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Old October 7th, 2009, 12:42 AM   #81
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I won't tell Kelly that you didn't fully read his origional post
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Old October 7th, 2009, 03:02 AM   #82
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I won't tell Kelly that you didn't fully read his origional post
Well, I did, but that was a long time ago... before I was considering doing it myself (I would've read it again before doing it... I swear!). All those improvised videos on YouTube distracted me.
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Old October 22nd, 2009, 04:11 AM   #83
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Any suggestions regarding the tire irons I should buy? Why do these have three differently sized pieces? Why are so many auctions targeting motorcycles when all I search for are generic tire iron terms? I never really thought of tire irons as being a motorcycle-specific thing.

I'm guessing the early EX250J bikes weren't involved in this valve stem recall (scroll down to the yellow area), but has anyone checked to see what's installed?

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Old October 27th, 2009, 04:16 PM   #84
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OK, I got my three tire irons for 20% off at Harbor Freight. They are so cheap that the bends aren't the same on each of them, but perhaps I can use the "variety."

Anyway, I saw this [the alignment tool, not the spools] and wondered if it could come in useful for $3:

chain_alignment_tool.jpg

...or should I just eye-ball it?

It's on clearance so I probably won't have a chance in the future. Not really sure how it's supposed to "attach to the gear." That nylon screw sure doesn't look like it's going to keep anything straight.

Oh! And because the bead-breaker SCUDMAN recommends is down to $20 at Harbor Freight, perhaps I should get that? I mean, in my situation I'd have to buy 2x4 planks otherwise and I'd be spending $ on that too. How much would a long enough 2x4 cost (cut, of course)?

kkim: Where did you get THREE rim-protectors? All I can find are two-packs on eBay. I guess I'll just end up buying four!

Anyone know who sells rim protectors locally? Orange juice is expensive and I have nothing to transfer it to (I have to change my tire ASAP). Is it the kind of thing they'd carry at CycleGear?

It's funny that I couldn't find valve core removers at Harbor Freight except in a huge tire repair kit and built-in to the plastic caps of that tire leak sealant crap. I found one at NAPA Auto Parts.
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Old October 27th, 2009, 04:52 PM   #85
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Those are great deals... I would invest.

BTW: You put the orange juice in your belly while you use the container to mound
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Old October 27th, 2009, 04:59 PM   #86
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Those are great deals... I would invest.

BTW: You put the orange juice in your belly while you use the container to mound
Thanks, but which? The bead-breaker and the chain alignment tool? I hope the $5 spools didn't confuse (I know they're a good deal ).

Oh, and I don't know if my stomache could take two gallons of sugary citrus. I'm having trouble finishing the lemonade I made a few days ago (heartburn-city).
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Old October 27th, 2009, 05:11 PM   #87
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Thanks, but which? The bead-breaker and the chain alignment tool? I hope the $5 spools didn't confuse (I know they're a good deal ).

Oh, and I don't know if my stomache could take two gallons of sugary citrus. I'm having trouble finishing the lemonade I made a few days ago (heartburn-city).
Sorry, yes... I would get both. I got the beefier bead-breaker, but I think the $20 one will be more than adequate. It may even be a little easier to use, because the bigger one's handle moves around a bit when aligning it with the wheel (this is because it is designed to fit a greater number of tire sizes), so I guess it comes down to what you anticipate needing it for.

I don't know about the chain alignment tool, but for $3, it would be a nice extra tool.

I bought 16" irons, and found them more than adequate. I would say anything between 12" and 16" will work..... based on my one experience.
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Old October 27th, 2009, 05:16 PM   #88
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HF only had 24" ones. All the more leverage I guess. Did you use two or three?
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Old October 27th, 2009, 05:26 PM   #89
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I got mine from Rocky Mountain ATV. I bought a pair, that I believe was on closeout. It doesn't look like they have it any more, but I would buy this one next. It looks solid, for a reasonable price, granted not HF price. While I only had two, I found I really could have used three.... so that is what I would recommend. While you are at it, you might as well pick up a few extra goodies for this order, like the $5 tire stem puller, and stem/cores, etc...

