Back Wheel Removal Angst

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R18 100

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In order to change the rear wheel, we have to remove both exhausts first. Reason being the exhaust pipe blocks pulling out the loooong axle bolt.

Even though I like the look of the exhaust that came on the anniversary R18, It occurred to me that a narrower or shorter pipe would be quite practical actually.

Does any one know of a 3rd party exhaust that would be either shorter or narrower?

I successfully changed the back wheel but the pull and wiggle, wiggle and pull on the exhaust tube was exhausting (no pun intended).

If I ever get a flat on that back tire, I will wish I had pursued a 3rd party exhaust.
 
R18 100 said:
In order to change the rear wheel, we have to remove both exhausts first. Reason being the exhaust pipe blocks pulling out the loooong axle bolt.

Even though I like the look of the exhaust that came on the anniversary R18, It occurred to me that a narrower or shorter pipe would be quite practical actually.

Does any one know of a 3rd party exhaust that would be either shorter or narrower?

I successfully changed the back wheel but the pull and wiggle, wiggle and pull on the exhaust tube was exhausting (no pun intended).

If I ever get a flat on that back tire, I will wish I had pursued a 3rd party exhaust.
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I have 2021 Classic (tubed and spoked wheel). I echo this and I have been exploring going tubeless from this very experience. Once you have flat tyre, it is almost impossible to move this heavy bike. When I had a flat tyre due to a nail, 2 tyre shops and a bike mechanic refused to take this job. They said it is a lot of work to remove the exhausts and they don't have tools for it. I then had to go to BMW motorrad and even they did not have a spare tube. Even they took over 4 hours to fix my tyre.

There are quite a few aftermarket slip-ons, once installed, will expose axle bolt. Pro-race slip-ons is one of them. Aliexpress has a knock off of the same. There are videos online of the sound if you want to know what they sound like. Removing fishtails also sheds about 20kgs off of R18 ;)

I still like the fishtail and not a fan of loud exhausts. So still exploring alloy wheels and tubeless option. BMW ones are pretty expensive and alternatives are equally expensive(found a custom shop in UK, but shipping to Australia makes it even more expensive).
 
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MilwDave said:
I little silicone sprayed on the bushings goes a long way in loosening the mufflers.
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Yes Dave, absolutely +1 on that ... I bought a bottle of this stuff ... I don't really care for aerosol sprays ... too uncontrolled IMO ... this stuff is thick and has a nice tube to get it where i need it. I also use it for the switches (the actuators not the contacts) and for the throttle twist grip.
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It wasn't really made for bikes .. but it works for me ;)
 
R18 100 said:
In order to change the rear wheel, we have to remove both exhausts first. Reason being the exhaust pipe blocks pulling out the loooong axle bolt.

Even though I like the look of the exhaust that came on the anniversary R18, It occurred to me that a narrower or shorter pipe would be quite practical actually.

Does any one know of a 3rd party exhaust that would be either shorter or narrower?

I successfully changed the back wheel but the pull and wiggle, wiggle and pull on the exhaust tube was exhausting (no pun intended).

If I ever get a flat on that back tire, I will wish I had pursued a 3rd party exhaust.
Click to expand...
Scott I posted below last Monday under General Discussion. Each fishtail can now be removed in less than <3-4 minutes...loosen the circlip and pull the fishtail off easy!

"Suggest it is a good idea for whatever future reason you may need to remove the fishtails. Especially on the right side on my bike. The rubber grommets on mine had dried somewhat and I had a devil of a time once the circlip was loosened; trying to pull the 2 fishtail male thingamajiggies out of their respective rubber grommet brackets! I finally squirted some PB Blaster, let it soak into the grommets for a couple of hours. Then clean and lube and reassemble. Tighten circlip to 18 ft.lbs. Might save some time and frustration in the future if a need occurred."

If you just want to replace the mufflers.....not a problem. I just wanted to keep the bike original.
 
I don't get what the big deal is about pulling the mufflers off. It takes a 13mm - or something just as common - deep well socket to release the clamp and a a couple torx screws for the covers.

The calipers use the inverted torx/12 point bolt thingies. I figured those would be the issue more than anything else but I don't understand why any shop would skip such common/modern tools.

I can swap my drilled out classic mufflers for my set of shorties and back again in minutes. Just lube the damn exhaust hangers.
 
1911tex said:
Scott I posted below last Monday under General Discussion. Each fishtail can now be removed in less than <3-4 minutes...loosen the circlip and pull the fishtail off easy!

"Suggest it is a good idea for whatever future reason you may need to remove the fishtails. Especially on the right side on my bike. The rubber grommets on mine had dried somewhat and I had a devil of a time once the circlip was loosened; trying to pull the 2 fishtail male thingamajiggies out of their respective rubber grommet brackets! I finally squirted some PB Blaster, let it soak into the grommets for a couple of hours. Then clean and lube and reassemble. Tighten circlip to 18 ft.lbs. Might save some time and frustration in the future if a need occurred."

If you just want to replace the mufflers.....not a problem. I just wanted to keep the bike original.
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I wanted to give removing the exhaust a go. Not too hard to be honest. Once you remove the bracket, a little knock with a rubber mallet & firm pull got it out! This was an opportunity to clean and polish the insides. It did have a lot of asphalt & road grime. So here are the two fishes out their natural habitat :p

Exhausts.jpg


The exhaust/muffler supports are another thing. I couldn't remove the two screws! Too tight, or too much factory locktite :confused: they wouldn't budge & was afraid I would end up rounding themSupports.jpg..
 
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