December 28 2015

BMW F800GS front tire removal and install

2015 BMW F800GS maintenance

FRONT WHEEL

Removing the rear wheel on a BMW F800GS is child play, removing and re-installing the front wheel is a little more challenging but not by much, BMW claims this task can be performed on the road and I believe it is actually possible even if you are not a mechanic. The removal and installation can be done with very few tools (see tools list below) and in a bind, if you are brave enough, you can attempt to leave the ABS sensor in place. Unfortunately no matter what, at least one of the brake calipers need to be removed since the space between the two of them is not wide enough for the wheel to slide out.

2015 BMW F800GS As I said before, the BMW F800GS is a remarkable machine and what makes it such a great adventure bike is it’s simplicity, if you have a decent tool kit you can repaire almost anything on the road, and the best part is that it will not void the warranty. That said I’m a firm believer that once you get back to civilization you should have the work checked by a professional, especially if you are not sure of your mechanical skills or if you messed around with a safety item like the brake caliper, at the very least make sure that the axle and the caliper bolts are torqued down to spec.

In the video I’m replacing the Pirelli Scorpion trail that come as OEM equipment with a Continental TKC80, which is more suitable for off-road and at the same time not terrible on the road. Since I’m not in the bushes I opted for removing the wheel myself but have a professional replace the tire and balance it properly, knobby tires vibrate enough on their own and I don’t need the extra vibration given by an unbalanced tire.

New tires on BMW F800GS

Since you have the wheel off the bike, there are a few little tasks you might want to take care of at this time, check for warped rotors and brake pad wear, bent spokes or rims, make sure that the bearings are lubricated and spinn smoothly and that the seals are not cracked, this may take an extra 5 minutes but it will save you time and headaches in the long run.
When everything is said and done, only took about 15 minutes for the removal and 15 minutes for the installation of the BMW F800GS front wheel, if you account for the time to raise the bike and do those extra little checks, it might take 45 minutes total, not bad, and you just saved a little bit of money too.
Now for those words in the video that got lost in translation……Most of the times when I say “tire” I really mean “wheel” and when I say “disk” I really mean “rotor”. I hope this will help at least a little bit and remember, if you are in the bush you might want to put down a tarp and get cracking!!!

Thanks for watching.
Continental Twinduro TKC80-Dual Sport Front Tire – 90/90-21 02471440000