Front wheel removal - remove calipers?
 

Sorry if this has been covered, but I did a forum search and found discussions of wheels mounted backwards, replacing caliper bolts, etc., but not my questions:

1) Is it absolutely necessary to remove the calipers to get the front wheel off?
2) What method do you use to get the front end off the ground?

As to question 2, I only have a hydraulic floor jack. What I had to do with my previous bike (a 650 V-Strom) was a somewhat simultaneous operation of propping the bike on the jack (with a piece of wood in between) and cinching up some tiedown straps attached from the bars to supports in the garage rafters.

The latter step (tiedowns) helped keep the bike balanced with the front wheel off the ground. Actually worked pretty well, but I'm wondering if there's a better way for the VTR -- other than taking it to the shop and saying, Here, you do it.

Yes you need to remove the brake calipers to remove the front wheel (only two bolts per caliper!) - remember to stop the calipers dangling from the hoses.

Have the back end on a rear paddock stand and then jack up on the sump just behing the little belly pan (best removed) -put a bit of wood between to avoid damage. If you also hoist the front up from the head stock area to prevent the risk of it all expensively falling over so much the better.

Well buy some stands you cheap bastid......lol

But for the real answers, yes you have to remove the calipers to remove the wheel. Though don't worry about replacing the bolts, like the service manual states. Mine are on their second front end and have been off more times than I can remember with no issues....;) Also make sure you don't just let the calipers hang from the brake lines..... very bad form..... tie them up with something to keep the strees off the lines and also keep them up & out of the way.

As for getting the front end off the ground, that might be tricky as if you try to jack it up under the oil pan, it wants to lift the rear wheel.

So maybe you can roll the front onto a couple of 2X4s or something similar, then hang it from the rafters.

Personally I don't think I would last long without my front end stand. ;)

Thanks for the tips! I do have a rear paddock stand, but no front stand yet. I will add that to my list of Things to Put Me Further into Debt. But they're fun things, so that's ok.

Well if you have a rear stand it makes things easier. You can put it on that stand and use the jack to lift the front.

Though you do want to secure the bike to the rear stand ( using a tie down strap or something similar) before jacking it up as it will try to lift off the rear stand when you start picking it up....... or at least it did on mine.

Remember don't use that front stand by itself....