Removing the wheel
1. You will need a way of jacking up the front wheel of the motorcycle. You will need to be able to lift the front wheel at least two inches. If you do not have a motorcycle jack, you can use a trolley jack and a piece of wood, as shown here. With the motorcycle on the center stand, carefully position the lifting point of the jack in the centerline of the motorcycle, near the front. The wood should be sized so that it does not hit the exhaust, to ensure the motorcycle is being lifted by the engine case and/or frame, not the exhaust.

2. You may wish to remove the speedometer cable from the speedometer drive housing. To do so, loosen the screw and pull the cable to the rear. It is not necessary to do so - however, you can take the opportunity to lubricate the speedometer drive.

3. Remove the caliper bolt and caliper slider bolt from each brake caliper. Slide the caliper up and off the brake rotor.

4. Remove the bolt holding the speedometer cable stay to the left caliper bracket. Remove the stay.

5. Loosen the bolts holding the caliper mounting bracket on each side.

6. Remove the caliper mounting brackets on each side.

7. Loosen, but do not remove the axle holder nuts on the left side of the motorcycle.

8. On the right side of the motorcycle, examine the axle. Just inside the fork leg, you will see two flat spots on the axle.

9. Put a wrench on these flat spots. This will keep the axle from turning while removing the axle nut.

10. While holding the wrench on the axle on the right side of the motorcycle, loosen the axle nut on the left side of the motorcycle.

11. Remove the axle holder nuts, and the axle holder on both sides of the motorcycle. Lift the motorcycle slightly with the jack, to take the weight off the front wheel. Remove the axle nut. It consists of a sleeve with internal threads, that threads onto the end of the axle.

11. Lift the motorcycle to allow the speedometer drive to be pulled off the wheel hub, and off the axle.

12. Remove the front wheel from the motorcycle. Be extremely careful of the brake rotors - don't allow them to hit anything, and do not rest the wheel up against them.

13. Pull the axle out of the wheel from the right side of the wheel.

14. With a wrench holding the bolt head on the left side of the wheel, loosen and remove each of the brake rotor retaining nuts on the right side of the wheel. Remove both brake rotors from the wheel and set them aside on something soft.


15. Remove the spacer from the right side of the wheel.

Reinstalling the wheel
1. Install the bolts into the left brake rotor, and install the rotor onto the wheel.

2. Install the right brake rotor onto the wheel, and install the rotor nuts finger-tight. Begin snugging the nuts, skipping every other nut: There are five nuts. Looking at the nuts clockwise, tighten #1, then #3, then #5, then #2, then #4.

3. Finish tightening the nuts in the same pattern using a torque wrench set to 22 ft-lb.

4. Insert the spacer into the right hub.

5. Clean and lightly grease the axle.

6. Insert the axle into the right side of the wheel, through the spacer.

7. Position the wheel under the forks.

8. Lightly grease the speedometer drive.

9. Slide the speedometer drive over the axle. Ensure the tabs on the speedometer driver in the wheel match up with the slots in the speedometer drive.

10. Install the axle nut onto the axle, finger tight.

11. Hold the right side of the axle with a wrench so that the axle cannot rotate.

12. Using a torque wrench, tighten the axle nut to 42 ft-lb.

13. Rotate the speedometer drive to ensure the tab molded into the speedometer drive (red arrow) is behind the tab molded into the fork leg (blue arrow). This keeps the speedometer drive from rotating on its axis when the wheel turns.

14. Lower the motorcycle so that the fork legs are resting on the axle. Make sure the axle nut is flush against the fork leg.

15. Ensure the end of the axle on the right side is flush with the fork leg.

16. Install the axle holders. Note that each axle holder has an arrow and the letter "F" molded into it. Ensure the arrow points forward when installed.

17. Note that when installing the axle holder, the washer goes on first, followed by the split washer, followed by the nut.

18. Snug the front nut first, then the rear. Do not tighten them yet.

19. Install the brake caliper brackets on both sides.

20. Torque the caliper mount bolts to 25 ft-lb for 1980-1982, or 29 ft-lb (upper bolt) and 17 ft-lb (lower bolt) for 1983 models.

21. Insert a 0.7mm feeler in between the caliper mount and the rotor at several spots on both sides of the rotor, on both the left and right sides of the motorcycle. If there is binding, loosen the axle holder nuts and adjust the fork leg in or out as required, then snug the axle holder nuts again and re-check.

22. Torque the front axle holder nut, then the rear axle holder nut. Both should be torqued to 25 ft-lb for 1980-1982, or 16 ft-lb for 1983 models.

23. Reinstall the speedometer cable stay to the left caliper bracket.

24. Lubricate the caliper pivot bolt with high-temperature brake lubricant.

25. Reinstall both calipers. Torque the pivot bolts to 20 ft-lb, and the caliper bolts to 13 ft-lb for 1980-1981, or 17 ft-lb for 1982 and later models.

26. Squeeze the front brake and check for proper operation. For 1983 models, operate the rear brake as well.

27. Re-check clearance from the calipers and caliper brackets against the brake rotors.

28. Clean both sides of both rotors with brake cleaner, to remove any dirt or grease that may have accumulated.
