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[mistasam]

[Richard230]

Thanks for making that video. I do have some comments: On the rear wheel, you should not have to loosen the brake caliper pad retaining bolt. The wheel should slide right out past the pads. However, you will have to push the pads back in a little with your fingers or some sort of wedge, before reinstalling the wheel to provide the necessary clearance to reinsert the brake disc into the caliper when installing the rear wheel.  Something else I always do is to put my finger into the wheel bearings and rotate them by hand to verify that they turn smoothly. If they feel notchy when you turn the bearings that is an indication that they need to be replaced.

Regarding the front wheel: You should not have to remove the brake pads to get the caliper past the wheel rim. This sort of design is typical of most modern front wheels. What you do is to push the caliper back and forth by hand so that the pads are pressed back into the caliper body until they bottom out. (Make sure that you have enough room in your master cylinder to accommodate the fluid that will be pushed back into the system.) That should allow enough room to angle the caliper outward so that it clears the wheel rim.  I might add that this procedure is detailed like this in the owner's manual for my BMW motorcycles when it describes how to remove the front wheel.  When reinstalling the wheel and caliper, after the wheel is in place, make sure to pump the brake lever several times to bottom out the brake pads against the disc.

[mistasam]

Whoa Richard!  Thanks for the detailed info.  I had a feeling the fromt should have been easier.  I guess I just got impatient lol.  I’ll try it again on the reinstall.

[DonTom]

This thread is just in time for me, as sometime next week, I will be replacing my front ABS sensor (is open) on my 2017 SR in Auburn, CA.

Thanks!

-Don-  Reno, NV

[Richard230]

Whoa Richard!  Thanks for the detailed info.  I had a feeling the fromt should have been easier.  I guess I just got impatient lol.  I’ll try it again on the reinstall.

I should have also added that on the front wheel, before trying to move the caliper side to side to push the brake pads back into the caliper, you need to slide the caliper back and away from their fork mounts to allow them to move sideways.

[mistasam]

you need to slide the caliper back and away from their fork mounts to allow them to move sideways.

Ah, so the caliper still has to come off, but the pads can stay in?  That makes sense 

[DonTom]

you need to slide the caliper back and away from their fork mounts to allow them to move sideways.

Ah, so the caliper still has to come off, but the pads can stay in?  That makes sense 

Why not?  I removed both wheels off my Yamaha Venture a few weeks ago (to replace ten year old tires) and all three calibers had to be removed, and that was done with all the pads still in the calibers.

-Don-  Reno, NV

[Richard230]

you need to slide the caliper back and away from their fork mounts to allow them to move sideways.

Ah, so the caliper still has to come off, but the pads can stay in?  That makes sense 

That is right.  They don't make it easy because of the relatively large brake disc and the 17" wheels on modern motorcycles. But it can be done.  None of the manufacturers want their customers to have to remove the brake pads to get the wheel off of the bike. They might not get them back in properly and you know what might happen then.  No problem removing the front wheel on my Royal Enfield, with its smaller disc and 19" diameter wheel (mounting a 3.25 inch wide Avon Slipmaster II tire), though.