What's best for rear wheel nut removal?
 

I'm planning my tool kit and am a bit worried about what to take for the rear wheel nut removal (22mm on the Tenere and 24mm on the F650GS twin).

Option 1: I have 22mm and 24mm 12-point sockets intended for a 1/2" drive. I'm probably taking a 3/8" rachet and I have a 3/8"F to 1/2"M adapter, so in theory this should work but I doubt very much if I can get the leverage to loosen or properly tighten the nut.

Option 2: I have 22mm and 24mm 12-point ring spanners but same doubt applies.

Option 3: I looked at sliding T bars on eBay but most are 160mm to 200mm long so again some doubts.

I can hardly rely on finding a length of scafolding pole to act as a breaker bar. What do others pack?

weld the 1/2 the ring spanner to a tyre lever, chances are if you need one, you will need the other!

These are good bits of kit. DRC Tyre Lever Wrench

You don't need a breaker bar if you tighten a nut up with the same tool you will use to undo it. I know you only weigh 5½ stone now but you can always jump on it a bit for some extra force.

have a look at this babies.... the best kit I came across so far...

T-6 Ultra Lightweight Combo Tyre Lever
T-6 Ultra Lightweight Combo Tyre Lever - Trail Tools and Essentials - T-6 Ultra Lightweight Combo Tyre Lever - adventure-spec.com: Off-Road Adventure Motorcycling gear,UK,enduro,rally,rallye,touring,rtw,mx

# Tire spoon/axle nut hex wrench
# Lightweight forged 7075 T-6 aluminium
# Hard anodized finish
# Under 10 inches in length and weigh only 100g.
# Hex wrench sizes fit most popular motorcycle axle nuts
# Perfect fit for Motion Pro T6 Tool Pack
# Sizes: 22mm, 24mm, 27mm, 32mm and 12/13mm for rim lock nuts (each lever sold separately)
# Hex ends are rated for a maximum torque of 90 ft-lbs.
# Not recommended for use with Bib Mousse tubes or tire balls

I'm sure you will find a lot more little nifty bits on there web page...

spooky

I was toying with the idea of the Motion Pro version but was put off my the 6-point wrench end.

The DRC wrench end is 12-point which is better for the nut and less chance of rounding, it's a bit longer which is good for leverage, and also cheaper, so it looks a better bet. One of 22mm and one of 24mm.

try these for size tim. i use the 27mm lever/ring spanner combo on my xr650r with no probs at all. i stand on the lever to torque it which gives me roughly 100ft/lbs. the tyre levers work well too. motion pro stuff is expensive but is well made. i also bought an attatchment to fit into the ring spanner that turns it into a 3/8 socket drive. it does not ratchet but is light and would do the job. i like the idea of kit doing more than one job as i can carry less stuff. dave lomax sells this stuff through his shop adventure spec. have a look ans see what you think
Adventure-spec: off-road motorbike gear, UK, road touring, rally, rallye, RTW, Stan Watt, GiT, Guard it Technology » Motion Pro
cheers
oz

i wrote this reply before seeing the others as i was having me dinner at the time so excuse me repeating some of the stuff already mentioned

I am very happy with mine. They are a really nice fit on the nuts, well finished and strong. They might not be the lightest you can get but I expect them to last for years.

Is the massive torque in the manual? Every bike I've ever owned had an axle that stayed in place after tightening with a bog standard ring spanner. The fact that your bike was built by people who are let loose with air guns after 20 minutes training isn't something you need to copy. If it worries you, drill and wire/R-clip it.

I've been in engineering (including brake system design) for twenty years and in 99% of cases the torque is out of a book you use to avoid having to think or explain yourself. You set a torque so production don't leave it loose. 50 NM or 100Nm or anything in between, it really doesn't matter, but you put 100 +/- 0.5 because that's what the book says for the 99th percentile application.

Undo the nut at home then take a ring spanner.

Andy

Weld the two spanners together. Use eutectic rods, maybe also add a 4" fillet of extra steel across the join. By just cutting off the redundant ends far from the business ends you will end up with a longer spanner to give extra leverage..

I ended up buying both a 24mm spanner and a 30 mm spanner for my Enfield. Slightly offset ends allow me to use them without disturbing anything else. Sockets would mean removing silencer

Wrong way round!

Six point is the best regarding not damaging or slipping, but twelve point has the advantage of twice as many positions.

That said, rounding should not be a worry with any socket if it is the right size & used correctly.

Thanks for the correction.

I have lots of skills but as you might realise they don't extend to bike mechanics! :)

Just what I was looking for :)

Actually..... Second thoughts !!!! I was just about to buy one of these so I went into the garage to check the socket sizes on the DRZ.

Got me thinking to the front sprocket which is a 30mm, so Im going to need a large socket and big ratchet handle with me anyway. I might as well use this for the spindles too and it will provide more torque and comfort than a flatter bar..

You might say "get 2 tyre levers... 24mm & 30mm" , but those flat bars have no depth for frame clearance for the front sprocket..

Just my pennys worth !

Threewheelbonnie got it right - no need to do it up so bloody tight!!!!

Highly recommend the MP combo lever thing
 

I've been using the Motion Pro combo lever spanner for the last year on the road, and it's been one of the best bits of kit I've got.

It's a great tyre lever (and I've had over 30 flats over the last 11 months), and it's good and strong. Really I can't recommend this enough. Very light too.

Just my opinion