On Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:15:50 -0400, "TL Mitchell"
>>My pos jack isn't very precise when it comes to raising/lowering, I turn
>>the screw just a tiny bit on the bottle and it wants to slam down to the
>>floor. If I could more carefully control the rate of descent I'd lower the
>>bike onto the wheels, but for now I just use wooden blocks to support the
>>wheel while I'm lifting it up.
>Ask Santa to bring you one a them H-D you-crank-it lifts, beats any kinda
>bottle jack hands down. Wide footprint and stable... I use a tie-down
>between the jugs wrapped around the lift to hold it snug to the bike. You
>can get pretty aggressive yankin' things around to line up wheels n axles
>without ending up with a motorcycle sittin' on top of yer gourd. Very
>precise and worth every dollar I didn't spend on it :-) Thanks Santa!
>112
Try this one:
http://www.pitbullmotorcyclelifts.com/
They're not all that far east of Roger's place. Stopped at the shop
on my way back from Bowling Green a few years ago and the guy in the
shop put his RK 25" in the air and started whipping the thing around
the shop. Thought it was gonna fall for sure, but when he got up on
the bike while it was in the air I about freaked.
Looks like the manual version's on sale now for $439.
--
Old Crow
'82 FLTC(P)'Pearl'
'87 FLTC '?'
'61 F-100
BS#132, TOMKAT, SENS, SLOB#13
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
<generous snippage>
> This was the first time I decided to replace the pads with the wheels
> removed. Ok, I think from now on I'll replace them with the wheels still
> on the bike. This was on the rear of the Ultra Classic, and trying to lift
> the wheel into the proper position to insert the axle/install spacers/etc
> at the same time as trying to spread the new pads apart was just a bit too
> much.
You *lift* the wheel??? That's gotta be fun. Once I get the axle out I raise
the lift and raise the bike away from the wheel. Install gets the reverse,
just lower the lift back down to the wheel. Yeah, it's a bit of a pain goin'
back n forth to lower the jack a tad, align the wheel, raise the jack a tad,
realign the wheel, etc, etc.... in order to get everything lined up. Beats
the alternative of growing a 3rd and 4th arm though in order to lift the
wheel, align it, get the caliper just right and slide the axle in while
trying to hold on to the the spacers as well.
>The new pads didn't want to stay against the sides of the calipers, instead
>trying to form themselves into a bastard V-shape. No amount of jimmying
>with a putty knife was going to get those pads apart to let the rotor slide
>in. There's not enough room to mount the wheel then put the caliper over
>the rotor so it all needs to pretty much come together at once. End result:
>take at least one (if not both) of the pads out, mount the wheel, then put
>the pads in the caliper.
Never did have any good results with a putty knife...... I push the pistons
back and spread the pads using the widest blade screwdriver I've got. If yer
careful you can avoid dingin both the pads and the rotor.
> Reminder to self: buy a 12-pt 1/4 inch socket for the caliper pins. The
> box-end 12 pt wrench just takes too damn long.
If you don't already have one a 1/2" to 1/4" adapter is a good thing.
Regardless of how loose you put in the pins they always seemed welded in
next time you try to get 'em out.
>One note about the service manual: It makes it seem as if you can remove
>the calipers completely off the rotor and let them lay aside while you
>remove the wheel. I found I didn't have any room at all to get them off.
>The size of the front fender limits how much play you have in moving the
>calipers around. I knew this, but it bears mentioning to anybody that
>hasn't done this before:
That's one of them goofy things that defies explanation, one of 'em will
slip right out sometimes without even touching the fender and the other one
ya gotta wrestle with and swear there ain't enough room. Then ya walk away
from it for a mental-health break and it frequently slips right out as easy
as the other one with no apologies. :::::shrug::::::: I rank it right up
there with the mystery of the missing sock each laundry day.
> You have to remove at least one of the calipers in order to remove the
> wheel, otherwise the tire binds between the calipers and you can't get the
> wheel off. The manual says to take both off, but just one is enough.
I do both and let 'em hang, gotta wrap a big-assed towel around the calipers
in order to keep 'em from dinging the front fender and lowers.
>The rear uses an e-clip, not a cotter pin. I like it, to me it's easier
>than the cotter pin and doesn't need replacing.
