XB-600 Rear Wheel Removal

I found the master link without any problem, but I don't know how to release the clip that's holding it together. I tried needle nose pliers but I couldn't seem to do anything with them. I'll try again. I do have one of the bicycle chain rivet removal tools, so I may have to use that.

As I look at the bike from the rear, the right side of the axle (with the chain and wiring) is loose in the frame slot. The left end of the axle, however, is immovable and seems to be wedged in tightly. Not horizontally from front to back, but the axle seems to be wedged tightly into the frame slot top and bottom. I sprayed it with WD-40 and tried tapping it with a hammer to loosen it up (without damaging the shaft threads), but it doesn't budge.

OK, I'm all set. I took a break and went back to look at the situation with a "fresh eye", as in: "What am I missing here?" I had overlooked a small bolt that was holding the rear brake assembly to the frame. Once I removed that, I was able to move the rear axle forward, relieve tension on the bicycle chain, then pull back and release the left end of the axle. However, it's obvious that I cannot remove the old tube and tire with just the left end of the axle free (not enough of a gap), so I'll still have to open a link and remove the bicycle chain so I can slide out the rear wheel completely, without damaging the wiring. So the biggest problem is solved. If anyone has any suggestions for opening that master link on the chain using regular household tools, I'd appreciate it. It looks like one side of the link has a flat clip holding it together, which I can't seem to pry open with my obvious choice, needle nose pliers.

A flat blade screwdriver did the trick. I removed the chain, which let me completely remove the rear wheel (except for the motor wiring, which I left attached). The axle wasn't stuck, like I thought--it turns out I had missed a small bolt that attached the rear brake assembly to the frame. Once I removed that small bolt and the bicycle chain, the rear axle slid right out of the rear fork without any problem at all. I have replaced the tube and tire, slid the rear wheel back into position on the rear fork, and I will finish putting everything back together tomorrow, after getting a good night's rest! It was a bit of a hassle, but not the end of the world. The next time will be a lot faster and less frustrating, now that I know what I'm looking for. But it was more of a physical workout than I had expected.

Probably the toughest part was figuring out what position for me to be in while doing most of the work. Ideally, I would have loved to put the bike up on a workbench, but that wasn't an option. I ended up working on the bike in our driveway, in the shade, and I put on knee pads. I'd be on my knees when looking at each side of the bike, but I did most of the rear wheel, tube and tire removal while sitting on the ground on my butt facing the rear of the bike, with my legs spread to each side of the bike. That was a lot less awkward than trying to do the whole procedure on my knees. Maybe that suggestion will help someone else.

As I mentioned elsewhere, I am not a "fix-it" person like my wife is, so I am really surprised how relatively easy the XB-600 is to work on. My frustration hasn't been with the bike, but with my own lack of mechanical knowledge and common sense, but I'm learning quickly as I go. It seems like most things can be fixed on the XB-600 with wrenches, screwdrivers, a soldering iron and a multimeter, along with any necessary parts, although it's been very reliable and I haven't had to do very much. It's sure a cheap way to go.

Well, I got my rear wheel tube and tire all replaced and put back on without any more problems. It went back together much faster than it came apart, once I knew what and where everything was. I wasted a lot of time "scratching my head" while taking the back end apart. When I put it all back together, I made sure those tabbed washers were seated properly, the large axle nuts and lock nuts are super tight, the axle position is the same as it was previously, and the tube and tire are seated properly. I've also got the chain back on and the master link put back together without any problems.

I had trouble getting the tire seated on the rim properly, but I used my old bicycle trick of putting dishwashing soap on the tire bead so it would pop into position when I filled the tire with air. I also figured out how to adjust the brakes, so I adjusted them front and rear so they work much better. Now there's a lot less play in the brake levers.

I just took the bike for a lengthy test drive with lots of stops and turns, and I also checked the tire rotation while the bike was up on the center stand to make sure the wheel was centered and there were no wobbles. Everything's fine. I'll make some notes for the "next time". Thanks everyone for your help. Not just with this problem, but with all the other previous postings, many of which have been very helpful, even if I don't comment. I have quite a large collection I have printed out and put into a looseleaf binder for future reference.

Any tricks to prevent getting future flats? Someone mentioned "Green Slime", which I can get locally, and also thorn resistant tubes (not available around here, but probably on the internet). When I bicycled across the U.S in 1976, some bike shops used to have hard plastic strips that would fit inside the tire, between the tire and the tube. Does anyone know if those or something similar are still available? I don't know what they're called, so I don't know what to ask for. Any other ideas would be appreciated. Fixing a rear flat tire isn't a project I'm looking forward to doing again any time soon.

In addition to the different brand of tires, are you also using different tubes, or are you still using the X-Treme tubes?