Akrapovic slip-on muffler question

[JaimeC]

This question may seem as though it is coming from way out in left field but:

With this muffler installed, is it still necessary to move it out of the way to remove the rear wheel?

 

[wotte]

It attaches to the same mounting point as the stock silencer.

 

[JaimeC]

That I know. What I don't know is if it is as wide as the stock silencer. The stock silencer is so wide you can't get the tire out unless you swing it out of the way. From the photos the Akrapovic doesn't LOOK as hefty, but looks in photos can be deceiving.

 

[Snowdog]

I have moved my muffler to get the tire off and it wasn't a big deal . I guess if you got a lot of flat tires it would be of concern or if you were doing endurance racing and had a pit crew. A little easier then taking it all the way off. Not moving it would be better. How many flats are you expecting?
When I was in high school I worked in a tire shop, the record for flat tires, for one car in a day, was three. (that I saw) Funny, it was a Jaguar and it had knock off hubs. It would seem like knock off hubs would make changing the tires faster, but, the splines were always so dirty and corroded (New England weather) that it was always a battle to get the wheels off. Oh, and then the spokes, these wheels invariably had, were usually loose. Sorry for the digression.

 

[Snowdog]

You know even talking about flats is bad karma. In a couple of days we will have a "How many flats did you get today" thread.

 

[JaimeC]

We just changed the rear tire for the first time on Wednesday when I got back from Rochester. Prior to this, the dealer did the work. What a BITCH that rear tire is! The front was a lot easier. We even bent a tire iron trying to get the new tire onto the wheel. There doesn't seem to be as much "relief area" in the center of the rear wheel as on the front. ANYTHING to make changing the rear tire easier is welcome. The TMAX has the exact same tires and those went on and off like a breeze.

 

[exavid]

I haven't changed the tire on a rim for a good while since there's a shop nearby that does it cheaply. As far as removing the rear wheel on the GT it's a breeze. Other than the lug bolts it's three screws and loosening the muffler clamp screw and voila! Swinging the muffler out and back in was simple and easy.

In the past I've used a bumper jack to break the bead on tires. Put the tire on the ground under the bumper or trailer hitch on a vehicle and then with the foot pad of the jack on the tire close to the rim just jack up the vehicle a bit. You can do that in two or three places, flip the tire over and repeat if necessary. Wedging a strip of wood between the bead and rim can keep the bead in the drop center of the rim. Getting the new tire on is always an adventure. Real tire lube works better than soapy water.

 

[JaimeC]

Getting the tire off wasn't that hard. We bent the tire irons trying to get the new one on. That only happened with one other bike; changing the MASSIVE rear tire of a Triumph Rocket III.

 

[TN_Sooner]

My friend that changes my tires has the same problem. The rear tire is a bitch to get mounted.

 

[Snowdog]

I haven't tried it, but, there are videos on you tube where the tire is bound with a lot of wire ties to bring the beads together for mounting or removing the tire.
Here is one video, there are lots of them. The tire in this one looks reasonably flexible, and the job looks easy. Most of the other video's, the job looks a little harder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6WPzRRJLpA

 

[Snowdog]

Jamie, did you use full size irons, or "motorcycle" irons?

 

[JaimeC]

Jamie, did you use full size irons, or "motorcycle" irons?

I'm afraid I don't know. The No-Mar system is at my friend's house and he bought everything himself. I helped pay for the thing so I get my tires changed for free.

 

[Snowdog]

I bent some MC irons doing tires on my SW. Does the No Marr have a post in the middle to lever against?

 

[JaimeC]

I bent some MC irons doing tires on my SW. Does the No Marr have a post in the middle to lever against?

Yes it does. And I really hate this forum software that forces me to add additional verbiage because "yes" isn't enough letters.