Spannering

This might be a silly question, but bear with me - how big an issue is
it to take both wheels off a 1200 Bandit? Due to having a nail in the
back tyre, I can't ride it, but I'm getting a pair of Azaros fitted on
Saturday so I'm taking both wheels in. I'm notoriously undertalented
with mechanical things.

As a side issue, the bloke is selling pairs of Azaros for £135 plus
fitting or delivery. That seems pretty good to me, if anyone is
interested it's Dave Milling of Whitehaven,, Cumbria -
http://www.mcspares.co.uk/.

 

McDonalds do tyres now?

 

Do you have a rear paddock stand?
Do you have a couple of axle stands (or cinderblocks) to put under front
spindle?
Do you have a friend to help?

M&P are doing pairs of AV45/46ST for £124.99

 

Can certainly locate something suitable.

I'll see if Dad can assist, it's in his garage.

<phones M&P>

 

Got centre stand? Take rear wheel off as normal and put block under
sw/arm. Put jack under front of engine/bottom of downtube (if there) and
remove front wheel.

If no centre stand you could do it with a pair of padddock stands or
just one for the rear.

If that's not an option, take the fuel tank off ( or empty it) and
after loosening both wheels, lay the bike on its side on a mattress.

Or... hoist the bike off the ground if you have a chain hoist and a
couple of slings.

 

This is the way to go, I feel.

What I actually meant, but didn't make clear, is do I have to remove
things like brake calipers first, or will the wheel come free anyway?
I don't like fiddling with things I don't have to.

 

Twin-disc front wheels need at least one caliper removed, almost
certainly both these days. You are not supposed to let the calipers
dangle from the hoses, bu I've got away with it enough times.

 

Once you remove the spindle, not forgetting to loosen off the 2 fork
bottom pinch bolts per side first. Then the front wheel should just
drop out. When I remove the front wheels i normally shove a bit of
hardboard about the width of the disc in between the pads to stop them
closing in.

Removing the rear wheel is just as easy, undo the chain tensioner
locknuts, undo the chain tensioner nuts so the wheel slides in the
carriers, remove the spindle and unhook the chain from the sprocket.

 

I've not taken a twin disc front out for a while, but I can't remember ever
having to take the calipers off.... Spindle out, wheel drops. Why remove a
caliper? No. Seriously. Is it something to do with radial mounts or
something?

Dave

 

Radial mounts?! Good Lord, no. Even my old GPz550 needed (IIRC) at least
one caliper removing[0], probably both.

Front tyres are wider (hence the wheels themselves are wider), discs are
bigger, brake calipers are chunkier; ergo, there isn't enough room to
get the wheel out without removing the calipers.


[0] And when replacing said caliper, it really isn't a good idea to give
the wheel a spin, then wrap your hand around the caliper whilst you try
to make sure it moves freely; doing so usually results in your finger
being trapped betwixt cast spoke and caliper, with a predictable result...

 

I cba to go out to the garage to check - and your is different to mine
anyway (f'naar) - but I'd have the calipers off in any case, mate.
Makes the whole thing easier and less stressy when you don't have to
fiddle about and you don't want to chip your wheel. I'm pretty sure
the wheel is wider than the gap between the calipers in any case, as
below.

Crack the bolts loose before you lift the wheel though, or that way
lies wobblyness. Leave it all together until you lift it up, then you
don't have to worry about anything swinging about. Pop out the two
bolts holding the caliper to the fork leg and tie the caliper up out
of the way with a bit of wire or baling twine, that sort of thing.

Whip out the clamp bolts at the base of the fork leg, whizz the
spindle out and catch the wheel. Reassembly is the reverse, apart
from some gratuitous wiggling to get the calipers over the discs (I
usually persuade the pads apart with a wide flat lever to make it
easier).
I usually tie them up just because I've got loads of plastic-coated
fencing wire that's dead handy for doing it. Saves having to push
them out of the way with arms three and four, when one and two are
wrestling the wheel out.

The wheel can't/won't drop as it catches on the calipers: the width of
the front wheel rim is greater than the gap between the calipers. It
may not, it may wiggle - but the chance of damaging rim paint is
fairly high.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Champ

Well now, that's just not true, is it?

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Podium Placed Ducati Race Engineer as featured in
Performance Bikes and Fast Bikes

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha Vmax Honda ST1100 wiv trailer

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Champ

AyeTHANGyew!

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Podium Placed Ducati Race Engineer as featured in
Performance Bikes and Fast Bikes

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha Vmax Honda ST1100 wiv trailer

 

Pip Luscher wrote

No? Oh. Hey ho.

Indeed.

 

Put it on centre stand. Jack it up on the crack case or sump. (Use a
nice bit of pine to protect the engine paint.)

I used the spare wheel of my car and a plank of wood on the floor under
the forks as belt and braces in case the jack dropped it down. For
triple protection you could put a rope from the middle of the bars to a
roof beam.

Easy job.

 

Ah! Of course! I think I was just having an almost-senior moment.....

Dave

 

Even my '79 Guzzi needs one caliper taking off to remove the front
wheel. Nothing to do with radial mounts it's quite simply they're in
the way - even with the 110/90 section front.

 

What are these radial mounts of which you speak?

It did occur to me that one *might* be able to do it by dropping the
front wheel as far as it would go and pushing it forward a bit, so
that the calipers clear the discs, then rotating the sliders to pivot
the calipers out of the way.

Of course, you'd have to undo the mudguard, and it would twist the
hoses...

 

The important bits are, if not the same, then close enough to be as
good as. Anyway, it's a Done Thing now. Getting the front wheel
spindle out was the bugger - that was tighter than a very tight thing
done up by a giant with a truly Archimedean breaker bar. Next step,
new tyres, then re-mantling (with the assistance of Dad [1] and his
torque wrench). Cheers for all advice.

[1] A marine diesel engineer by trade - Ace knows that of which I
speak. An extremely handy bloke with, well, just about anything
really.

 

It was merely an intellectual exercise, as I thought was obvious.

I'd never bother removing a wheel that way unless I had to.