Now I’m becoming quite proficient (as if) at slinging the ol’ rear hoop in and out I thought I’d explain how I put the wheel back in, primarily for anyone else who fancies it for the first time. Taking it out is easy, but mind 'cause it is heavy.
The hard part is lifting the wheel into position (bloody heavy) while ensuring that the swing arm, brake plate thing, chain and the wheel bearing things all line up while the long spindle is inserted.
From the picture you can see I chock the wheel up first, so it roughly lines up to the swingarm. Then I grease in the wheel bearing things on each side to stop’em dropping out (thanks Chuffster) and gently tap home the brake mounting plate which is always a tight fit. It seems impossible to align the wheel if the plate is in position so this way works a treat.
Then by lying on the back of the bike, raising the wheel if needed (should be only slightly)with one arm, I can wriggle and tap the spindle throu with the other.
Hey Presto.
What’s needed is a modified jack type thing that holds the wheel and allows it to be raised in increments whilst being thin enough to fit under the wheel. We got any inventors here?
Oh, and the other thing is remember to protect you rims from washers, plates and calipers that’ll bounce off it.
Well done mate! The first time I did it by myself i tought I would have to call a mobile mechanic… But I managed to do it using some books, lol . Nowadays I only use my knee!
Just how heavy is your wheel exactly, Andrew? I do mine with my foot, just rest the wheel on my toes, and raise it into position while jiggling the caliper mount and spindle. Good post though, thanks!
Jay - too damn heavy for me mate. It’s a 7 remember, not some lightweight supersport little number. Wheels like logs
Dunno how other bikes are organised but the brake mounting plate is merely placed inside the swing arm, not secured so it drops out if knocked making the whole process tricky in the extreme.
when i was in china working at the moto GP race running a couple of superbikes, it rained just before our race. had to change two wheels on our bike (ex GMT94 world endurance bike) put onto stands, remove two wheels with slicks, replace with two wheels with wets, then off the stands, 38 SECONDS!!! av it! pictures of the bike are in the motoGP gallery very trick bit of kit, all bikes should be like that! (oh yeah, that was 38 seconds on my own including putting on and off the stands)
But I managed to do it using some books, lol . Nowadays I only use my knee! 
