Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Rear wheel removal

It's time to replace my chain, and I need to replace the cush drive rubber while I'm at it. I've got everything for the job...or at least I thought I did. I don't own a bike lift; just have the "couple of 2x8's and a metal bar" homemade kind. It gets the rear wheel about two inches off the ground, and now I'm afraid that's not going to be high enough to clear the fender. I haven't actually tried it yet; am I mis-judging it? How high will I need to get the rear end of the bike to remove the rear wheel?

Thanks,

Will

Take the fender off. 4 rail bolts, two bolts at the air box and a quick release for the wire harness. Takes 20 minutes and really frees up your space to work.

Find the chain's circlip and pull the pin. the chain will come apart, and you won't have to remove the fender or wheel. The new one will clip back together on the bike.

I hadn't thought of just removing the fender. Thanks, I'll take a look at that this evening.

If I didn't need to replace the cush drive, I would probably just put on a new front sprocket and chain and go with it. The rear sprocket isn't showing any visible wear...but I've got a lot of play in the rear wheel, so need to replace the cush drive (and doing the rear sprocket) while I'm messing with it.

Will

Will, you do have to either remove the fender or jack the bike up about 2 feet. Break the rear sprocket bolts torque before you remove the wheel. And break the front sprocket nut torque before you remove the chain, using the rear brake to hold it. A rattle gun is preferred for doing the nut. You'll need a torque wrench that goes to 132Nm.

Will, do yourself a favor and get a jack, Sears or the like.
I recently had to change my drive belt and my Sears jack was
worth its weight in gold. This process involves removing the
pipes, shocks, swing arm, and the rear wheel, and then getting
it all back together. I was working alone, and having the
jack the bike is supported solid, and you can move the bike
up and down precisely to make working on it a breeze.

Got the new chain, sprockets, and cush drive on, and everything back together this morning. Rear fender removal was easy. Thanks for the suggestions about the sprocket nuts Moe.

I went with a 17 tooth front sprocket (had the original 16 tooth), and will see how I like it.

Thanks,

Will

You will like the seventeen.