A Little Wrenching on the Clutch and Rear Wheel

After a tool failure while attempting to adjust the clutch on my Sporty, there was only one thing to do... Wrench on Vixen.

Two things were left on my list for today; remove and inspect V2's clutch and remove the rear wheel. The clutch came out with no problem at all.

Now, this rusty main crank drive gear may be an issue, but luckily I have a spare.

Clutch is out, so now my attention is turned to the rear wheel. The goal of the day for this part is to remove the wheel and it's driven gear.

BUT, the rusty rear axle has quite firmly attached itself to one of the rear wheel's bearings. (Poor picture, I know)

So, after soaking it with penetrating oil for about an hour and removing the brake caliper, a little nudging is used. A socket extension is placed through the wheel and placed against the end of the axle. After more than a few hits with this heavy rubber mallet (and a small ball peen hammer), something comes loose.


Yes, something came loose. Apparently the rusty rear axle had a better grip on that bearing than I thought. The bearing came out of the wheel!

But, the wheel did come off and the bearing is ruined. Not sure if it is due to my removal or whether it was bad in the first place. That was enough for the day.