rear tire on a 03 road king

tattoobiker21

got a flat tonite and was wondering how to take off the rear tire to have it replaced.can't drive it to dealer figured i'd take it off myself.when looking at it the axle bolt looks like it loosens from the right side.there is a slipplate on both sides of swing arm .i guess thats what i'll call it .how easy is it to take apart and then to readjust after new tire is replaced.any help would be great ty

glider

Not difficult at all.
Put the bike on a lift but only lift it enough to steady it.
Loosen the adjusters about 3-4 full turns evenly on both sides so the alignment stays fairly straight.
Remove the right muffler so you can get the axle out or disconnect the shocks so the swing arm drops down to remove the axle.

Remove the cotter pin in the castellated nut, break the nut loose and remove it.
Slide the axle out now. Sometimes it takes a bit of coaxing, don't damage the threads. Once the axle is out, jack the lift up a bit and guide the wheel out after removing the belt off the rear pulley.

After the tire is replaced, reverse this procedure and carefully guide the wheel between the brake pads. You may have to pry them apart a bit here.
Hang the belt over the pulley and guide the wheel up and into place by lowering the lift very slowly. It's easier with two people here.

Slide the axle back in after applying some never seize to it and replace the nut and torque it down after you readjust the belt tensioners the same amount that you loosened them up in the beginning. Check the tension out with a gauge now before locking things up.
Install new cotter key and reinstall the muffler/shock bolts depending on which one you removed.

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