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Removing wheels


joe72t

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Hello All,

Going to remove my wheels and bring them to a tire shop for new rubber.  I've never done this before so just a few questions please:

-I will be using the centre stand.  In what order should I remove them?  Do I need to use jack stands?

-I will use blue locktite on the threads.  What type of lubricant is best for the axles?

-Any other tips to make this go smoothly?

 

Thank you in advance and be safe out there.

Joe 

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A lot of this depends of you level of comfort with safety measures for which I have a large tolerance.

What I do, with the bike on the center stand, I simply remove the rear wheel.
Then I use a floor jack on the header with a padded chunk of wood to slightly raise the front, remove, then lower the front forks on a tall block of wood.

Loosen all axles, calipers, speed sensors...ect before doing the center stand tango.  Same goes for tightening, get the wheels on, then tighten everything up.  No lube on the axles, besides maybe slight antiseize or oil for corrosion.
I also don't use locktite, but I check things regularly.

50184096236_c343c0ea1c_b.jpg

Edited by kilo3
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Very light coat of grease on axles for corrosion and wheel bearing failure.

I need to come up with a lift for the front of the bike for removing head bearings. Thinking of wood going to crossover pipe on exhaust header.

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Remove rear first, then I use a ratchet strap from the handlebars to a beam in my garage and simply ratchet the front end up off the floor a bit - then remove. 

 

PS -  remove both calipers to avoid a rim scratch. Don't ask how I learned this.

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Be gentle with ABS sensors and tape up and out of the way during entire removal n install procedure.

I use a dab of blue locktite on caliper bolts.  Don’t over torque anything!

helpful to take a few pics pre removal to see where spacers live for reinstall.  (Don’t ask how I know this.)

I put 2x4s under the headers to hold her up.

On reinstall of front loosely put everything back together, pump suspension a few times and then tighten everything up.

Edited by nhchris
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Not a difficult job, haven't done it on the Tracer GT yet.  I did one wheel at a time but have done this several times on previous bike.  Put it on center stand and using a sizer jack with a wood block under the headers lift until front wheel is off the ground. Remove brake calipers and speed sensor and carefully support out of the way.  Remove front wheel and roll forward out of the way.  Note where the spacers go, I put them in a baggie and leave them near the front of the bike.  lower the font of the bike a bit and then remove the rear wheel - again being careful with the speed sensor and not letting the brake caliper dangle by the brake line.  

When re-installing, do the rear first and make sure spacers are in properly, clean and lightly grease the axel.  I also use grease on the bearing seals - bearings are sealed and cant do much to them.  For grease I use a BelRay waterproof grease.  Its blue and works well.  When lifting the rear wheel to slide the axel in it helps to be big and strong, since I'm old and not strong I use a piece of wood and make a slope so that the wheel is rolled up into position and the axel can be easily inserted.  I've tried it many ways but that's the easiest - someone makes a tool that does the same thing.  For the front wheel Installation is pretty straightforward but you need to make sure it is not binding.  There are some YouTube videos on how to do this but simply put it is installing axel and then bouncing the front a time or two and then tightening the pinch bolts.  I'm quoting this from memory so don't trust what I'm saying but check it out.  Dave Moss talks about it in one of his videos, not sure if its a free one or not.  I use medium strength thread locker for stuff like caliper bolts but never axels.  Sometimes I don't use the thread locker on the caliper bolts, Properly torqued they should not come loose.  I also use a digital torque wrench as some of the inexpensive ones are not calibrated well or do not hold calibration well.  My favorite thread locker is Honda Thread Locker medium strength.

Next make sure to work the brakes so that the pads are back in position BEFORE you take it for a test ride or roll it around.  I learned long ago that after brake work I need to pump the brakes to move the pads into position as I was backing out of the garage and the car didn't want to stop.  Fortunately I pumped them up before I hit something!  Fear and panic made a lasting impression on me :-)

Edited by PhotoAl
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@PhotoAl - Great write-up, thanks for posting.  I use the same method you use but I do the wheels in the reverse order, rear off first and reinstalled last, I personally find it easier that way but whatever works for you.

@joe72t - It might seem intimidating at first but once you have done it once then it's a simple 15-20 minute procedure.

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Invest in a set of quality stands to make the job safe and easy.  Pit bull makes some of the best.  Also the factory shop manual is worth it's weight in gold.

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There is nothing like spending a day riding with friends in the grip of a shared obsession.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/1/2020 at 6:59 AM, johnmark101 said:

Invest in a set of quality stands to make the job safe and easy.  Pit bull makes some of the best.  Also the factory shop manual is worth it's weight in gold.

Hi, where can I get a copy of the factory shop manual?

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18 hours ago, Skidood said:

Hi, where can I get a copy of the factory shop manual?

A lot of Tracer owners source the manual on line.  I ordered one from my Yamaha dealer because I like to keep a print copy in my work shop close to my tools.

 

 

There is nothing like spending a day riding with friends in the grip of a shared obsession.

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