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Thread: New tires and maintenance

  1. #1
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    New tires and maintenance

    I'm getting some new tires installed and will be replacing wheel bearings while the wheels are off. I will do a proper cleaning in all off the hard to reach spots. Is there any other maintenance that I should do as a precaution or look at while I have the wheels off and doing a good deep clean?

    Bike is a 2008 XT and mileage around 24k miles.

    Thanks in advance for any advice/help.

  2. #2
    Senior Member BuellyBagger's Avatar
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    Check brake system over. Maybe flush the brake fluid. I've been doing that on every used bike I buy as a precaution. Check the bearing on your belt idler.

    I find a thorough cleaning helps you notice problems.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Cooter's Avatar
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    100% all of this great advise ^^^^

  4. #4
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    Thank you for the advice. I will keep those things in mind.
    I believe the brake fluid was flushed and replaced about 2000miles ago. Brake pads were also done. But it doesn't hurt doing it again to make sure it's all good.
    I've had the motorcycle for about 6months now and I'm slowly getting into little maintenance tasks to keep it running strong.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Barrett's Avatar
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    Sir: At the 24K mile mark, you want to closely check the following for wear and end-of-service-life appearances.
    1-Like Cody mentioned...check the running surface area of the belt idler pulley for noticeable wear and give it a spin and listen and feel for harshness in the bearings. They are very easy to replace and I have the cross-reference part #'s if needed.
    2-I always remove the pie-pan front rotor when installing new tires. Gives you the opportunity to clean and inspect rotor hardware, clean out the spring locator holes in the wheel itself, and clean up the rotor bushings. Contrary to Service Manual jibberish, you do NOT have to replace rotor bolts when doing an R&R.
    3-Carefully inspect both wheel spacer tubes. Look for noticeable signs of gouging and wear on each end. Clean thoroughly then roll each spacer on a perfectly flat surface like piece of glass. Will immediately tell you if it is out-of-round from ham-fisted over-torquing of the axle. Put a very light coating of grease on the OD of each axle and the OD of each tube, then reinstall each wheel. Use the torque specs and tightening sequence specifically described in the Service Manual.
    4-Also a good time to remove the front plastic belt pulley cover...clean entire area...clean pulley...inspect for any trans fluid leaks and condition of neutral safety switch plug.
    Last edited by Barrett; 02-11-2022 at 02:08 PM.

  6. #6
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    Thanks a million. These are the things I would've missed otherwise.

    Appreciate the input and I'll reach out if I need the part#.

  7. #7
    Senior Member 34nineteen's Avatar
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    Make sure to read the brake reservoir cap and use the brake fluid specified. Don't assume.


    sHuT Up CoOtEr!!!

  8. #8
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    Thank you I'll be sure to use the correct brake fluid.

  9. #9
    Senior Member 34nineteen's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by andrewnel View Post
    Thank you I'll be sure to use the correct brake fluid.
    I only mention that because recently a forum member (one of those know-it-all but doesn't blowhards) filled a DOT 5 brake system with DOT 4. Some people need to spend more time reading the f*cking manual rather than patting themselves on the back continuously.

    You may want to just buy new wheel spacers and consider it part of the service. Nothing worse than having the bike is a million pieces with the bearings knocked out to find you have a boogered up spacer, which you wont know until the bearings are out. Then the bike needs to sit in limbo for about a week for the parts to arrive from St. Paul or wherever you get them from.

    Reusing a questionable spacer can lead to drastically reduced bearing life, regardless of the brand/quality of bearings used.

    My $0.02

  10. #10
    Senior Member pdksh's Avatar
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    Yes, when you try to remove the wheels and the previous owner torqued them down to 200+ ft-lbs and you need a 4 ft breaker bar to loosen the axle. Stop, order wheel bearings and inner wheel spacers... Never Fails!!! I had a "buell" trained mechanic tork my rear axle to RIDICUOULS once when I had to get a tire change while touring.

    Personal Pet Peeve...

    50 ft-lbs rear wheel and 45 ft-lbs front wheel. The front axle pinch bolts also have a very low torque requirement, don't know off the top of my head but look it up...



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