What tires and rear tire removal

Joined
Oct 19, 2019
Messages
39
Location
Pittsburgh
Alright I am getting ready to get 2 tires and been looking around what tires to get. I had roadsmart lll on my fjr which I really liked and Avons on a fz6. My uncle swears by Shinko, soft but wear faster and cheaper. Another thing is the tire removal. Looking around I am seeing a few ideas about putting the bike on my trailer, putting on centerstand at the rear of trailer so back wheel hangs off the edge. I can remove the ramp , and remove axle bolt and caliper and drop tire down. The trailer is about 18 inches from ground to the floor of trailer. The centerstand adds another 1 and more to the height off the ground. That should give me ample room to drop tire and not have to take fender, exhaust and so forth off . Please help me out if this makes sense and you have done something similar. Thanks. Tim.
 
Joined
Jun 16, 2019
Messages
545
Bike
2010 NT700V
I'd consider Bridgestone T31s or Michelin Road 5s.

Putting the NT on a trailer, ensuring everything's stable possibly with straps, and then lifting the tire down seems like more work to me than just dealing with the rear fender. The rear fender only take 5 - 10 minutes to remove or install. I've done a few tire changes now, and the rear fender doesn't bother me. There's 6 hex cap screws to remove from inside the luggage that actually attach to the fender piece, a few more hex's and 1 phillips to loosen to give the luggage carcass play. I'd rather take the step with the fender because the rear wheel on the NT is surprisingly hefty, I suspect due to the spline drive - cush assembly. I like being able to sit on the floor with it, wiggle it a bit to get the splines free and then it only has to drop that 2 - 3 inches to the floor. On install I usually extend my left leg and roll the wheel on top of my foot. Puts the wheel right at the height of the splines. Having to pick the wheel up 20 inches or whatever while trying to get it on the splines seems like it would be more physically demanding.

You don't have to remove the exhaust in any instance. Loosen the caliper stop bolt that lives forward of the axle nut and pull it back up against the muffler.
 
OP
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Oct 19, 2019
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Pittsburgh
Thanks, but I do not like messing with the plastics. I would rather work around them if possible. They tend to get brittle. The bike is 9 years old, original tires, just bought the bike, and only 2900 miles on her. I had a 96 katana for a short time and the plastics were really brittle. My uncle will be helping out to so I will have the bike secure.
 
Joined
Jun 16, 2019
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2010 NT700V
My sun-baked rear fender piece is still flexible. If anything were to most likely crack it would be the luggage carcass, not the rear fender.
 

mikesim

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I have had excellent service from my Roadsmart 2's and now 3's. I have about 17.5K miles on the set I have now and still serviceable.

Mike
 

DirtFlier

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Troy, OH
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2010 Silver NT700V/ABS
To place the bike on your trailer as you describe, would mean the rear wheel would still be on the loading ramp making it difficult-to-impossible to get it up on the centerstand. Is the trailer going to be secured to a tow vehicle or supported at the back on jackstands? The whole idea seems dangerous to me but perhaps I'm being too much of an old fart.

ps. if you do remove plastic, try to pick a warmer day for that task. Old plastic is especially brittle in the cold.
 
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Joined
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Messages
545
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2010 NT700V
ps. if you do remove plastic, try to pick a warmer day for that task. Old plastic is especially brittle in the cold.

If that's a concern, you could always drop a space heater at a safe distance off the backside of the NT to warm it up before working on it.
 
Joined
Jan 23, 2011
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1,293
Location
Arkansas
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2020 Kawasaki Versys
I remove the rear wheel by running the bike onto a permanent stand with a drop out for the wheel. It works well for me. The hardest part is it's a tight space and the rear brake caliper hose doesn't have a lot of extra length to get it out of the way for wheel removal/replacement.
Your description of using the trailer may work but it sounds unstable. The bike needs to be secure while laying around underneath it. A tie down securing the centerstand around the front wheel is a good idea to prevent pushing the bike forward off the stand. Years ago I did that and the swingarm of a 650 Yamaha landed on my toe. Bleeding and stitches.
I believe the fender is easily removed but I also like to mostly leave the plastic alone.

Brad
 

Phil Tarman

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I'm happy with my Michelin Road 5s. 10K on them now and wearing evenly. They look like they'll last quite a bit longer.
 
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Don't forget to lube the drive splines with the good stuff while wheel is off.

Brad
 
OP
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Oct 19, 2019
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Thanks I looked at there site, roadsmart ll are a great price but I would think they have been sitting around for awhile. As for the bike on the trailer we would crack the axle bolt loose before its put on the centerstand.
 
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