Front wheel removal

[Mikerhayward]

Hi All, been off for a while. I need to change tyres on my aging TRX. No worries on all this but can someone advise on the best way to raise the front off the bike. Don't want to damage exhaust by jacking under pipes. Or is this ok. Thanks Mick

[pbear62]

It sounds like a bit of messing around but this is what I do:

Put the bike on the rear race-stand with a length of 4" x 2" wood under the front wheel (remember to loosen the forkleg pinchbolt, axle & caliper bolts at this point while the bike is still steady!)

I use a couple of tie-down straps passed under the top triple clamp & then hooked up to the steel roof truss of my garage/workshop.

Lift the front of the bike slightly with the tie-downs & remove the piece of wood - this then has the wheel about 2-1/2" off the ground which is plenty of room for removing the wheel.

Once I have the wheel out I refit the axle & support it with a car axle-stand - just to take the weight off the tie-down straps.

Once you have the wheel ready to go back in - place it between the forklegs then slide the piece of wood back under the wheel which saves you having to support it while you feed the axle back in.

Job done!

[dicky]

I know its not the right way, but I use a jack and a block of wood either under the headers or between the headers on push on the sump

[HolerTogni]

Hi folks!

There ate not only rear race stands available but also ones for the front.

But beware: one fork leg is longer than the other, on the original fork that is.
So when using (also) a front race stand, a stable shim, e.g. a piece of wood, comes in handy for compensating the difference in length.

But the downpipes are strong enough as Dicky and some other people (including me) know.

Fully equipped greets from Munich!

[Dsanty]

Hey Holer,
There are 3 types of front stands so far as I know (besides a jack under the downpipes )
1. Pins that locate in the hole at the bottom of the fork
2. Two finger type that picks up under the fork with the second finger that goes behind the fork to stop from rolling off
3. Head lift stand that located in the lower triple clamp (requires relocation of horn from inspection of mine)

Which do people find best?

Greetings from Melbourne

[dicky]

There are also ABBA type stands that allow you to lift the bike and tie down the rear wheel to raise the front, or you could just run a tie down strap under the top triple clamps and hoist the front off the ground. I changed the entire front end by running a strap through the frame tubes just behind the headstem and hoisting it up.

[HolerTogni]

Hi Dsanty!

Depends on what you want to do.

For the most types of work* I do on the bikes I use the one listed as type 2.
(* removing front wheel, putting tire warmers on, storing during winter)

I also have a type 3 one but I use it quite rarely in the last years.

Uplifted greets from Munich!

[teeeriks]

My two cents: You can rest the whole bike on the downpipes without any problem. It's strong enough but it is not that stable. There's a risk of tipping it over.
A more sturdy DIY solution: On the lower frontend of the engineblock are two round holes that align all the way across the block. Some bikes may have a grey rubber plug in them. I feed an m8/m10 threaded rod of about 50cm length thru these holes and secure both ends with a washer and nut. Now you can rest both ends of the rod on axlestands on either side of the bike.

[HolerTogni]

Hk teeeriks!

Been there done that - I use this solution during winter in lack of enough other race stands for lifting up four* bikes.

(* TRiXie, Racetrack-TRiXie, Triumph Street Triple and 675 Daytona for the race track, the Triumphs belonging to my wife)

Tire unburdening greets from Munich!

[teeeriks]

Hk teeeriks!

Been there done that - I use this solution during winter in lack of enough other race stands for lifting up four* bikes.

Tire unburdening greets from Munich!

Same here. Need some Tetris-skills to fit three bikes in my garage. I've also used this solution to rest it on something we call a 'dolly' (wooden board with four swivelwheels normally used for moving furniture or heavy crates/boxes etc)
This way you can easily move the whole bike around like an officechair to park it in tight spaces.