changing rear wheel

[thrang]

I'm thinking about having another go at modding a rear mudguard. Has anyone tried fitting a sprung hinge? My last version involved having it detach just infont of the rear light mount. I attached it using a shaped piece of metal under the guard hooked on to a hanger on the frame and a couple of pins on the plastic.  It worked alright but in the end I binned it after the number plate and guard came off when I was being a little to enthusiastic on a fast a road.

Having just had a right struggle to change out the wheel in the dark after the new beemer got a puncture I'm looking at an old rear mudguard and thinking about a sprung hinge to stop it bouncing free?

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

You might examine a pre-'70 (/2) mudguard to see how it was done.

Myself, I tie the centerstand in place to the exhaust crossover,
then I remove the front wheel (easy - single brake)
then I tilt the bike forward (hope you didn't just fill your fuel tank...) till it rests on the fork legs,
and then I remove the rear tire.

Get a block on which to rest the final drive, and tilt the bike back.

[Ed Miller]

My problem is always to tug the tire out between the brake shoes and the left side of the frame; maybe the crack in my rear fender is why those are my worry points.

I like to put a 2 x 4 board under my center stand, since I have the dual front disks and removing the front tire is a bit of a pain.  My Windjammer weights the front down nicely with the rear tire out.

The hinge idea sounds great, though, and has been used on several loved marques.  

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I will agree that every rear tire in recent memory (you know, the part that still works?) I have installed, I have to deflate the tire in order to get it between the brake shoes and the swingarm.  

With my tilting-up method, my luggage racks are no longer an issue.

[thrang]

Cheers Rob. Dropping the bike forwards on to the fork legs is a cracking idea.
Doh why didn't I think of that?

Probably because I am an idiot.
Tony

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Don't forget to secure the centrestand!!!  

[Ed Miller]

I don't have to deflate the tire.  I use 110 width Spitfires.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I don't have to deflate the tire.  I use 110 width Spitfires.

That is what mine is - 11R  110/9018 M/C  61H

(shrug?)

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

click for full size

[Semper Gumby]

Early BSAs also had a hinge!