Changing a tire?

[BIG--T]

I bought my first Valk back in March and glad it had good E3'S on it. I just got off the phone with my brother-in -law and he bought an E3 for the rear a month ago and had a flat. The stealer give him a price of $208, but a price of $315.00 to put it on. $107 to put it on??!! Is that what they charge in Florida? I asked him why so high and he said they told him they would have to take his pipes and shocks off to take it off. I told him I thought they were full of bull. Every bike I've owned I'd just jack it up high enough and pull it out.

I am I wrong??

[tank_post142]

the manual says you must remove them, thats what there time quote is based on. in reality you don't have to.

[hubcapsc]

Sounds like they want to do it like the manual says... they probably haven't seen a Valkyrie in years, at least they
have the book and intend to follow it.

There's numerous ways to go about it. There is a chicken-and-egg problem with getting the axle out - the pipe
is in the way. I jack the bike up until the rear shock is "neutral"... not in tension and not in compression... and remove
the shocks. With the shocks off (easy when they are not in a bind) there's various ways to lift the swingarm enough
to get the axle out over the pipe... I let the jack down some (there's a pattern here to me not lifting heavy things  )
and pull the axle out. Then (and a bunch of people, especially those with Interstates, wouldn't do it this way) I jack
it up a little, pull the rear fender section, and roll/pull the tire out.

You should do some searches on the Tech board about all the order-of-reassembly/lubing/cleaning/O-ring-changing that
is usually associated with pulling the rear wheel... a lot has been said...

-Mike

[Chrisj CMA]

I just got back from a 100 mile ride to help a guy r/r his back wheel.  It does save $$.  Our local Honda dealer in Fort Walton Beach Florida has a great deal if you buy both tires.  E3's mounted and balanced for $330ish.  But yes its a fair amount of work, and a shop wants their bucks per hr.

[BIG--T]

the manual says you must remove them, thats what there time quote is based on. in reality you don't have to.

And in reality I bet they don't! Dang stealers!!

[BIG--T]

Sounds like they want to do it like the manual says... they probably haven't seen a Valkyrie in years, at least they
have the book and intend to follow it.

There's numerous ways to go about it. There is a chicken-and-egg problem with getting the axle out - the pipe
is in the way. I jack the bike up until the rear shock is "neutral"... not in tension and not in compression... and remove
the shocks. With the shocks off (easy when they are not in a bind) there's various ways to lift the swingarm enough
to get the axle out over the pipe... I let the jack down some (there's a pattern here to me not lifting heavy things  )
and pull the axle out. Then (and a bunch of people, especially those with Interstates, wouldn't do it this way) I jack
it up a little, pull the rear fender section, and roll/pull the tire out.

You should do some searches on the Tech board about all the order-of-reassembly/lubing/cleaning/O-ring-changing that
is usually associated with pulling the rear wheel... a lot has been said...

-Mike

Thanks Mike for the tip. I totatly forgot about the bike having pipes on both sides! lol    Other than a V-65 Magna I had, all mine have been on one side. Even the manual on the VTX says to pull the fender and other stuff and I've always jacked it up high enough and roll the tire out..and the factory pipes are on the one side. Boy, the Valk sounds like it would be a bi$$ch!! I'll do that search.
Thanks, Tony

[BIG--T]

I just got back from a 100 mile ride to help a guy r/r his back wheel.  It does save $$.  Our local Honda dealer in Fort Walton Beach Florida has a great deal if you buy both tires.  E3's mounted and balanced for $330ish.  But yes its a fair amount of work, and a shop wants their bucks per hr.

WOW! I'm gonna have to move to FT. Walton! That is a SUPER deal! I'f I'm not mistaken DL had the pair of E3'S on "sale" for $330 ....mount and balanced not included. 

Tony

[Richythebluesman]

Yesterday I had an E3 installed on my front rim.
I removed the wheel and drill polished it before I took it to the wheel to the stealer.
$231 total. $180 tire; $9 valve stem; $27 labor; $16 tax.

