Wheel Removal and Installation
Wheels are removed frequently so that tires may be changed or to remove sprockets or brake discs from the wheels. Outside of those, there is not much reason to take wheels off unless there is a problem with the wheel itself.

Front Wheel Removal
Tools:
6mm hex tool
22mm hex axle nut wrench
13/16” spark plug socket
6” ratchet extension
front and rear stands
books or other flat objects
5mm hex tool
8mm socket
light wire or string
Sharpie permanent marker
high temperature grease
torque wrench

Do First:
Remove front brake calipers (see BRAKE CALIPER REMOVAL, steps 1 through 3)

Remove the front fender bolts (see Newbies’ Guide to Fairings Removal, Front Fender).

1. Using a 6mm hex tool, loosen the pinch bolts on the left fork bottom where the front axle nut is located.

2. Use a 22mm hex axle nut wrench to loosen the front axle on the left fork bottom. Do not remove the axle nut.

An excellent 22mm hex axle nut wrench can be improvised by removing the internal rubber boot from a 13/16” spark plug socket. Place the socket backward on a 6” extension and attach the extension to a ratchet.

The hex will fit the axle nut perfectly.

3. Loosen the two pinch bolts at the bottom of the right fork with a 6mm hex tool.

4. Lift the motorcycle onto a rear stand and front stand. Place books books or other flat objects under the front wheel so that all weight is removed from the front axle.

Large telephone books or department store catalogues make perfect supports for tire removal. They can be stacked and opened to the proper thickness to match the distance the tire is lifted from the floor.

5. Remove the front axle nut.

6. Pull the front axle out of the axle clamp on the right fork bottom.

7. Lift the fender and roll the front wheel out from between the forks. The fender may be left hanging loose between the forks on the OEM brake lines. If aftermarket lines are on the bike, carefully pull the fender out from between the forks. Leave the objects that supported the front wheel exactly as they were placed. The support will be used to reinstall the front wheel to the forks at the proper height.

Take care in handling the front wheel after it is removed so that the brake rotors do not become warped or damaged.

8. Remove the spacer from each side of the front wheel hub.

9. The front wheel spacers are identical on both sides but I mark them with a Sharpie to be placed back in the side they came from.

Front Wheel Installation
Check front wheel bearings for smooth turning. There should be no lateral play in the bearing and there should be no vertical slop. Check brake pad wear.

10. Apply high temperature grease to the rubber seal on each side of the front axle bearings.

11. Install each front axle spacer to the front axle hub.

12. Roll the front wheel between the forks onto the objects that were piled under it before removal (step 5). Take care that the arrow on the wheel spoke points in the direction of forward rotation.

Position the front fender on top of the front tire.

13. Press the spacers forward with thumbs while alining the wheel hub with the axle clamps using the index fingers.

14. Apply high temperature grease to the front axle.

15. Push the front axle through the right fork clamp and smoothly through the front axle hub. Do not force the axle but adjust the front wheel as needed to provide proper alignment.

16. On the left fork, thread the front axle nut in snug so that the axle is pulled against the right axle clamp and the axle nut is pressed against the left axle clamp.

17. Remove the front stand. Bounce front suspension 4 to 5 times to seat the axle.

Torque the front axle nut to 93.7 foot lbs using a 22mm axle nut wrench. You may need to hold the axle with a wrench inserted in the right side so that the axle does not turn while the axle nut is torqued.

18. Tighten the right side pinch bolts first using a using a 6mm hex tool, then the left side. Draw the right pinch bolts up, switching from one to the other until the pinch bolts are evenly torqued to 15 foot lbs.

19. Torque the left pinch bolts in the same manner as the right.

Reinstall the calipers to their mounts (see CALIPER REMOVAL, steps 4 and 5).

Fasten the front fender to its mounts (see Newbies’ Guide to Fairings Removal, Front Fender).

