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Wheel Removal / Bearing replacement/ Bearing #/ Pictures

105K views 71 replies 39 participants last post by  Fly-Sig 
#1 ·
I know many of you here have removed your wheels before and this is second nature to you. But there are also lots of new owners here who may be unsure about doing their own maintenance / service to their machines. I’m a new motorcycle rider, this is my first bike, and it’s time for new tires. I wanted to remove my wheels myself, and I thought I would document with pictures the process in case anyone else might find this helpful. It took me less than an hour to remove the wheels, and that includes taking the pictures as well. The DIY thread on oil changes kind of prompted me to do this. I got most of this from this and other forums, but these are the first pics I’ve seen with the Versys (most pics were Ninjas). Hope you like it.
Jack

Tools needed:

Rear/Front stand (NOTE: I didn’t have the triple-tree front stand adapter and didn’t need it).
Torque wrench
Cable ties or twine
22mm socket
27mm socket
12mm socket
6mm hex bit
14mm hex bit
12mm open end wrench
Pliers
High temp grease

Torque specs:

Rear axle = 80 ft/lb
Rear brake caliper mounting bolts = 18 ft/lb
Front axle = 80 ft/lb
Front axle clamp bolt = 15 ft/lb
Front axle caliper mounting bolts = 25 ft/lb


Rear Wheel Removal:

1. Use the rear stand to raise the back end and remove the cotter pin in the rear axle.

2. Using the 6mm hex bit, remove the two bolts on the rear brake caliper. Tie the brakes up out of the way using cable ties or twine. BE SURE NOT TO PUSH THE BRAKE PEDAL! This will compress the brake pads and make it difficult to re-install.

3. Using the 12mm open-end wrench, loosen the chain adjuster bolt locknuts and then tighten the chain adjuster bolt. This will release any tension on the axle.

4. Remove the rear axle. This will require a 22mm socket on the right side and a 27mm socket on the left. A breaker bar will be helpful to loosen the axle. It’s helpful to use a piece of wood to support the weight of the wheel as you pull the axle bolt out.

5. Be sure to note the spacers on the wheel between the swingarm and the wheel. Remove them so they don’t get lost. These will need to be greased before reinstalling. Also the rear caliper mount will become loose. Set it to the side for reinstallation later.

6. Roll the wheel forward to loosen and remove the chain from the sprocket and remove the wheel.

7. Installation is the reverse of removal. Be sure to replace the caliper mount and adjust the chain to the proper tension. It’s helpful to snug the axle so that there is less free play and then fine tune the chain tension. Be sure to torque the axle to 80 ft/lb and re-insert the cotter pin. Reinstall the rear brake assembly and torque the caliper mounting bolts to 18 ft/lb.

Front Wheel Removal:

1. While the bike is still on the rear stand (but before putting it on the front stand), loosen the front axle clamp bolt with a 6mm hex bit. You do not need to remove it fully, just be sure it’s loose.

2. Using the 14mm hex bit, loosen the front axle bolt. A breaker bar makes this step easier. Once it is loose you can go ahead and place the motorcycle on the front stand.

3. Using the 12mm socket, remove the front brake caliper mounting bolts. Once you have the brake off of the rotor, replace the bolts back in the caliper to prevent losing them. Hang the brake using cable ties or twine. BE SURE NOT TO PUSH THE BRAKE PEDAL! This will compress the brake pads and make it difficult to re-install. Repeat the process for the other side.

4. Once the brakes are tied off out of the way, finish removing the front axle bolt. It’s helpful to use some wood to support the wheel while removing the axle bolt. Be sure to note the spacers on the wheel between the forks and the wheel. Remove them so they don’t get lost. These will need to be greased before reinstalling.

5. Installation is the reverse of removal. Be sure to replace the calipers and torque them to 25 ft/lb. Once the front axle bolt has been torqued to 80 ft/lb, be sure to drop the front to the ground and bounce the front forks 4-5 times. This will seat the forks on the axle. Then you can tighten the front axle clamp bolt to 15 ft/lb.

