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F650GS Front wheel removal

maxscycle

Member
Forgive please
My 2011 F650GS needs a front tire replaced with only 15,100 miles on it.
I have the replacement tire.
But am looking for someway to get the front wheel in the air.
The bike has no center stand and I do not see where to "jack" the bike up except the engine.
What have some of you done?
Max
 
The Globeriders DVD had some interesting ways of lifting either wheel of my F800GS. Other than that I've used a milk crate and some wood kinda rocking it on. Some have lifted it from the rafters of their garage and then slid some support under it. If you had some help around it should be no big deal, just make sure it stable as some rocking will occur when you do the work.
HTH.
OM
 
Hydraulic floor jack or scissors jack. Bike in 1st gear. Wood between the jack and the engine. Tie the bike off on both sides for stability. The tie downs will be more effective if they are attached to a point horizontal to the point of attachment on the bike as opposed to down to the ground.

Only 15k on the tire? That's pretty darn good.
 
When we bought Voni's F800S it didn't have a centerstand. Before we left the dealership (Bentonville, AR) we had them order a centerstand. By the time we got home (Texas) the stand was here, ready to be bolted in place. Which is to say, if one is available I wouldn't own a bike absent a centerstand.

Contemplate that hydraulic jack and tieing off the bike when you need to remove a wheel beside the road or in a motel parking lot. Such things do happen.
 
Contemplate that hydraulic jack and tieing off the bike when you need to remove a wheel beside the road or in a motel parking lot. Such things do happen.
An old car tire, chunk of styrofoam etc etc and blanket, lay the bike on its side against the tire so the front wheel is free. (my other bike is a KLR)
 
That works fine on bikes with wide spaced frame rails, like a harley big twin.
My F650gs has almost no frame. Everything under the front of the bike is engine.
Thanks anyway.
Max

works great on my F8GS... but I have a heavy duty Adventure Spec skid plate mounted, which gives a large platform for lifting.
ultimately, if you plan to keep the bike for any length of time, you're going to want to slap a c-stand onto it. too many basic maintenance tasks want at least one wheel off the ground, if not both.

as has been advised, there are plenty of cheap a$$ solutions... but they remain cheap a$$ solutions.
 
An old car tire, chunk of styrofoam etc etc and blanket, lay the bike on its side against the tire so the front wheel is free. (my other bike is a KLR)

I've seen this one before in a photo, but have always been a bit concerned about trying this sort of change out unless in an emergency situation. Do you have any links to a video that shows the process? Since the bike is on it's side for a bit of time, do you have any trouble starting it up due to oil draining into the spark plugs? Is there any tip over safety switches that will keep her from starting back up after being on its side for a long length of time?
 
I've seen this one before in a photo, but have always been a bit concerned about trying this sort of change out unless in an emergency situation. Do you have any links to a video that shows the process? Since the bike is on it's side for a bit of time, do you have any trouble starting it up due to oil draining into the spark plugs? Is there any tip over safety switches that will keep her from starting back up after being on its side for a long length of time?

Yes prob not anything you would want to make a habit of. My post was in reply to the fact that you may need to do something without the aid of a jack or alternative. Actually did this with my KLR using 2 tires and it was not really leaned over too badly before the front wheel was free to remove. It was in that position for at least an hour. Stood it up let it settle for a minute, and started right away.
 
I've seen some KLR guys use a prop that they attach to the rear axle (I think). That along with the side stand allows for the bike to be easily tipped. It may only get the rear wheel off the ground, I cannot recall for sure. Been a long time since I saw one in action and my memory is fuzzy. Checkout a KLR forum and maybe you can find what I think I saw and maybe it will work on a F650GS. My wife rides a F650GS and I surely would not want to try to maintain it without the center stand. Good luck to you.
 
I certainly agree with the center stand as necessity. On every bike I own and I won't even consider buying a bike that can't be fitted with one (eg like some current J brand models where the under engine exhaust makes fitting a center stand impossible. Only dirt racers and road racers can make a serious case for no center stand requirement).

But there should be no reason for hesitating to jack on the motor if the load is spread on wood or hard rubber, etc. I've done this on many bikes without jacking on the frame.
Put a hunk of 2X4 across it, a small jack under it and lift the front enough to get the wheel off.

Most bikes I've done this to are reasonably stable on just the jack and rear wheel. Add weight to rear of bike if it helps (put a cinder block, bags of lead shot or whatever on the rear carrier if you need to). You can add an additional support in case the jack leaks down, tie offs if a bit unstable, etc but I've never found it necessary and don't do it. Raise it only the minimum needed amount, remove fender bits if necessary so you can get the wheel out while keeping it low, if needed. Don't do anything stupid to push it off. Note however that I don't own a F650 so have never done that specific model. But we do have 6 other BMWs including F twins plus an old Honda.
 
Sitting on the center stand the bike is quite close to balance fore and aft. As a consequence the load on whatever you put under the engine to keep the front end up is rather modest. I use a floor jack - not because of the weight but rather the convenience of raising up just enough and then lowering it back down again. If the wheel is going to be off the bike for an extended period I put something under the front forks to support the front and take the floor jack away until it's time to put the wheel back on.

mike
 
Maxcycle, what type of tire were you running that gave you such good longevity? I've been told the original Battle Wing tires will go about 10,000, which is a really decent length, but would be willing to consider another brand if the mileage between changes is better. I mostly do long touring rides, and only bought the GS for the occasional gravel road that pops up by accident. I know many will state that the 700 is not really a touring bike, but I've done several 3000 miles plus on the same displacement engine (but in a cruiser style bike such as the Kawasaki 900) so the smaller bike with an extra gallon of gas in a back-up gas can doesn't bother me a bit.....and she's a lot easier to handle than my previous K1200RS, at about half the weight, fully loaded to the K bike.....I do miss the power of the "K" a little though......
 
rsvp

Maxcycle, what type of tire were you running? The original Battle Wing tires will go about 10,000. I know the 700 is not a touring bike

The tires are the factory bridgestone, not sure the exact model. My explaination for the high mileage is solo riding (270lbs) keeping the tires at 34/40psi, never taking the engine over 4000 rpm unless I'm in high gear on the interstate. The rear still has lots of tread on it. So i'll replace just the front with a Metzeler tourance. I have taken the 650 on long trips. The bike is more than capable of handling me and my gear. But my r12gs is more comfortable.
max
 
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