Rear axle bolt torque question..

I have a 99 FXSCT and I noticed when I came home from my last ride I was pushing the bike in the garage as usual and I heard a squeak like something was rubbing. I jacked it up and was spinning the wheel and noticed the belt was rubbing the front outter edge of the rear pully which tells me I need to align my rear wheel.

So my question is how critical is the torque on the rear axle bolt because my exhaust is right over that nut to where I can't get a socket on without taking my exhaust off. I can get a big wrench on and use a cheater bar but not sure if thats acceptable..

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks

rear axle bolt torque

get big wrench and big pipe and then jump on it. that should hold it.

Time for a test question!

What direction would you want the axle facing in the case of a bearing seizing?

When axle bearing failure was more common, you wanted the axle to "unscrew" the nut so it did not tighten it to the point of seizing it and locking up the rear wheel. It was and is considered to be safer to have the axle seize and still be able to spin in the swing arm than lock up the rear wheel.
Not very common at all now and I run my axle the way HRK is saying myself.

One year we had a new (to the group) rider join us to the short trip from Tampa to Daytona for Bike Week. We stopped for breakfast and when leaving the restaurant I just happened to see the rear axle nut drop off his bike! I caught up to him and we pulled over to check it out. The axle was snapped at the edge of the swing arm and was not doing the slot any favors either.

We found a garage willing to let us use their tools and started to pull the rear wheel. How do you pull a seized axle from the wheel while in the swing arm? You don't and all the pounding you can do won't drive it out (at least this one) either. One rider in the group went to Orlando HD to get new parts while we pondered how in @$#@$%#$%#$ to get that wheel out! He caught them just as they were closing but they reopened and got all the parts for us.

Heat didn't work, pounding it didn't work so, break out the hacksaws and cut the axle on both sides to get the wheel out. After a lot of pounding, heating, cussing, and a whole lot of sweat and busted (literally) knuckles we got the last section out. After looking at the wheel I realized that There was no center spacer and the axle was chromed and not cleaned off in the bearing area! If Spider had not installed the axle with the nut on the right, and the axle did not fail he would have locked the rear wheel up. A new axle, bearing and races and a spacer made from spare thin wall the garage gave us and we were finally on the way. It only took all day to get it done and we ended up getting into Daytona at night.

I was able to get a socket on then enough room to slip a extention over the exhaust so all turned out good.. I usually don't get that lucky..

Thanks

rear axle

Hey CD,

Now thats a winning tip!!!!

Thanks

Peace