When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
i'm kinda handy and have a manual, but a lil scared...i need to replace my rotors...how hard is it to take off the front wheel, yeah yeah, real easy...but putting it back frightens me...like keeping it straight?...or should i just pay my indy a few bucks?
It is very easy. Just read the manual and verify which way the grooves go on the spacers. They changed for 08 but I think the grooves are bearing side for 03, not sure.
You also might want to pick up an "impact driver", it's a tool that you can put a 3/8" socket on. You hold it with one hand twisting it in the direction you want the bolt to turn. Then you strike it with a hammer and it impacts the bolt while turning it slightly. That way the allen socket won't slip out and booger up the bolt. They work real well and no bikers tool box should be without one.
(1) When you pull out the axle, keep the spacers in order. They are not interchangeable. Mark one or the other (or both) "L" or "R" with a sharpie. Also, keep them oriented the same direction.
(2) A trick for removing the rotor bolts...heat them up with a heat gun (not too close) or a hairdryer (close). They have some serious locktite on them! You might need a breaker bar.
(3) When re-installing the wheel, use the drill bit trick (just search for it on here). Basically, line up the fork with the inside of the 5/8" hole in the axle (on the right side). You'll have to slightly pull the fork leg away from the wheel...The easiest thing to do is just mark it before you begin. Put it back where it was. No problem.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.