Edit: There is a bit of feedback that the puller is junk, but I have seen better ones on ebay.
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Old October 27th, 2009, 08:58 PM   #90
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kkim: Where did you get THREE rim-protectors? All I can find are two-packs on eBay. I guess I'll just end up buying four!
lol... yes, I bought 2 two packs. I broke one years ago and now have the three. I find three is the minimum you should have to make life easier when mounting/dismounting stubborn tires.
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Old October 29th, 2009, 09:35 AM   #91
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Well, a coworker is intent on helping me do this before I could get any protectors, so I guess I'll have to improvise... unless they can be found in-store somewhere? I checked CycleGear and they are a no-go.

Anyway, I'm thankful for the coworker's offer of garage + tools. Pretty much all I have are some cotter pins and a needle-style torque wrench with adapter from an auto-parts store (I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to use it for removing nuts too).
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Old October 29th, 2009, 10:00 AM   #92
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http://www.aerostich.com/prevent-or-...rim-saver.html

http://www.chaparral-racing.com/Chap...2CF8C9C1B6653B
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Old October 29th, 2009, 11:14 AM   #93
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I'm looking for them "in store" so that I can buy them locally and use them if he wants to do this today or tomorrow, but thanks.

I'll order 'em and see if he'll wait or else I'll just use 'em next time.
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Old October 29th, 2009, 01:06 PM   #94
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I believe the calibration for a torque wrench can be messed up if using it to loosen fasteners, especially very tight fasteners.
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Old October 29th, 2009, 05:36 PM   #95
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I believe the calibration for a torque wrench can be messed up if using it to loosen fasteners, especially very tight fasteners.
+1 yes
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Old October 29th, 2009, 11:45 PM   #96
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I believe the calibration for a torque wrench can be messed up if using it to loosen fasteners, especially very tight fasteners.
Thanks. I suspected that it might not have been a good idea and posted that look ing for confirmation even though I will now be using a coworker's tools/garage for the job.

Anyway, when I got my torque wrench last year, I just went in and asked for "a torque wrench." They sold me one like this:
torque_wrench.jpg

I didn't really know what they are supposed to look like, so I bought it. For future reference, is this type OK to use instead of a socket wrench or is that a bad idea for any kind of torque wrench? Also, is this type suitable for torquing the stuff on my bike or should I have gotten a traditional torque wrench?

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Old October 30th, 2009, 09:30 AM   #97
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Jet - can't see the picture.
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Old October 30th, 2009, 10:17 AM   #98
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Jet - can't see the picture.
Fixed. Not sure how I managed to break that.
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Old October 30th, 2009, 04:33 PM   #99
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Jet, that IS a traditional torque wrench - the newer ones are the ones that you dial to get the correct setting, but the beam style should work just fine
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Old October 30th, 2009, 06:40 PM   #100
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Use it for anything that calls for a specific torque: drain plug, axles, steering stem, etc. Mechanic friend of mine has a cool digital one. Set it, it shows the torque in a LCD screen and beeps when it hits the set torque.
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Old October 30th, 2009, 11:52 PM   #101
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Jet, that IS a traditional torque wrench - the newer ones are the ones that you dial to get the correct setting, but the beam style should work just fine
Thanks. It's just that I everyone else I've seen has the kind that slips when it reaches a dialed-in torque, so I figured that it was the kind I was expected to use.

Quote:
Originally Posted by backinthesaddleagain View Post
Use it for anything that calls for a specific torque: drain plug, axles, steering stem, etc. Mechanic friend of mine has a cool digital one. Set it, it shows the torque in a LCD screen and beeps when it hits the set torque.
Will do. Thanks. So I should get a socket wrench for removing those same nuts and bolts?
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Old November 6th, 2009, 12:34 PM   #102
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Back on those stem pullers..... I found this one on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/VALVE...item19b4f3a145

Does this one look of reasonable quality (ease of use & not falling apart)? It is very inexpensive, but I was hoping it might do the job just about as good as an expensive one.

Also, the valve stems themselves.... I have been doing some searching, and I don't really find much info. I have read "you get what you pay for," and not to get a cheap chineese one, but I have no idea what I am looking at when I do find places that sell them. Is there some standard?

