17” wheel swap

[MrMcTavish]

Earlier this year I made a video explaining how I swapped the rear wheel and swingarm of my bike. I just recently finished swapping the front to a 17” as well so I’ll put all the info in one place here. 
Rear wheel
This isn’t as helpful if you’re using the stock swing arm. I know a 5.5” wheel fits but I never checked it for chain alignment and caliper spacing. 
https://youtu.be/X8-ZlXAvmRc?is=7S_Iw0Z4hDjV_rsi

Front wheel is pretty straightforward. So I’ll just list the parts you need. 
-IIRC 2014-2020 MT09 front wheel
   -try to find one with rotors cuz buying them separate isn’t cheap. 
-(2)vmx 20mmx40mmx12mm non standard bearings
-a spacer for in between the bearings in the wheel
   -94mm length
   -20.1mm ID
   -I don’t recall the OD but it doesn’t have to be that big. I would consider putting a shoulder on one or both sides so the spacer doesn’t get too “lost” inside the wheel. 
    -included below is a picture of the stock mt09 bearing spacer. 
-(4) m8x1.25x40mm caliper bolts. I used Belmetric
*-(2) dust/oil seals 93102-25017-00
      *assuming you damage them 
      replacing the bearings like I did
-(4) caliper spacers 
     -16.6mm OD
     -8.4mm ID
     -5.7mm length
As to not confuse people who drive on the wrong side of the road, instead of passengers side/driver side, I’ll refer to brake lever side vs clutch lever side of the bike. 
-clutch lever side spacer
     -24.5mm OD
     -20.1mm ID
     -19.3mm length
-brake lever side 
     -28mm up against the fork
     -Stepped down to 24.5mm for the
       dust seal
     -20.1mm ID
     -22.45mm length

-remove old bearings from the wheel. If you don’t have a bearing puller, just use a flat head working around the bearing to evenly tap it out. 
-repeat for other bearing
-place bearings in the freezer for a while to allow them to shrink. Use a hair dryer or heat gun(careful of the paint with this option) to heat the area the bearing sits in. 
-find a socket that’s as close to the OD of the bearing as possible without being bigger.  When you tap it in, you don’t want to damage the races of the bearing. 
-take the bearing out of the freezer and quickly place it into the heated section and using the socket to tap it until seated. 
-BE SURE TO ADD THE BEARING SPACER BEFORE SEATING THE OTHER BEARING!!!! 
-repeat the bearing procedure for the other side. 
-You can probably use the same socket to seat the dust/oil seals. Put some grease on them before installing so they don’t tear. 
-assuming you got a wheel with good rotors, it should be ready for install. 
-front wheel removal is easiest with a front stand but some blocks under the frame should work. 
-(2) 12mm bolts hold on each caliper have to come out. Pull the calipers off and just let them dangle gently as to not scratch your wheel. 
-Loosen the (4) axle pinch bolts at the bottom of the forks (iirc they’re 6mm Allen)
-loosen the axel bolt by using a 17?mm Allen on the clutch lever side and a 22?mm socket on the bolt. 
-remove the bolt and slide the axle out. 
-if it’s dirty, clean and reapply a thin layer of grease
-slide the spacers into the seals of the wheel (the tire will be directional so verify which side is which)
-slide the axle back in through the forks and wheel. 
-slide calipers onto the rotors 
    If the rotors are thicker you may have to push the pistons back in to make this easier. Be sure to remove the master reservoir cover while you do this. 
-install the caliper spacer between the fork ears and the caliper and install the bolts. 
Torque specs:
Caliper bolts 23ftlb
Front axle bolt 44ftlb
Front axle pinch bolts 19ftlb

If you need new pads, this is a good time to replace them. Either way, make sure to bed the pads to the new rotors. Get to a nice quiet stretch of road and do 10x 30mph-5mph with light pressure then 10x 40mph-5mph using more pressure. Don’t come to a full stop while doing these. Ride around for a few minutes using as little front brake as possible. Some pads  may require more brake in after that. 

Yay!! That’s it.