Stealer? U B the judge   ???

[BIG--T]

Yesterday I had an E3 installed on my front rim.
I removed the wheel and drill polished it before I took it to the wheel to the stealer.
$231 total. $180 tire; $9 valve stem; $27 labor; $16 tax.

Stealer? U B the judge   ???

No that's not bad at all, but you already had the front off. 

[BIG--T]

The next Valkyrie rally should go to....... FT. WALTON BEACH!

It is also a great place to visit.  Nice restaurants, too.  Would I make an 800 mile found trip to save on tires?  Maybe, as it is a fun place to go.

Pluggy.

Great idea! I hope I'll need tires then!

[Joe Hummer]

I remove the wheel from the bike and take it to my dealer to install the rubber.  They charge me 1/2 hr labor to do this...so it isn't that bad.  Do not remove the pipes, look for Daniel Meyer's write-up on removing the rear tire...saves tons of time.  It is a good time to check the U-Joint and Pinion Cup while you have it apart. 

Joe

[mchapman]

The next Valkyrie rally should go to....... FT. WALTON BEACH!

It is also a great place to visit.  Nice restaurants, too.  Would I make an 800 mile found trip to save on tires?  Maybe, as it is a fun place to go.

Pluggy.

   Racetrack Powersports in Fort Walton will give you the best deal for tires and mounting. better overal dependable service than the Honda Dealer.

[Earl in Pensacola]

call "ChrisJ CMA! (see previous message) He has done it a 100 times!  I'm the one he helped yesterday and you DO NOT HAVE TO LOOSEN OR REMOVE THE EXHAUST PIPES!  You do need a M/C floor jack and a second one and maybe a  couple of 2'x2"x2" boards, plus tie down straps, maybe a 5'x2"x4" board and of course the proper tools, like a 27MM box/open, a good torque wrench and all the nec. other metrics.  We then took the tire and wheel to an independant dlrship and for $35., he mounted the tire and new OEM stem plus spun balanced it.

[vanagon40]

I have a 2001 Standard and the Rivco center stand.  With this equipment, you:

DO NOT HAVE TO LOOSEN OR REMOVE THE EXHAUST PIPES!

You do NOT need a M/C floor jack

You do NOT need second one

You do NOT need couple of 2'x2"x2" boards

You do NOT need tie down straps

You do NOT need a 5'x2"x4" board

You do NOT need to take the tire and wheel to an independant dlrship and

You do NOT need to pay $35 to have the tire mounted with a new OEM stem plus spin balance.

If you are mechanically inclined, you can easily remove the tire yourself with minimal tools and equipment, you can change the tire yourself with minimal tools and equipment, and you can balance the tire yourself with minimal tools and equipment.  All depends on your perspective and what you want to do and what you want to pay someone else to do.

I fault no one who says he would rather pay someone $50 to replace, mount, and balance a tire than attempt to do it himself.  My only point is that you do NOT need to purchase motorcycle jacks, tie down straps, a tire changer/balancer, and other expensive equipment to change a motorcycle tire.  For $50 at most (and likely much less), a person can build a tire changer, buy a couple of tire irons, buy a new valve stem, buy tire weights, and change the tire himself (and after having made the initial investment to change the first tire, the second tire costs much less (almost nothing) to change).

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Chrisj CMA]

If you change a rear wheel on the center stand you must remove the rear portion of the rear fender.  I have done it that way, (to me) its more work than slipping a sears lift up under there.  I dont use any boards other than the lift adapter that I made out of wood.  Its personal preference but most do not have a center stand, but even on bikes with a center stand I choose to lift them, lots easier higher for me


If you look at this picture you will notice the shocks are off and the hole for the axle is ABOVE the exhaust.  As soon as the shocks come off I raise the swing arm and tie it up with a tie down strap through the lower shock mount on the left side.  All the work can now be done without messing with the exhaust at all

[OP2]

On my maiden voyage on the Valk,in 07, down the BRP, I picked up a nail in the rear tire. Plugged it and made it all the way to Seveirville, TN. Where a Honda Stealer put on a set of E3's. They said I was really lucky that they had a set for my I/S. Total cost for taking both wheels off the bike, mounted and balanced, was $625. Two hour labor charged for the rear, and an hour and a half for the front. Didn't feel so lucky when time come to pay, but did feel better having new shoes on the bike so far from home. If my wife wasn't with me, and we weren't pulling the trailer, I'd have just left the plug in till I got home.