Here is just a couple of examples of what I find on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Tire-...item5ad491e770

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/4-DIL...Q5fAccessories

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/100-T...item334cff35b4

I don't know if the "TR" indicates anything important or not. I also see mention of "Dill," what is this?
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Old November 6th, 2009, 02:55 PM   #103
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I also see mention of "Dill," what is this?


It's an herb that goes great with steamed salmon.

Any other questions?
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Old November 6th, 2009, 07:24 PM   #104
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PROBLEM! I finally got my rim protectors and arranged to meet with the coworker that offered me the use of his garage & tools. We work right next to where I live, so it made sense for him to pick up my rear stand, bead breaker, tire irons, torque wrench, etc in his truck and I followed him on my bike. I've been extremely thankful and made every effort to make sure that I am not intruding on him, so I called again to confirm that today was still a good day for this where, if not, I intended to have him take the same materials but I would meet him tomorrow or the next day. He said that our boss had persuaded him to go to her birthday party that evening but assured me that we had plenty of time to do this. I told him that, even if we didn't, I could always come back and finish up the next day. The party was previously planned right near where I lived but it had been moved to a different bowling alley close to where he lived so I was unaware that this would require an extra trip for him if he had to take me home.

Even so, just as soon as I wrenched the tire off he started freaking out about the time. My hands were WAY too dirty to touch my phone and confirm (as it turns out, he was confused about Daylight Saving Time), but I was moving at a feverish pace so I wasn't worried about it. I was moving so fast that I was blinded by my own sweat running in my eyes and had to remove my glasses (they were covered too).

The DIY didn't tell me that we'd have to get the sprocket off but that came off pretty easily. I'm not so sure we should have removed the hub thing under the sprocket because it picked up red paint from the bead breaker. Question: Wiping that off removes some grease, so what should I replace it with?

What a waste of money the rim protectors were! Basically, you're supposed to leave the first iron in and work your way around with the other(s) (I had three total). As I was working my way around with the others, he did something that knocked a rim protector into the tire but left the iron wedged between... THEN he started prying, pulling, sliding left and right, etc trying to get it out. I quickly put a stop to that but not before there was a nice silvery powder that used to be my paint. After we did all that he said something about "pulling the tube out" of the side we had already done. I'm not mechanically inclined, but this man claimed that he used to be a mechanic!

Anyway, the real problem was that the $20 Harbor Freight bead breaker only breaks the bead on one side, which wasn't encountered/mentioned in the DIY, so it became apparent that we would need to remove the rear brake disc as well if we wanted to use it on the other side. This is when disaster struck.

I went to my tool kit where I had the appropriate Allen wrenches while he tried to offer me his instead. I asked if they were metric or standard but before he could answer I already had mine and had fitted the right one. Rather than answering me, he stuck one of his in and slipped grinding away the edges! They were standard. I am not mechanically inclined, but I *KNOW* better. I finished turning the one I was turning and then immediately tried mine in the one he had slipped on and it wouldn't even fit down into it anymore. "A tight fit isn't too bad" I thought. I moved on to the others and then got up to find the hammer he was talking about. Before I could get back, I believe he tried the wrong Allen again and worsened it. It still took a few knocks to get the metric Allen inside, but it was obviously too marred to turn byr this point. Sure enough, all the leverage and pressure with the correct-sized Allen still could not turn it and only rounded it some more.

He was still freaking about the time and, though I was ready to pack up and head out (return the next day), he still had me move the bike out of his garage WITH NO TIRE (balanced on a rear stand) so they could park their second vehicle there. He then took a shower while I packed up the rest of my stuff so I could go take the rim and get the tire fitted and the disc fixed professionally. After waiting around for about 35 mins, he comes out saying that he was confused about Daylight Saving Time.

He drove me home but my sister was gone and now the shops are closed. So here I am stuck with an unmounted wheel, a tire only half-removed, a bike many miles away, no wallet/cash, and only a weekend to get it all taken care of. I work a graveyard shift both days and I am already on a sleep deficit BEFORE giving up hours to do this. I am not going to get to sleep tonight either it seems.

