Rear tire removal without removing muffler or fender.

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I have read vague reference of account's of people removing the rear wheel without having to remove the rear fender, by devising a way to be able to drop the rear wheel down instead of having to roll it backwards. One thread mentioned someone's mechanic was able to drop the rear wheel without removing the muffler, no problem. Soundtechguy's video on YouTube comments that the only reason to have to remove the muffler for a wheel removal is because there is not enough clearance for a socket, but then he goes on to use the space vacated by muffler removal to secure the caliper bracket, which I cannot imagine where he would have secured it if not for muffler removal. But I can see that there is also no way to get the long brake torque arm bolt out with the muffler in place. Consequently, I cannot see any way to get the rear wheel off without muffler removal. Am I missing something? If anybody has done a rear wheel removal without removing the muffler, a detailed account of how to deal with the caliper and bracket would be helpful. Thanks.
 
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Sometimes it is just as fast to R&R the wheel via the Honda manual. But we are human and are always looking for a short cut even if it takes longer in the long run.

 

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Some here loosen the muffler and move it to gain clearance.
The rear wheel can be removed without disturbing the muffler if it can be dropped down instead of removing it out the side where the muffler resides. The caliper bolt will come out far enough to disengage the caliper. It is very tight in there to get the caliper out of the way to move the wheel to the side.
I have a platform with a section that drops out to let the wheel drop straight down. Others use a lift with a drop section.

Brad
 

DirtFlier

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Without having a lift with a dropout panel (for rear wheel removal) it's pretty tough to do it without removing the rear fender. When my bike was new and before I bought my Harbor Freight lift, I tried it on the garage floor using various methods and was unsuccessful. At that time, I just wanted to add Moly 60 to the driven splines so it worked OK because I could reach that area without the wheel coming completely away from the bike.
 
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How far, exactly, does the rear wheel have to drop down in order to remove it without removing the rear fender? My bike is in a Tuff Shed, the floor of which is about 5-6 inches above the outdoor ground level. If I pull the bike on the center stand in just the right location in the shed, the rear wheel will swing back onto the void, so I have that 5-6 inches elevation, plus the inch or so putting the bike on the center stand creates. Might this be enough to drop the rear wheel enough to negate removing the rear fender, or is it not even close?
 

Phil Tarman

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I'd guess that it would be pretty close -- especially if you put the centerstand on a 2X4. But it's just a guess.
 

ett

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I'd guess that it would be pretty close -- especially if you put the centerstand on a 2X4. But it's just a guess.
I assume the amount of required clearance is the height of the rear tire minus how far off the ground the rear fender is.
So with NT on center stand; the rear fender is 15" off the ground. And rear tire is about 23" tall. (17" rim + 3" tire height x2 = 23").
So 23" minus 15" = 8" of required NT elevation.

I hope my thinking and math is correct.
Because I will need to change tires for the very first time on my (new to me) 2010 NT.
So I started making a crude worktable this past Saturday. And will be using it to change the tires this coming weekend.
And if it worked as planned; I was gonna start a thread with photos of it.
But here's a quick glimpse:





--ET
 

WVRider

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Wow ! Thanks ET for the idea. My new project. Much easier and more stable than lifting rear end with an engine hoist :shrug2: Do think I will add a couple tie down points for the front end though just for safety sake.
 
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ett

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Wow ! Thanks ET for the idea. My new project. Much easier and more stable than lifting rear end with an engine hoist :shrug2: Do think I will add a couple tie down points for the front end though just for safety sake.
Yes. Add some tie down points.
That's what I plan to do before using it to change tires this coming weekend.
I also plan to add something to prevent the three sections from sliding apart as I load a motorcycle on it.

And I can't take credit. I stole that idea from another forum while doing some searching for motorcycle lift tables.
I'll add more details when I get home from work.

Edit:
Thread on worktable can be found here: Crude; but functional; homemade motorcycle worktable.
 
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Another safety idea.
Use a strap from the front wheel to the centerstand to keep from pushing the bike forward off the centerstand. It can happen while wrestling a wheel on.

Brad
 
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I once pushed a 650 Yamaha off the centerstand. The swingarm landed on my big toe.
That was one of my few ER visits to stitch up the toe.
I don't care to repeat it or have others test out their reaction times to get out of the way.

Brad
 

Coyote Chris

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How far, exactly, does the rear wheel have to drop down in order to remove it without removing the rear fender? My bike is in a Tuff Shed, the floor of which is about 5-6 inches above the outdoor ground level. If I pull the bike on the center stand in just the right location in the shed, the rear wheel will swing back onto the void, so I have that 5-6 inches elevation, plus the inch or so putting the bike on the center stand creates. Might this be enough to drop the rear wheel enough to negate removing the rear fender, or is it not even close?
Do not fear the the rear fender! Watch the video stickyed in the maintenance section. Take out the correct three screws on each side, loosed the rest and do what the video maker does. Easy as pie. And you will love the access you get.
http://www.nt-owners.org/forums/showthread.php?6145-Maintenance-videos
 
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Coyote Chris

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Another safety idea.
Use a strap from the front wheel to the centerstand to keep from pushing the bike forward off the centerstand. It can happen while wrestling a wheel on.

