New Tyres. And changing them.

[Demannu]

A 12mm socket, iirc a 27mm too, 6mm Allen key, halfords sump drain key tool, hammer, breaker bar and a rear paddock stand, also reqd some stout bits of wood and a brick!
Pretty sure that's less than £70 on ebay

[weeksy]

A 12mm socket, iirc a 27mm too, 6mm Allen key, halfords sump drain key tool, hammer, breaker bar and a rear paddock stand, also reqd some stout bits of wood and a brick!
Pretty sure that's less than £70 on ebay

It's not so easy though when you've never done it before, getting the rear caliper, spacers, axle, then getting the front end right with brakes.... it's a minefield to someone who's never done it.

[Supermofo]

Personally I'm happy to pay for someone to come to my house and do it while I work. I make the bloke a cup of tea and have a bit of a natter but he sorts everything.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I can change wheels, I've been out crew and changed wheels in a hurry, I'd still rather pay someone else to do it, especially the front wheel on a bike with ABS (because of how the brake pipes run)

Round here the bigger problem is finding someone you trust to change the wheels who isn't booked up for weeks ahead.

[mangocrazy]

I can fully understand how daunting it must be to anyone who has no spannering experience to remove the front and rear wheels on a bike without catastrophe happening. You do need a minimum level of kit and a minimum level of competence and even then curve balls can arrive out of the blue.

Being comfortable around tools and knowing how to use them is definitely an acquired skill, so to start I'd be looking to find a biking buddy who will show you the ropes and remove some of the mystique. It's really not that difficult, but it must seem like a dark art to the uninitiated.

As for building up a tool kit, I'd say that Aldi or Lidl can be your friend here. The quality of their kit is not exctly Snap-on, but it's certainly more than adequate for 99% of the jobs you'll encounter, and the savings over branded stuff is appreciable. One thing I would say, is avoid anything with Silverline stamped on it...

[KungFooBob]

Better still wait until Halfrauds have one of their super special half price offers on their 'Advanced' sockets sets.

Or ask if you know anyone with a trade card...

https://www.halfords.com/tools/hand-too ... =undefined

[tricol]

Thanks for all the replies. It's not so much that I can't spanner, it's just the motorbike is a different level to the push bikes. I've plenty of tools (all geared towards the MTB's), and I'm happy to strip the MTB down. I just have zero knowledge and confidence to do that on motorbikes.

[weeksy]

Thanks for all the replies. It's not so much that I can't spanner, it's just the motorbike is a different level to the push bikes. I've plenty of tools (all geared towards the MTB's), and I'm happy to strip the MTB down. I just have zero knowledge and confidence to do that on motorbikes.

It doesn't help today of course, but next time at PEmbrey when we're swapping wheels 5 times, maybe you should stand there and watch/learn/help ? It's honestly not that hard and as you saw, me and @Tricky had it down to less than 10 mins to swap wheels and part of that is only because threads on caliper bolts are long and take a while to wind out.

[mangocrazy]

Thanks for all the replies. It's not so much that I can't spanner, it's just the motorbike is a different level to the push bikes. I've plenty of tools (all geared towards the MTB's), and I'm happy to strip the MTB down. I just have zero knowledge and confidence to do that on motorbikes.

Back in the days when I was push biking and motor biking I always preferred working on motorbikes because the fasteners were more substantial and things didn't warp and twist when you got a bit heavy handed with them. It's just a question of scaling up, really. If you're confident working on MTBs then I reckon that should transfer to motorbikes once you get your head around it.

[dern]

Thanks for all the replies. It's not so much that I can't spanner, it's just the motorbike is a different level to the push bikes. I've plenty of tools (all geared towards the MTB's), and I'm happy to strip the MTB down. I just have zero knowledge and confidence to do that on motorbikes.

Where are you based, I can't remember, sorry. Maybe someone local can run you through it when they next do theres. If you're near me I'll gladly help out.

