It must be me .... it couldn't be the way the front axle is designed! I don't know whether the fork design of the Sport causes this, or if it is a somewhat common problem across the BNS12 lineup. Or maybe it's just me.
I have owned the 1200 Sport since April 2010, and have always taken my wheels and old tires to a small shop to have new rubber mounted.
And since Day One, I have had difficulty getting the front axle to slide thru the left and right fork legs. I am attempting to remount my new tire (#7), and had to leave the garage after 45 minutes of cursing anyone and everyone who had anything to do with the design of the front spindle. It would have been such a simple matter to have added another 1/4" to the length of the spindle, so that first, it would align in one fork, then with a few more taps of the rubber mallet, align on the other fork.
But no ..... the spindle must be in perfect alignment with the left and right fork legs mounting holes before the damned thing will start to slide into place. The planets must be in perfect alignment!
Question ..... does Guzzi offer some kind of alignment jig that holds the spindle in place so that replacing the front wheel doesn't become so damned frustrating?
I've had this thing go in on the first attempt. However, more often than not, it is a hit or miss thing requiring slightly more patience than I have at the moment.
UPDATE: After taking a deep breath, I took a slightly different approach to aligning the wheel and fork legs. The bike is resting on the center stand with scissor jacks under final drive and engine sump. I placed a couple of pieces of wood under the front tire so I wouldn't have to lower the front so much, then, with microscopic turns of the scissors jack under the sump, I lowered the front forks until they appeared to align the spindle with the holes in the forks. Viola! Right through the fork legs just like it was made to do that! I still find it very fiddly, and it could have been designed better.
