Front Axle Removal on 2012 RT

[009jim]

hi Folks, I've had my 2012 model RT for about a year and now removing the front wheel to fit a new front tire. So far I've gotten to the stage where I use the "Marc Parmes" special tool (22 mm hex) to unscrew the axle. However, the axle is not unscrewing as easily as I expected. I have removed the pinch bolt that clamps one end of the axle, so that is not my problem. I have currently used about 20 lbs force on a handle about 1 foot long, and I am turning anti-clockwise. I am hesitating before I apply any higher force because I do not want to destroy something. Can any of you comment as to what I might be doing wrong, or if the amount of force is excessive or not?

The bike only has 30,000 km on it, so I expect the axle has been removed before. There is no corrosion evident. The pinch bolt and the caliper bolts were straightforward to remove and were not corroded or seized.

Thanks for any replies.
Jim

[David.]

I have currently used about 20 lbs force on a handle about 1 foot long.

20 lb ft is 27 Nm, when tightening the axle, the specified torque is 50 Nm or 37 lb ft.

I use a breaker bar which is 14 inches long to overcome torque setting. The front axle has a fine thread.