removing rear shaftee wheel

[dtkid]

Hey Folks:

I told a buddy of mine I would put a new tire on his bike; then I found out that it is a shaftee (83' Honda CX650). Is there any trick or problem removing the rear tire from a shaftee or is it simple and obvious?

[Dave8338]

Nothing tough about it...in my opinion, it is easier than the chain drive bikes. Loosen and remove the lower shock supports, tip them up out of the way, you may have to remove the brake (drum I think on the Honda) tension rod and then remove the rear axle bolt. On the GS bikes, it helps to loosen the rear sub frame for added clearance, not sure on the Honda.
Good luck.

[dtkid]

Cool: Thanks for the input.

[lurch12_2000]

Maybe you already do this but:
Put a 2x8 block of wood under center stand to give you the little extra clearance(2") to slide the tire out.
I put 2 2x8's just in front of each tire and pushed the bike ahead so the tires rested on them. Then kick the 3rd block under where the center stand would contact and hoist up onto the center stand as usual. Now the rear tire should be in the air and remove that block out of the way. It'll be much easier to slide the tire back and out under the rear fender with that extra 2"! Probably about 4" off the floor now. Check the rear axle hub to make sure there is nothing else holding it together when you slide the axle out and drop the tire. If you have a bike jack/lift then ignore what I just suggested.
Grease the splines on tire hub with special moly60 grease (tube avail at Honda dealer for $10) before reassembling.

[Steve]

Something else to consider when working on the rear wheel, especially when the bike is raise farther with blocks under the centerstand:

Use one of your motorcycle tie-downs to tension the centerstand toward the front of the engine. This prevents accidental lowering of the bike. :shock:


.

[dtkid]

Steve:

Good safety point. I never thought of that.