Swing arm will not come off when trying to remove rear tire

[Miprofessor]

You might have this problem. Perhaps you powerwashed your tire and water seeped nto the axle, I don't know. But I could not remove the swing arm. The bearing race assembly in the swing arm was stuck on the rear axle thread.

If this should happen to you, find yourself a 6 inch three-pronged gear removal tool. I was able to rent one for free in the States at Advanced Auto Parts.

Worked like a charm. Picture attached so that you can see how I was able to mount the tool with enough concentric forces for the tool to work!

[robber57]

I know most people dont like to take things apart when there is nothing broken but this is one good reason to do so.

Motorcycles are just as cars and all other rolling material assembled without any grease other then where it is mandatory like in a front fork/steeringstem bearing.
As most of the motorcycle is aluminium and the bolts are galvanized this means that one drop of water is enough to permanently rot/corrode these together.

With every new motorcycle it is a good habit to perform all the standard maintenance jobs as a practice right after you have bought the thing, take the wheels out,take the brake caliper off,remove some of the plastic etc etc and lubricate every single bolt and surface before you put it back.
This goes especially for pieces that are near to the road and catch water/spray/dirt.

btw; power washing a motorcycle(any) with a high pressure washer is never a good idea, you will get water in places where you dont want water.
Also; your tire was really,really,really worn and now you know; on a new tire inside the grooves you will find small ridges which are thread wear indicators, when any of these touch the road youre tire is worn out and needs to be replaced, after that you have little miles to do so, if youre lucky 500 or so.
Driving far beyond the thread wear markers is really dangerous as an "explosive burst" comes in to the picture, you dont want to have a burst doing 60 mph as it may be your last....
The legal side of it: whatever happens, if you get into an accident with tires worn beyond the markers you will be held accountable no matter what, just like when d.u.i or when speeding you loose every benefit of doubt.

The indicator:

Tread_Wear_Indicators.jpg

[oofraitere]

Thanks for the excellent tip, Miprofessor. I had this same problem, and your approach of using a gear puller did the trick. Thanks for taking the trouble to post.

I was able to get a 5" gear puller from NAPA auto parts for about $30 (this guy). Seemed well made; hopefully I can use it for other things going forward.

Again, thanks.