Bikers Workshop Series

GL1500 Front Wheel Removal.

By Steve Saunders.

Wheel removal on a Goldwing is something that many owners dread, but it's actually one of the easier jobs and on a GL1500 Goldwing the front wheel won't take you very long to pull. No special tools are needed either. 'Right-side' in this article refers to the right side when sitting on the Goldwing.

Click the thumbnails for a bigger image.

First thing is to get a jack ready for the Goldwing, make sure it's a sturdy jack. The  bottom of the GL1500 engine is flat and ideal for jacking up. A flat block of wood between the jack and engine will prevent the GL1500 sump being damaged by the jack and will also be less likely to slip. Don't jack the Goldwing up just yet.

Pull the upper side mudguard/fender trim off as in the first picture (right side shown). Then remove the lower 8mm bolts from the rotor covers. Don't lose the spacers visible in the third picture.

Remove the 8mm bolt from the top of the rotor cover and bracket and remove the rotor cover. Note how the two-part bracket slots together in the first picture. These brackets sit over the top of the rotor trim, not under it.

Remove the two Allen bolts holding the brake callipers in place and slide the callipers off the brake disc.

Now remove the 22mm bolt from the right-side of the axle, as in the first picture. Then slacken off the fork to axle pinch bolts as shown in the second and third pictures. There is no need to remove these bolts. In the third picture, I've highlighted the small stop on the fork leg. When refitting the speedo drive, make sure that the stop on the drive is behind the one on the fork leg, otherwise when you ride the Goldwing the drive will turn forward and break the speedo cable. Now it's time to jack the Goldwing up so that the wheel is about an inch off the ground.

With the Goldwing jacked up, push the axle out with a drift from the right side, then pull it fully out to the left.

Pull the speedo drive away as you roll the wheel out. You don't need to remove the speedo cable from the drive first, you can remove them together. You may need to jack the Goldwing up a bit more so the wheel clears the mudguard/fender.

On the right side, note the spacer that sits in the middle of the wheel. The flared end faces against the fork leg and the other end sits into the bearing dust seal in the wheel.

When refitting the wheel, note the points I made about the spacer and the speedo drive. The last thing you will be doing is putting the mudguard/fender back in place. Make sure that you push the rear end in so it's flush with the rear of the fender, as in the picture. Many people don't push the trims in fully and of course they fall off when you take the Goldwing for a ride.

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