My sister goes to work early in the morning when I am only half-through with my graveyard shift, so sharing a ride is not going to be possible. I will only have the opportunity to get this dealt with this weekend and possibly sometime on Monday/early Tuesday (I go back to work Tuesday night but my sister will need the car for significant amounts of time on both days). The other problem is that I have no way to get cash due to my wallet being stolen and the replacement cards have not arrived.

Assuming I can borrow the money, who do I take it to? Keep in mind, I'll only be able to take the tires, rim, sprocket, half-mounted disc, etc, so I won't be paying for the full mounting service. Should I take it to a dealer who might have an OEM replacement for that rounded Allen screw/bolt? Can CycleGear even remove the bad one? Is there some generous soul in the San Diego area that can help me finish removing the tire without going to either of those places? I'm guessing that the dealer would be more likely to grease and torque it correctly. How do you torque Allen wrench bolt/screw anyway?

Anyway... this post is a mess but I have to go to sleep and I needed this post finished first. Edit: OK, I got maybe an hour of sleep for my grave shift. Added the missing details to an already much too long post.

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Old November 6th, 2009, 07:47 PM   #105
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What a clusterfrak.

This guy is responsible for screwing up your fasteners and your rim. He should be held accountable.

So what have we learned here today?

- Cheap tools suck. No, that's not strong enough... CHEAP TOOLS ARE DESTRUCTIVE. I know it hurts you because of all your penny-pinching posts, but you MUST SPEND THE MONEY FOR GOOD TOOLS or you will wind up spending more in the end. This is a fundamental law of the universe. You are learning this first-hand. Have you gotten the message yet?

- There is never a good reason to trust someone's "expertise" unless you've seen proof. This guy may well have been a mechanic. You do not need to be a genius to be a mechanic. In fact, a lot of mechanics are rather far over on the left end of the ol' bell curve, if you know what I mean. Personally, I trust my own judgment far more than that of most "professional" mechanics.

- Rushing leads to disaster, every single time. If you start to feel time pressure STOP IMMEDIATELY and pick it up later. Patience is a virtue.

- You need to be in control of the situation at all times. Accept help, but maintain control. You lost control and you're paying for it now. It may be his garage, but IT'S YOUR BIKE. He does not own your bike. It is your responsibility to protect your bike.

- A wise man knows when it's time to call for help. How much has this cost you so far? How much do you have yet to spend to make it right? Remember that you've got screwed up rims and screwed up fasteners. How much would it have cost you to have the tire mounted? Do you subscribe to the "penny wise, pound foolish" axiom? If not, you should!

LEARN FROM THIS!
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Old November 7th, 2009, 03:24 AM   #106
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What a clusterfrak.

This guy is responsible for screwing up your fasteners and your rim. He should be held accountable.

So what have we learned here today?

- Cheap tools suck. No, that's not strong enough... CHEAP TOOLS ARE DESTRUCTIVE. I know it hurts you because of all your penny-pinching posts, but you MUST SPEND THE MONEY FOR GOOD TOOLS or you will wind up spending more in the end. This is a fundamental law of the universe. You are learning this first-hand. Have you gotten the message yet?

- There is never a good reason to trust someone's "expertise" unless you've seen proof. This guy may well have been a mechanic. You do not need to be a genius to be a mechanic. In fact, a lot of mechanics are rather far over on the left end of the ol' bell curve, if you know what I mean. Personally, I trust my own judgment far more than that of most "professional" mechanics.

- Rushing leads to disaster, every single time. If you start to feel time pressure STOP IMMEDIATELY and pick it up later. Patience is a virtue.

- You need to be in control of the situation at all times. Accept help, but maintain control. You lost control and you're paying for it now. It may be his garage, but IT'S YOUR BIKE. He does not own your bike. It is your responsibility to protect your bike.

- A wise man knows when it's time to call for help. How much has this cost you so far? How much do you have yet to spend to make it right? Remember that you've got screwed up rims and screwed up fasteners. How much would it have cost you to have the tire mounted? Do you subscribe to the "penny wise, pound foolish" axiom? If not, you should!

