Remove Rear Wheel 1982 850G

[themess]

Bike is on center stand.
Center stand is secured with some light chain and a turnbuckle.
Rear fender extension is off. (Actually sort of hanging there, attached by wires to lights)
Brake caliper is resting away from read disk.
Outboard end of rear torque link is disconnected (right side).
Shocks are disconnected from upper mounts.
Swing arm is resting on exhaust bracket on right side. Wheel is still in air.

What is the less work from here?

1) Drop exhaust system before removing axle so that wheel can rest on floor.

2) Remove axle with wheel 1 1/2" in air, let it drop, and wrestle it back in.

[Nessism]

When doing that same task I placed a piece of wood under the center stand to increase the height of the bike above the ground. A helper to help steady the bike is a good idea if you have never done anything like this before.

[SqDancerLynn1]

There is also a pinch bolt on the right side for the axle. With the rear fender off/ shocks disconnected And if you strap the forks down to compress the forks (use a tie down strap if you do not have the tool) there will be room to remove the rear wheel

[Nessism]

Yea, as Lynn mentioned, and I forgot, the factory tool kit comes with a wire strap intended to allow compressing the forks, and subsequently increasing the height of the rear wheel off the ground. The factory service manuals details how to use the tool if you don't know already.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

I always take the shocks off, then lift the wheel above the exhaust to extract the axle...



I pull up the wheel and push my high-tech lift under the tire...



Pull out the axle, then gently drop the wheel to the floor and wiggle it off the swingarm. There is no pinch bolt on my bike. For the rest of my little story see: Rear Wheel Removal.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[rustybronco]

Hi,

I always take the shocks off, then lift the wheel above the exhaust to extract the axle...

That's the way I do it.

[Steve]

Of course, I have to be the different one, I let the wheel drop and pull the axle out below the exhaust.

As others have mentioned, start with the centerstand on a 2x4 to raise the rear. Remove the rear end of the torque arm from the caliper, remove the pinch bolt from the end of the right side of the swingarm, pull the shocks off their upper mounts, let the wheel drop. Remove the axle, keepting track of where the spacers go and which way they face. It is then a rather simple matter of sliding the wheel to the right then tipping it a bit for fender clearance.

When putting the wheel back in, reverse the process up to the point where it's time to lift the wheel. I sit on the floor and put my legs under the tire like the forks of a forklift. Bending the knees a bit lifts the wheel so you can put the shocks back on their mounts.

.

[themess]

With the fender extension off, clearance for removing the wheel is good with just the centerstand. After removing the shocks from the upper mounts, the wheel drops low enough to extract the axle under the exhaust, just barely. At least this is how it looks right now.

The photos and the "legs like a forklift" suggestion are valuable.

I'm taking photos as I go. It seems to me that the 82-82-83 rear wheel removal is different enough from the 79-80-81 removal to warrant an addendum to the procedures. I hope to be able to provide it.

We have a snow day here, possibly two or three, so I should be able to get back to this.

Thanks, guys!

[themess]

Wheel is now off and in the basement warming up. Definitely not a side-of-the-road job.

I thought that motorcycle wheels are supposed to be light. The wheel+tire weighs 38#.

[tkent02]

Wheel is now off and in the basement warming up. Definitely not a side-of-the-road job.

I thought that motorcycle wheels are supposed to be light. The wheel+tire weighs 38#.

Yeah, that's a shafty thing.

[Steve]

Yeah, that's a shafty thing.

How much less does a chain-drive wheel weigh?

I know the final drive unit weighs quite a bit more than a sprocket, but I have a feeling the wheel/tire assembly by itself would be rather close.

.

[tkent02]

How much less does a chain-drive wheel weigh?

I know the final drive unit weighs quite a bit more than a sprocket, but I have a feeling the wheel/tire assembly by itself would be rather close.

.

Dunno, somewhat lighter?
Little bit lighter?
Maybe it's just less heavy.
The only chain drive wheel and tire I have out there now is a spoke wheel from a 550, it's a feather. I just put it on today so I could roll the bike around, maybe 20 something pounds? I know the later cast wheels a quite a bit heavier.

[bwringer]

Chain drive wheels are just as heavy, especially if you count the sprocket and carrier.

Granted, shaft drive overall is heavier than chain drive. And there's a good bit more unsprung weight since the final drive is out there at the end of the swingarm.



Back to the topic, I guess I'm not seeing where the 82+ is different than earlier shafties.

And yes, it is a side-of-the-road job. I've done it a couple of times...

It is a LOT easier to rassle the wheel out if you can put the bike on a sidewalk, on the edge of a pothole, or something like that so the rear tire is hanging by just a bit. Even digging out a little gravel underneath helps.

All in all, I can have a shaftie rear wheel out and back in MUCH faster than a chain drive wheel. Plus, there's nothing to align.

[themess]

...

BTW, your bike is disgustingly clean.

I had a friend who used to bicycle 10K miles per year, and his bikes were also always spotless. Part of his cool-down, post-ride stretching routine was to wipe everything down after every ride. After he had about 65K on his first Kestrel, they gave him a new one in exchange for his old one.

BTW, someplace you wrote about having bought a monster adjustable wrench for that 24 mm castle nut that holds the axle on. I found that my 15/16" wrench just barely fits on, too. Local farm supply stores sell 24 mm combinations wrenches for less than $10.

....Back to the topic, I guess I'm not seeing where the 82+ is different than earlier shafties.

And yes, it is a side-of-the-road job. I've done it a couple of times...

It is a LOT easier to rassle the wheel out if you can put the bike on a sidewalk, on the edge of a pothole, or something like that so the rear tire is hanging by just a bit. Even digging out a little gravel underneath helps.

All in all, I can have a shaftie rear wheel out and back in MUCH faster than a chain drive wheel. Plus, there's nothing to align.

To someone who knows what he is doing, maybe there isn't that much difference. But for a first-timer who is following instructions, it has to be thought through and done differently.

> No center stand lock
> No tool kit device to compress front fork.
> Seem to be differences in how brake hose is secured.
> Other differences in right side attachment of rear wheel.

For me, it means moving slowly and trying to understand each step. If I don't work that way, I make mistakes, break some things and lose others.

After I get this thing running, I want to ride it to Indy and learn some tricks from you.