KTM EXC-F SIX DAYS EN - Manual (Page 39)

MAINTENANCE WORK ON CHASSIS AND ENGINE
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ENGLISH
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Dismounting and mounting the rear wheel
Jack the motorcycle up on its frame so that the rear wheel no longer
touches the ground.
Remove the collar nut [1], remove the chain tensioner [2] and pull out the
wheel spindle [3] until you can push the rear wheel forwards.
Take the chain off the rear sprocket, pull out the wheel spindle and carefully
remove the rear wheel from the swing arm.
– Do not operate the rear brake when the rear wheel has been dismounted.
– Make sure the brake disc is always on top when you lay down the wheel,
otherwise the brake disc can be damaged.
– If the axle is dismounted, clean the thread of the wheel spindle and col-
lar nut thoroughly and apply a new coat of grease to prevent the thread
from jamming.
The rear wheel is remounted in the reverse order. Before tightening the col-
lar nut to 80 Nm, push the rear wheel forwards so that the chain tensioners
lie on the tension screws.
– If you don’t happen to have a torque wrench at hand, make sure you have
the tightening torque corrected by a KTM dealer as soon as possible. A
loose axle may lead to an unstable driving behavior of your motorcycle.
– After mounting the rear wheel, keep operating the rear brake until the pres-
sure point returns.
– It is very important to keep the brake disk free from oil and fatty matters,
eitherwise the braking effects would be strongly reduced.
– Tighten the collar nut with the required torque. A loose wheel spindle may
lead to an unstable behavior of your motorcycle.
Checking spoke tension
The correct spoke tension is very important for the stability of the wheels and
thus for riding safety. A loose spoke causes the wheel to become unbalanced
and before long other spokes will have come loose. Check spoke tension, espe-
cially on a new motorcycle, at regular intervals. For checking, tap on each
spoke with the blade of a screwdriver (see photo). A clear tone must be the
result. Dull tones are indicators of loose spokes. If necessary, have the spokes
retightened and the wheel centered by a KTM dealer.
– Spokes can tear if you continue to ride with them loose. This may lead to
an unstable handling of your motorcycle.
– Excessively tensioned spokes may rupture due to local overloading. The
spokes must be tensioned to 5 Nm.
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