Done - Rear Tire Replacement on my 2020 RT!

[BamaJohn]

Note: This is NOT intended as instructional, but only how one guy was able to do this job on a budget. I have no affiliation with any product used.
I'm not casting aspersions toward dealers, I just need to do as much maintenance as possible on my rides.
Ok, enough on that......


After 9800 miles, my OEM Kenda rear tire was down to the wear bars, and I didn't like the way it rode or wore, so bought a General Altimax RT43 215/60R15 for $119.95 + local tax. A local auto tire shop exchanged the tires for $15, and the job of removal/reinstall of the wheel was done in my carport. A local Spyder shop quoted $300 to mount my tire, so doing it myself paid for half the Big Blue lift.

Points to ponder:
The Easy Rider Big Blue lift allowed me to get the Spyder high enough that the following was achieved:
Did NOT have to remove the rear shock bolt;
Did NOT have to touch the alignment adjusters, so no belt alignment or tension required;
Did NOT have to remove the rear fender flap;
DID remove the muffler;
After breaking loose the rear axle nut, and removing the axle bolt, I was able to raise the Spyder enough to slide the tire out on the left side.

I had read of some having trouble with the rubber dampeners in the wheel but I sprayed them with silicone spray and had no issue with them or the sprocket going in place...guess I was lucky.

The learning curve of a first-time job took some extra time, but the next rear tire change will be done much more efficiently.

Note: I had a friend help with the reinstall for a couple of hours, and getting 166 ft lb of torque on the axle nut took all I had! The "click" of the torque wrench was a welcomed sound!
Note 2: A tool to rotate the brake piston inward is needed to gain clearance for the pads to slide over the rotor. I had no such tool, so sacrificed a small pair of locking needle-nose pliers by grinding down the jaws to fit the holes in the brake piston....worked fine in a pinch, but I suspect BajaRon's tool would be better!