Triumphrat

tooblekain · 04-02-2009, 01:23 AM

Hey all:

I had the displeasure of putting on new rubber for my 2007 Bonneville. I spent...believe it or not...2 DAYS putting on the rear wheel. (Whereas it takes me only 2 minutes to change the rear wheel on my Daytona 675.)

Anyways, what made it really difficult for me was whole chain adjusters. I'm wondering if any of you have aftermarket ones that makes it a lot easier to adjust as well as putting the rear wheel back on.

Also, off topic, did anyone by any chance make a how-to on wheel removal and wheel replacement? I probably could have used that.

davidc · 04-02-2009, 09:03 AM

I assume you have no shop manual because the whole process is not that difficult; if it took two days, you went the "long way", LOL!
The adjusters, while rudimentary, seem to work pretty well, as far as I am concerned. I simply use the marks on them and a bit of a critical eye, maybe a straight edge to line up with the front.
But really, get a manual; it'll help a lot!

Baltobonneville · 04-02-2009, 09:48 AM

It takes me less than an hour, and I'm slow. You do have to remember where and how the spacers go.

Best tricks I've learned:

Lower the bike on the lift until it's at approximately the right height for the wheel to go on while the wheel is resting on the floor. No need to make it harder than it has to be. Obviously it can't be too low, but a few mm high is good, you can put a piece of wood under the wheel to get it exactly right.

Use a long ratchet extension, dowel, or similar into the right side to hold it all in place while you fiddle with the left side and insert the axle bolt, which will knock out your place holder as you push it through.

Chain adjustment is simple once you get the routine. Always start loose (push the wheel in), and tighten back. You'll do this in smaller and smaller increments until you have it lined up evenly on both sides with the marks on the frame and the chain tension is right (25-30mm or so). It usually takes me two or three cycles of this, total of 10 or 15 minutes. And I'm slow.

sweatmachine · 04-02-2009, 10:16 AM

The first time I took the back wheel off it took me about 2 hours to get it back on, it can be a real pain but it gets easier when you get the knack. I use a pair of calipers and a tape measure to make sure the axle is adjusted properly. I take a meaurement from the passenger footpeg bolt to the center of the axle on each side as well as measuring from the back of the swingarm to the end of the adjusters.

propforward · 04-02-2009, 12:38 PM

The only difficulty I had was when I took the sprocket out of the cush drive setup for a new rear tyre. Never do this, it's an absolute pain to get the sprocket back in. Mind you a little smear of grease would have taken care of that.

Otherwise, it's very simple for me - I've had the back wheel in and out many times. I do put the center stand on a piece of 1" think wood to get a little extra height at the fender, because I like the big long stock fender. Otherwise - Back wheel out in 5 minutes, back in in and chain adjusted in 10 to 15. Not bragging - I take my time about it, I think it's just a matter of a bit of practice.

tooblekain · 04-02-2009, 01:48 PM

Thanks for the advice guys.

It was my first time and i had the problem of installing everything backwards (talk about being a dunce) and I mean everything backwards....axle, spacers, etc.

I had the problem of removing the rear sprocket and the the cush drive pushing it out. I had to use a few c-clamps to get it pushed in properly. I did the whole socket extension through the right side. That helped a lot. What helped me out the most was using a ladder under the bike with a piece of wood across the steps looped around the tire. Doing it that way I can make very small adjustments to get it all lined up.

My biggest problem was the caliper holder. That was the biggest pain for me. It kept falling off. Then wost, trying to get the caliper and the brake on.

Eventually I took off the bottom caliper bolt and loosened the top so I can pivot the caliper onto the rotor.

In terms of the chain adjuster, the left one was giving me problems. So what I did was completely remove it and once slipped the axle to make everything lined up. Reinstalled chain adjust by pushing a gap with a screwdriver to make all fit and screwed it forward until it hit the axle, removed the axleand screwed it until it all lined up. then pushed axle back in.

I definately could have used a manual at that point. Just ordered the Haynes one. Once I have enough money, I'll get the OEM one

Geimer · 04-02-2009, 02:29 PM

Hmmm. First I put the machine on the center stand, but I guess a jack would do. I cut a plastic block to length to use as a gage between wheel rim and passenger peg bolt in order to re-check alignment when finished. I just filed it to length to get a nice fit before I loosened anything.
I pulled the left muffler off to have room to remove the axle bolt but used a box end wrench on the nut on the right side.
Loosened the axle bolt nut, marked the tops of the adjusters to help keep track. Turn each adjuster four turns clockwise to provide slack, removed axle bolt, slipped chain off, wiggled and wriggled the rear wheel out keeping an eye on the spacers. The caliper slid off its notch... but no real problem there.
Changed tire.
Wiggled and wriggled the rear wheel back approximately into place using care to keep the spacers in place. Slipped the chain over the sprocket. Slid brake caliper back onto the notch. Slid about 3/8 thick plywood piece under rear tire to make it easy to replace the axle bolt. Replaced axle bolt nut but not very tight. Turned adjusters counter clockwise 4 turns BUT, added two flats each to take up chain slack. Tightened axle bolt nut to firmness. Replaced left muffler and rechecked alignment with that plastic gage. Torqued axle bolt nut, rechecked alignment with front wheel using laser pointer.
I DID have to consult the Haynes manual in order to figure out the spacers in the left passenger foot peg. They fell out when removing it and I did not see which way they had originally been placed. But the Hayne pictures made that very easy

BUT it looks like you had other things to do... I did not have to take the sprocket off... (yet).

I think all these things get easier once you've been through them...

sweatmachine · 04-02-2009, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tooblekain

My biggest problem was the caliper holder. That was the biggest pain for me. It kept falling off. Then wost, trying to get the caliper and the brake on.

Eventually I took off the bottom caliper bolt and loosened the top so I can pivot the caliper onto the rotor.

I take the caliper off the mounting bracket completely, then reinstall when the wheel is mounted. Man, that bracket makes an awful noise when it falls on the garage floor, right?

propforward · 04-02-2009, 02:57 PM

Yes it does. It's like the clang of doom or something. After the first time I learned to put something soft under it.

sbpark · 04-02-2009, 03:00 PM

yesterday was my first time taking off the rear wheel to get a new tire mounted. i took the wheel to the dealer and had the new tire mounted and balanced in less than 20 minutes for $25. i will say getting the wheel back on was only slightly harder than getting it off. like others mentioned make sure you put the spacers back on the respective sides. at the first attempt the brake bracket fell off and scared the crap out of me, so on the next attempt i used a piece of electrical tape wrapped around the bracket to keep it from falling off, then removed it once the wheel was back on. initially it was difficult because i'd get the axle threaded through, but the wheel was on an angle and wouldnt go through, so i actually took another rod, similar diameter to the stock axle and used it to hold the right side of the wheel in place, and used the axle for the left side. now the wheel is aligned and level, just pushed the axle through and removed the rod on the right once the axle came through. took minutes.

also, once the wheel was on didnt really have any issues with the chain adjusters at all. was very straight forward. loosen the axle, adjust to the specified slack (25mm-35mm if i remember correctly), then set the adjusters equal on both sides, torque axle nut to 85Nm. i also, just to make extra sure measured the chain adjusters to make sure they were each exactly the same to the mm with a little mm ruler. done deal.