I really dislike the whole thing:

• There is the rear brake caliper that needs to be lined up to the brake disc, which slides around (floats)
• There is a spacer on both sides of the wheel that falls out easily as you are trying to lift the wheel into the position; if it touches the swingarm just so, on the floor it goes!
• There is the whole sprocket assembly that wants to fall off the wheel or gets out of alignment as the chain gets put on it and you move the wheel around
• There is a rear fender that basically sits right where I'd want to have my face to be able to lift the wheel upwards, while watching for all of the above, from the rear of the bike
• Finally, there is a rear axle, covered with grease, making my hands greasy in the process which then translates into grease on the brake disc

And oh yeah - all of this is with my bike jacked up pretty high (so the wheel fits in), being tied down to the jack of course, but still giving me that ever so wobbly feeling as I am lifting and pushing trying to get it all to line up just right.

I probably forgot some part of this enjoyable experience that is also annoying LOL. Sigh.

Anyone have tips on how to make this easier?

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09 WABS w. some farkles & teeth
Strom Squadron Member #5

The whole process seems to go a lot more smoothly if the axle is installed from the right side of the bike.

Take the rear bolt out of the rear caliper and rotate it up and out of the way. The ABS sensor should have come off to avoid damage when taking the wheel off. If not, take it off before re-installing. Make sure the caliper bracket slot fits on the tab in the swingarm. Use a piece of wood to raise the wheel up behind the swingarm. Hold the spacers in and roll the wheel forward until you can get the chain on. Align the axle holes in the wheel and swingarm. A tapered shim on the wood support is great for this. Put the axle in from the right. there is more stuff on that side and it's easier to get all of it supported early. Once the axle is in, push the caliper against the flat springs in the caliper holder to seat it and rotate it back down. Replace the caliper bolts and ABS sensor. Apply anti seize compound to the axle threads to prevent galling. If you use a torque wrench, set it to 58lb-ft to make up for the lubricity of the anti seize.

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Pat- 2007 DL650A was ridden to all 48 contiguous states. 2012 DL650A is just getting started.
Nicknames for posting ease on my part, Vee = all DL1000s. Wee = 2004-2011 DL650s. Glee = 2012+ DL650s

I feel your pain, plus my Vee has the added washer on the left side (part of a kit that supposedly fixes a minor misalignment). I've glued the washer to the spacer several times, but the furshlugginger thing just loves to drop out at the worst times. After years of riding shafties (easy five-minute two-handed process to remove/replace the rear wheel) going back to a chain drive bike was aggravating.

Anyway, using some sort of wedge to lift the wheel gradually and controllably really helps -- I've got some small rubber wheel chocks that work well for this, and I've also used a 1" X 4" piece of wood to lever the tire up.

Or, get a riding buddy to help. Might cost you a beer.

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2002 Suzuki DL1000 V-Strom, Dark Metallic Space Blue
1983 Suzuki GS850G, Cosmic Blue
2005 KLR650, Aztec Red - Turd II, the ReTurdening

Very helpful, thanks!

N.

As an aside, I nearly pushed my wee off the center stand last time I replaced a rear wheel. It rocked forward as I was pushing the wheel with one hand and holding the axle with the other. It nearly crossed the break over point where I would have had a bad day.


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Once you do it a few times, it becomes easier....


but yeah, there are a whole lot of things that have to line up just right.

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06 DL1000

Pretty much the same deal as every other chain drive bike I've owned. The ones with a drum brake were a little easier, since it usually stayed put pretty good and didn't need to be lined up with anything as you installed the wheel. For endurance racing wheel changes this is why some manufacturers developed single-sided swingarms (Honda, Ducati, etc), but a single-sided swingarm tends to add weight and cost compared to a standard swingarm of the same rigidity, and for most bikes tire changes are something that happens at most once or twice a year.

1200LB DOUBLE HOOK COME-ALONG CABLE WINCH PULLER on eBay! lift bike with hand winch. works ok for me.

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fuelly link: http://www.fuelly.com/driver/jbw/dl1000

At first I wanted to say "y'all are kidding, right"? Then I remembered that I have loads of experience removing and re-installing the rear wheel, so I may be a little hasty in my thoughts.
It's is all about preparing for the install before executing.

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2012 DL1000 Adventure (Tinkerbell)
PC-V, TRE, CR8EIX plugs, Madstad bracket, Madstad 22" shield, Fork brace, 17/43 gearing, Airhawks, Chinese mirrors, mirror extenders, RDL.