Bumwah Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 A friend of mine, who owns a 1st Series R18 asked me, how do you change the tires without a center stand? I thought, support the bike by putting it across the motorcycle lift, support the frame and motor and lift it high enough to pull the axle and drop the tire. He wasn’t sure that he could do this without damage. So… I guess I’d like to open it up for discussion and gain a little knowledge. It can’t be that tough… And da, Happy New Year to all my sisters and brothers of the Forum! Link to comment
Scott9999 Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 4 hours ago, Bumwah said: A friend of mine, who owns a 1st Series R18 asked me, how do you change the tires without a center stand? I thought, support the bike by putting it across the motorcycle lift, support the frame and motor and lift it high enough to pull the axle and drop the tire. He wasn’t sure that he could do this without damage. So… I guess I’d like to open it up for discussion and gain a little knowledge. It can’t be that tough… And da, Happy New Year to all my sisters and brothers of the Forum! I always just put mine on the center stand, strapped the stand forward with a tie down to ensure it couldn't buckle or accidentally dismount the from the center stand if pushed or pulled, put 100 lbs of weight on the rear, to service the front, and left it unweighted, sitting on the front tire, to service the rear (though one could also add additional weight over the tank and handlebars to ensure it didn't rock backwards with the rear tire off). Heck, I pulled the transmission on my old R1100RT-P, rebuilt many parts of the bike (i.e. new ball bearings, bushings, shocks, etc.), with the bike supported that way. Link to comment
Hosstage Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 30 minutes ago, Scott9999 said: I always just put mine on the center stand, strapped the stand forward with a tie down to ensure it couldn't buckle or accidentally dismount the from the center stand if pushed or pulled, put 100 lbs of weight on the rear, to service the front, and left it unweighted, sitting on the front tire, to service the rear (though one could also add additional weight over the tank and handlebars to ensure it didn't rock backwards with the rear tire off). Heck, I pulled the transmission on my old R1100RT-P, rebuilt many parts of the bike (i.e. new ball bearings, bushings, shocks, etc.), with the bike supported that way. R18s have no center stand, hence the question. Harleys have no center stand either. An ATV jack, easier with a table lift and scissor jack. A chain fall or strap around the ceiling joist to lift the bike. There a few jack options to get it done. One of many Link to comment
Scott9999 Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 29 minutes ago, Hosstage said: R18s have no center stand, hence the question. Harleys have no center stand either. An ATV jack, easier with a table lift and scissor jack. A chain fall or strap around the ceiling joist to lift the bike. There a few jack options to get it done. One of many Oops, lack of attention to detail. Regrets, to the O.P. I think I once put my RT up on a regular floor jack under the engine, a couple of jack stands with 4x4's, with some modifications to strap the bike to the jackstands, and some tension from straps up to mount points on joists above in my garage (to stabilize, not handle the full weight of the bike). Not an ideal solution, that would be a full bike hoist, not available in most private garages, but it worked well enough (i.e. safely and successfully). Not sure if that'd work for an R18. Link to comment
Hosstage Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 Remember that the bike weighs 900 pounds. Some serious lift needed. Link to comment
Hosstage Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 No shame in dropping it off at the shop for tire changes either. Link to comment
9Mary7 Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 Used the H-D style lift to do tires on a Rocket 3....... similar issues to the R18......... very heavy and very careful with that weight. Not fun and my buddy still owes me for that work Link to comment
MichiganBob Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 Wow ... makes you wonder what happens if you need to pull off a wheel on the road and take it somewhere for a repair. I've had to do that. Have seen a few Harley's on their side minus a wheel and figured that's exactly what they had to do. Ouch. Link to comment
MichiganBob Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 Would sure be nice to get a centerstand option from BMW if one exists. If not, and enough units sell, maybe someone like Illium would fabricate one. Link to comment
Hosstage Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 Low ground clearance and more weight probably nix that idea. Link to comment
Skywagon Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 Call the dealer and ask how they do it Link to comment
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