Rear Wheel Removal
Tools:
6mm hex tool socket
pliers
32mm deepwell impact socket
30 inch breaker bar.
rear stand.
flat objects such as books
light gauge wire or string
Sharpie permanent marker
high temperature grease
rubber mallet
Torque wrench
new cotter pin

OEM arrangement of the rear axle is to have the axle nut on the left hand side. I switched the axle nut to the right side of the bike. This is because the axle is levered away from the adjuster screws when the axle nut is tightened on the left causing the
chain to be pulled tighter than it was adjusted. When placed on the right, the axle nut is levered against the adjuster screws when it is tightened.

20. Loosen rear brake caliper mounting bolts using a 6mm hex tool socket.

21. Remove the cotter pin from the rear axle castle nut using a pair of pliers (The pin in the picture is reusable).

22. Loosen rear axle nut using a 32mm deepwell impact socket and a 30 inch breaker bar.

23. Lift the rear wheel off of the floor using a rear stand. Place flat objects such as books under the rear wheel so that all weight is removed from the rear axle.

Remove the rear break caliper (see BRAKE CALIPER REMOVAL, step 7).

24. Use a Sharpie permanent marker to mark a rear sprocket tooth so that it can be aligned to the same drive chain link when reinstalled.

25. Remove the rear axle nut, washer and chain adjuster block.

26. Pull the rear axle along with the other adjuster block from the swing arm.

27. Slide the rear caliper mounting plate straight back and off of the spline on the inside of the right swing arm. Pull the rear brake mounting plate out from between the right wheel spacer and the inside of the axle slot.

28. The adjuster block that the axle nut and washer tighten against is smooth on both sides. The other axle block has flats that fit with the flats on the non threaded end of the axle.

29. Push the axle all the way to the front of the axle slots. Lift the chain off of the rear sprocket and lay it over the end of the swing arm. Secure the chain to the axle slot with string or light wire.

30. Roll the rear wheel out of the swing arm. Leave the objects that supported the rear wheel in place so that they may be used to align the axle, swing arm and rear wheel hub at the proper height when the rear wheel is reinstalled.

31. Remove the rear wheel spacers. The left spacer and the right are not identical and will only fit properly to the side of the hub that they are designed to mate with.

32. Mark each rear wheel spacer with a permanent marker for easy identification.

Rear Wheel Installation
33. Apply high temperature grease to the rubber grease seal lips.

34. Install the rear wheel spacers to the proper sides of the rear wheel hub.

35. Roll the wheel into the swing arm atop the books that were placed under the wheel before it was removed. Push the wheel in until it touches the inside front of the swing arm.

36. Untie the drive chain from the swing arm and place it onto the rear wheel sprocket so that the chain link that was marked in step 33 is matched to the tooth it was engaged with before the wheel was removed.

37. Slide the rear brake caliper mounting plate onto the spline inside of the right side of the swing arm.

38. Place the axle block that matches to the flats on the end of the rear axle. Coat the rear axle with high temperature axle grease.

39. Pull the rear wheel back in the swingarm until the drive chain feels taught. Visually align the rear wheel hub with the axle slots and the hole in the rear brake mounting plate. Press the rear axle through the swing arm slot and carefully push it through the wheel hub. Do not force the axle. It will be necessary to wiggle and shift the parts so that they align and the axle will pass through without binding.

40. Place the other adjuster block in the swing arm on the threaded end of the rear axle. Place the axle washer and the axle nut on the threaded end of the rear axle.

41. Seat the rear wheel against the adjuster bolts by applying several blows to the back of the tire with a rubber mallet or the fist.

42. Tighten the rear axle nut with a 32mm deepwell impact socket. Torque the axle nut to 93.7 foot lbs.

If the cotter pin hole does not match up with a slot in the axle castle nut, tighten the nut to the next alignment.
Loosen the axle nut back to the previous alignment then tighten to spec again. If you try that a few times, you will probably get the axle nut and cotter pin hole to match up. Takes several tries fiddling around, usually.

43. Insert a new cotter pin through the axle nut slots and the cotter pin hole in the end of the axle threads.

44. Untie the rear brake caliper from the swing arm and install it to the rear brake caliper mounting plate (see BRAKE CALIPER REMOVAL, steps 8 through 11).

