axle

[boilermaker]

Another piece of automotive design stupidity struck this morning as I was trying to remove my front wheel. After freeing off the right hand fork leg axle pinch bolts the axle itself refused to unscrew. Loosening the left hand leg pinch bolts only allowed the threaded bush to rotate. So you say to yourself "I will re-tighten the pinch bolts that retain the bush and then put some weight on the 25/6 mm hexagon at the other end of the axle". Nice idea except that the tighter you cramp the pinch bolts the tighter it grips the (Tubular) bloody axle as well as the bush. Up til now I have tried a heat gun and a breaker bar with no sucess. I have gone on to do something else (fit a battery) as 55 years of dealing with this kind of moronic design would wind me up if I let it. A reality check along the lines adopted 60 years ago by Kelly Johnston at Lockheed would have made a difference but it should have been adopted internationally.

[LWS66]

Reading this makes me think I'll be using anti-sieze compound on all the threads of disassembled parts during various services from now on! Wet riding or not.

[boilermaker]

Axle/Spindle released courtesy of an Impact Wrench. New (solid) axle now under construction in my lathe.

[boilermaker]

Axle now made and fitted, I should point out in all fairness that the forks/axle etc are made by Marazocci in Italy not MZ. Italian machinery design has always (to me at least) ehibited sheer genius mixed with utter stupidity. I still have a lot of respect for the genius bits.