Taking these wheels apart and putting them back together is another lesson in "how to make things hard to work with." For example: That central spider [holding whatever "works" are associated with the specific wheel] is fitted very closely and really demands that the valve be removed first, and a new valve not be installed until after the spider is in place.

HOWEVER! Having said that, you can do an R-&-R with the valve in place. You have to do it forcefully but gently to avoid ruining the valve-stem seal. Oh yeah - I did say forcefully, no?

Force applied [either removing or replacing the wheel center] has to be done without damaging the center aluminum casting or bending those cute little ears on the wheel rim.

Both of my 1984 wheels demanded a 26 ounce ball-peen hammer [force], and a hardwood dowel [gentle.] A great idea is a work table with adjustable clamping to hold the wheel while you WHOP it - - -

- - - - Gently.

- - - - - - - But forcefully.

Some WD-40 helps.

Already re-assembled here, there's one of the "drive shoulders" on the spider casting.

Do not - do not - under any circumstances strike the sheet-metal "ears" on the rim, nor should you dare to use a driving implement harder than the aluminum casting.

As an old [literally and figuratively!] gunsmith, I suggest hardwood dowels for these jobs.

This may show the clamping arrangement and the tooling more clearly, but the angle of the driving dowel is not correct because I couldn't simultaneously hold it and the camera. It needs to be tangential to the rim circumference.

Be sure to align the clearance notch for the valve before starting to assemble the wheel!

You may be fortunate enough to own an impact wrench - I don't - so tightening the three retaining bolts is another job demanding a clamping table to allow both hands to use wrenches. Even so, I will check those bolts several times after short rides to be sure thay are really secure.

If you are working alone, you are going to have a tough time installing the front wheel. The clearance between the forks and the wheel assembly (Wheel, brake, axle and right side spacer) is less than a millimeter, and you must keep the brake mechanism properly aligned while inserting the axle.

I was able to get help from my son-in-law (who returned from a grocery trip at just the right moment.) If you don't have a helper, I think a "fake axle" slightly smaller in diameter than the real axle, inserted from the left side, will help you keep everything in place until the axle can be shoved through from the right side.

While the front wheel was off, I decided to see if I could find a "Pivot Arm Cover" -- one was missing. This is one of those things that no one needs, but I dislike the "farm machinery" look of the bare suspension.

I found a couple of them on eBay for about $20 total and took a chance that they were okay. My original is at the top, one of the new-purchases at the bottom.

After washing with alcohol, I used the same rattle can to paint them "silver."

And here's the result.

They look pretty good. I'll try to find a couple of "Honda" logo decals to replace the faded ones I've painted over.

The original metallic decals were not available [locally - I didn't shop the Internet for them] I found these at my nearby dealership.

They cost $1.50 each - which I feel is a rip-off, making you advertise for Honda at your own expense.

Even so, they had to be trimmed to fit using one of the "spare" pivot arm covers I had bought.

The finished cover looks pretty good. This left side cover came on the scooter originally.

The right side cover has a slightly different internal configuration, and I was concerned about that -- as it turns out, it fit okay without any modification.

That's the new tire -- a Michelin, purchased from Southern Powersports who also mounted it at no charge! They boast of being the largest volume Honda dealer in America and they are enormous! Nonetheless, their staff seems friendly, helpful, and obliging. I can't say the same for Chattanooga's other Honda motorcycle dealership.

When this photo was taken the covers had been in place for about 15 or 20 miles of 40 to 60 mph travel, so there doesn't seem to be any problem with the "new" one staying in place.

A lucky happenstance -- I had a few "nut drivers" among my tools and one of them fit the little metric screw that holds the covers. Otherwise, that screw would be very difficult to reach.