the last major thing I needed for my 84 Nighthawk was new tires. I ordered them online and took them, along with my wheels, to my local motorcycle shop for installation. I also asked for new wheel bearings as the old ones were a little notchy.
During the wheel removal process..I had bike on center stand and wood blocking under motor...removed front wheel with no problem...removed rear wheel and I must have bumped it just enough to start it rolling forward. With the massive front weigh bias the bike did the unthinkable...and rolled off the center stand, off the wood and onto the floor. It was staying fairly upright but I wedged some 2x4 wood under the exhaust to keep it from tipping. I then put some tires around it to keep it from falling. This thing weighs 400+ pounds, without wheels. My first thought was 'holy sh*t..how am I ever going to get this back up?
Fast forward 2 weeks and I have my wheels back from the dealer with the new tires installed. A nice chunk of aluminum was missing from my front wheel and my rear wheel hub had a nice ding in it (likely from the wheel bearing removal/install??).. The damage was clearly not there prior to the wheel install but I have no proof..it's a 40 year old bike...it still sucks, though. Makes me rethink learning how to do my own tires.
Yesterday I had 2 buddies come over to help me lift the bike back on the center stand. The 3 of us didn't even budge it! I called a 4th guy and we lifted it right up and onto the center stand, easily, on the first try. I got the wood blocking back under and then got the front wheel on, which is the key to keeping it upright.
Installed my wheels today, new petcock, and put it all back together. Can't wait to ride it with the new rubber on. Total cost of new tires, wheel bearings and installation was...gulp.. about $775. Still a little bitter about the wheel damage...but unfortunately it is almost to be expected. Oh, well, ready to ride!