[Chrisj CMA]

On my maiden voyage on the Valk,in 07, down the BRP, I picked up a nail in the rear tire. Plugged it and made it all the way to Seveirville, TN. Where a Honda Stealer put on a set of E3's. They said I was really lucky that they had a set for my I/S. Total cost for taking both wheels off the bike, mounted and balanced, was $625. Two hour labor charged for the rear, and an hour and a half for the front. Didn't feel so lucky when time come to pay, but did feel better having new shoes on the bike so far from home. If my wife wasn't with me, and we weren't pulling the trailer, I'd have just left the plug in till I got home.

Ya, $625 and Ill bet they didnt to the final drive right.  The two shops I used (once on my bike on a trip, and once for a friends bike) were not going to do it right until I pointed out the correct steps in the book and stayed right there to watch

[BIG--T]

I remove the wheel from the bike and take it to my dealer to install the rubber.  They charge me 1/2 hr labor to do this...so it isn't that bad.  Do not remove the pipes, look for Daniel Meyer's write-up on removing the rear tire...saves tons of time.  It is a good time to check the U-Joint and Pinion Cup while you have it apart. 

Joe

Thanks Joe I'll look it up. If there's a easy way i want it!

[BIG--T]

If you change a rear wheel on the center stand you must remove the rear portion of the rear fender.  I have done it that way, (to me) its more work than slipping a sears lift up under there.  I dont use any boards other than the lift adapter that I made out of wood.  Its personal preference but most do not have a center stand, but even on bikes with a center stand I choose to lift them, lots easier higher for me


If you look at this picture you will notice the shocks are off and the hole for the axle is ABOVE the exhaust.  As soon as the shocks come off I raise the swing arm and tie it up with a tie down strap through the lower shock mount on the left side.  All the work can now be done without messing with the exhaust at all

Chris I like your way of doing it. Do you know if I can do that with 6-6 Cobras?

Thanks, Tony

[vanagon40]

I have a 2001 Standard and the Rivco center stand. 

Where can I buy one?

What, a 2001 Standard? A Rivco center stand? or both?

Okay, let me try this again.

If a person lifts the bike only slightly off the ground, the person must remove the last half of the rear fender.  This procedure entails removing three bolts and unhooking a wire harness.  I candidly admit that while I find the removal procedure extremely easy, I find that that a "helper" or "assistant" make the installation much easier.  I cannot comment on whether raising the bike higher is easier as I have never tried raising the bike higher.

Again, my point is the even without a Rivco center stand or special motorcycle jack, a person could easily and cheaply remove, replace the tire, balance, and reinstall the rear wheel on a Valkyrie Standard (I have no idea how much more difficult it would be with the saddlebags on a Tourer or Interstate).  I suspect a person could raise the rear wheel sufficiently high enough to remove the rear wheel without removing the rear fender section, also without specialized equipment or even a motorcycle jack (I always figured this could easily be accomplished with a block and tackle--or even a simple pulley--hooked from a ceiling joist in the garage to the sissy bar; but I have never tried this).

Just as I do not fault someone who would rather pay someone else $50 to replace, mount, and balance a tire than attempt to do it himself, I do not fault someone who believes that a motorcycle jack and/or jack adapter make raising a Valkyrie much easier and/or safer.

Good luck on whatever method you decide to use when changing tires.

