Cobra pipe question

[Jess from VA]

Someone with cobra pipes (not me) on an interstate is saying he has to remove the pipes to change the rear tire.

Is this true?  Can you not use the same method we use to remove bags and shocks, take the axle out over the pipes, then raise the bike and drop the tire out the bottom, leaving the lower fender half in place.

If there's a different technique, can someone explain it.  Thanks in advance.

[Cliff]

Had cobras on my 2000 I/S and was able to remove rear wheel w/o removing or loosening the pipes.  Bags off and shocks off > yes but NOT pipes.  Replaced rear tire twice without removing the cobras....  I did remove the rear m ounting nut from both sets of pipes.  This nwass on a 2000 interstate

[Tundra]

Jess,
  I was thinking the same thing...
 Two of my friends here, Silverfox and Kylenav both remove their Cobra pipes. That's the last thing I want to do. I've already replaced all my studs, some of the cracked nuts and gaskets intake runner o-rings, rubber tubing, vaccuum caps etc... while chasing down air leaks when I bought my bike. It's never ran better and I will never take the pipes off again. They said they had to take the pipes off?
  That's something when it's running good, no exhaust leaks, good gaskets, torqued properly, I say leave it alone.

[John Schmidt]

By removing the shocks it lets you move the swingarm up/down freely, I use a floor jack with a block of wood on the arm. If you have the trunk set up for quick on/off, then dropping the rear half of the fender is no big deal either. By doing that you don't have to raise the rear tire more than 2-3" off the floor with your lift, remove the bags & shocks with a floor jack under the swingarm. Now just move the swingarm enough to clear the pipes and save yourself a LOT of extra trouble and needless effort. Removing the pipes are a big enough hassle as it is.

[Jess from VA]

By removing the shocks it lets you move the swingarm up/down freely, I use a floor jack with a block of wood on the arm. If you have the trunk set up for quick on/off, then dropping the rear half of the fender is no big deal either. By doing that you don't have to raise the rear tire more than 2-3" off the floor with your lift, remove the bags & shocks with a floor jack under the swingarm. Now just move the swingarm enough to clear the pipes and save yourself a LOT of extra trouble and needless effort. Removing the pipes are a big enough hassle as it is.

I'm with you on this John, but does this technique work with Cobra 6 X 6 pipes?

[Ricky-D]

I have always loosened up the exhaust (not remove) in order to be able to spread the mufflers to allow the swing arm to be lowered and the axle be removed.

Seems like all the ways i have tried over the years I always return to this method.

There just is no simple easy way with the Interstate to do it.

***

[Jess from VA]

I have always loosened up the exhaust (not remove) in order to be able to spread the mufflers to allow the swing arm to be lowered and the axle be removed.

Seems like all the ways i have tried over the years I always return to this method.

There just is no simple easy way with the Interstate to do it.

***

But do you have cobra pipes?

[Challenger]

When I had Cobras on my I/S, I would remove the bags (I have a bag drop kit), remove shocks, lift swing arm up with ratchet strap, remove axle over top of pipes, jack bike up high enough to remove rear wheel with out removing rear fender, 

[cutter]

Have the 6x6 cobras on my I/S and never had to mess with the pipes. Remove bags and shocks, lower the swing arm and thats it, even have a CT on.

[Jess from VA]

That's what I thought, thanks guys.

[R J]

By removing the shocks it lets you move the swingarm up/down freely, I use a floor jack with a block of wood on the arm. If you have the trunk set up for quick on/off, then dropping the rear half of the fender is no big deal either. By doing that you don't have to raise the rear tire more than 2-3" off the floor with your lift, remove the bags & shocks with a floor jack under the swingarm. Now just move the swingarm enough to clear the pipes and save yourself a LOT of extra trouble and needless effort. Removing the pipes are a big enough hassle as it is.

I'm with you on this John, but does this technique work with Cobra 6 X 6 pipes?

Little buddy, that procedure works for any type of exhaust you have on the Valkyrie, except maybe the Rune style pipes will give ya crap.

I removed my pipes once cause that was what the book said.   Got to looking at it and the procedure I was going through and said taking that exhaust off is crap.   Only type they are off now is if I'm changing the full exhaust system.

That is very doubtful now since I have Viking pipes on.  It is just a $$$$$ maker for the stealer if he does the tire replacement for ya.

[Kylenav]

2nd Jess from VA.  I used to remove my exhaust but after a couple sets of gaskets now I just drop the rear swing arm and all is well.  Make sure you have the shocks installed again before trying to rotate the rear tire.  With the swing arm all the way down the U-Joint angle is extreme and rotating the rear tire may or will cause damage, if you can even get it to move.  Don't ask how I figured this all out.... 

[John Schmidt]

The only reason I remove the rear section of the fender is so I DON'T have to raise 800lbs. over a foot in the air. I can do it by just raising the tire about 2" off the ground before removing the shocks, bags, etc.  A heck of a lot safer. No need to ever mess with the pipes, just toss a towel over them to prevent scratching.

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

I've got Cobra's on all my bikes and never remove or even touch for that matter the exhaust when changing the rear tire and doing maintence...Like other said I just take the saddlebags off and pull the shocks.

[Jess from VA]

The fellow has 100k, and has pulled his cobras every time for rear tires.   

I thought this was unnecessary, but needed to ask.