It's more or less the same as motorbikes, it's just that the bits are bigger and heavier. The only bit that should be undertaken with a bit more care is lifting the bike but there are very safe ways of doing that and the cost of the tools to do it will be recouped over time by the saving you make. You'll also be able to use them for basic checks/servicing.

[The Spin Doctor]

I do sympathise with people who are nervous about doing a bit of spannering but changing a wheel isn't like stripping an engine. It's a fairly straightforward task of removing a few bolts then replacing them in the same way. There are plenty of guides on YouTube in how to remove wheels.

And there are some basic tasks that everyone should be able to cope with. A few years ago, I met a trainee for a course and observed that he had a blown tail light bulb. "Oh, my mechanic fixes things like that"... it appeared he was perfectly happy to ride around like that until next time he took the bike in for a service.

I decided we could fruitfully spend 15 mins of the time he'd paid for to divert to Halfords... I had to show him which bulb he needed (a standard 21/5 W stop/tail bulb), then how to remove the bike's seat (he'd never taken it off) and finally how to unlatch the bulb holder and swap out the blown bulb. I could tell he was actually quite annoyed about me making him change it.

[weeksy]

I do sympathise with people who are nervous about doing a bit of spannering but changing a wheel isn't like stripping an engine. It's a fairly straightforward task of removing a few bolts then replacing them in the same way. There are plenty of guides on YouTube in how to remove wheels.

And there are some basic tasks that everyone should be able to cope with. A few years ago, I met a trainee for a course and observed that he had a blown tail light bulb. "Oh, my mechanic fixes things like that"... it appeared he was perfectly happy to ride around like that until next time he took the bike in for a service.

I decided we could fruitfully spend 15 mins of the time he'd paid for to divert to Halfords... I had to show him which bulb he needed (a standard 21/5 W stop/tail bulb), then how to remove the bike's seat (he'd never taken it off) and finally how to unlatch the bulb holder and swap out the blown bulb. I could tell he was actually quite annoyed about me making him change it.

I spend weekend after weekend with people who's kids race DH and they couldn't even fix a puncture. I'm going to start charging for repairs one of these days.

[Noggin]

I do sympathise with people who are nervous about doing a bit of spannering but changing a wheel isn't like stripping an engine. It's a fairly straightforward task of removing a few bolts then replacing them in the same way. There are plenty of guides on YouTube in how to remove wheels.

You are right. But it is NOT easy to get a wheel back in on your own.

I've done so many and the worst times are actually when people think I can't do it, take over and I don't check what they've done (had some issues at a track day with that!!). Almost as bad is when people offer help but don't then listen to what I ask them to do!!

Of course, those examples are when doing track days alone!!


At home in the garage, putting the rear wheel back in used to involve a serious amount of swearing and shouting and sweating. And eventually I'd manage. Yes there are tricks etc, but with short arms and small feet, it was always quite difficult. So i totally appreciate that people don't want to try

I have to go take the rear wheel off the monster to change the rear pads and put it back on - more difficult now tho. But, have to try.

Doing things up etc is not an issue. Getting the bastard thing lined up and the axle through is the challenge!

[Yorick]

I do sympathise with people who are nervous about doing a bit of spannering but changing a wheel isn't like stripping an engine. It's a fairly straightforward task of removing a few bolts then replacing them in the same way. There are plenty of guides on YouTube in how to remove wheels.

You are right. But it is NOT easy to get a wheel back in on your own.

I've done so many and the worst times are actually when people think I can't do it, take over and I don't check what they've done (had some issues at a track day with that!!). Almost as bad is when people offer help but don't then listen to what I ask them to do!!

Of course, those examples are when doing track days alone!!


At home in the garage, putting the rear wheel back in used to involve a serious amount of swearing and shouting and sweating. And eventually I'd manage. Yes there are tricks etc, but with short arms and small feet, it was always quite difficult. So i totally appreciate that people don't want to try

I have to go take the rear wheel off the monster to change the rear pads and put it back on - more difficult now tho. But, have to try.

