search, there's a good thread on wheel removal out there with some good tips on how to not break your speedo cable housing like I did.

yep, sure does,many thanks guys.
Herb

A 12mm can be found fairly easy, but that 19mm is going to take some huntin'. A good alternative is to take a 5/8" spark plug socket, flip it and put the extension on through the socket side, and the hex end on it will fit that 19mm hole. Since you're using that side just to hold it in place, while you're turning the other side with the 12mm hex, you shouldn't have any problems.

Hey Ya'll,

Talk about timing. So where do I finbd a 12 mm hex? I can't seem to find anything bigger than 11 mm, and guess what..oh you already know that and 11 won't work in a 12 mm slot...mmmmmm man you guys are smart!

Next question; is that a threaded shaft? Which end has the threads? Don't want to go whacking it while it has thread bitting...do I?

ed

Sears has them, in an L shaped key, or hex socket. Get the 12mm allen socket if you can so you can torque the axle nut to spec when you're putting it back on.

Yep, the threaded part is on the RH side, the 12mm hex side. That's why I said you only had to hold the 19mm side in place while you turn the 12mm side. The axle on the right side has internal threads, so you won't be able to pull out the axle until you unscrew it all the way. And yes, you should loosen the pinch bolts before you undo/pound out the axle. Use a wood dowel, or something softer than the axle when pounding out of the hub.

I was in a hurry once and tried to pound out the axle with a socket extension without loosening the pinch bolts first(forgot that step). Messed up the internal threads on the axle and had to buy a big tap to chase the threads. That big tap ended up costing me $25.

Thanks Sal.

ed