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I wondering if anyone out there can explain to me the best way to remove the front tire of an '85 Honda Rebel without messing up the disc brakes. I think taking the wheel off will be fairly easy but am I supposed to expand the brake once the wheel is being put back on? How should I do that? are there any other steps or cautions I can take to prevent damage or creating more work for myself. Is this a job a beggoner bike mechanic can do? Thanks! - B.B.

Get yourself a service manual. Clymers, etc. and the manual for your bike. There should be instructions in either/both for how to remove the wheel.

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After you remove the wheel shove a piece of carboard or plywood into the gap created by the brake pads. This will keep them from closing up if someone grabs the lever and squeezes by accident.

If you have trouble fitting the wheel back on (I always do). Remove the brake caliper from the front forks, and hang it from the handlebars with a bit of wire. Install the front wheel, then put the caliper back in place after you've removed the cardboard.

While fitting the disc into the caliper you need to be careful to make sure that you are actually fitting the disc into the gap between them, I cannot think of an easy wayto explain it, other then watch them closely.

So long as you do not depress the lever while there is nothing in between the brake pads you should be able to pull them apart (if they get moved) simply by getting the tip of your finger in between them and pulling/spreading. Depressing the lever and adding pressure to the system is a surefire way to make yourself cry inside. Hence the need for cardboard or plywood between them while the wheel is not in place.

If this in't a good enough explanation let me know.

Not sure about a honda specifically, but my rotor slips in and out 'relatively' easily with maybe a little tapping to get it back in--as long as you don't operate the brake with the rotor out..to be honest you should just be able to work and wiggle the rotor back in.....also, you could take a pair of small needle nosed pliers and carefully open them up in the the gap to compress the piston(s), just do it easily so you don't mess up the pad surface

This is me being curious but what will happen if you do squeeze the lever when the wheel has been taken off? Why is it so bad?I'm always tempted to do things like this just to find out what happens, as I'm curious person by nature. Please don't answer by saying the lever operates the breaks either.

The piston shoves the pads together nice and tight. At which point the correct way to get the pads apart is to remove the brake fluid alleviating the pressure you just put on them. Then pry them apart, add new brake fluid and bleed the air out. A long process.

You can try the needlenose pliers, or even a spreader, but that's assuming you get get it in between. And you run the risk of either damaging the pads, OR not spreading them evenly. This should self correct, but I know of at least one router that was destroyed as a result of attempting to spread pads incorrectly.

You shouldn't have to spread the pads in any event because you blocked them off with cardboard.

And wiggling it back in is usually pretty easy, but it depends on the model of bike, some have annoying spacers that fall out at the drop of a hat and on and on. I've jsut gotten to the point where the caliper comes off with the wheel.

It's even worse with dual discs, because you need to line up 2 spaces, an axle and 4 brake pads. With very very very little clearance.