Removing both wheels on a 1250 😳

Hartley

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Just had new tyres fitted (Conti TA3s)
The guy I use has a really good rep and I’ve never had any issues but on this occasion he’s marked both my wheels. I didn’t see it happen but he was vey apologetic and to his credit he told me what had happened before I’d seen the damage and has said he’ll have the wheels repainted at my convenience. It’s a triple black with gloss black painted wheels.
Problem I have is I need to remove both wheels at the same time while the work is being done, which has got me a little twitchy.
I’m thinking , with bike on the centre stand, jackup the front of the bike under the bash plate, remove front wheel , refit axle and lower axle onto a car axle stand allowing the rear to be removed.
May tie the centrestand forward to remove any risk of it rocking forward.
If anyone has any advice or tips I’d really appreciate it
Thanks.
 
I do exactly this, but rear wheel out first. The weight is still front biased so sits with the spindle resting on an axle stand. It's always felt stable enough sitting on the centre stand like this without any further messing about. I've done this now with two GSs and now an R.
 
What you propose in #1 sounds fine, and I've done likewise.
Good suggestion in #2 to remove the rear first.

I now have a couple of cheap-ass unknown damaged wheels bought from a breakers for bugger all, which I keep under my bench, and are ideal "sweat and panic" avoiders for times like this! :D
 
Presume that this will be in a garage ? If so, what is above you? I use a couple of ratchet straps around two roof 'trusses' and have one round the rear pannier rack and the other round the handlebars and balance the bike on the centre stand with a little of the weight on the straps.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies. I’d have thought front out first but see the reasoning on the rear first now. ����

I’ll probably go for centrestand, mechanical jack under baseplate, axle stand on front and the straps to the roof, basically everything I can.
Cheers
 
You may need a selection of torque wrenches as well to do the caliper bolts centre spindle etc , a half inch and you can probably get away with a 3/8 but all depends on the range you get ie min to max
 
Here you go.. Piece of cake. Take your time, bungee your calipers out of the way too. It's very stable like this.

No Wheels by KTM Marky, on Flickr
 
Sounds like a plan. I'd loosen all the bolts involved too before taking the rear wheel out. I use 2 paddock stands but have used straps over the rafters in the garage before on the bars and rear rack without any problems.
 
Tsk, tsk. The book of wisdom says to remove the front wheel ABS sensor in case it gets damaged as you wrestle with the wheel.

LOL.. Eagle Eyes.... Have a look at the sensor wire as it was unclipped to aid removal of the sensor prior to removing the wheel. Loctite re-applied on the bolt too as I'm a good boy.

Anyway - read the book? Are you mad!!! :beerjug:

Don't recall any wheel wrestling either.
 
Sounds like a plan. I'd loosen all the bolts involved too before taking the rear wheel out. I use 2 paddock stands but have used straps over the rafters in the garage before on the bars and rear rack without any problems.

1st gear will hold it with the wheel in the air - or it did for me as they're not crazy tight.
 
Take the front wheel out, as you remove the spindle the bike will tip backwards onto the rear. Put a milk crate or something similar under the front forks and take out the rear. The bike will tip forwards and forks rest on the crate all quite controllably single handed and quite stable when left. Simples.
 
Take the front wheel out, as you remove the spindle the bike will tip backwards onto the rear. Put a milk crate or something similar under the front forks and take out the rear. The bike will tip forwards and forks rest on the crate all quite controllably single handed and quite stable when left. Simples.
This sounds like really bad advice and does not at all tally with my experience of removing wheels from r1200/1250gs/a motorcycles. Look at where the centre stand pivot points are and you will understand that the point of balance is heavily weighted by the engine to the front of the motorcycle. Just removing the front wheel does not shift the balance point to the rear of the bike enough to tip the bike backwards.
Following your procedure will cause the bike to topple forwards off the stand: presumably onto you as you pull the wheel away, en route to hospital.
Remove the rear wheel first then place a jack or some such support under the engine and remove the front wheel. The picture in post 9 above illustrates perfectly.
Also, the sensor should be removed first and tied up out of the way and replaced last, when and only when, the wheel is back in place.
Alan R
 
I had a main dealer scratch my GSA1200 wheels on replacing the tyres
They are a black
satin finish on mine and not a mark on them.
They offered to have them resprayed
I chose to use touch up paint from Halfords
It’s a kind of pen that also has a very fine paint brush
My thinking was they will only get scratched again one day
And The scratches can’t be seen .
Obviously I don’t know how badly your wheels are scratched
Mine had quite a few small marks.
Is it worth the risk of dropping the bike ?
Also why doesn’t the tyre fitter remove them for you.
 
How is he going to paint them… if the spokes are stripped out very limited number of people in the UK that can rebuild and true GS wheels…..
 
I had a main dealer scratch my GSA1200 wheels on replacing the tyres
They are a black
satin finish on mine and not a mark on them.
They offered to have them resprayed
I chose to use touch up paint from Halfords
It’s a kind of pen that also has a very fine paint brush
My thinking was they will only get scratched again one day
And The scratches can’t be seen .
Obviously I don’t know how badly your wheels are scratched
Mine had quite a few small marks.
Is it worth the risk of dropping the bike ?
Also why doesn’t the tyre fitter remove them for you.

I hear what you’re saying, if it was a small scratch I’d not bother but the paint has been scratched off almost all the way round, he touched it up but it’s a poor match. My wheels are Gloss black , I got a touch up pen from Halfords but it’s not very close. I may see if BMW do one that’s the right colour. As you say, it is a lot of hassle for something that could happen again, but it’s noticeable and it’s really Pi55ed me off.
 
How is he going to paint them… if the spokes are stripped out very limited number of people in the UK that can rebuild and true GS wheels…..

My wheels are cast , not spoked.
 
I hear what you’re saying, if it was a small scratch I’d not bother but the paint has been scratched off almost all the way round, he touched it up but it’s a poor match. My wheels are Gloss black , I got a touch up pen from Halfords but it’s not very close. I may see if BMW do one that’s the right colour. As you say, it is a lot of hassle for something that could happen again, but it’s noticeable and it’s really Pi55ed me off.

Try a car alloy refurb specialist, they might be able to help. The mobile ones will come to your house and usually do a very good job
 


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