Hey all. I'm planning on taking my wheels off this weekend to get some new rubber on 'em. Anyone have any tips when taking the front and back wheels off? I know I can get the dealer to do it but they'll knock about $50 off per wheel if I just take them wheel. Since I spent a lil extra on some better tires I was going to try and break even by just taking in the wheels instead of the whole bike..

Thanks a lot for any tips...

 

*Use good stands & make sure they are properly used such that bike won't fall.
*Use the proper tools...ie, proper size sockets/wrenches.
*Keep front spacer(s), axle, bolts/washers together...& remember orientation of ea part.
*Keep rear spacer(s), axle, bolts/washers, together...& remember orientation of ea part.
*Wrap a shop cloth/towel over brake calipers, to not scratch wheels. (Do not squeeze brake lever/pedal...or you'll be bleeding your brakes to reassemble.)

*Take wheels to shop for sticky new rubber. :-)

*Upon reassembly, take your time. Be careful putting rotors inside calipers/pads, as to not scratch wheels.

*Quick tip for rear reassembly... Have a friend to hold the wheel in location so you can slip in the axle. Otherwise, if you have to do it yourself, have a chunk of wood to place under your rear wheel/tire to hold it up into position while you put in the rear axle.

Hope this helps.

 

Any tips for taking the front wheel off without a front stand? I have a rear stand but no front stand and about to do the same thing. I may just have to rest the front forks on a piece of wood with my buddy lifting the front of the bike.

 

you could do the tire change yourself and save buckets of money! and besides, its a great learning experience if you've never done it. its basically a car tire lol. what i done, cause i didn't have a bike stand, is use a cherry picker engine hoist to hold up the rear or front when i changed that tire. http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Mountin...tires_yourself i know this isn't for a 600 but its basic info.

 

Alright thanks a lot for the advice guys!! I got the tires off tonight and things went really smooth, only took about 30 min or so. The hardest part, which wasn't really hard, was getting the back tire past the back discs and getting the front from under the fender. It just took a few trial and errors of orienting the tires to fit them past/under them...

So overall it's a pretty easy task for anyone else who's curious. Really easy DIY maintenance to save a few bucks when you need new rubber..