Front Wheel Removal

I’ve received emails asking about more detailed instructions on front wheel removal.   We covered rear wheel removal with our tutorial on fixing flats, but not front wheel removal.   Hey, you speak, we listen, and here we go!

The first step in removing the front wheel is to remove the front axle bolt.  It’s on the left side of the motorcycle.  The axle won’t come out yet (it’s secured by the pinch bolts on the right side of the motorcycle).

The next step is to lift the front end of the bike off the ground.   If you have our accessory centerstand, the front wheel will be off the ground when the bike is on the centerstand.   If you do not have a centerstand, you need a bike lift or some means of safely lifting the front wheel off the ground.

Once the front wheel is off the ground, loosen the two pinch bolts on the right side of the motorcycle.  You don’t need to remove them; just loosen them.

Slide the front axle out on the right side of the motorcycle.

Roll the front wheel forward a short distance and remove the speedometer drive from the right side of the front wheel hub.

You can now remove the front wheel.   Note that there is only one bushing, and that is installed on the left side of the front wheel hub (it is captured between the left fork and the wheel hub).

Front wheel installation is the reverse of front wheel removal.   A word of caution:  When reinstalling the speedometer drive unit, make sure that the tab in it fits into the slot on the front wheel.

One more note:  I’ve been using one of our test mules for a few of these tutorials, and several of you have written to ask me about the gold anodized wheels.   We’re working the RX3 accessories line, and these are wheels we have in the development process.   They are not yet available, so bear with us.  As soon as they are, we’ll post info right here on the blog.

A few others have suggested we include torque specifications.   We’ll have a torque table in the RX3 Service Manual, and as those of you buying a bike already know, that’s a freebie.   You buy a bike from us and you get the Service Manual for free.

Time to go for a ride, folks!