I am waiting on my new back tire to be delivered so I am in the process of removing my rear wheel for the first time. To those who have done it I have a questions. If I follow the directions in the service manual it says to disconnect the brake line and remove the rear caliper. Is it necessary to do this (disconnect the brake line) or can I get by without completely removing it? Any other suggestions that you can make to make the job easier would be appreciated. My bike is a 2007 FXDC with stock spoke wheels. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

 

hay you don't need to take the brake line off, unbolt the caliber from the rotor move it forward jack the bike up abit remove axle jack up to clear the wheel will be free. hope this help you out..

 

I have changed my rear tire several times and do not remove the brake line. It can be done by moving the caliper out of the way while connected. I had to beat my axle with a brass drift to get it to move. After it moved I finished with a piece of dowel. I found that the pounding closed the groove for the E-ring on the end. I opened it back up with a hacksaw but that might be something to think about.
After cleaning up the axle on the wire wheel I put Neverseize on it and you can pull it out with your hand.
Of course you need to jack it up off the floor.

 

yeah and you also don't have to mess with your axel/belt adjusters either.

DYNA axels always freeze up you may need heat and a long brass drift.

 

i took my axle out early and put plenty of anti sieze on it so when I needed to get it out next time... no probs

good idea too to spin it around so that the nut is on the same side as the pipes otherwise the pipes (or mufflers at least) have to be removed just to take out the axle.
I've got short shots so doesn't affect me

 

What makes a Dyna axle any different than a softail axle, that would cause the Dyna to freeze up and the softail not?

 

DO NOT disconnect the brake.

DO NOT beat on the axle end. The rear axle is center punched so that you can use a punch thus eliminating the need to beat on the threads.

It appears that HD did not lube the rear axle at all or enough to allow for an easy removal. On re-installation, apply some "never-seize" or equivalent and you won't have the problem again.

OVA

 

Thanks to everyone that responded to my questions. The first phase is done and the rear wheel is off. With the comments and answers to my questions it made the job a lot easier. Once I get the new tire mounted and balanced, we'll see how it goes back together. I know I will pick up a 3/4" wooden dowel to use on the install though. I do have one other question that may or may not be important. On the smaller of the two spacers (exhaust side) there is a small notch on one side. It fell out when I removed the axel and I didn't even notice it until I was cleaning it up. Does anyone know if the notch needs to be positioned one way or the other? I can't see any reason for it but you never know. Again, thanks for the help.

 

FYI, the caliper is not bolted to the rotor on a 2007 FXDC. The caliper is held to the frame via a slot on the caliper housing that fits onto a boss on the frame.

 

If it'll help any, here is my post on the forum from my rear wheel removal this past December: https://www.hdforums.com/forum/dyna-...tallation.html