Has anyone ever had a bent axel straightned??? If so did you have to take it off the bike? Does anyone have a stock axel for a Banshee they would sell me cheap???

 

I've never heard of anyone straightening a bent axle. It may be possible, but if there is even the slightest offset in it it will wabble with speed and be really noticable on hard surfaces. If you are looking for a cheap way out you could buy a used axle (try some of the ATV salvage yards in the back of Dirt Wheels) but I would recommend spending a little more and buying a low price Dura Blue axle. I think the cheapest ones are a little under $300.

 

I've never had any luck trying to straighten an axle. You can even take it to a machine shop to put in a press and the axle will bow massively, but not straighten at the point that it originally bent.

www.vincescycle.com has a dura blue axle for your banshee for $255.95 + shipping. To give you an example of used price vs. Vince's new prices, I recently bought a new Yamaha axle for a Timberwolf for $208 from Vince, the best used price I received was $175.

 

Are you guys serious about not straightening an axle? I have seen and rode on axles that have been straighted... I have never had mine done, as I havent bent it yet, But a good machinist should be able to put it back into shape within 1/16 of on inch or so.. There is obviously a point of no return, and the axle will be slightly weaker everytime you bend it (You should easily get 4 slight bends out of the axle) Same as rims, One of our local guys is very good at it and has actually straightened rims to better tolerances than what they come from factory as!

 

adrenalinefreek is right. I ended up getting my axle straitned today by a local machine shop. It looks so good I can't tell it has ever been bent.

 

Look on ebay!

 

I had my axle straightened at a local machine/metal shop for $40. Straightened it within .002/inch. Machinist told me this is about the same tolerance as a factory axle. You will need to take it off the bike so it can be put in a press.