Doing things up etc is not an issue. Getting the bastard thing lined up and the axle through is the challenge!

After 20 years of GSXR1000s and taking rear out dozens of times, I still struggle to get wheel back in.
Often take off brake caliper to help

[mangocrazy]

Over the years I've amassed lots of pieces of wood, of different thicknesses just so I can roll the wheel onto the 'right' sized piece of wood to get the spindle fitted. You have enough to manage with chains, brake calipers, spacers and chain adjusters all with a mind of their own without having to lift the wheel up to try and get it to line up with all the other bits that want to escape/lie down/disappear.

But bear in mind that the piece of wood that was the 'right' size when you were removing the wheel with the old tyre will not be correct when you're fitting a wheel with new tyre that now has all of its tread depth. These days I just use the Skylift. If the wheel is lower than the hole in the chain adjusters, just gently lower the bike using the hydraulic bleed until they line up. If the wheel is higher than the chain adjuster block, just pump it up until they line up.

I love my Skylift...

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I do sympathise with people who are nervous about doing a bit of spannering but changing a wheel isn't like stripping an engine. It's a fairly straightforward task of removing a few bolts then replacing them in the same way. There are plenty of guides on YouTube in how to remove wheels.

You are right. But it is NOT easy to get a wheel back in on your own.

I've done so many and the worst times are actually when people think I can't do it, take over and I don't check what they've done (had some issues at a track day with that!!). Almost as bad is when people offer help but don't then listen to what I ask them to do!!

Of course, those examples are when doing track days alone!!


At home in the garage, putting the rear wheel back in used to involve a serious amount of swearing and shouting and sweating. And eventually I'd manage. Yes there are tricks etc, but with short arms and small feet, it was always quite difficult. So i totally appreciate that people don't want to try

I have to go take the rear wheel off the monster to change the rear pads and put it back on - more difficult now tho. But, have to try.

Doing things up etc is not an issue. Getting the bastard thing lined up and the axle through is the challenge!

After 20 years of GSXR1000s and taking rear out dozens of times, I still struggle to get wheel back in.
Often take off brake caliper to help

Get one of these

It helps massively with lifting the wheel into the right position to slide the spindle through

[Yorick]

You are right. But it is NOT easy to get a wheel back in on your own.

I've done so many and the worst times are actually when people think I can't do it, take over and I don't check what they've done (had some issues at a track day with that!!). Almost as bad is when people offer help but don't then listen to what I ask them to do!!

Of course, those examples are when doing track days alone!!


At home in the garage, putting the rear wheel back in used to involve a serious amount of swearing and shouting and sweating. And eventually I'd manage. Yes there are tricks etc, but with short arms and small feet, it was always quite difficult. So i totally appreciate that people don't want to try

I have to go take the rear wheel off the monster to change the rear pads and put it back on - more difficult now tho. But, have to try.

Doing things up etc is not an issue. Getting the bastard thing lined up and the axle through is the challenge!

After 20 years of GSXR1000s and taking rear out dozens of times, I still struggle to get wheel back in.
Often take off brake caliper to help

Get one of these

It helps massively with lifting the wheel into the right position to slide the spindle through

The problem is getting the disk into the caliper. So I take it off sometimes.

Can't see any pic

[weeksy]

After 20 years of GSXR1000s and taking rear out dozens of times, I still struggle to get wheel back in.
Often take off brake caliper to help

Get one of these

It helps massively with lifting the wheel into the right position to slide the spindle through

The problem is getting the disk into the caliper. So I take it off sometimes.

I think i've mentioned it before, the ZX6 has a removable caliper too, which makes things 1000 times easier and things just line up so much easier and quicker.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

You line the disc and caliper up, and then pump it up so that the disc slides up into the caliper, then put the spacers in and slide the spindle through

[mangocrazy]

Under 'one of these' all I see is about 20 lines of empty space...