How To: Capture Your Wheel Spacers

John Burns
by John Burns

Ever feel like you need a third hand to get everything lined up and back in place when you’re trying to replace a wheel, only to have a spacer fall out and roll directly into the path of a passing street sweeper? Here’s one thing that may not work on all bikes, but definitely works on many of them, including the last-generation ZX-6R this rear wheel belongs to. Often you can remove the oil seal (the black rubber ring), and flip the spacer so that the collar goes toward the inside. Replacing the seal on top of the collar then holds the spacer in place, i.e., “captures” it, while maintaining the same overall width. Measure to make sure that’s the case if there’s a shadow of a doubt!

John Burns
John Burns

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  • ColoradoS14 ColoradoS14 on Feb 12, 2016

    Don't you lose surface area on the swingarm/fork this way though? I always thought that the reason the flanged area is there is to spread the load over a larger surface area on the softer, usually aluminum, parts.

  • Wes Janzen Wes Janzen on Feb 12, 2016

    As if my 2004 Ducati has wheel bearing seals. Looks like I'll have to use epoxy.

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