Question about rear wheel axle / 2007 XB12SS

[lukasz]

Hi Guys,
Yesterday i changed bearings and spacer in rear wheel of my 2007 XB12SS and i have one question. Axle was installed with correct strenght (66Nm) but left side of axle is a little outside of the swingarm. Frankly speaking i don't remember how it looked before - i removed wheel first time. Please look on video how it looks like. Am i did something wrong or everything is ok and this is quite normal?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBEggsKQr3U

 

[lukasz]

During wheel mounting i did everything like You wrote - tighting torque was correct. Axle is around 2-3mm outside of the swingarm, so as You wrote this is ok. Thx for Your help

 

[TPEHAK]

There should be gap, otherwise you will not be able to slide the wheel in. Gap is only on the right side, the left side is clamped to the swingarm with axle.

 

[wickedchop]

^^^^^^ what in God's name are you talking about? He was asking if a few mm's of axle sticking out of the swingarm on the left side of the machine (standing behind it) was ok!!!!!!

 

[njloco]

I'm not disagreeing with you guys but, I just looked at my totally stock untouched 07 rear wheel, it does not stick out at all !
Now, I looked at his video, and it is sticking out, lunaticfringe would know more about, if this is an actual problem or not, than anyone else on here (all due respect guys).

TBAG, if someone asks a question, and a senior member answers them, please have the courtesy to wait patiently while it plays out a bit before you volunteer your opinion.

 

[Cooter]

I have never seen it myself, but I remember at least one thread (Badweb I believe) that had the same issue.

The result was a heavily overtorqued rear axle had stretched in comparison to a new one. I'll actually have my rear axle out tomorrow, I'll try to remember to measure it accurately and post what I find. I wonder if that spec is in the service manual? I look at my paper copy tomorrow

 

[lukasz]

Guys, i see that the opinions are a little divided so after that what i have read, maybe i will try to explain more about my issue.

Around two weeks ago because of the problem with tyre i had to disassemble this wheel. I did this first time and during installation i know that i overtorqued rear axle (i had problem with dynamometric wrench). In effect, bearings have been squeezed and spacer have been damaged. I bought new genuine bearings and spacer and after installation with correct torque a have this situation. That's why i asked You because in my opinion before whole this situation axle didn't stick out of the swingarm but i wasn't sure for 100%.

Now, when @Cooter wrote about axle stretching, i remember that when i was waiting for new bearings i had axle in my hands couple times and she looked a curved in the middle... Unfortunately during first installation i used really too much torque and maybe here is the problem...

@Cooter, if You don't forget to measure axle i will be really grateful.

 

[user_deleted]

i remember that when i was waiting for new bearings i had axle in my hands couple times and she looked a curved in the middle.

STOP RIGHT THERE! that's a serious situation remedied only by a new rear axle. replace it immediately!
i have 6 assorted Buells in my shop right now....5 are mine and 1 is customer bike. just checked them all for you. none protrude as far as your axle. using a straight-edge 3 are flush....1 is a mm beneath...2 of them protrude a millimeter or so. my 2008 XB12 Black Lightning has never been ridden or even dealer prepped. it's still a "crate" bike and it's axle is flush.
ALL XB 2-bearing rear wheel axles are 14.250 inches/362millimeters in length.
also note that you've been trolled by this TEABAG dork. a continuing problem on here that won't go away.

 

[lukasz]

i remember that when i was waiting for new bearings i had axle in my hands couple times and she looked a curved in the middle.

STOP RIGHT THERE! that's a serious situation remedied only by a new rear axle. replace it immediately!

OK, thanks for checking another bikes. It looks like i also damage axle using too big force during tightening and i must buy new one.

 

[TPEHAK]

You also probably squished the swingarm bushing so now the axle goes deeper.

 

[lukasz]

You also probably squished the swingarm bushing so now the axle goes deeper.

Please, don't scare me First of all i will buy new axle and we will see what will be the effect...

 

[Cooter]

Yes, a new axle should be an easy remedy, re-intall with the right torque procedure thats in the manual and you should be fine.

 

[rchuff]

Lukasz do yourself a favor and don't listen to TEABAG he is an idiot.

 

[lukasz]

Guys,
Today once again i disassembled wheel and checked everything. Frankly speaking i'm little confused because axle don't look on stretched. When i putting axle into swingarm without wheel, dimension of the axle looks ok. Both side of the axle are inside of the swingarm. Please look on following video:

https://youtu.be/N4d1IQkRkTw

Issue is starting when i'm tryting to install wheel. When i set the axle centered in swingarm like in first video then i have a little gap between left bearing and swingarm. When i try to tight axle to the first resistance then left side of the axle is coming out from the swingarm. Please look on the next video:

https://youtu.be/pwYKe-bEeW0

Once again i checked wheel. Bearings rotating without any resist and everything looks fine:

https://youtu.be/mytKokGRqZw

What do You think about it? Any another ideas? Still the first thing that You suggest is to change axle?

 

[34nineteen]

Guys,
Today once again i disassembled wheel and checked everything. Frankly speaking i'm little confused because axle don't look on stretched. When i putting axle into swingarm without wheel, dimension of the axle looks ok. Both side of the axle are inside of the swingarm. Please look on following video:

https://youtu.be/N4d1IQkRkTw

Issue is starting when i'm tryting to install wheel. When i set the axle centered in swingarm like in first video then i have a little gap between left bearing and swingarm. When i try to tight axle to the first resistance then left side of the axle is coming out from the swingarm. Please look on the next video:

https://youtu.be/pwYKe-bEeW0

Once again i checked wheel. Bearings rotating without any resist and everything looks fine:

https://youtu.be/mytKokGRqZw

What do You think about it? Any another ideas? Still the first thing that You suggest is to change axle?

Look at this....

 

[TPEHAK]

The axle tip goes out not too much for me. I would ignore it.

 

[lukasz]

@34nineteen, to be honest from this angle i'm not sure for 100% but for me it looks like You don't have this issue. Am i right?

 

[user_deleted]

your axle is clearly bent. all the questions in the world and continuation of this thread won't straighten it. do you even realize what an important role it plays? apparently not. it centers the wheel assembly....it pre-loads the left and right inner races to the hub spacer...it acts as a fixture for the hub to rotate around....it centers the caliper in relationship to the rotor.
do as you wish. ride at your own peril.

 

[TPEHAK]

Maybe not bent, maybe stretched? Put ruler on the axle and see if it bent or straight. It might be bent if the spacer was not perfectly centered and collapsed on one side so when you tightened the axle it was pushed on one side of the flange and bent.

Does the wheel presented on the videos have new bearings and new spacer? If so the spacing between the bearings should be correct. So there are two possible situations causing this: stretched axle or squished swingarm bushing. Or both. Or the parts (the swingarm and the axle) were slightly different initially. I feel the axle should be OK, because of this is steel axle. But the swingarm bushing might be squished under load because of this is aluminum. I'm actually surprised you did not strip the swingarm threads.

But if the axle is bent or stretched it means it passed point of yield and the axle strength likely will be significantly lower (in very few cases such plastic deformation can increase strength, so I would assume it reduced axle strength) and it may fail after some cycles during riding.

Squished swingarm bushing is not such dangerous as damaged axle. If axle is deformed you have to replace it because of it can crack during riding or set some misalignment on bearings and cause accelerated wear on them. If the swingarm bushing is squished or even cracked it will likely stay safe because of the the axle still has support and it is pinched and will not rotate or shift.

 

[Cooter]

Heres a whole list of them for under $20....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/C0290-1AK-...m=282961953707&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851