LEARN FROM THIS!
The cheap tools didn't blemish my rim or screw up my Allen bolt; he did. The tire irons and rim protectors were working fine, he just did something he wasn't supposed to do. The metric Allen wrench I had was working just fine, he just used the wrong one (non-metric tool from his "good" set).

From what I can tell, any lever-type bead breaker only breaks the bead on one side, which makes me wonder about kkim's. The one depicted in the service manual is some kind of plier/vice thing the clamps both sides (I guess the tire remains standing vertical). Because he seemed to be in a hurry but didn't answer me when I asked if he had metric sockets, I used his Husky and Snap-On ratchets with my 17mm piece and the cheapie 22mm that came in the Ninja's tool kit. Worked like a charm, except that I couldn't ratchet the 22mm side (held the axle nut with the ratchet).

No, I don't think cheap tools were to blame. Ironically, the cheap tools seemed to be the most helpful! But you're right, there is a lesson to be learned from this. I wouldn't say that I trusted his expertise rather than simply accepted his help. In fact, I expected to be doing all the work myself both before and after he offered up his garage/tools. Originally he said that his brother was going to be there doing work on the drywall and AC ducts and that he would be doing that with him but, as it turns out, his brother was sick. I thought I had control by asking the right questions and telling him what was needed, but as soon as I'd look away he'd do the wrong thing.

As far as not rushing, I offered to stop so frequently that it almost felt like begging.

As far as cost, I won't count the $32 stand and $8 spools because I needed those anyway. I would have paid for the tires either way. What remains is a $16 bead breaker (20% off coupon), $14.40 worth of tire irons, and a $12 set rim protectors. I already had the torque wrench, 17mm socket, and cotter pins since I bought the bike last year (for adjusting chain slack) and everything else came from the bike's tool kit. AFAIK, the rim is only damaged cosmetically and is nothing that polished rim lips wouldn't hide. He did put his slippered foot on the brake disc (I cringed and asked him to let me do it) but I have no indication that anything is bent. So, yeah, ATM, cost is low, but that's not the issue. The issue is transportation. If I can't solve that and miss any work, costs will be sky-high!

I've got to get this dealt with fast and I'm ill-equipped. I don't have a Dremel or anything that I can use to cut a slot in the fastener and I don't have a replacement one or an impact wrench even if I could. I don't have any of my replacement credit or debit cards so I can't take it to the dealer or a mechanic. How much will it cost to fix? Unprofessionally, I'm hoping someone on these forums can help me finish the job, be it with a better bead breaker or the tools to remove that bad Allen bolt. Professionally, I don't really know if it will cost any more than a typical mounting, considering that I will still have to take the tire back to the stranded bike and mount it myself. Isn't it trivial for a shop to "slot" a rounded Allen and get it out? Heck, I'm not even sure that it budged, so that may not even be needed provided that they can change the tire without removing the brake disc. After all, it doesn't seem that Kelly had to, though I still don't know how he broke the bead on the OTHER side with his similar setup.
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Old November 7th, 2009, 10:52 AM   #107
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FBC (a dealer) said $20 for me to bring in the tire and have it done except they couldn't give me an estimate for the mangled "brake disc mounting bolt." They insisted that they'd have to look at it first. I'm sure that they can do it but cutting a slot and turning it with a slotted driver but I'm not sure what other methods there are anyway.

Any ideas how much it would cost them to remove a stuck bolt?
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Old November 7th, 2009, 11:51 AM   #108
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I have the same bead braker that Kelly has, and it does both sides.... you just turn the tire over (placing the rim on 2x4s so you don't contact the rotor. Oh man, I hope your rotor isn't bent.... that may be the most expensive part. Sorry your friend is such a d1k, that really sucks!
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Old November 8th, 2009, 12:35 AM   #109
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Well, we got it. I had a post ready but some key stuck and my mouse wheel started controlling my browser's back buffer and forced me to lose it. I'll get back to it.