* Last updated by: Rook on 2/25/2018 @ 6:53 PM *

Awesome, Rook! Thanks! -bg

Yes...another excellent posting.(if you mark your rear axle/nut with a sharpie,you can always tell when she's almost lined up to her previous tightened position....makes it much easier to know)(as opposed to fiddling);)You will however need to make sure your axle is always installed in the same place(the flats on the other side...which can be marked as well..a small line from the swingarm hash mark onto the axle face)I used a chisel to stamp a mark on there.(like the mark on the adjuster block there)

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 12/4/2012 @ 7:19 PM *

^^^Thanks Guys. Great tip, Grn. I am going to do that.

lol (thanks for reading all that Grn....I know not everyone reads every last word of these lengthy write ups, especially if they already know the procedure ).

Nah...I read these...that's for sure...you've shown some cool little procedures that I was doing...well...not wrong exactly,just different.Thanks man for these!BTW...I'm likin those vortex's on there..nice.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 12/5/2012 @ 8:27 PM *

If I missed it please excuse the question. What is the benefit of marking the chain and sprocket or putting the chain in the same place? Always enjoy your how tos Rook.

Thanks man for these!BTW...I'm likin those vortex's on there..nice.

If I missed it please excuse the question. What is the benefit of marking the chain and sprocket or putting the chain in the same place?

"The chain automatically advances several links/tooth on every revolution," you say?? Yes it does. However, every 60 (or however many it is---IDK the answer) revolutions the same link engages the same tooth. There is a never ending repetition that we seek to maintain by synchronizing the tooth to the link when we remove and reinstall the chain.

I can't help but fall into an almost Hub-like soliloquy when I explain Hub's tutelage.

So there you go. Hub's secret to the tooth/link synch. After all is said and done, IDK if it makes a damned bit of difference but I see no reason to not do it. It's part of the fun. Thanks for asking, tUPSg. I did not explain this in the tutorial.

Can I get by with a 24in braker bar? 30 seems a little excessive no?

The first time I broke the rear axle nut free, I almost lifted the bike. The nut was extremely tight. If torqued to proper 93 ft lbs, a 24 incher will be fine to loosen the axle nut. Always be really careful wrenching around the rear wheel. It seems to be a place that the bike is easily levered over from. Sprocket nuts can be very tight too.

I should be ok, the guy that come to replace my tire doesn't over torque it, it should come off pretty. I have already removed the Front... I have the stem Lift front stand (came out in 2012). I was able to push it to the side a little and remove the front axle. I do have the adapters on their way, this way I will be able to lift the bike from the forks with the same stand! Nice.

By the way motorcyclesuperstore.com had a special: free shipping, regardless of the price. I bought the motion pro axle key on sale at $16 bucks on Friday and to got it delivered on Monday!!!

yeah, MCSS has really fast delivery.

I have that multi hex axle nut tool also. I still seem to use the old reversed spark plug socket though.

It is handy to have a stand with both under fork lift and stem lift. Mine will do both but for wheel removal, I loosen the nut and pinch bolts before I lift the front with the stem stand. If you lift under the forks that willput a little pressure on the fork bottoms, Not enough to pinch but I still like the stem lift for removing the front axle. The fork lift is good for doing brake work. Also a lot easier to use so I use the fork lift most of the time.

On the flip side sportbiketrackgear.com has gotta be one of the slowest vendor out there. I will weight the BST's tomorrow, there should be going on the bike on Tueday!
That nut came out fairly easy with the 24in

I have that multi hex axle nut tool also. I still seem to use the old reversed spark plug socket though.

...and now I see why. The multi hex axle tool works fine on the axle hex but it will not work on the axle nut at the opposite side. No biggy, if you like the multi hex tool, instead of loosening the pinch bolts on the axle nut side to free the axle nut, leave those pinch bolts tight so that the axle nut is held fast. Loosen the pinch bolts on the other side and use the hex tool to turn the axle out of the axle nut. It will work just the same. I did it that way the first time I removed the axle. Minor detail but, I suppose during installation it is a bit easier to thread the nut onto the axle rather than threading the axle into the nut.

Oh well, I deleted this pic from the tutorial because in the tutorial I am describing removing the NUT from the LEFT side. The pic shows the axle being removed from the right side.

