How to remove the rear wheel??

[icemakk]

Well my rear tire has finally worn out and its time to replace.
My local dealer charges less for install if I just bring in the tire and rim. I have never done this before so am looking for instructions on how to remove the wheel properly. My search for a thread on this came up empty. Any advice and tips are welcome. I don't want to mess anything up on the bike but its time I popped my wheel removal cherry instead of paying someone to do it.
The bike is a 2008 Bandit 1250

Just did over 20,000 km on the old Michelin Pilot Road 2....okay, okay I really pushed it for the last 2k to get home and should have changed it sooner. Great tire.

[pawnee]

Never taken one off a newer Bandit but my '02 is a snap. Putting it back on was the hard thing by yourself, remember "many hands make lite work" or something like that.

1. Put bike on centerstand
2. Remove cotter pin
3. Loosen and remove castle shaped nut
4. Tap then pull axle out
5. You can loosen chain adjustments on both sides
6. Push wheel assembly forward and slip chain to the side off of sprocket, watch where your spacers come from
7. Work wheel out from under rear fender

Do Not apply rear brake after wheel is out!

I do not remove/loosen any brake caliper components. I leave it intact. Just wiggle the wheel out from caliper.

That's how I do it....BTW, my axle goes in from the left side(was right side)I reversed it so it doesn't loosen up when you tighten it back together.

[icemakk]

I feel like a total newb. I just pulled out the manual under the seat and it said almost exactly what you said.
I appreciate the help and yes, I think it is a 2 man job to put it back on easily....or a lot of swearing if done solo

[pawnee]

I try to stay clean but I get dirty sitting on the floor using my feet to hold the wheel up straight. Looks like a circus at times but I accomplished the task. Let me know how it works out. You gonna change the tire yourself or pay to have it done? I put on a free used tire and broke it down and mounted it myself to save a few bucks. My opinion, pay to have it done. Saves alot of skin and bandaides.

[pawnee]

Putting a new chain on Silver and remembered one more thing. Change out the adjustment bolts on the swingarm. After so many adjustments the heads get rounded off, so I changed mine last year. The bolt heads I use went to a 13mm instead of a 12mm. Just remember to keep a 13mm wrench in the tool bag since it doesn't have one in it.

[txbanditrydr]

You do not necessarily have to loosen the chain adjusters.... if you leave them in place you won't have to fool around with chain tension and that'll save you lots of time. 

[smooth operator]

You do not necessarily have to loosen the chain adjusters.... if you leave them in place you won't have to fool around with chain tension and that'll save you lots of time. 

  Yes,once you pull the axel,pop off the adjusting blocks and you can slide the tire foward to pull the chain off the sprocket and set over the swingarm. To put the tire back on by yourself,I make it easy on myself by blocking the tire upto the right hight so your not doing so much lifting while puting the axel back through.

[Scubadvr]

Does anyone know what size the axle nut is on the 1250?  It's either 35mm or 36mm, but I can't be sure., and it's not in the Service Manual.  I need to buy a socket for it, and they're pretty pricey, so I want to get the correct one.

[dhcolesj]

Does anyone know what size the axle nut is on the 1250?  It's either 35mm or 36mm, but I can't be sure., and it's not in the Service Manual.  I need to buy a socket for it, and they're pretty pricey, so I want to get the correct one.

It's a 36 on the '08, which I'd assume would be the same from 07 - 09.  Lookin' at my socket now.  Just removed my back wheel today in prep to have a new Shinko 009 mounted tomorrow.  The fun part will be to put the wheel back on.

[Scubadvr]

Yeah, I ended up getting a set that included both a 35 and 36MM.  Glad I did.  I, too, do not relish the idea of putting the back wheel on by myself.  If you change the front tire yourself, make sure of the tread direction; the wheel is not symmetrical (the right side is indented). 

[billincentraljersey]

Do it yourself. Start early, go slow, research and prepare before days before you start. You will be proud of yourself.  The feeling of being "in control" and not depend on the dealer is worth the work.  We all should learn to work on our own bike.  This is an easy job. Very few risk. Nothing complicated that you cannot figure out.  If you can fix a bicycle, you can do this.  The most complicated part is removing the brake caliper.  I try to remove the wheel without removing the caliper ... nope!  The caliper is on a sliding bracket that slides into a slot in the swing arm. You understand when you remove the axle.  When it is in front of you, it'll be apparently easy.  Do not touch the rear brake lever when the caliper is off the rotor or else the brake pads will come close together and you'll have to pry it back open to fit over the rotor.  You may have to do it a tiny bit anyway to get the caliper back over the rotor.  You can use your hand/fingers to push the caliper back into the cylinder that push the pad forward.  Do not use a screw driver.

When transporting the wheel, take care not to rest the weight of the wheel on the rotor.  Get that warped or bent, it'll cost $$$.

It is amazing how often the bone heads at the shops can screw up the tire rotation.  Check the arrow on the tire and make sure it is mounted correctly.  Depend on how careful (give a $hit) they are, the rim will get slightly scratch where the bar touches the rim as it rotates.

I call for prices and they range from $30 to $200.  As for the $200 shop ... I asked if the tire and 10 gallons of gas comes with it comes with it.  Yes, that price is if I bring the wheel in. 

The tool kit that comes with the bike have the flat box end wrench for the axle nut.  Use the extension tube in the tool bag, unless you have arms like a gorilla.

Next time I do it, for the front, I'll try to do it by hand.  I have done it once 30 years ago.  YouTube videos does not look too complicated.  I'll have to buy a static wheel balancer.  The cost save from doing it myself will pay for the wheel balancer.  The reason I brought the rear to the dealer was time.  I need the bike back on the road by Monday to go to work.  For the front, I'll be planning better.... vacation days.

[dhcolesj]

The Bike just doesn't look good this way.     That's what my son told me. 



The Shinko is ready to put on though.  I used the board you see on the floor to push the tire up so the Axel would come out.  I found out that the morons who changed out the tire last time failed to put any lub on the axel, now its got a little rust or dirt on it.  Gotta figure out how to clean it, without messing it up further.

[Jester]

Local tire shop here charges extra unless you take the tire off the bike too so I opted for a two hour ride to Penco Power Sports in Kallispell MT, rear tire, mount & balance, installation on the bike setup of the chain and a free bike wash cost me $100 less than using my local shop. I loathe not buying local and I try to whenever I can but the money I saved more than paid for the trip and I would have spent all that time doing the work anyway... riding seemed like a better option.

I feel like a total newb. I just pulled out the manual under the seat and it said almost exactly what you said.
I appreciate the help and yes, I think it is a 2 man job to put it back on easily....or a lot of swearing if done solo

The hard part is lifting the tire lining it up and sliding the axle in place... for that three hands are better. However, if you don't have a third hand available you can use a couple of boards to make a lever that you can put a foot on. Then you can lift/hold the tire in place with the lever and one hand while you wiggle the axle back in.

[Scubadvr]

I used a hydraulic floor jack under the front forks (front wheel off), with a 1x12 between the jack and the forks.  Using the centerstand as a pivot, and adjusting the level of the front forks with the jack, it was easy to line up the rear wheel with the swingarm, so I didn't have to push or lift anything.  It was stable, and I'll use this method in the future to remove/install the rear wheel.

[Jester]

I used a hydraulic floor jack under the front forks (front wheel off), with a 1x12 between the jack and the forks.  Using the centerstand as a pivot, and adjusting the level of the front forks with the jack, it was easy to line up the rear wheel with the swingarm, so I didn't have to push or lift anything.  It was stable, and I'll use this method in the future to remove/install the rear wheel.

That's an awesome tip Scubadvr!!