Edit-OK here it is:

He had the nerve to call me an hour after I got off of my graveyard shift telling me that we needed to get right on it right away because his wife was "not happy" with it (it wasn't in the way or anything and I had offered the cover but he refused). He knew good and well that I hadn't had the opportunity to sleep since yet this morning or the previous day and this was before the places I had to call for assistance were even open. Jerk. Even if they were open at 7AM when I got off of work, he knew good and well that I didn't have the *ability* to pay any of them without my wallet. Anyway, none of those places had a replacement brake disc mounting bolt, so it only made sense to tighten the others back down and continue changing the tire. I got the bead broken and the tire swapped around noon and needed to wait for a ride to get it back down there to my bike. I stopped by Cycle Gear along the way for their free computerized balancing and they got it inflated and the bead set for me. I felt that had to buy something for the favor so I borrowed $3 from my sister to get bolts "to replace the one that fell off my chain guard." I'll probably return 'em as it doesn't match the remaining bolt and I plan to get the Sportisi hugger (it replacees the chain guard but does not use the bolts).

My sister finally got me there between 2PM and the car was billowing steam or smoke or something. "Mr. Former 'Mechanic' Guy" told her to drive it home over 20 miles away and told her not to check the water until the engine was cold. I kept pointing to the reservoir and saying that we can at least check/add there rather than risk damaging the engine but he insisted and we didn't want to argue with the man. My sister called back as soon as she left saying that she sees what I mean about this know-it-all as she knew that wasn't what you do when your engine overheats. She stopped at the 1st gas station to take care of it (way to go, sis ).

So, after rushing me and depriving me of a much needed nap, he no longer sees the need now that I'm there and procedes to waste my time when I have to finish and get home to sleep (I had to be awake for work again in 8hrs). He does this by refusing to listen when I tell him that I'll clean the chain guard and sprocket myself when I get home, so he starts setting up a bowl of water with boards to hold the sprocket over it and pouring some kind of "expensive stuff" onto it. I asked if that was some kind of grease cleaner and he said "Nope. Better. It's brake fluid." He then used a paint scraper to unevenly scrape away black paint on all sides of my sprocket! I wanted to go up a tooth in the front but now I'm considering also going down a tooth in the rear thanks to this guy.

Anyway, the greased pieces that insert on either side of the wheel hub kept falling onto the concrete while we were trying to mount it and he kept picking them up and reinserting them when they were covered in bits of gravel and dirt! I would *immediately* remove them and wipe them off and add some of the grease he he had around but of course he had already contaminated the grease inside the hub and he wasn't about to take the tire back out and clean all that out.

Anyway, even inserting the axle from the right, the only way we could do this was to call out his son and turn it into a three-person job. The caliper mount thing or those hub pieces would fall out and it was seemingly impossible to keep them aligned. I eventualy just raised the tire on a small brick to get it close enough to slip on the calipers then raise that to align with the axle and insert. I noticed that doing so had pried the pads open, which would have made this a lot easier with the first attempts but I thought you weren't supposed to touch them with anything. For future reference, how should I force them apart next time?

So, yeah, everything is on and aligned and I ask if he has a 22mm socket adapter so we could torque it properly and he acts like that was some insanely huge size that he wouldn't possibly have (what are all those drawers FOR in your tool rack then? ). He insists that we just tighten it "really tight." We get it aligned and do so and I give it a test drive and everything seems fine. I drive it home and the alignement is off by a whole measured segment. Well, I'd rather do it myself without his help so I'm off to buy a 22mm socket. I *do* have a 17mm socket for the other side of the axel but, if I read my torque there, will I get an accurate reading?

Now I just want to hurry up and change my chain and sprockets so I can ask some pros to do it and get everything torqued and regreased along with that brake disc mounting bolt repaired. Is 10,000 miles too early/waste of a good chain?

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Old November 10th, 2009, 09:07 PM   #110
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That's insane, and has convinced me to do as much maintenance on my bike as I possibly can. Sorry to hear you've had such a hassle with this.
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Old November 22nd, 2009, 08:01 PM   #111
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I thought I was going to put the rear wheel in real quick as follows. Slide socket exension in from right to give the caliper somehting to rest on. Slide axle in from left and as it goes in it will push the extension out the right. Still had trouble getting it all in place, even with board under tire to ease lifting the tire while putting the axle through.

