| Author | Message | ||
     Cuelbuell |
Trying to put a new front tire on the X1 and I cant get the freakin caliper out of the wheel! Is there any type of tricks that people have done to get it off? The manual makes it sound real easy. "Just twist the caliper away from the wheel and remove" Bull fing s**t  .. So anyone out there have an idea. I was thinking about taking out the five phillips screws and dropping the rotor out and then I could get the wheel out but there has to be another way.. | ||
| Numb_nutz |
What i do is take the pads out, push all the pistons in then take the caliper off. With all the pistons in there's plenty of room. | ||
| Oldog |
Cuell, pull pads and caliper, The pads need to come out w/o much piston push in, try to avoid a big push in of the pistons or problems may result. caliper then unbolts and slips off. I have PM wheels YMMV | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
I could never figure out how to get the caliper out on mine. I think mine is.3mm too hubby or something. I've always taken the disk off. | ||
| Wile_ecoyote |
I've had to remove the rotor and allow it to hang out of the way. Then remove caliper, then wheel. Yep, its a pain in the arse. But, I dont ever mar my front wheel either. | ||
| Sloppy |
Ah, now we know why we pay $65 / hour for a mechanic to do the job. Step 1: WRAP DUCT TAPE ALONG THE RIM TO PREVENT YOU FROM SCRATCHING THE RIM WHILE REMOVING THE CALIPER! Step 2: Remove the pads and gently clean any brake dust around the brake pistons. Step 3: Make sure there's enough fluid space in the brake res, and push the pistons back into the caliper. Step 4: Unbolt the caliper and using creative angling of the caliper to clear the brake disk, remove the caliper. Take your time and if you feel yourself getting frustrated drink beer and take a break! First few times is a pain in the ass, but once you get the method you'll be able to get them out in no time. If you become a pro at this, you'll be even better when it comes time to install and remove the exhaust header!  | ||
| Mick |
I shaved a small bit off the caliper with a Dremel, makes it much easier. | ||
| Bikerjim99 |
I agree with Sloppy and Mick. I just went through this. One of the key things is to get the pistons pushed back ALL THE WAY flush with the caliper body. If the pistons are out even a small amount, that caliper isn't coming off. Take your time, you will get it! | ||
| Kalali |
"Ah, now we know why we pay $65 / hour for a mechanic to do the job." I have to confess I am one of those people.. I just took the new tire to my dealer and they took the wheel off, mounted and balanced the tire for $70 (one hour labor rate). Problem solved. | ||
| Kalali |
"Trying to put a new front tire on the X1 and I cant get the freakin caliper out of the wheel!" The part I don't understand is you still have to have someone mount the tire and balance the wheel..the estimate to do the mounting and balancing was almost the same as dropping the bike off and have them do the whole thing.... Not sure why that was the case but that was the quote I got from my dealer.. | ||
| Scott_in_nh |
Aww come on guys - it's a little like one of those metal pretzels but it is not that difficult to figure out! I got mine out - no tape - no scratches on my PM wheel. It just takes a little patience! Now I know why some of you pay $65/hr.  | ||
| Djkaplan |
It's still a good idea to tape up the wheel if you're new at it. I remember being pretty 'flustrated' the first time I took the caliper off. I was about to give up and it just fell out when I wasn't looking. Not a quick change set-up by any means. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
PM wheels aren't as chunky as the painted castalloy ones. (that's why they cost extra, remember?) | ||
| Phelan |
I didn't have much problem with mine when I changed wheels and tires last week, but I did forget to put one of the clips back in the pin  . So now I get to order another pin . | ||
| Malott442 |
If the brake fluid is dirty, why not get the caliper rebuild kit and split the caliper? And polish it, and add titanium fasteners.... YEAH! | ||
| Kalali |
"that's why they cost extra" No kidding...I was just browsing some part prices yesterday...and PM wheels cost $650 each! A lot more expensive than the wheels on my GT3...Unbelievable.. | ||
| Oldog |
I was just browsing some part prices yesterday...and PM wheels cost $650 each! Stock XB wheels are about the same, The issue with PM wheels [ besides having to polish them ] is that Buell has a few, when those are gone thats it PM does not make them any more. "collectable", limited number, scarce,  } | ||
| Djkaplan |
I used to like the PM wheels, but then I didn't. The Marchesini type wheels just looked racier to me. But it's come full circle... now I like PM wheels again. |
