How to Drill Out the Axle of Mini or Maxi Micro

If you’re having trouble removing a tight bolt, before reading on, checking our Mini Micro repairs tips and tricks on how to try loosen it. If you’ve tried all of those suggestions, or your hexagon bolt head is looking more like a circle, you might need to take the heavy duty approach and drill the bolt out on your Mini or Maxi Micro.

Only do this yourself if you’re comfortable with power tools. If you’re not confident, take the scooter into a local bike shop or check out our list of local repair agents to see if there is one nearby.

Before starting, you’ll need:

• A new replacement bolt to fit afterwards. You can find these in our spare parts section here
• An electric drill
• A 6mm or larger steel drill bit
• Eye protection

You want to be able to drill directly down the head of the bolt. This is easy on the front wheel, but if it’s the back wheel that you’re trying to remove, then it’s easier if you first remove the deck.

The idea is that you’re using a wider drill bit that the inner column of the axle, and once you get deep enough, the head be clipped off.

Step 1:

With your safety glasses on, drill directly down through the centre of the bolt. Apply downwards pressure while drilling. You can experiment with different speeds, but most effective method is slow and steady. It also helps if you stop even now and then to spray the bolt with some CRC or any other form of lubricant, this will help keep the sharp edge on your drill bit.

Step 2:

If you’ve drilled quite the cavity but the bolt head still hasn’t released, try making the hole larger, either by varying your drilling angle, or changing to a larger drill bit.

Once you think you’re close to the end, stop and check your progress more regularly. Once the bolt head has come off, you’ll end up with two pieces similar to this:

Step 3:

Replace the bolt with a new one.