The last couple of pics are of the old & new tires I got. You can see why it’s time to replace the old ones, and that’s with only 6,000 miles. I definitely hope to get a few more miles out of the new ones. Hoped you found this helpful.
 

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#2 ·
Thanks for the pics. Looks like your using the t-rex spools. Did yours come with aluminum spacers? I installed the screw into the spool, placed spacer onto the screw followed by the washer. I thought the spacers are for clearance purposes but from your picks I'm not sure if I should be using them. With the spacers the spools are out further about a quarter inch
 
#3 ·
I had to go back and look at mine to be sure. The spools are T-Rex and the spool is in direct contact with the swingarm. I didn't remove the bolt to be certain, but I think there's a washer or spacer on the bolt between the bolt head and the spool (I can't tell the thickness to know which). If the washer/spacer will fit down inside the spool (external to the swingarm) then you might want to try it that way.:thumb:
 
#4 ·
Thanks! Nice write up. My biggest challenge with the wheels was having to go by the right tools...but now I have them.

I noticed your garage floor. Did you do it yourself? Was it from a kit? How is it holding up.
 
#5 ·
The floor was that way when we bought the house 7 years ago. It's holding up nicely, though I do have a couple of spots that have started to peel. I try to clean it once a year with some degreaser and hose it out, that seems to help.

And regarding the tools, the only one that was a pain was finding a 1/2"-drive 14mm hex bit...I didn't want to buy a set of 4 bits at Sears for $45, so I went to the Lowe's tool rental shop. They didn't have one to rent, but the guy looked in their own toolbox, found what I needed, handed it to me and said to just bring it back when I was done. It's been in their shop for years and had never been used. Now I've got the time to find one for myself between now and the next time I have to pull the wheels off.
 
#10 ·
Excellent write up, thanks for taking the time.

+1 on Harborfreight, get all my tools there.

Only been disappointed with one tool, my impact wrench, but that might be the fault of the HF compressor, one or other is to blame, the rest are great.

On the reassemble, a suggestion. When putting the front wheel back on, before you torque everything down (but when all nuts and bolts are back in place hand tight), push down on the handle bars a couple of times to 'seat' the forks correctly.

When taking off the brake caliper mounting bolts use a six sided socket. Mine were way over-torqued and I burred one over with a regular socket, before putting my six-sided on.

Another good buy at HF is a set of six sided mm impact sockets.

Machog
 
#15 ·
Is there a special type of grease required for the axles and spacers? I ask because I have a tube of Honda Moly grease that's specified for the rear drive splines and wonder if I can use that. Thanks.
 
#17 ·
Great DIY. I just finished changing my tires. It took me 30 minutes to get the tires off and 45 to put them back on with "help" from my 9-year old.

I didn't have a front stand so I used jack stands and I lifted the bike with my jack on the exhaust collector.

Here are some pics...

Front end...



Jack point...



Wide view...



All done...

 
#19 ·
Here is a tip for the rear wheel, mine seemed to have a tight tolerance. I struggled getting it back on but what I figured out is you need to "drop" in from the top. What I did was slide the rear wheel into the swingarm, put the chain on and lifted the wheel up so the axle hole was above the swing arm ends. The brake caliper mount was already in place. I then put the spacers in and worked the wheel downward into place. (You need to have the chain guard off to do this.)
 
#22 ·
Front caliper mounting bolts don't require locktite. Only 2 things do on the front and they are marked here with a L.

