bobbywarrior

Secure you motorcycle to a set of sturdy stands and raise the wheels off the
ground by the units chassis.
As a person that laments the loss of center-stands (even though one helped
send me off in a glorious high-side) I have to start with this. Nothing will be
more useful for you than a set of stands or a jack lift, depending on your
motorcycles design. Once you have them you'll wonder why you waited so
long to get 360 degree access to your bike. These are available from your
local K&L dealer.. If you don't have a way to get your bike in the air completely,
you can get away with a block and a floor jack, just be sure it's tied down and
secure,,, it's ugly when a scoot meets the ground sans wheels.

Most modern motorcycles have basic assembly design in common.
You can find the front axle is secured with a an axle that is centering
the wheel with one side shouldered and the other side spaced. This
assembly is secured into the fork leg via a pinch bolt or two. These
can be identified by the slot in the axle leg and these bolts passing
through it. On this model it was hidden under a small cover on the
lower fork leg.
Loosen these bolts a few revolutions to release the axle on one side,
insert the proper wrench (sometimes thats a large bolt with the
17mm head) and loosen the axle. (say it with me "lefty loosey,,,") Now
loosen the other fork legs pinch bolt and slide the axle out while
supporting the wheel with one hand.
There will often other small screws there in the lower fork leg, leave
those alone, they bleed!

Remove the two bolts attaching
the brake caliper to the fork leg on
each side. Slip the caliper off of
the rotor and let it hang from it's
brake line. Nows a good time to
stick a wadded rag behind the
brake lever so it can't be pulled in
while the calipers are off.

The rear wheel removal is pretty straight forward. There are no pinch-bolts on most bikes today. But you will need to
remove the brake caliper carrier the give clearance for the tire to exit the rear of the swing-arm once the axle nut is
removed and the axle slip out of the assembly. Just like the front wheel, note what side the axle entered and location of
the spacers and brake carrier. This is critical to brake to rotor alignment as well as locating the wheel in the swing-arm.

A quick run over to the local motorcycle shop or auto tire shop and a the beads were
broken down from the lip of the rim for ten minutes and a ten dollar bill.
There is a plethora of ways to achieve this in the driveway, like big hammers, boards
driven over by minivans, explosives, nearly every one could get you on a funny home
video show or at least knowing your blood type for the ER worker. I'd just as soon pay the
couple of bucks to have it done with a machine.
I also have these handy dandy K&L Supply wheel protectors. These are cheap and easy
insurance against divots in the rim's surface.

Make a note of the
valve-stem's location in
relation to the tire. Tires
have a "balancing dot"
marking the lightest part of
the tire that is to aligned
with the stem when new.

Most important is to lubricate the rubber
and wheel. I mix a couple of squirts of liquid
dish soap and water in a spray bottle. Put
the tire iron into the tire to wheel seam and
soak it. Repeat all the way around the
wheel on both sides.
When it binds and stops giving as you
push and pull,, return to this step.

Put on iron into the tire to wheel seam and pry the
bead over the lip of the wheel, Hold that iron flat to the
wheels face and put your second iron into the seam
and repeat. After only two or the 6" sections this side
of the tire can be pulled over the edge of the rim.
Now spin the wheel around and put your irons in from
the inner wheel side and under the lip of the tire two at
a time. You can get about 10" of the rim exposed this
way. Thats all that is usually needed to plant your knee
on the surrendered portion of the tire and press it
down, peeling it away from the rim. If it doesn't readily
give way to moderate pressure, grab your spray bottle
and slick it up a bit.

One quick tip is to mark
you're rotors for their side
and rotation. Brake pads
wear to specific rotor wear
patterns and will give you
original brake
performance with out
having to re-seat the pads.

Take great care to use a good
fitting tool on the bolts fastening
the rotors. These are installed
using a thread locker so you're
meet resistance on the entire
bolts length. Take your time,
hold your tool square with the
wheel.
A crooked approach with your
tool or a worn socket will
guarantee a stripped bolt head
and an afternoon of testing your
patience.

Once again grab your spray bottle and
soak the tire and wheel assembly. Make
note of the tire rotation and align the
balancing dot with the valve stem.
Inflate the tire and make sure your hands
are clear of the lips of the tire and wheel.
IT WILL BITE YOU WHEN THEY SNAP
INTO PLACE! Usually you'll hear a firm
snap from both sides and the beads are
seated.
This step may be better done at the
local bike shop if you're planning to
balance the rotating assembly when
you're finished.. You can trace a line all
the way around the tires diameter at the
rims edge to know they are evenly
seated.

Start with one lip of the tire tucked under the wheel
lip. A firm push from one side of the wheel and
working your way by hand will yield surprising
results. The last 1/4 of the wheel will take a quick
one - two with the tire irons using the two handed
approach you used to get the tire off. Repeat this
again with the top lip of the tire. The last part will
require the tire being squeezed together on the
opposite side. Keeping the tire's bead below the
bead lip of the rim will give you the slack required to
snap the last of the tire over the lip of the wheel. If it
looks impossible, lube and squeeze until it loosens
enough to get the tire irons under the bead and
the final pry over the edge. Most of the time, irons
aren't needed for this step after a little practice and
a well placed boot.

These are RC Components wheels we purchased with the
mounting plates to utilize the OEM rotors. A drop of thread
locker is a must when installing rotating assemblies. Notice
that RC is an American Company, so you'll be needing the
proper SAE socket head to install them.

Torque the bolts to 13 ft
lb in a criss-cross patter
to keep it square with
the surface

Another of those nifty
machined parts that
keeps this install
simple. It effectively
reduces the original
axle diameter to the
SAE sized bearing as
well as centers the
wheel for you.

A quick pass to the
local bike shop will
have them balanced
up for you at a
reasonable price I'm
sure.

Now repeat these steps in reverse. It's really a straightforward
installation. Use common sense when installing each part, and recheck
each bolt you install after you've finished. Be sure your brake rotors
slide easily onto the rotors and don't pull on the rotors when you tighten
the caliper mounting bolts. The rotor should be in the center of the
caliper. A small amount of brake drag and noise is normal.
If it's difficult to line up anything,, recheck your work, an adaptor plate
could be upside down or the axle is going from the wrong side of the
fork leg, usually something simple.
Never fight your machine. If it's not right, you'll know it.