[To respond to the quoted question, I believe both are no longer being produced, so either must most likely be purchased used, through the normal used marketplace, e.g., ebay Craigslist, classifieds, etc.  On rare occasions, Rivco has made new runs of Valkyrie parts, but I have no idea if a new batch of center stands is in the future.]

[BIG--T]

I remove the wheel from the bike and take it to my dealer to install the rubber.  They charge me 1/2 hr labor to do this...so it isn't that bad.  Do not remove the pipes, look for Daniel Meyer's write-up on removing the rear tire...saves tons of time.  It is a good time to check the U-Joint and Pinion Cup while you have it apart. 

Joe

Joe I went to shop talk and couldn't find Daniel Myer's write up. Am I looking in the right place?
Thanks, Tony

[currahee2-6]

here in the West Palm Beach, (FL) area, the local CYCLE GEAR store told me that if i bring them the wheel, and buy the tire from them, they will mount and balance (or install (my )Dyna Beads for FREE.

While I have the wheel(s) off, I'd just go ahead and do the PM lube,o rings and seals myself........

(they only want $900 per tire......is that where the cost is............kiddin  )

[PhredValk]

I'm not sure how I would remove the rear or front wheel without an MC jack with this as my workshop. Neither I nor BigT's brother-in-law seem to have the $600.00 centre stand.



With a jack, ratchet set (I had to buy the HUGE socket for the axle bolt) and torque wrench I removed and installed both wheels. I got the tires changed for $30.00 each (I bought the tires online) and balanced with Dynabeads. I didn't touch the pipes, though I did remove the bags and fender. About an hour for each wheel and 2 days for the shop to change the tires.

I would rather buy an $80.00 MC jack and take off the wheels myself in the parking lot than pay the dealer $100.00/hour to do the same. I could donate the jack to some local MC club afterwords. $600 for a centre stand in case I need to do this maybe once is ridiculous.
Fred.

[Bone]

Joe I went to shop talk and couldn't find Daniel Myer's write up.

The bottom right corner of the page is Daniel Meyer's Tech Tips. Click any topic and go to his web site ;  http://lifeisaroad.com/stories/2004/10/27/theDarkSide.html

[hubcapsc]

Again, my point is the even without a Rivco center stand or special motorcycle jack, a person could easily and cheaply remove, replace the tire, balance, and reinstall the rear wheel on a Valkyrie Standard (I have no idea how much more difficult it would be with the saddlebags on a Tourer or Interstate).  I suspect a person could raise the rear wheel sufficiently high enough to remove the rear wheel without removing the rear fender section, also without specialized equipment or even a motorcycle jack (I always figured this could easily be accomplished with a block and tackle--or even a simple pulley--hooked from a ceiling joist in the garage to the sissy bar; but I have never tried this).

Frank Smoak hoists his Valkyrie like you imagine, and he likes to do it that way. Many of us don't have a place
to hang 700+ pounds, though... have you got a static balancer, or...? The Rattlebars bag quick release kit makes short work
of bags, even with rails... the last couple of times I've jacked up my bike, I've used the "stays on the bike" style
adapter... the bike seems much more sturdy than when using the other common kind of adapter, and not having to
mess with the clunky removable adapter was a big win.

Er... Frank takes off his seat and hooks the hoist to his frame, not sissy bar...

-Mike

[Chrisj CMA]

If you change a rear wheel on the center stand you must remove the rear portion of the rear fender.  I have done it that way, (to me) its more work than slipping a sears lift up under there.  I dont use any boards other than the lift adapter that I made out of wood.  Its personal preference but most do not have a center stand, but even on bikes with a center stand I choose to lift them, lots easier higher for me


If you look at this picture you will notice the shocks are off and the hole for the axle is ABOVE the exhaust.  As soon as the shocks come off I raise the swing arm and tie it up with a tie down strap through the lower shock mount on the left side.  All the work can now be done without messing with the exhaust at all

Chris I like your way of doing it. Do you know if I can do that with 6-6 Cobras?

