I am in the process of changing my wheels by myself and I find it very difficult to hold the rim and put the axel in by myself. Has anyone routinely done this by themselves and if so, can you offer tips and tricks that I can use to make this easy. thanks
I am in the process of changing my wheels by myself and I find it very difficult to hold the rim and put the axel in by myself. Has anyone routinely done this by themselves and if so, can you offer tips and tricks that I can use to make this easy. thanks
I use a bike jack so I can lower/raise the bike to the correct height and slide the axle in.
I'd bet that the Metzler 880 tires will not live long. I have one on the back now ... it's fookin' sticky when it's dead cold, forget about it once it's warmed up, lol.
As for my weird wear problem, I'm thinking it might be because the wheel/tire are not centered between the fork legs. The spacers on these bikes are different left-to-right. The wheel/tire are not on the bikes center line. The new wheel that I'm waiting for will correct this issue.
I'm also gonna try this:
1) Jack bike up, both wheels off the ground.
2) Loosen pinch bolts on right fork leg and watch carefully for any movement. If none is observed, give the tree a whack with a mallet.
3)Tighten bolts, chalk the tire - go for a ride.
I'm not optimistic about this actually revealing anything.
I'm really leaning towards the wheel/tire not centered thing...but that would mean that all these bikes should see similar tire wear...but that doesn't seem to be the case
.....fookin' WEIRD!
Almost forgot - in anticipation of going to a 124 engine, a few months back I bit the bullet and ordered a new pipe from RB Racing out in Cali - their short Pro Stock Challenge 2-1 pipe with no baffle, 2" primaries, silver ceramic coated inside & out and with chrome heat shields.
I put the order out of my mind after placing it, knowing about their "built to order, one-set-at-a-time, you'll get the pipe when you get it" practice/rep. Well, the pipe showed up the other day. Man, it's a great looking pipe and the bike definitely performs and sounds better. I'm happy.
It fit pretty good - almost perfect, lol... The head pipes went on without a hitch. This is a two piece pipe. The front head pipe is separate from the rear head pipe/collector. They bolted right on and fit together perfectly. The glitch was between the tail pipe and the frame bracket. The new RB Racing-supplied bracket has a steep, STEEP dog leg in it. It would push the tail pipe way, way out from the bike if you managed to wedge it in between the pipe and the frame somehow, lol. If you did that, the head pipes would be bent and completely misaligned.
I just re-used the factory HD bracket. I cut it down LOTS - left just enough to get the job done - and I had to drill one hole in it for the RB bolt.
Do you have any pic's of this pipe on you're bike???
I am in the process of changing my wheels by myself and I find it very difficult to hold the rim and put the axel in by myself. Has anyone routinely done this by themselves and if so, can you offer tips and tricks that I can use to make this easy. thanks
Like the other dude said - having the bike on a jack sure helps. You got that part covered?
Assuming the bike is on a jack, I adjust the bike/jack height so that it's just slightly above ride height - forks straight ahead.
Now, for the front, roll the wheel/tire/spacers/ABS sensor into place.
Then move around to the right side of the bike and sit on a mechanics creeper seat - like this one:
While in that seat, facing the right side of the bike I the put the tips of my boots under the tire/wheel to lift it up into place. I can make very fine adjustments to it's position this way - and both hands are free to get the axle in. No problem sliding the axle right in.
The rear can be done kinda the same way - boot tips to make small adjustments to get the axle through.
Like the other dude said - having the bike on a jack sure helps. You got that part covered?
Assuming the bike is on a jack, I adjust the bike/jack height so that it's just slightly above ride height - forks straight ahead.
Now, for the front, roll the wheel/tire/spacers/ABS sensor into place.
Then move around to the right side of the bike and sit on a mechanics creeper seat - like this one:
While in that seat, facing the right side of the bike I the put the tips of my boots under the tire/wheel to lift it up into place. I can make very fine adjustments to it's position this way - and both hands are free to get the axle in. No problem sliding the axle right in.
The rear can be done kinda the same way - boot tips to make small adjustments to get the axle through.
Excellent. And, if you want to make it even easier:
- Put a THIN board crosways under the tire, with the board barely clearing the tire's outer edge on the exhaust side
- Put another thin board as a "fulcrum" on the primary side of the tire
- Working from the primary side of the bike, Push down with your foot onto the crossways board, so that using the fulcrum board, the tire is lifted by the crossways board. This might be easier than lifting the heavy Breakout rear wheel/tire/brake disc, and also gives you finer control.
I am in the process of changing my wheels by myself and I find it very difficult to hold the rim and put the axel in by myself. Has anyone routinely done this by themselves and if so, can you offer tips and tricks that I can use to make this easy. thanks
The easiest way I've found to line up the axle is to use a towel as a cushion/shock absorber under the tire. I fold up a large towel (the fluffier the better) and put it on the ground, then put a 1"x 6" board on top of it, and roll the wheel/tire up onto the board. I then lower the bike to where I can just push DOWN on the top of the tire with one hand, and easily line up the axle and slide it in with the other. The towel can give you a 1" or so of travel with very little downward force, and eliminates the need to lift the heavy wheel/tire combo into place.
The easiest way I've found to line up the axle is to use a towel as a cushion/shock absorber under the tire. I fold up a large towel (the fluffier the better) and put it on the ground, then put a 1"x 6" board on top of it, and roll the wheel/tire up onto the board. I then lower the bike to where I can just push DOWN on the top of the tire with one hand, and easily line up the axle and slide it in with the other. The towel can give you a 1" or so of travel, with very little downward force, and eliminates the need to lift the heavy wheel/tire combo into place.
Ohhh, man ... that sounds wayyyyy too easy. I'm getting a big sponge or something as a towel replacement to try your method. Nice
02-13-2015, 01:41 PM
... will work fine!!