All you need to know about motorcycle wheels and rims.

Motorcycle wheels have come a long way since the late 1960s and early 1970s. First cast wheels for motorcycles were developed in the early 1970's which allowed motorcycle wheels to be very much like automotive wheels and provide the ability to use tubless tires. Tubless tires are much safer by the fact that it's much less likely that a tubless tire on a wheel will blow out. Blowing out a tire on a motorcycle could be very dangerous and possibly deadly.

One of the main and most important checkpoints before you ride is to check your wheels and tires. Check them each and every time for swelling, cuts, items stuck to the tire such as rocks and nails and check for cracks. Also, make sure you check tire tread for wear. In addition, make sure you check tire pressure. You want to make sure your motorcycle tires have air pressure per manufacturers recommendation.

Tip: Tire pressure can change simply by changes in air temperature.

There are many reasons why you would need to remove your wheels.

• Install new tires
• Tighten wheel spokes
• Replace a bent motorcycle rim
• Get access to brakes

How to remove the rear motorcycle wheels:

The below instructions are general instructions that will guide you through removing the wheels but for exact instructions please refer to your owners manual. The reason for this is that there are many different types of ways of securing the motorcycle axles, brakes and the drive systems.

Step 1: Get the bike in a position such that the rear wheel is off the ground. This can be done by purchasing a centerstand. If your motorcycle already has a centerstand you're done. Make sure the motorcycle is stable.

Step 2: If your motorcycle has disk brakes you might have to remove the calipers first by removing the caliper bolts. Let the caliper hang off to the side.

Step 3: Loosen the axel nut. But, before you do that mark the position of the adjuster so you can place the axel back in it's original position.

Step 4: Remove the chain or belt by sliding the wheel forward. (You might have to also remove your motorcycle mufflers if they are in the way)

Step 5: Loosen the motorcycle axel nut (usually fairly large). Some axels may have additional support in place by the use of pintch bolts. If so, just remove them as well.

Step 6: Slide the motorcycle axel out.

Step 7: If your motorcycle has just lugnuts holding the motorcycle wheel in place simply remove them and the wheel should just slide right off. This type of setup is typical on a BMW motorcycles.

Step 8: Make sure you keep and store in a safe contained location all the spacers, nuts, washers and bearings.They have to be placed back in the same place back on the motorcycle so the wheel does not wabble after replacement.

Tips:

- The best thing to do is to lay out a clean rag next to the motorcycle and as you take off all parts simply place them in the order you took them off.

- Shaft-drive motorcycle wheels are easier to remove than chain-driven because you pull the wheel away from the motorcycle vs. pushing it forward and removing the chain first.

Guess What? YOU'RE DONE!!! Easy. Sounds like a ton of steps but it's really simple and easy to remove the rear motorcycle wheel.

How to remove the front motorcycle wheels:

Removing the front motorcycle wheel is even easier than the rear. The only thing you might have to worry about is removal of the speedomoter cable. But you won't have to worry about messing around with the drive system.

Step 1: Remove the speedomoter cable.

Step 2: Remove the axel by removing the end caps on the bottom of the forks.

Step 3: Once you finish step 2 the wheel should just drop to the ground.

Tip: Some motorcycles might require you to remove the axel all together by sliding it out after removal of the axel bolts.

How to balance your motorcycle wheels:

Just like in your car motorcycle wheels should be balanced each time they are taken off of the motorcycle. This is a good idea to do so anyways as a precautionary step to avoid any vibration or reduce uneven tire wear.

Before you start this procedure make sure the tire and tube is in place, disk brake on the wheel, and if you have a drum brake type system you will have to remove the drum brakes.

Step 1: Most of the time you will use a wheel stand to balance your motorcycle wheels. IF you do not have a motorcycle wheel stand you can find two benches (must be same hight).

Step 2: Do not balance the wheel while the wheel is still mounted on the motorcycle. There are items that could affect the drag such as the brake system, drive train, etc.

Step 3: Oil the axel as you turn the wheel to help with friction.

Step 4: Do not remove already existing balancing weights. You might need them so since you don't know leave them on and possibly reduce the amount of work you'll have to do.

Step 5: Slowly spin the wheel a few times and as the wheel turns mark the tire at the lowest part once it stops. Do this several times as it will show you which part of the wheel is the heaviest. What you want is for the wheel to stop in completely random places which will show you that the tire is well balanced.

Step 6: Now that you know what the heaviest point of the wheel is (if you have one) place a balancing weight on the 180 degree mark or totally oppsite side of the heavy mark.

Step 7: Repeat all the steps until the rotations stop in random locations.

OK, YOU'RE DONE!!! This part is a bit more longer and tedious but definetly worth the time doing since you want to ensure you have a smooth, wobble free ride.

If you need or are looking for motorcycle wheels, rims or parts check out the below items or use the search function to help you locate whatever you are looking for.