Thanks, Tony

Yes, sure...I have Cobras on my bike.......same way all the time

[Jabba]

I use MC straps and tie the handlebars to the ceiling like it's a giant Haiitian love swing... 

then use a standard floor jack on the rear of the bike.  I have R&R'd rear wheels 4 times, and have not removed fenders nor exhausts. 

I can do it now in about 20 minutes.  I have another one to do soon, but I have been putting it off.

Jabba

[Ricky-D]

I'll have to admit that r&r'ing the rear tire is a real pain in the ass on my Interstate.

Still haven't found a way that I can settle on and I've tried them all I think.

The bag racks and the bag rails are still mostly in the way after I remove the bags so removing the shocks still seem to be necessary.

I end up loosening the exhaust flanges on the heads and also loosen the holders for the exhaust pipes, the ones that hold the riders foot pegs, so that the swing arm can rotate down enough to get the axle out. I remember the first time how the bolt ends marred up the swingarm pretty badly. I use a length of rope on each side to hold the exhaust up and away from the swing arm tying each muffler to the bag rails.

I read on one post where with a little help you can take the whole saddle bag assembly including the rails, everything complete, and take them off as a unit - the only problem I think was they have difficulty passing the license plate holder and turn signal assembly. I am going to measure and look to see if that is gonna be the holdup to precisely doing that.

I tie up the rear brake caliper so there's enough room to pry the wheel flange away from the pumpkin. I utilize the motorcycle lift to elevate the complete bike, put a block under the front wheel and use my floor jack to raise and lower the rear wheel as necessary.

I really dread when the time approaches to mess with the rear wheel.

The very next time I'm going to try a new approach and unbutton the pumpkin from the swingarm and see if this may be a little less cumbersome when taking it all apart.

***

[Earl in Pensacola]

Ricky-D  Next tire you tackle the rear tire try "raising" the wheel (with a jack or by lowereing the bike)
so that you can pull the axle out OVER the exhaust.  This is, of course, after you have removed the shocks.  That's how we just did it with out touching the exhaust system.  Some of the "helper" items I previously mentioned as needed, was because I'm 72 years old and no longer have the strength to do it without a little help.  I just figured that if it could help me then it could certainly make the job a little easier for some others also.

[Ricky-D]

Earl, I hear what you're sayin' but with the hard bag supports and the heat baffle it seems to me I've tried that and it didn't work too well. BUT, I'll try it again next time which ought to be this fall.

If I remember correctly, the difficulty is getting the tire/wheel off the pumpkin and with enough room to get it out from under everything.

***

[Joe Hummer]

I remove the wheel from the bike and take it to my dealer to install the rubber.  They charge me 1/2 hr labor to do this...so it isn't that bad.  Do not remove the pipes, look for Daniel Meyer's write-up on removing the rear tire...saves tons of time.  It is a good time to check the U-Joint and Pinion Cup while you have it apart. 

Joe

Thanks Joe I'll look it up. If there's a easy way i want it!

Sorry,  I thought it was Daniel's....here is the link to Dag's site with instructions:

http://www.valkyrienorway.com/RWRemoval.html

Joe

[GOOSE]

i can put the bike on a jack-lift it up/pull both bags/remove shocks/remove wheel/change tires/balance, and put back together in 1 1/2- 2 hours.....daniel meyers' way works really well.

[BIG--T]

I remove the wheel from the bike and take it to my dealer to install the rubber.  They charge me 1/2 hr labor to do this...so it isn't that bad.  Do not remove the pipes, look for Daniel Meyer's write-up on removing the rear tire...saves tons of time.  It is a good time to check the U-Joint and Pinion Cup while you have it apart. 

Joe

Thanks Joe I'll look it up. If there's a easy way i want it!

Sorry,  I thought it was Daniel's....here is the link to Dag's site with instructions:

http://www.valkyrienorway.com/RWRemoval.html

Joe

Thanks Joe, That's exactly what I needed!

Tony