Help! Front axle not coming out

[Nomad]

I'm trying to remove my front wheel to take it in to have the tire changed.  As per the Haynes manual, I loosened the retaining nuts on the axle nut side, I think I screwed up though because I also loosened up the ones on the left side.
However, I now have about half an inch of axle that is sticking out on the right side, where you unscrew it with an ungodly big allen key.  It will sit there and spin either direction, but wont go in or out and leaves nice shavings of metal on my front stand every time I spin it.  WTF is going on, any help?  Also tried pounding it from either side and it doesn't budge.  While unscrewing the axle, it pushed my front wheel over so the roter is now pressed against the fork, the damn axle wont do any damn thing...
Would greatly appreciated any help, so pissed off right now I can't even see straight.

[Spidey]

Year? Model?  Tighten your pinch bolts back up.  Then loosen the axle nut.  Then loosen the pinch bolts.  Then remove the axle.

Here's a write-up:  http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=10276.0

[Nomad]

Woops, new I forgot some information that was important.  1996 m900.  It is different than your write up, already read that one.  I'm afraid that my axle is stripped, if that is even possible.  I would do what you suggest, but i can''t get it to go back in either.

[Slide Panda]

Big allen key? Err, you shouldn't need to unscrew the axle at all. Really, all ducati axle and a lot of other bike set ups are the same- Just like in Spideys link.

You need to use a hammer and a drift to knock it out of the forks from the nut side once the nut's off and the pinch bolts are loose.

[Nomad]

The axle is unscrewed about a half inch out of the right fork, I've tried hamming it out from the other side, but it wont budge... just hammer harder?

N/M... Just went down to give it a shot, all I'm doing now is make the beast with two backsing up the axle, it still wont move but has some cool marks on it now

[Howie]

Unfortunately we cannot see what is going on, or what damage you may have done, but you have the older axle design.  Proper removal would be first remove the caliper(s), loosen the pinch bolts on the right side and unscrew the axle.  The left side must stay tight.  The threaded portion is what looks like a bushing in the left leg.  If the pinch bolts on the left are loosened this piece will spin and the axle will not come out.

[Nomad]

Thanks Howie, that must have been what happened, as I did loosen the left side as well.. problem being the axle DID come out a good half inch, and now i can't get it back in in order to tighten the pinch bolts on the left and try again...

[Raux]

confused

is the nut still on the axle?

[Nomad]

There is no nut on mine, the end of the axle is just an opening spaced for a 17mm allen.  The other end is more or less flush, nothing any kind of tool would manipulate.

[ducpainter]

confused

is the nut still on the axle?

no nut on the 17/20mm axles

The nut is a sleeve type in the left fork bottom

[Raux]

ok maybe i need to go read the tutorial

[Nomad]

Okay, so the axle unscrews from the right forks, the axle on the left side is flush.  I unscrewed the axle while loosening the pinch bolts on the left side.  This resulted in moving the wheel to the right fork so it is severely off center.  In addition to this the axle is sticking out about a half inch on the right, and thus about half an inch inside the left fork, bushing included.
     I tightened the pinch bolts back up on the left side and attempted to unscrew the axle, it wont budge.  When I loosen those pinch bolts back up and try to either hammer the axle back in or screw it back in to start over, it wont move.  I can turn it clockwise or counterclockwise, but it stays in the same position.
     Did I just strip the hell out of everything and completely make the beast with two backs the front of my bike or what?  I'm at a loss as to what to do here, I can't afford to have the shop come pick it up and work on it again. 

[WTSDS]

Sounds like the axle is hanging up on the wheel bearings. Have you removed the brake caliper ?
Do that and then put a bit of wood under the wheel and take the weight of the wheel off the axle, don't lift the wheel up too hard, just take it's weight, then try gently to move the axle sideways a little to the left and then to the right, once it is sliding thru the wheel OK it should be possible to remove it.

[Nomad]

Yeah, taking the brakes off was the first thing I did, tried taking the weight off the wheel too.  I guess I'll tighten back the pinch bolts on the left fork and crank the axle as hard as I can...

[ducpainter]

When you say right and left...

are you sitting on the bike or standing in front of it?