install front wheel on FLSTSC

[gracie]

I am getting old and weak (79) and I am having nothing but trouble trying to thread the front axle through the rockers, the fender supports, the brake caliper mount, and all bushings, washers, spacers, etc. I've done this before but my memory fails me.  I have the service manual but it doesn't explain how to hold all those items with one hand  and maneuver every thing into alignment. I was wondering if someone had come up with a better procedure.

  Tomorrow, I'm going to build something to hold the wheel in position.  I bought a 5/8" X 10" bolt to insert in the left side.  I hope this will hold the various washers, fender supports, and spacers in line while I insert the axle from the opposite side.

If you hear a yell, it worked.  If you hear loud cursing followed by silence, I've driven the axle through one ear, through my head, and out the other.

[HogMike]

I am getting old and weak (79) and I am having nothing but trouble trying to thread the front axle through the rockers, the fender supports, the brake caliper mount, and all bushings, washers, spacers, etc. I've done this before but my memory fails me.  I have the service manual but it doesn't explain how to hold all those items with one hand  and maneuver every thing into alignment. I was wondering if someone had come up with a better procedure.

  Tomorrow, I'm going to build something to hold the wheel in position.  I bought a 5/8" X 10" bolt to insert in the left side.  I hope this will hold the various washers, fender supports, and spacers in line while I insert the axle from the opposite side.

If you hear a yell, it worked.  If you hear loud cursing followed by silence, I've driven the axle through one ear, through my head, and out the other.

I use my floor jack, put the tire in the saddle cup, Jack it up so all the holes line up and wiggle the axle through all the spacers, etc.

[Hossamania]

I do it the other way, lower the bike down to the wheel and install the axle.
A horse apiece.

[Coyote]

I do it the other way, lower the bike down to the wheel and install the axle.
A horse apiece.

Seems so obvious. 

[gracie]

"Old fart' update on wheel install.  I found this video from the "motor company" itself.

"Harley Davidson Heritage Springer FLSTS".  Found out that my fender struts were bent out of shape thus making it difficult to line up. 

I ride with a fellow who has a BMW offroad bike and we do as much off roading in the deserts of the western states as we can (we live in boringly flat Louisiana}.  I must have bent the fender on one of my spills.

P.S.  That springer is one heavy scooter to pick up.

[mkd]

 i owned an flsts for 14 yrs and i installed the front tire from left to right( with the front end facing me standing looking at the headlight) with the bike lifted by a craftsman jack and the tire supported by the pad of a floor jack. the hardest part for me was the right side spacer. the spacers on my 98 flsts were different thicknesses if my memory serves me right and had to go on the correct side of the whell so the brake rotor was in correct allignment . also  the strut allignment is very important and if it gets out of allignment too far the front brake linkage bolt that pivots on the left fork can get caught on the lip of the fender and tear a big hunk out of it. many take the bolt and alter the head by thining it so it has more clearance to the fender.

[JW113]

Gracie, I don't know what you're using to lift the bike, but I would highly recommend one of these:

[attach=0]

You can lift one end of the bike, and very carefully get the wheel off the ground until "just" barely touches the floor. Then pull the axle and remove wheel. To put the wheel back on, the holes should line up very close to slide the axle back in. You can use a large drift on the opposite side to align the other side of the fork/wheel. Makes it a cake walk job. Your bolt will probably work fine too, but it's nice having a point on the "alignment tool" to get things started.

-JW

[mkd]

what jim said! works really well! that's how i did mine however the whole bike was in the air and i shimmed the rear tire so the bike wasn't able to rock front to back while working on installing the wheel. made me less nervous about coming off the lift.