| Author | Message | ||
     Irideabuell |
I have a new set of Pirelli Diablo Corsa III's to put on my 2004 Lightning 12. The last set of tires cost me $150 to have put on at my local HD/Buell dealer. I was wondering if I could get some advice on taking the wheels off myself before having the tires mounted in the interest of saving labor. I have always been big on being able to point my finger at a professional if something goes wrong, but I am getting a bit more adventurous as I get older and thought this would be a good way to save a few $$$$. I have a service manual, but that doesn't make clear how big a job it is and if it's something that I should undertake myself. Also, does anyone know of a shop or individual that I could trust in the Orlando, FL area to mount the tires for me if I decide to do it myself? I would prefer them not to scratch up my wheels too. Thanks in advance. | ||
| Swampy |
Change your tires yourself, you will get good at it and it is enjoyable, also, when you scratch your rims you can yell at the guy who did it, it feels much better than someone else scratching your rims. | ||
| Buellistic |
Irideabuell: Check CYCLE GEAR(cyclegear.com)in Sanford, 1157 Rinehart Road 32771 PH# (407) 324-4820 ... They can get you any tire/tires you want, PLUS mount them ... The STORE in Tampa has real motorcycle people ... In BUELLing LaFayette The SERVICE MANUAL never has enough INFO and sometimes is wrong ... | ||
| Irideabuell |
Buellistic, There is a Cycle Gear in Orlando on Colonial Drive that I stopped by today and they do mount tires as long as they are off the bike. Is taking the tires off the bike difficult? I'm guessing getting them off is no big deal, but putting them back on correctly strikes me as somewhat challenging. Please advise. | ||
| Betzy |
I'm in the same boat. Would love to save some $$$ and just bring the wheel in to change the tire, I ride a X1 mind you so a bit diff I guess.??? | ||
| Dako |
Piece of cake!! There is a few ways to do it. For the front I just break loose the 2 bolts holding the caliper to the fork, loosen the 2 pinch bolts on the bottom of the left fork, then use the axle nut adapter thingy in your underseat tool kit to loosen the front axle. REVERSE THREADS!! (clockwise to loosen) Remove caliper bolts and axle, wiggle the caliper off the rotor, and hang it on the clutch cable. (stiff metal wire around both brake line and clutch cable) For the rear remove the 2 caliper bolts through the left side swingarm remove caliper from rotor and hang it to the heel guard or pass peg with a zip tie. 06-Remove belt guards. 03-05 Loosen the 1 pinch bolt under the right side swing arm, Loosen rear axle (normal threads counter-clockwise) about 15 turns. Remove 4 swingarm brace bolts to remove brace with belt guard. carefully and evenly slide belt off rear sprocket loosen axle more if needed once the belt is off remove axle, remove wheel. Done! Of course make sure bike is jacked up and secure! | ||
| Dako |
P.S. the lower front swingarm brace bolt is a bit tricky, You could remove the heel guard, or use a long 1/4in extension to go through one of the holes in the guard. I had a hard time removing the guard so I went with the extension route.(just be careful not to put pressure on the heel guard.) Hope this helps! P.S.S. Torque specs here (Message edited by dako on September 18, 2006) | ||
| Irideabuell |
Oh, what the he**. I'll give it a shot. I spent $150 at HD/Buell dealer to let them remove wheels and mount last set of tires. Cycle Gear will do it for $20 each as long as I bring the wheels in off the bike. How long does this process take initially and what should I be looking for as far as putting everything back together and making sure it is aligned? Thanks to all. | ||
| Dako |
It doesn't take that long; 1hr 1 1/2hrs first time just get it off the ground and secured(tip over proof) then gather all the tools so you don't have to hunt for them each time you need something. Some of the bolts are a little tough to break loose. I keep a piece of pipe or breaker bar handy for leverage. You shouldn't have to align anything, the rear axle is tapered so it tightens up the belt as you tighten it. just reverse the order above. Be careful putting the belt back on, get it started and evenly work it back on the sprocket. I guess you could skip the belt guard on the brace if you wanted to remove the tensioner wheel, but I wanted to remove my top belt guard anyway. The manual says to tighten the rear axle to 23-27ft-lbs, back off 2 full turns and then retighten to 48-52 ft-lbs. That's probably a good idea just in case the wheel gets cocked at an angle when you first tighten it up. Don't forget to lube the axles with anti-seize. Good luck  Oh and I read on here somewhere it's a good idea to take the axles with you as some shops don't have adapters for these wheels or something like that.  | ||
| Irideabuell |
Thanks George. I have the same color scheme as you on my 2004 xB12 - nice! | ||
| Dako |
No Prob. Thanks | ||
| Irideabuell |