Brad
Thanks, Brad! I forgot to do this today but that strap is on there now for putting on the wheel tomarrow.
 
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Today I removed the rear shock to change the spring to a softer Ohlin's spring. I removed everything per the manual. Didn't try any short cuts, as I'm still getting to know the details of servicing this bike. I, for the life of me, cannot see how it would be at all possible to remove the rear wheel without removing the muffler. I say this because of my observation and experience with removing the caliper before wheel removal. If I am missing something, please somebody feel free to chime in.

Even with the muffler off, and the rear-most brake hose bolt to swing arm removed, I could barely get the brake caliper out from between the brake disc and saddle bag mounts, and surrounding bits. I finally managed, but scraped up the nice caliper surface against the saddlebag/foot rest bracket in the process. I see no place one could wiggle or place that caliper/bracket assembly if the muffler were installed, which would allow the wheel to be moved to the right enough to disengage the splines. The space between the rim, saddlebag mounts, and brake disc is just almost non-existent. The caliper bracket gets in the way of everything. Do people separate the caliper from the bracket first? Honda says just remove the caliper and bracket as an assembly. The rear fender wasn't so bad, but I would love to be able to get the rear wheel off in the future without removing the muffler. And detailed explanation on how to manage that durned brake caliper/bracket assembly with the muffler installed would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 

DirtFlier

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I never separate the caliper from its humongous mount but I always remove the right saddlebag from the bike. I leave the muffler in place but the holder bolts are removed so I can pull it outwards as necessary when I remove the caliper mount's "pin bolt." Removing the saddlebag takes 15-20 minutes but saves a lot of cuss words! With the right saddlebag in place you have to work blind because it's difficult-to-impossible to see what you're doing. And before the right saddlebag gets remounted, I always bleed the rear caliper since it's staring you right in the face and as such bleeding is a 5-minute job.

My method is not necessarily faster but it works for me and greatly reduces aggravation. :)

NOTE: I have a Harbor Freight lift so the rear wheel can drop straight down. I torque the rear axle (cleaned & lightly greased) from the left side and hold the nut in place - doing it this way doesn't effect torque applied as long as the axle turns freely. My first experience at rear wheel removal was done via the service manual and since that time, I've gradually developed my own way. I've probably removed the rear wheel of my NT 10-12 times?
 
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Can you describe what you do to get the caliper off without removing the muffler? And what with the brake caliper while jostling the wheel out? I couldn't figure out where there was enough space for that huge assembly when getting the wheel out. Clearly you found a way. Does the collar in the swing arm need to come out?


Do not fear the the rear fender! Watch the video stickyed in the maintenance section. Take out the correct three screws on each side, loosed the rest and do what the video maker does. Easy as pie. And you will love the access you get.
http://www.nt-owners.org/forums/showthread.php?6145-Maintenance-videos
 
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There is not much room but I pull my rear wheel without moving the muffler or pulling a pannier. It may not be the easiest way but it works for me.
The caliper bolt will unthread and then pull out against the muffler which gives clearance to remove the caliper and bracket. Getting it out of the way of the tire and back in is the tricky part. You have to work at it a bit.

Brad
 

Coyote Chris

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Can you describe what you do to get the caliper off without removing the muffler? And what with the brake caliper while jostling the wheel out? I couldn't figure out where there was enough space for that huge assembly when getting the wheel out. Clearly you found a way. Does the collar in the swing arm need to come out?
Brad is right. You really have to hold your tounge right to get the caliper in the correct position so that you can put in the wheel, then the collar, then ease down the caliper. The best thing to do in 20-20 hind sight for me would have been, during disassembly, to take off the muff bolts,
jam the muff over to Starbard and block it somehow there.
Then, with the axel over to port just far enough to clear the caliper, remove the caliper and concentrate very hard as to how it comes off and where you can put it to keep it out of the way during actual wheel removal. Then reverse the process. In my case, I didnt do that, so being a visual person, I sat behind the bike and experimented with different places I could put the caliper so that I could install the wheel, then the collar, then ease the caliper back over the disc. Always check that the pistons in the caliper are depressed as much as possible using a screw stick for a pry bar. The starbord Pannier really gets in the way even more than the muff but I chose not to take mine off even though I loosened all the pannier bolts to take off the rear fender. But if you read "Zen and the art of motorcycle Maintenance" by Pirsig you will remember his very important phrase that to assemble a barbeque needs great peace of mind. Dont get flustered. You got the caliper off, you can get the caliper back on. You just have to position the caliper so that you can put on the wheel and then move it over the disc. IIRC, I had the caliper bolt bosses outboard of the swingarm when I installed the wheel but I would not swear to that. We need the movie guy to make a vid of this, having one person hold the caliper in the optimal position while another puts in the wheel.
 
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