Axle bolt won't budge :womp womp:

[AnonRider]

So It's finally a nice day, 55F outside, I've already installed the center stand successfully only to realize that the chain is hitting the stand.

No big deal, just have to adjust the chain tension! -- so, I get out the 17mm ratcheting wrench, the thing won't budge. I spray it with WD40 special rust formula.. wait 10 minutes tried again with the ratcheting wrench, nothing, not a thing.

So, I whipped out the impact drill! ... ended up ALMOST stripping the bolt. So, I'm not sure how to get this thing off.. Also, to note the bolt isn't a castle bolt, no cotter pin, nothing. I think it was replaced. So, can anyone lend me some advice on how to get this thing off?

[Janx101]

If ... I say IF ... It was replaced .... They didn't use a left hand thread bolt and nut did they?

[Suzuki Stevo]

Did you try standing on the wrench? box ends work best for this

Also just in case...righty tighty...lefty loosy, just sayin 

[Wazzee]

My bike also doesnt have cotter pins, did they get dropped at a certain year?  Im in Australia and have heard European models don't have cotter pins. Can any GSTWINS  guru answer the cotter pin riddle??

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[cyamaura]

Use a pole or something as a breaker bar also pb penetrating spray works better than wd 40 I use a 3 foot piece of fencing pole personally ...


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[gsJack]

What's with the 17 mm ratchet wrench, both my 97 and 02 models had castle nuts with cotter pins and had 22 mm hexes.  OP has a 2000 model? 

For years US models had cotter pins and EU models had locknuts with nylok type inserts but recall US models changed so looked at parts fiches and K7 and K8 have same as my 02 but K9 has different axle and nut so change must have been made for 09 only here in US, our last year.

Impact works better to break nut loose, a 22 mm 6 pt socket with a 18"  1/2 drive breaker bar and hit with a hammer.  Box wrench and hammer might do it if you don't have breaker bar.   If you have 17 mm hex nut must not be OE one so hope it isn't nut with wrong thread tightened on axle.   Don't know what size hex was on 09 without castle nut, maybe it was 17 mm.

[adidasguy]

Well, cut it off and get a replacement. I have a box full of axle bolts.

[Suzuki Stevo]

'07's came with a cotter key, I added the hitch pin...

[AnonRider]

the thing won't budge either way, tbh so i have no idea what the deal is, i tried using a hammer on the box wrench- nothing.

Looks like I'm going to have to cut this off, is replacing the axle bolt/nut a difficult thing or is it something i can do? How do I even cut this thing off. I'll take pics before I try anything.

working infinite numbers straight through for the foreseeable future thanks to a lack of staff, luckily the daylight savings will give me some extra time to mess around with it. wish i had some of these nicer days off coming up to really get messy.

[Suzuki Stevo]

Although it's a smaller nut in the photo: If you can do something like this with a cutoff wheel you can save the axle (if you want), after this nut was removed, the threads on the bolt where untouched.

[WestAussie]

17mm??? I adjusted my chain today and the nut to loosen the axle was 22mm not 17mm.  You are trying to loosen the nut on the chain side of the bike aren't you? Mine is a 2010 so quite possible it is different.

[AnonRider]

Yeah, it's 17mm, it does not look like any nut i've ever seen on the pics from other bikes here. it is definitely a replacement. replaced for what reason, i don't know.

i think the frozen bolt is the reason why the chain is loose as a veteran mama on a hells angels run back in the 60's after a night of drinking and drug abuse.

[fetor56]

Yeah, it's 17mm, it does not look like any nut i've ever seen on the pics from other bikes here. it is definitely a replacement. replaced for what reason, i don't know.

i think the frozen bolt is the reason why the chain is loose as a veteran mama on a hells angels run back in the 60's after a night of drinking and drug abuse.

Can we see a pic of this 17mm nut?

PS.....Out of curiosity i tried my 22mm nut and it just would NOT come off(even standing on a large breaker bar)
I was starting to burr the 17mm nut on the opposite side so i opted to cut the nut off.A nut is much cheaper than a 16mm OD 1.5 pitch axle bolt.Next nut i'll be getting will be a castle & drill the axle.

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[robfriedenberger]

I'm really surprised that it striped with an impact, if you use a 6pt socket, with an impact gun starting slow you should never strip a bolt. Try some pb blaster and try it again if not cut off the nut it should be easy


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[JAS6377]

I've found turbo sockets to be my saving grace for stripped nuts. Hammer the socket on, then muscle it off with a 2.5' breaker bar. The socket is reverse threaded, so it'll eat into the nut and spin it off. If the bolt is seized, though, grinding might be a better option to save the axle bolt.

[Suzuki Stevo]

Anti-Seize...it's not just for the bedroom anymore 

[AnonRider]

finally got it off, took the blow torch to it again, tried tightening/reversing with the gun, god damn- it was one difficult task.

I did it though, here's a picture of the 17mm nut



so now I've gotten the basics done to the bike, time to really dig into what I had in mind. replacing the chain, sprockets, the rear tire, new exhaust (as mine has a huge hole in it) and leds in the gauges

[adidasguy]

That's not the nut.
That's the head of the bolt.
What's on the other end of rhe bolt?

[AnonRider]

That's not the nut.
That's the head of the bolt.
What's on the other end of rhe bolt?

.. walt! it's the castle nut without a cotter pin

[adidasguy]

Then why doesn't the axle stick out? It always does.
If it is a castle nut, where is the castle thingies?
If that really is the nut end, then something is seriously wrong with the length of your axle bolt.
The non-nut side looks like what you show in the picture.
What does the other end look like?
There's a nut only on one end.