Front Wheel Removal

theayn said:

I have to replace the fork seals on my 2013 Wee, and going over my service manual for instructions I see I need a 12mm hex bit to pull the front axle. I bought a set of larger bits, but the 12mm is too big and the 11 is too small. I'm not sure if I got a poorly manufactured set of bits or if the correct size is an SAE bit. Can someone tell me what the correct size is?

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Probably; I got a set from Icon (Harbor Freight) and the 12mm hex fits like a glove; but your tool bag has a tool special for removing the front axle; is that long bar; with hex shaped ends

12mm, here's what I use:


Don't forget to remove the ABS sensor before trying to remove the wheel. I never forget that, except for last time

I'm doing the same project replacing a fork seal right now. The 6mm on the bottom is a bear. It's recessed so you need a long bit. I couldn't get mine with a t-handle and I was starting to muck it up trying. Those hex heads want to round off to easily. I'm gonna hit mine with an impact wrench:



Like a rookie, I forgot to loosen the top cap before removing the fork. Getting leverage with it removed is also a bear. But, once again: impact wrench to the rescue

Thanks @westkyguy . There's about 600 miles and an international border between me and Kentucky, but I appreciate the generosity of your offer anyway. I found a link on this site to a pretty detailed guide to this job, I'm planning to use that to tackle this job in the morning. Your advice and the guide I found match, so that gives me much more confidence. If anyone is interested, the link is:


The only thing I'm still worried about is how to figure out how long my spacers should be. I've read that the total length of the springs and spacers should be a bit shorter with the stiffer springs, but I haven't found any formula to figure out how much shorter.

About my original question here, the 12mm head on the bolt right under the front axle fits perfectly in the 12mm hex head for the axle, so it's definitely the tool I bought that's poorly manufactured. Annoyingly, the tool in my OEM kit is also the wrong size, or perhaps not the original tool. My kit is missing a few pieces compared to pictures I've seen on the site of other's. I've borrowed a better hex bit from a mechanic friend, it fits.

There is no way in hell I would use the tape method.

Every time the tape hits the seal it is going to turn the seal InsideOut.

That seal will have one or two springs in it to keep the lip tight, if either spring is damaged or dislodged two things will happen,

The seal will not work as well as it should, not a big problem

If the spring becomes dislodged and starts floating around this can be a problem.

The top or outer spring will float around between the oil seal and the dust seal.

The lower inner spring will float between the oil seal and the fork tube bush.

Either of these situations could lead to the spring scraping the inner tube and hacking into the tubes chrome.

I use PVC pipe, here's a few tips,

it should be longer than the fork tube, that way you can put a block on the top and get a good straight hit on it no matter the type of fork being worked on

I use a grinder and split the end of the pipe 4 times, I use quite a thick blade so it removes quite a bit of material, I put a hose clamp around the end so I can squash/adjust the size of the end so it fits the seal perfectly, this avoids damage to the seal and the seal springs.