Special Front Wheel Removal

[nashville_bill]

I hate to ask this question because I really feel stupid but I will anyway. I am trying to remove the front wheel on my '81 special and it doesn't look as easy as it sounds. The tire is 4" wide and the space between the caliper mounts, on the lower forks, is about 3.25". Do you have to remove the fender, take the fork brace off and rotate the fork tubes to take the wheel off? The work shop manual just says to take the wheel off.

Thanks for the help.

[Geezer]

Re: Special Front Wheel Removal

Originally posted by nashville_bill
I hate to ask this question because I really feel stupid but I will anyway. I am trying to remove the front wheel on my '81 special and it doesn't look as easy as it sounds. The tire is 4" wide and the space between the caliper mounts, on the lower forks, is about 3.25". Do you have to remove the fender, take the fork brace off and rotate the fork tubes to take the wheel off? The work shop manual just says to take the wheel off.

Thanks for the help.

Drop the calipers and let the air out of the tire.

Geezer

[Snow]

I've gotten the wheel out of my special forks just my letting the air out - but I wouldn't suggest doing it that way. Dropping the calipers like Geezer says makes it a *lot* easier. I don't think you need to let all of the air out though.

[nashville_bill]

Thanks for the tips. I went ahead and took the fender off, but now I have the shortcuts for the next time.

[Dragonrider]

You should drop the fender and the calipers, then you can rotate the fork tubes to let the tire out.

[nashville_bill]

Yes, that's what I did and it was pretty painless. I wonder why the manuals don't mention that. I thought I was missing something.

[Dragonrider]

Doh! Now I see the post where you say that. Heh heh . . .

In the manual (factory), I think it is in the supplements for the specials in the back where it mentions that . . .

You know those manuals . . .

Step 1: Remove the dilflack with a left handed spanner wrench . . .
Step 2: Cross thread the two nexus nuts so that configuration A meets exploded section C (see supplemental volume 26-D for more information)

[nashville_bill]

After I was finished, I found a paragraph in the "SF" supplement that says: "Lower the wheel until the discs come off the calipers. Then turn the calipers outward to the extent of causing no obstacle to wheel removal and remove the wheel."

I didn't find this in the "SH" supplement. I guess you need to read all of them.

[jetmechmarty]

I did it by simply removing the fender and rotating the calipers out of the way. One of the discussions about dual brakes on the 650 in their forum was that dual brakes make wheel removal more complicated. I still haven't decided whether or not to modify that bike with dual brakes.

I've been more concerned about the unsprung weight issue than the wheel removal issue. As you know, once you've done it, taking the wheel off the XS1100 isn't much of a challenge.

[fredintoon]

So Marty, we meet again. Having done both, the stainless steel braid hoses did more to improve braking than the double disking did on my XS650. That double disk experience served to help me pull the (identical!) front wheel out of my newly acquired XS11 Special in order to check the bearings and unfreeze those weird swivelling front calipers. Mind you, with the XS650 (and presumably) the XS11 Standard you just have to unbolt one caliper rather than removing the fender and rotating the lowers.
Fred Hill, S'toon.

[John]

Hey Fred

I have found that caliper removal is easy and taking them both off, and removing the fender, is the easiest way to remove the front tire on my 80 SG

[graybird78]

r&r front wheel

I take off the calipers and let out the air to remove my tire. leave front fender in place. put a small floor jack w/block of wood on it under engine to gain some clearance ,with bike on center stand.