Then my wife walked into the garage and had the best solution of all. I held the tire with one hand and the caliper in place with the other hand while she slid the axle in from the left. What do you know it worked.
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Old March 20th, 2010, 06:03 PM   #112
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Can I remove and install the rear wheel without having to remove the caliper? The service manual says I have to remove it.
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Old March 20th, 2010, 06:29 PM   #113
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Quote:
Originally Posted by n00br1d3r View Post
Can I remove and install the rear wheel without having to remove the caliper? The service manual says I have to remove it.
I think the answer is yes, if you mean removing the caliper from the brake rotor, because the rotor is attached to the wheel. The caliper can stay connected to the upper torque link. Are you preparing for a tire change?
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Old March 20th, 2010, 06:39 PM   #114
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tapdiggy View Post
I think the answer is yes, if you mean removing the caliper from the brake rotor, because the rotor is attached to the wheel. The caliper can stay connected to the upper torque link. Are you preparing for a tire change?
I can't remove the calipers from their mounting bolts because the brake line and muffler are on the way. But yeah, I'm planning on taking the wheel off and taking it to a shop to get the tire replaced.
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Old March 20th, 2010, 10:32 PM   #115
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define "remove".

when you take off the rear wheel, the caliper will be loose but still connected to the brake line.
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Old June 24th, 2010, 07:49 PM   #116
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Just went through the process of removing the wheels and whatnot. Just a couple of things I went through that probably aren't obvious from the DIY:

1. You can use a front stand that holds the bike up by the forks. The problem is that you have to be careful how much force you put on the breaker bar on the front wheel bolt, or else you'll end up knocking the bike off the front stand. During reassembly of the front wheel, I just threaded the axle bolt and put the nut in, lowered the bike off of the stand, then torqued it to the proper torque.

2. When putting in the back wheel, YOUR BIKE MUST BE IN NEUTRAL. You can remove the back wheel with your bike in gear, but the chain will bind and prevent you from mounting the back wheel back in.
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Old June 25th, 2010, 12:26 PM   #117
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Great DIY Kelly.
I got a couple of questions about before changing a tire.

Is it possible to get the rear wheel of, without taking the chain apart? And how do you do that? Do you take the chain adjusters all the way up front for maximum slack?
My previous bike had a chain lock, which was easy to work with. Doesn't look like the Ninja got that, so I am wondering if i need some kind of tools for opening/closing the chain?

Also, do you measure your current thread at the middle of the tire? There are some raised triangles on the side of the tire which point at the green markings in the threads. Is that where you measure or?
I'm wondering because the threads are soon gone at the very middle, but some places they say that the tire is to be changed when the marks(raised triangles) are on line/fluctuating with the tire. In other words, i got 2-3 mm left there. So I am just trying to figure out how quickly i need to look at getting a new tire.
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Old June 25th, 2010, 01:07 PM   #118
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Simen,

The rear wheel is removed by loosening the axle (the nut is a bitch to loosen), adjust the adjusters full slack and then sliding the wheel forward so you can loop the chain off the rear sprocket. The chain on our bikes is an endless one that use a rivet instead of the standard master link setup.

once the chain is off the sprocket, slide the rear axle out and the wheel should be free to drop down.

there are wear bars on the tires that run across the treads. The wear bars are usually located at the triangles that are embossed on the sidewalls. Once you hit the wear bars, you should consider changing your tires.

Do you have a service manual?
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Old June 25th, 2010, 01:17 PM   #119
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That cleared up a lot of things.
Yes the blue line that goes through the treads, their at 2 mm now.
Good to know that i don't get any trouble with the chain, think i'll go look for a tire. Was thinking either Bridgestone or Metzeler.

I do not have a service manual.
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Old June 25th, 2010, 03:32 PM   #120
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I found that it was a little more difficult to loop the chain back on, but easy getting it off. I went back on, but took a little more effort, and had to be gentle with it laterally.

.... it just occurred to me, that this may be due to the fact I am running a 15T counter-sprocket, so even with the adjusters all the way in, I have a little less play than with a 14T. So the chain may be a LITTLE tighter going back on, but probably easier than it was for me.
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