Remove and refit the front wheel

Home mechanic (basic tools) · Time: 20 to 40 min (estimate) (estimate)

You remove the front wheel to repair a puncture, change a tyre, check bearings or service the brake. The job is simple, but the refit matters: spacers in the wrong place, a loose axle or a brake that is not pumped up can cause a crash.

Safety

• Lift the front wheel only when the bike is stable. On a centre stand, put weight on the rear (a heavy bag on the seat, or a block under the engine) so the front lifts without the bike tipping. Never support it under the exhaust or a plastic panel.
• On disc brakes: do not pull the brake lever while the disc is out of the caliper. The pads close and the disc will not go back in.
• Do not let a caliper hang on its hose. Tie it to the fork.
• Brake dust: do not blow it with air or breathe it.

You need

• Correct spanners for the axle nut and any pinch bolts, a torque wrench, pliers, a soft-faced mallet.
• A new split pin if the axle nut uses one.
• Your bike's axle nut torque. K-Light 125: front axle nut 75 to 88 N·m.

Steps: remove

1. Take photos of both sides of the hub: spacers, speedo drive, sensor, brake arm or caliper.
2. With the wheel still on the ground, remove the split pin and loosen the axle nut (and pinch bolts on the fork leg, if fitted).
3. Lift the front wheel off the ground as above.
4. Mechanical speedo: unscrew the cable at the hub. Electronic sensor or ABS sensor: unbolt it or move it clear, so the wire is not pulled.
5. Drum brake: undo the cable adjuster nut at the brake arm and free the cable.
6. Disc brake: on many bikes the disc slides out of the caliper as the wheel drops. If not, remove the two caliper bolts and tie the caliper up.
7. Remove the nut, support the wheel, and pull the axle out. A stuck axle can be tapped out with a soft-faced mallet, never a steel hammer on the thread.
8. Lower the wheel out. Collect spacers and keep them in order.

Steps: refit

1. Clean the axle, check it is straight (roll it on a flat surface as a rough check; K-Light 125 bend limit 0.2 mm, measured on V-blocks). Wipe a thin film of grease on it.
2. Fit spacers and speedo drive as in your photos. The speedo drive tangs must sit in the slots in the hub, or the drive is crushed when tightened.
3. Lift the wheel into place, guiding the disc into the caliper or the drum stop into its slot on the fork.
4. Push the axle through, fit the nut, then tighten to the bike's value, then pinch bolts if fitted. Fit a new split pin and bend it over.
5. Refit the caliper bolts, the drum cable, the speedo cable or sensor.
6. Pump the brake lever until it is firm. Adjust a drum brake (Adjust a drum brake).
7. Spin the wheel: it should turn freely, run true and the speedo should move.

Check your work

• Brake lever firm before the bike moves. Front brake stops the wheel.
• Turn the bars lock to lock: no cable or hose pulled tight.
• Bounce the front: no knock from the axle area.

If it did not fix the problem

• Wheel drags: Brake drags and the wheel does not spin freely, or a spacer is missing.
• Wheel has side play: Check wheel bearings.

Reference values (K-Light 125)