[chesterwgunn]

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As some of you may have already read, I cut a brand new rear tire down last week..The mourning period has now passed as my new tire is supposed to arrive on Thursday. I did all of the work the last time myself, but there were timeswhen I did struggle... Last time, I didn't have access to a jack, so I used the center stand. I struggled with getting the bike raised high enough to easily maneuver the lower portion of the shocks in and out of their mounting brackets.. I thought I'd solved the problem by putting small pieces of 2x4's underneath the center stand legs..but when I started attempting to raise the swing arm, I inadvertently pushed the bike off of the center stand, causing the bike to fall....I'm so stupid, I actually pushed it off TWO TIMES!!!I think I've got this part figured out, as I saw somewhere on this forum where someone had used cargo straps to secure the center stand to the crash bars, thus preventing the stand from retracting......but I'm not particularly crazy about the blocks of wood under the center stand... it just doesn't feel very stable.....

I now have access to a floor jack. Not a motorcycle jack, but a floor jack and I'm wondering if this will be of any help.Isthere a method to safelyraise the bike using a standard floor jack. Also, I don't have a trailer hitch on the bike ( I don't know if that matters).. And finally, is there an easy easy way to raise and lower the swing arm once the tire has been reinstalled? The last time, I just laid on the ground and tried to manhandle the tire/swing arm.. Is there a trick to this that I have not yet learned?

This may be a redundant post, but I couldn't find this exact information anywhere on the forum.. And as always, thanks to all that are kind enough to take the time to help an ignorant idiot like myself.

Best Regards,

Chester Gunn/Chula, GA

 

[mikef]

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Try this

http://goldwingtech.info/jacking/jacking.htm

You don't need a jack to change the rear tire of a 1200, but it's easier. You just need to remove the back fender over the tire.

 

[chesterwgunn]

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Mikef

Thanks for the response, but I only have a small floor jack...which doesn't have the lifting platform like the motorcycle jack, but rather just a fairly small, round contact point...Any suggestions are certainly appreciated..

 

[mikef]

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I edited my reply. You don't need a jack, but you would have to remove the rear fender and take the wheel out from the rear.

 

[chesterwgunn]

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Mike,

Maybe you can help me to see the error in my ways. I'm working in my backyard, and I mean literally "in my back yard"...on grass. And when I put the bike up on the center stand, it just didn't raise it high enough for the lower ends of the shocks (particularly the left shock) to clear it's mount.. And then when I went to put the wheel back on the bike, the center stand didn't raise the bike high enough for the shock to slip back into it's mount.. I tried compressing the shock...releasing all of the air pressure, and I still couldn't compress the shock, so I had to resort to the "blocks under the center stand" to get sufficient clearance... The left shock mount was really my only issue....last time around, that is.. I don't want to jinx myself on this next one..

Maybe I just really don't know what I'm doing...

 

[chesterwgunn]

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Oh yes, I did take the fender off...I even had to deflate my old tire to get it off of the bike..

 

[chesterwgunn]

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Hey Mike,

I think I may have answered my own question. Obviously the bike isn't being raised high enough because the legs on the center stand are sinking into my beautiful south Georgia centipede grass. I'm going to borrow one of my wife's patio pavers and attempt to set the stand on something a bit firmer..That really should give me just that "little bit' of extra room I need..

Thanks for your quick reponses.

 

[Sonny in Indiana]

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While I have a garage now, I didn't always. When working in the soft sand down in Florida, I used to roll the bike up on a couple of layers of 2x4's or whatever I could find. Put the appropriate thickness under the center stand and raise the bike, then when I removed the 2x4's from under the rear wheel, I had an extra 3 inches or so to lower the tire.

 

[RonKZ650]

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Removal isn't the hard part. Putting the wheel back on, getting everything lined up is not easy. You need a jack or some blocks under the tire to lift the wheel up to the height to even have a remote chance of getting bolts started. I've changed rear tire on this aspencade about 6 times and it's not an easy thing. I've found not much easy, and an awful lot of practice I'm getting repairing this aspencade.

 

[JOHNO]

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I've done a wheel change parked on the pavement(sidewalk) with rear wheel hanging over the curb which gives plenty of space to remove the bottom shock mounts and rear wheel.

you could try compressing the forks with a strap and weighting the nose of the bike down to give you that extra space to get the rear shock clear.

 

[ddrumman2004]

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I don't have a paved area to park my bike on so when I need to work on mine, I park it on a piece of pressure treated plywood.
Right now my bike is on the centerstand parked on that plywood under my metal carport which has a gravel surface.

 

[Keystone742]

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Adapt, improvise and over come, a shade tree mechanic's motto. Way to go guys!:clapper::clapper::clapper:

 

[ChasW]

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I am going to be installing a 4" I beam in my garage so I can pick up my bike with a come-along or something of that nature. Did someone say "OVER KILL"

 

[johnmac]

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Have you removed the left saddlebag for better access? Also remember, the higher the tire is off the ground, the higher you have to lift it to reassemble.

John

 

[Keystone742]

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I told my wife that when I retire, if we don't sell and move to a warmer climate, I'm going torebuild the roof on the barn, raise the ceiling by several feet and then install acar lift, insulation, running water and afurnace.

(plus a refrigerator, wide screen TV, lazy boy chair...) Not that's over kill!

 

[chesterwgunn]

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johnmac wrote:

Have you removed the left saddlebag for better access? Also remember, the higher the tire is off the ground, the higher you have to lift it to reassemble.

John

I did remove both saddle bags, and it certainly helped with the access.. I think putting the center stand on something solid is going to help me immensely...at least I'm hoping so..

 

[chesterwgunn]

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Keystone742 wrote:

I told my wife that when I retire, if we don't sell and move to a warmer climate, I'm going torebuild the roof on the barn, raise the ceiling by several feet and then install acar lift, insulation, running water and afurnace.

(plus a refrigerator, wide screen TV, lazy boy chair...) Not that's over kill!

I used to lust after women that had pictures that folded out in gentleman's magazines...Now I lust after some of the home workshops that I see...What I wouldn't give for electricity, compressed air and a solid foundation!!!

 

[tire joe]

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Slip a wood block or two under rear wheel to Aline axle.

 

[dflewis]

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Has any one every tried dropping the rear muffler pipes off, breaking them lose at the headers that is? You have theclamps for the headers, and the two mounting nuts and bolts under the buddy boards and they should slide back and down enough to pull the axle rod out and then just slide the tire out the back... One of the guys I know that does a lot of work on HDs has also done some GW work. He said the fastest way to get wheel off of some of the GWs and he’s done a few, is to drop the mufflers… As he put it less reinstall. He was in a shop and had a lift to set the bike on. Getting the clearance to pull the axle out the left side seems to be the major impasse. The pipes are in the way, and the swing arm wont drop down enough to clear them.



Just a thought…



Dave

 

[chiefcherokee]

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"And finally, is there an easy easy way to raise and lower the swing arm once the tire has been reinstalled? "


I use a ratcheting strap to raise the swingarm. Hook to the frame on the left side, bring over the top and hook to the swingarm, tighten strap to raise.