Removing both wheels at the same time

Joined
Sep 22, 2012
Messages
53
Location
Australia
Bike
ST1300 ABS 2005
As my trust in "bike mechanics" here in Aus is thin, :mad: I wanted to remove and install the wheels myself and just have the technician remove and install the tyres on the rims.



The ST1300 center stand is very well balanced to support the bike with BOTH wheels off! it makes it easy to work on, well relatively that is...

it?s common to do 1 wheel at a time by jacking the front "high in the sky" remove the wheel, replace the worn tyre and re-install. Then repeat the process for the other side...

Due to fact that I wanted to take both rims for tyre replacement, I had to devise a method to get both wheels off safely, w/o killing myself or the bike...:think1:



By removing the rear AND front fenders (front fender slides forward off the top, before removing front wheel)
I gained more than enough clearance to allow easy removal, without having to jack the bike up much, :weights1: only using the centre stand and a support jack under the sump. I then put the axles back in and blocked the front axle with a car stand.



Only when taking the wheels off the bike can you really appreciate how scalloped (worn and irregular) the tyres look and feel (sorry poor night time photos)



I took my time, re-assembling the wheels incl. inspection and cleaning of all related components incl brakes, callipers exhaust.



I removed the giant circlip from the inside of the rear wheel hub, cleaned and shimmed the rubber cush-drive rubber components as they were slightly worn and had some excess play. (sorry no photo)




...and if this hasn't bored you to death, :shrug2: I also discovered that those very irritating black tar dot like marks, that stick to the rims, chassis and everything else, DO come off after soaking in WD40 and mild application of a heat gun with persistent scrubbing using a nylon brush and rag.

Even after 12,500 km the Michelin Pilot 3?s still have tread and I could probably squeeze another 2-3 k out of them but I don?t feel the $$$ savings is worth the risk.



These tyres were fantastic for this bike and the new generation Michelin Pilot 4, which have been installed are even better! :)
 

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mlheck

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As a FYI, if you remove the rear tire first you can jack up the front enough that you do not have to remove the fender. Been doing it that way for 8 years. Like you I put the front axle back in and let it rest on a jack stand while having the tires mounted.
 

Throttlejockey

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As a FYI, if you remove the rear tire first you can jack up the front enough that you do not have to remove the fender. Been doing it that way for 8 years. Like you I put the front axle back in and let it rest on a jack stand while having the tires mounted.

Same way I do it. No need to remove the front fender.
 
Joined
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...those very irritating black tar dot like marks, that stick to the rims, chassis and everything else, DO come off after soaking in WD40 and mild application of a heat gun with persistent scrubbing...
What are the "black tar dot like marks" that you're referring to?
 
Joined
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Such is "tar splatter" you'll pick up when crossing road-work/repair... annoying but harmless ;-)
OK, I should have known that. I've used WD40 lots of times to remove tar, but never applied heat. I think the WD40 works quite well without any need for heat.
 

ST1100Y

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I think the WD40 works quite well without any need for heat.
I use up Amor All as wheel cleaner with the same effects ;-) (...its bad on plastics, so...)
But it depends on type of contamination and size of splatter you've picked up...
Here they use granite chippings mixed with bitumen for quick road repairs (like "cavity fillings" for potholes...), so you end up with pebbles "glued" onto the inside belt of the rims with a rather big lump of tar... and a little heat helps largely to get those off without damaging the paint...
 
Joined
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As my trust in "bike mechanics" here in Aus is thin, :mad: I wanted to remove and install the wheels myself and just have the technician remove and install the tyres on the rims.



The ST1300 center stand is very well balanced to support the bike with BOTH wheels off! it makes it easy to work on, well relatively that is...

it?s common to do 1 wheel at a time by jacking the front "high in the sky" remove the wheel, replace the worn tyre and re-install. Then repeat the process for the other side...

Due to fact that I wanted to take both rims for tyre replacement, I had to devise a method to get both wheels off safely, w/o killing myself or the bike...:think1:



By removing the rear AND front fenders (front fender slides forward off the top, before removing front wheel)
I gained more than enough clearance to allow easy removal, without having to jack the bike up much, :weights1: only using the centre stand and a support jack under the sump. I then put the axles back in and blocked the front axle with a car stand.



Only when taking the wheels off the bike can you really appreciate how scalloped (worn and irregular) the tyres look and feel (sorry poor night time photos)



I took my time, re-assembling the wheels incl. inspection and cleaning of all related components incl brakes, callipers exhaust.



I removed the giant circlip from the inside of the rear wheel hub, cleaned and shimmed the rubber cush-drive rubber components as they were slightly worn and had some excess play. (sorry no photo)




...and if this hasn't bored you to death, :shrug2: I also discovered that those very irritating black tar dot like marks, that stick to the rims, chassis and everything else, DO come off after soaking in WD40 and mild application of a heat gun with persistent scrubbing using a nylon brush and rag.

Even after 12,500 km the Michelin Pilot 3?s still have tread and I could probably squeeze another 2-3 k out of them but I don?t feel the $$$ savings is worth the risk.



These tyres were fantastic for this bike and the new generation Michelin Pilot 4, which have been installed are even better! :)
thank you! Very useful information, I will be definitely referring back to this once I get started on the work on my bike!
 
Joined
Feb 6, 2019
Messages
18
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I did that with my BMW R bike and i found out the hard way that the beemers are heavy on the right side.As soon as i was teetering the bike forward to pin the front forks to a heavy weight i had on the bike lift,the whole bike did a kamikaze flip off the right side of the lift table in an instant,if that wasnt enough,after it crunched down on its head,it flopped over onto my Harley roadking,upside down with no wheels.I dont think ive ever been so upset in my entire life.I repaired all the damage over time with ebay finds.Going forward i always run a heavy web strap around the front end and up to a steel support I beam in the garage ceiling directly above the lift table,always use tie down straps on the bike no matter how small a task when up on the lift.Yes,the michelin tires are awesome,have them on my beemer,not on the ST yet
 

ST Gui

240Robert
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i had on the bike lift,the whole bike did a kamikaze flip off the right side of the lift table in an instant,if that wasnt enough,after it crunched down on its head,it flopped over onto my Harley roadking,upside down with no wheels.
An AntiGravity battery would have worked well in that situation.

Seriously - I would have been sick. Not just at the damage to the BMW but to the innocent bystanding H-D as well. Really sick. I'm glad the damage is in the past if not the memory.
 

CYYJ

Michael
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...the whole bike did a kamikaze flip off the right side of the lift table in an instant, if that wasn't enough, after it crunched down on its head, it flopped over onto my Harley roadking, upside down with no wheels.
Don't feel too bad about that, my experience is that they flip over upside down all the time. Fortunate that you had both wheels removed, that makes the bike lighter and easier to pick up after it has finished falling over upside down.

Michael

tipover1.jpg
 
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