There's a reason the book calls for replacing the clip.... after you spread
it 2 or 3 times taking it off it doesn't return to the original size and
fits pretty loose. Take it from those who know..... loosing a rear axle nut
is *not* a good thing! I picked up a half-dozen clips at the dealer along
with a half dozen brass ferrules that go on the throttle cable ends and a
half dozen of those black screws that go under the fairing. Having 'em in a
drawer ensures you won't need 'em when the dealer's closed. A few extra seat
screws are a good idea as well. Howzcum you always drop shit that disappears
into the vapor on a Sunday?!? Used to also be the chosen day to pour a qt of
oil right through the crankcase cuz you forgot the plug back in the days you
couldn't buy oil on Sundays too. Some kinda Murphy-shit methinks.
>The part that pissed me off was finding a wrench big enough for the axle
>nut. I've got a fairly extensive set of normal tools but nothing big enough
>for that nut except a short-handled wide mouth crescent wrench. I had to
>run over to my buddy Pete's shop and borrow his 1-7/16" open-end wrench.
>Talking to my mech/tire guy (Paul) later I found that it actually takes a
>36mm. This size is different from the '02 Heritage and the sporties. This
>was on my '07, YMMV depending on year of bike. Paul says he paid 125 bucks
>for a 36mm Snap-On wrench to do the job with, I have a wrench on order for
>the future. 20 bucks delivered. Not a Snap-On, but hopefully good enough to
>use once-twice a year. Somebody make a comment here about when they went to
>that configuration of size/e-clip.
Cuz somebody wanted to sell new tools. I found some 36mm sockets online.
Seems that's the same size as Buell, VW and BMW axle nuts, those shops
peddle 'em cheap, around 10 bux delivered. I got one from Seattle Cycle and
another on eBay thinking I'd need one for each end. Not. Never used 'em.
Once you get the nut somewhat snug with some weight on the wheel you can put
100 lbs on it without the axle turning. YMMV.
I stuck the Lyndalls in a month ago and then swapped the rear wheel a couple
weeks later. Went about as smooth as it coulda. First time I pulled the rear
axle on the new-type setup I wrestled with the mufflers cuz the good book
sez you have to. Not! H-D has a cool tool that's similar to the axle wrench
that comes in the bagger's tool kit only it's longer and has a 1/2" square
hole in the opposite end for a flex handle or torque wrench. If you keep the
wrench square to the adapter yer s'posed to get accurate torque readings.
This allows you to torque without using a socket and leave the right muffler
alone. The good book shows it in Appendix A, Pg A-15, Part # HD-47925, Axle
Nut Torque Adapter. No idea what they cost but whatever it is, it's probably
worth it.
On the left side I disconnect the muffler mounts under the saddlebag and
raise/lower the lift until the axle clears the bottom of the bag support
rail. Then I ever-so-slightly put enough downward pressure on the muffler
that the 36mm hex end will push through. Draping a towel over the muffler so
the axle can slide across the top of the muffler without gouging the chrome
is the way to go. Don't ask how I know this.....
Another thing I learned, scrub the Anti-Sieze offa yer mitts before handling
the rear tire. If you don't them fingerprints will be on there for 100 years
and not even Boraxo will remove 'em.
> I haven't had a chance yet to really try out the Elite-3s, but Wednesday I
> have to go to work in Emerville, and coming out of the Oakland hills
> tunnels are some nasty rain grooves that always give me the willies, I'm
> actually looking forward to seeing how the bike feels on them with this
> new tread pattern. Also, doing a 1700 mile trip this weekend so should get
> a bit of a feel for them by the time I get back.
I think you'll like 'em, haven't seen anyone that doesn't yet.
I swapped the rear on that had 5300 miles on it that I yanked last year
before going to Snarl's. Turns out I coulda left it on and had some miles to
spare when I got back but I hadn't worn one of 'em out yet and didn't know
what to expect mileage-wise. I now know I can get 13k out of one easy.....
prolly woulda gone over 14k before the wear bars showed but I was sick of
riding on a square tire. Murphy sez had I left that tire on I woulda been
dumpster-diving somewhere around Salina, KS looking for rubber on a Sunday
with a white racing stripe showing down the middle of the rear tire. Not
that anybody's ever done that before or anything.........
112
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