Machog

Wheels/Tires
Front Axle 108 11.0 80
Front Axle Clamp Bolt 20 2.0 15
Rear Axle Nut 108 11.0 80
Final Drive
Engine Sprocket Nut 125 12.7 92 MO
Rear Axle Nut 108 11.0 80
Rear Sprocket Nuts 59 6.0 44
Speed Sensor Bolt 7.8 0.80 69 in·lb L
Speed Sensor Bracket Bolts 9.8 1.0 87 in·lb
Brakes
Bleed Valve 7.8 0.80 69 in·lb
Brake Hose Banjo Bolts 25 2.5 18
Brake Lever Pivot Bolt 1.0 0.10 9 in·lb Si
Brake Lever Pivot Bolt Locknut 5.9 0.60 52 in·lb
Front Brake Disc Mounting Bolts 27 2.8 20 L

Front Brake Reservoir Cap Screws 1.5 0.15 13 in·lb
Front Caliper Mounting Bolts 34 3.5 25
Front Master Cylinder Clamp Bolts 8.8 0.90 78 in·lb
 
#23 ·
Thank you for the replies. I guess I just wanted a bit of reasurrance. This is a great site. I met a beemer rider saturday who also has a V with only about 1,000 miles on it and he felt the suspension was so harsh. I told him about how stiff it is set-up from the factory etc.. and recommended spending time on the site.
 
#25 ·
I've got the T-Rex stands, they're a set for the front & rear. The rear are designed to be used with the spools, and the fronts don't need anything else. I got the spools from T-Rex as well, seems like I paid around $135 for both stands and the spools incl. shipping. They're the 10mm thread. http://www.t-rex-racing.com/ for all the info.

I noticed you're in Nashville... me too! If you want to come by and take a look at my setup before you plunk down your cash feel free, just send me a PM and I'll give you my contact info. Hope this helps.
 
#28 ·
I am going to put my 44 tooth rear on soon, noticed from instructions you need to grease spacers with high temp grease, how much grease probably sill question but not sure and do you grease both sides, have not taken a bike wheel off in along, long time.

Cheers Phil
 
#31 ·
Ingenious!!

Having BT016s installed tomorrow by local sport shop for $70 on bike - front and rear. Off bike price is $40 - front and rear. I have a rear stand but no front stand. You have given me some ideas on saving $30 for next tire change.
 
#33 ·
OK...I applaud the writeup. I just got done replacing my rear wheel and I'm using your torque specs before I tighten down the rear axle (being too lazy to get out the manual).

BUT I started before reading your write-up and I don't see why you remove the caliper bolts. I didn't pull them out and the caliper just naturally came off with the bracket still attached. No muss, no fuss. And when I reinstalled, the bracket and caliper easily fit back in place as a single unit.

I can only think of two possibilities here. Either I'm doing this wrong and will eventually suffer some horrible rear wheel induced catastrophe....or the caliper bolt removal/reinstall is unneeded. I think it's the latter of the two, but please tell me if I'm wrong.
 
#34 ·
BUT I started before reading your write-up and I don't see why you remove the caliper bolts. I didn't pull them out and the caliper just naturally came off with the bracket still attached. No muss, no fuss. And when I reinstalled, the bracket and caliper easily fit back in place as a single unit.

I can only think of two possibilities here. Either I'm doing this wrong and will eventually suffer some horrible rear wheel induced catastrophe....or the caliper bolt removal/reinstall is unneeded. I think it's the latter of the two, but please tell me if I'm wrong.
I followed the same instructions but you do not need to undo caliper bolts and in fact going to remove my rear wheel in the next couple of hrs this morning after i get myself motivated. Check my thread out and go to post 17 about advice with caliper.
Phil
http://www.kawasakiversys.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8565
 
#36 ·
I think the idea is really to get them out of the way - it can be one more thing to bind a bit when trying to install/remove. However, one thing I would add to the steps above - and another reason to remove your calipers - I always clean my rotors with brake cleaner after I get the wheel installed with the axle in place before reinstalling the calipers. It's pretty easy to get some grease/grime on your rotors while you are installing the tires. Once the axle is in place, you can spray some brake cleaner into a lint free rag and simply spin the wheel while holding the rag in place on both sides of the rotor (obviously do both rotors on the front). If you don't remove the caliper, you stand a chance of contaminating the pads as you reinstall the wheel.
 
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