How do you remove a wheel with the tool kit?

[coastie]

This thread is almost getting comical. Too much time to overthink things when there is snow outside? Here is a reality check. Carry a mini compressor and some snot cords with the reamer and inserter, and call it a day. Easy peasy, and realistic.

The chances of getting a tubeless tire flat that cannot be fixed except by removing the tire, are remote at best. The chance of you having whatever it takes to be able to remove your wheel, break the bead, and repair whatever damage the tire had, roadside/trailside, are slim to none. At that point, it would be WAY easier to ride the bike WITH a flat, to find help, than to fix it.

This! Id also add i believe I have read that you can limp back home on a completely flat k60, if your running one of those. Although Id hate to have to remove that sucker on the side of the road or trail.

 

[EricV]

Hmm, let's see... I bent the rim in Death Valley, about 14-15 miles from pavement and the front K60 came off the bead. Some rocks and the compressor got the bead back in place and the tire aired up enough to get back to the hotel, then a little hammer action and I rode it to Vegas to have it properly straitened.

I've probably fixed half a dozen flats by the side of the road with nothing more than the compressor and sticky string kit.

I took off on a weekend ride with some friends and thought I had about 2k left on the PR3 Trail, (what a pos tire!). I was wrong, the tire was at the wear bars in 250 miles. Bare in 50 more and cords in another 80 or less. That led to an unexpected rear tire purchase on the road. It was cheaper, and a lot faster, for me to pull the wheel off myself in the parking lot than to pay the dealer to do it and wait for a spot in line. That did require the wrenches to come out.

I prefer to be prepared to self recover, wether it be due to shit just happening, or me misjudging or just doing something stupid... like thinking that 'good line' was ok to ride a 45 mph.

Under some conditions you can get away with riding a flat tire for a ways. But they are destroyed too, and can come off the bead and lock the wheel. It gets ugly about there.

 

[Mark R.]

This thread is almost getting comical. Too much time to overthink things when there is snow outside? Here is a reality check. Carry a mini compressor and some snot cords with the reamer and inserter, and call it a day. Easy peasy, and realistic.
will be there The chances of getting a tubeless tire flat that cannot be fixed except by removing the tire, are remote at best. The chance of you having whatever it takes to be able to remove your wheel, break the bead, and repair whatever damage the tire had, roadside/trailside, are slim to none. At that point, it would be WAY easier to ride the bike WITH a flat, to find help, than to fix it.

I get that, and each person should be equipped for what he is comfortable preparing for. For me, riding far from civilization, often alone, or sometimes with poorly prepared riding companions who I don't really know, I want to be prepared for most circumstances. (These would be people who show up for a small group ride organized by someone on ADV Rider. You never know who will show up.)

I carry the Best Rest air pump, bead breaker, the air-share hose and various patches and plugs. Having all that, it just makes sense to be able to get the wheel off with the tools I have on the bike.

 

[GSteve]

I get that, and each person should be equipped for what he is comfortable preparing for. For me, riding far from civilization, often alone, or sometimes with poorly prepared riding companions who I don't really know, I want to be prepared for most circumstances. (These would be people who show up for a small group ride organized by someone on ADV Rider. You never know who will show up.)

I carry the Best Rest air pump, bead breaker, the air-share hose and various patches and plugs. Having all that, it just makes sense to be able to get the wheel off with the tools I have on the bike.

If I can add to what Mark has said, if someone has a catastrophic failure of the rear tire in a remote area would it be easier (and more cost effective) to remove the tire & wheel combo and hitch a ride to the closest place for a repair, or have the entire bike towed...if that was even possible? For example, the Dalton Hwy in Alaska is more capable of rendering any tire (including a K60) useless and a tow will cost anywhere from 6$ to 10$ per mile to get your bike back to Fairbanks. However, its possible to throw your wheel into a truck and hitch a ride back to civilization for a replacement. Just a situation to consider.

 

[EricV]

If I can add to what Mark has said, if someone has a catastrophic failure of the rear tire in a remote area would it be easier (and more cost effective) to remove the tire & wheel combo and hitch a ride to the closest place for a repair, or have the entire bike towed...if that was even possible?

As you indicated, it's completely dependent on the situation and the available resources. A lot more people will be likely to take you and your wheel somewhere, than you and your whole bike. But it's not always comfortable to leave the bike unattended either...

I did an event in Alamo, NV last year where two guys ended up with roasted tires at the end. Flat, thru the cords worn out, no possibility of repair. They pulled the wheels, and were able to catch a ride into Las Vegas where they could buy new tires and get them mounted. IIRC, They ended up hiring a cab to get back, which was a tad expensive, but still far cheaper than a tow for both bikes, especially since they were sharing the cost. One of the guys actually swapped wheels at about 0300 with a rider that was already done so he could finish the event. If you have the tools, it's pretty quick to pull a wheel. I have loaned my tire spoon/wrenches to another rider and watched him change the tire in the parking lot. (He had the new tire, but no way to mount it)

 

[viewdvb]

Just be aware that it is one thing to have a wrench that fits the rear nut but 90 ft/lb takes a fair amount of leverage to get loose, especially if it has been on there a while. A modest length wrench can be enhanced with the attention of a medium size rock but lightweight wrenches won't like such impacts. Simple leverage needs at least a foot or so of length. Best bet is to set up the nut before you depart to a torque that you can prove your toolkit will move. I've run more than 100,000 miles on FJRs with less than the recommended torque on the nut for this same reason and suffered no ill-effects. The FJR rear axle setup is the same as the S10.