Dako, What would you recommend for jacks for wheel removal? I don't want to spend a fortune, but I also do not want to get aggravated. Any advice? Thanks. | ||
| Dako |
Thats a tough one. I've just been using jack stands with rags on them under the swing arm.(loosen pinch bolt first) Then a floor jack under the front jacking point(with a piece of wood on the jack) then strap the bike to the jack. There's some ideas here | ||
| Dako |
And here | ||
| Irideabuell |
Thank you Dako! | ||
| Hammer71 |
Will be in Orlando Sept 26. If you still need them done let me know before then and I will take care of them for you | ||
| Irideabuell |
I will seriously consider that Hammer71. Thank you for the offer. I'll get back to you before the end of the weekend. | ||
| Betzy |
I am flabergasted at the response and friendly advice this column generates. Wish making money was so easy!! Thanks for all of it... 3%'s rule! | ||
| Hammer71 |
No problem at all, just let me know so I can pack some tire spoons and balancing hardware. Will be in Deltona/Altamonte Springs area and am familiar with Orlando from my days of living there, figure we can have both done in about an hour or so and after that you wont ever need to go elsewhere again | ||
| Irideabuell |
Hammer71, Your offer sounds great. A couple of things though. Would you like to do this at my house or where you're staying? What will I need in the way of "special" tools. I have most, but no torque wrench or wrench for the axle. Is there anything else I'm missing. I'll need to see about buying some jack stands or borrow a lift. My neighbor owns a custom sport bike web site and he may have something I could borrow. If the 26th is the best day for you - great. If another day is better, I can do just about any day after the 25th. Thanks again! | ||
| Irideabuell |
We'll be removing the old tires and remounting the new ones ourselves, is that correct? | ||
| Hammer71 |
Need a floor jack and jack stands for balancing and some simple green. I will have all else needed ie. tire spoons torque wrench so on. Yes we will take off and replace them ourselves. Best place to do them would be your place as it's quite difficult to ride with two new tires on your back (and I know this how?) As far as dates.. 26 or 27. I will PM you my number before I leave NY and give you a shout so we can set it up. Once done you will be a slave to the shop no more. | ||
| Irideabuell |
Many thanks to Hammer71 for stopping at my house this morning and giving me a hands-on demonstration of how to remove the wheels and replace the tires. I now have a brand new set of Pirelli Diablo Corsa III's on my xb12s. Just so everyone knows, he was in Orlando on vacation and was good enough to spend two hours showing me the ropes. Sorry about the rear Dunlop Rich! Never again will those tires see the wheels of my Buell. | ||
| Hammer71 |
Not a problem at all. Anytime. I swear that tire was glued on there, have never had a tire give me that much of a problem coming off. Now you see how easy the front was, imagine the rear like that. Glad I could help ya out and save you some cash. Now when you get the VDSTS (for TPS) from American Sportbike I will walk you through that. Now get out and ride that thing and post some feedback on the new skins. | ||
| Pokinatcha |
I did not do anything with my swing arm brace when I removed my rear wheel. Did I do something wrong. Everything came off and went on like butter but I would like to know for next time. thank you in advance my friends. | ||
| Bigdog_tim |
You only need to remove the swing arm brace if you are removing the belt. Tires can come off with the swing arm brace still installed (at least for the M2, Blast, and XB12R). | ||
| Cecil1 |
I just removed my rear tire and need to put the new one on the rim. I remember reading somewhere you have to align the tire on the rim a certain way. Something to do with the valve stem aligned with a dot on the tire. Can anyone shed some light on this? Tim | ||
| Gunslinger |
Yes. There is a yellow dot painted on the tire. This should be the light spot on the tire and is usually aligned with the valve-stem (normally the heavy side of the wheel). Note though that my rear wheel is is heaviest about 90 degrees from the valve stem, so it would be worth it the check the balance of the wheel without the tire on it so you can find out where the heavy spot is and align the yellow spot with it. I have been though several sets of tires since learning to do it myself. I got my tools from several sources a few years ago, but an identical set can be purchesed today for around $300 total. That said, if I were replacing everything today, I think I would go with the $425 tire changing set that Aerostich caries. their stuff looks to be higher quality than mine. Eventually I need to get a big compressor with a storage tank. I have been using a scuba tank, but it is due for a hydro-static test before I can get it re-filled. | ||
| Rody |
I am needing to change my rear tire also. What tools will I need to have? In particular, to remove the axle. |
