How to Remove Front Motorcycle Wheel Without a Stand?

Written by Joshua D. Mattie Reviewed by Editorial Team

Updated on June 30, 2023

How to Remove Front Motorcycle Wheel Without a Stand?

Motorcycle stands are designed to make your work easier when removing your motorcycle wheels for a tire change or fork repair. With a good stand, you can remove the wheel in minutes.

What if you need to remove the front wheel and don’t have a stand within reach? Is there an alternative method you can employ to safely and easily remove the motorcycle tire?

Sure! There are tricks you can use to get the job done.

Read on to learn how to remove your bike’s front wheel without a stand…

Table of Contents

Step 1. Get the front wheel off the ground

The main job of a motorcycle stand, in this case, would be to lift the front wheel off the ground and support it since you can’t remove it while it’s still on the ground.

In the absence of a stand, however, you’d want to look for other ways you can lift your bike’s front wheel off the ground and support for safe wheel removal.

Here are some suggestions on how to lift your bike:

Weigh it down: one way you can raise the front wheel off the ground is by raising the bike’s center stand and then putting some weighs on the rear seat. This helps shift the balance back and lift the front wheel. An alternative to this method involves strapping down the rear using a durable strap.
Using car jack: Another effective method involves using a car jack. In this trick, you simply place a wooden block under your bike’s side stand and then place the car jack on the other side. Forward the side stand to ensure the front wheel is well lifted off the ground. You can also use a rear motorcycle wheel chock to help prevent any motions when you hoist your bike, making it even more stable.
Lift your bike with ratchets: some experienced bikers also explain that hosting your bike from the ceiling can also safely raise the front wheel. However, make sure you use durable ratchets to suspend your bike to avoid the bike weight crashing you down. To avoid damaging your bike, consider attaching the straps near the swingarm pivot and the rear subframe. Then, attach the ratchets to the ceiling joists to suspend your motorcycle securely.
Lay it on its side: probably the easiest way to position your bike for easy wheel removal involves laying it on its side. However, this is a more suitable option if you have installed a full stunt cage on your bike, as shown in the video below.

Step 2. Unbolt the brake caliper

Once you have managed to remove the front wheel off the ground using one of the methods suggested in the previous step, you can now go ahead and unbolt the bolt caliper.

Start by locating the brake caliper of your motorcycle. When you find it, loosen the mounting bolt. Then, proceed to remove the other bolts holding your calipers in place—making sure to start from the bottom and work your way all the up.

And remember to firmly hold the caliper in your hand when removing the upper bolts holding it in place to prevent it from falling.

Step 3. Remove the axle

Removing the caliper will pave the way for easy removal of the axle. With the brake caliper out, loosen up the bike’s axle pinch bolts using a wrench.

Assuming your front wheel is adequately lifted off the ground, you can then slide off the axle.

When sliding out the axle, be on the lookout for wheel spacers. For starters, the spacers usually come in two sizes and will come off as you slide out the axle. Make sure you catch them before they hit the ground.

TIP: If you have difficulties removing the axle, you might consider using a block of wood to help punch it into hub. Pulling up the front wheel can also help you easily remove the axle by relieving the weight on it.

Whatever you do, DON’T punch your axle with a hammer or any metallic object. Doing so might end up damaging and forcing you to spend money on a new one.

You can also check out Biker Rights article on How to Strap a Motorcycle?

Step 4. Remove your front wheel

All that’s remaining now is to pull out the front wheel by simply lifting it off.

Check out this guide on 'The Benefit of Larger Wheels on a Motorcycle?' from Bikers Rights.

Final Verdict

Changing your motorcycle front wheel without a stand is entirely possible. You just need to get creative around your garage and come up with a way of lifting and stably supporting the front wheel off the ground to enable you to work on it easily.

The safest and most effective way of doing this job is by using a stand. So, we highly encourage you to invest in a motorcycle stand (see the best motorcycle stands) for easy future tire removals. The good thing about getting a quality stand is that it’s a one-time investment that lasts long and serves you for years.

Joshua D. Mattie

My motorbike addiction began with 50cc at 5 years old. I rode motocross as a teenager & into my 20's when I worked as a mechanic. This helped me to see the light—sportbikes & cruisers became a passion. Now I'm building BikersRights to be the #1 resource for everything on 2 wheels!