If you're confused, don't worry, you will see what I mean when you try what ever tool you purchased to remove the axle. Either one will work but the multi hex can only fit in one side.

* Last updated by: Rook on 4/23/2013 @ 2:57 PM *

Probably a dumb question but any reason to not just use an impact wrench to loosen the rear? I have that cheap electric impact wrench from Harbor Freight that worked great loosening the front sprocket on my ZRX.

IDK...the only thing I think of that might suffer are the wheel bearings. I don't see that the bearings would be hurt. Kruz says it's ok to use the impact to remove but use a torque wrench to tighten. The impact torque might not be reliable. I never had a problem with my 24" breaker bar. That's after I torqued it. The factory tightened it way too tight. I only tighten to 45 ft lbs with my CZ rims and they never come loose. I don't even use a cotter pin because of my axle slider. Neversieze it and torque to spec, it won't come loose and it should come off without much fuss.

* Last updated by: Rook on 6/11/2015 @ 7:37 PM *

Cool, I would only use the impact wrench to loosen things. I have a good set of torque wrenches in different ranges for tightening pretty much everything.

* Last updated by: tooncinator on 6/12/2015 @ 12:10 AM *

updated.

done

* Last updated by: Rook on 2/25/2018 @ 6:56 PM *

Hey Rook ... Some feedback on the 13/16" spark plug socket, for others to watch for when buying one: I just bought a Husky brand 13/16" spark plug socket at Home Depot to loosen the ZX14's front axle bolt. The hex end fits the axle perfectly ... however, this particular socket has a round hole in it that prevents a socket extension from fitting in to the square part, meaning you'd have to come up with another way to actually be able to turn the socket. Maybe that round part in the socket could be ground down, or maybe I'll look for another brand. Not sure yet. I could just buy the actual axle bolt socket, but I think that's only available at the motorcycle shop which is too darn far across town.

* Last updated by: extrapolator on 8/2/2022 @ 3:50 PM *

I can't remember the brand of socket I bought but I think I got it from Advance Auto about 10 years ago.

I guess the easiest thing to do would be weld a rod onto the female end of that socket but it would be a lot easier to just buy one with the square drive hole being square all the way through.

* Last updated by: Rook on 7/30/2022 @ 9:35 PM *

It's been a long time since I installed a front wheel on the 14 but I'm certain I have used an axle wrench to hold the axle from turning while I used another axle wrench to torque the nut on the other side. I always have used that sparkplug wrench but I have used my Motion Pro axle nut wrench to stabilize the axle from the other side. I guess you can rely on the pinch bolts to hold the axle steady but I prefer to eliminate any possibility that the axle might turn while I'm torquing.

So I'm suggesting the Motion Pro axle nut wrench to you. Maybe pick up two of them if you want to ensure the axle doesn't spin while you torque. I'm pretty sure the axle and the axle nut have the same size hex in them. The Motion Pro axle nut socket has 24, 19, 22 and 17 mm hexes all on one tool. The ZX-14 axle takes the 22 mm.

You just reminded me how badly I miss wrenching, Extrap. It's hard to indulge in life's pleasures when most of life is so up in the air as it is for me right now.

Rook - I borrowed a generic version of the Motion Pro axle bolt socket adapter from my motorcycle crazed buddy ... but unless I'm doing something dum (a distinct possibility!) it actually doesn't work. See the pic below: The 17 mm section that's in front of the 22 mm section is too big to fit inside the hollow axle tube and therefore prevents the 22 mm section of the adapter from actually going in far enough to engage the axle nut. Of course, the 17 mm section could be chopped off ... but see my next post for what I decided to do ...

* Last updated by: extrapolator on 8/2/2022 @ 4:21 PM *

Sooo ... I threw in the towel and ordered this $9.75 22 mm hex bit socket https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004W82PGS

Good ol' Amazon, it arrived in 2 days. That's good, but it's a good thing the ZX isn't my daily driver!

* Last updated by: extrapolator on 8/5/2022 @ 5:19 PM *

I bought 3 allen head sockets in a 3 pack with 3 different sizes from Autozone years ago and still using them. You will be glad you have it in the tool box.