Changing Motorcycle Tires

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Originally Posted By: gman2304
I used Dawn liquid when I was changing my tires. Nowadays I buy tires off the internet, remove wheels and tires from motorcycle, take wheels and tires to a dealer/shop, pay dealer/shop to mount and balance tires, drive home and mount wheels with new tires. I'm old, can't wrestle tire spoons like I used to, and haven't grown a third hand yet, so this works for me.
wink.gif


That is my plan as well. I debated doing the tire change myself, but after about 5 minutes of reading and watching videos, I said no thanks.
 
Most important thing - if you are forcing it, something is wrong. I use 6'' levers...if I can't get it on with ease with those, then it's too small for the rim.

One day I came to work and there was a CRF250 front rim in the tyre machine with the rim all buckled. It was a tough one, and the boss forced it on with our long car levers...and the rim collapsed. After we had the rim straightened, I said I'd do it...and it was no problem with a bit of patience and 6'' levers.
 
Yep, it is all about technique and lube. Tires can wear you out until you get the technique down. Once you get them figured out you will wonder why you struggled so hard before.
 
Originally Posted By: maverickfhs
Planning to change motorcycle tires.

Was wondering if anyone has any advice/tips/suggestions? I am planning to use dynabeads or Air BB's for balancing.

Any other tips for valve stems or tricks for putting a new tire on?

Thank you
smile.gif



Pay no mind to those who seem to think tire changing is some sort of dark art. It ain't rocket science.

From Amazon - Get a bag of 24" heavy duty cable ties, a tire balancer that consists of a rod and two cones, and stick on wheel weights. You can set the ends of the balancer on jack stands or chairs.

Get a jug of RuGlyde from NAPA. Anything wet will work to some degree, but nothing works as well as actual tire lube.

Put 8 cable ties equidistant around the tire and tighten them until the beads are touching. Lube the beads of the tire and the edge of the wheel and push the tire onto the wheel. If it doesn't go all the way on, just get as much as you can and let it sit about 30 seconds. It'll go then. Put the valve stem back in and bounce the tire around the entire circumference to start the bead, then use a compressor to seat it. Balance the wheel and reinstall. Mounting and balancing are covered thoroughly on Youtube.

Use a small screwdriver to open the locks on the cable ties and you can re-use them 10-15 times. You can buy everything for about the cost of paying the dealer to do two tires. Michelin tires will pretty much fall onto the wheel, while you will probably have to let Metzelers sit a little while to let the tension of the partially mounted tire and lube pull the off side completely into drop of the wheel. Everything else seems to fall somewhere between those two brands. I use tire irons to remove the old tire.

It really is that easy and you can't mess it up. As long as you hear two pops when you seat the bead, the tire is on.
 
Balancing seems pretty easy to me: Mount the wheel/tire on the bike with the brake calipers removed, then spin the wheel letting it spin down, adding weights so it seems balanced (doesn't stop at the same place each time, doesn't stop, and reverse direction). I'm certain a better job can be done with a machine, but it seems to work fine for me.

Also Ride-On seems to balance OK, at least in the back (where I might not really know the difference). I wish I could say the same for its performance as a tire sealant.

As far as using a 5-gallon bucket as a stand and placing the brake rotor inside. Great for dirt bikes and probably most rear wheels. Street bike front rotors, at least the bigger ones don't fit.
 
One more thing about balance. Typically you mount the tire dot where indicated (IIRC the tire dot usually represents the light spot, and is typically mounted by the valve stem). But if you know the wheel needs weight elsewhere (or checked its balance with no tire), you may be able to balance more easily and with less weight if you put the tire dot elsewhere.
 
Originally Posted By: SlipperyPete

Pay no mind to those who seem to think tire changing is some sort of dark art. It ain't rocket science.



It wasn't my intention to imply he couldn't do it. But I have seen a lot of wheels with chips, dents, and bent rotors, from people learning how to change tires on their formerly pristine wheels.

Hence my advice to learn the skill on a wheel you don't care about.

Most shops I know will mount and balance tires they sold, on wheels that are off the bike, for no additional charge.
 
And as you're leaned over in that sweeper, or working through the Tail at Deal's Gap take heart in your first time DIY tire mount and balance. What could go wrong?
 
Originally Posted By: AVB
Yep, it is all about technique and lube. Tires can wear you out until you get the technique down. Once you get them figured out you will wonder why you struggled so hard before.


That's exactly right, I removed front tire in literally less than 5 min. I know putting it on will not be difficult, provided tires are warm and there's enough tire lube.
 
Originally Posted By: SlipperyPete
Originally Posted By: maverickfhs
Planning to change motorcycle tires.

Was wondering if anyone has any advice/tips/suggestions? I am planning to use dynabeads or Air BB's for balancing.

Any other tips for valve stems or tricks for putting a new tire on?

Thank you
smile.gif



Pay no mind to those who seem to think tire changing is some sort of dark art. It ain't rocket science.

From Amazon - Get a bag of 24" heavy duty cable ties, a tire balancer that consists of a rod and two cones, and stick on wheel weights. You can set the ends of the balancer on jack stands or chairs.

Get a jug of RuGlyde from NAPA. Anything wet will work to some degree, but nothing works as well as actual tire lube.

Put 8 cable ties equidistant around the tire and tighten them until the beads are touching. Lube the beads of the tire and the edge of the wheel and push the tire onto the wheel. If it doesn't go all the way on, just get as much as you can and let it sit about 30 seconds. It'll go then. Put the valve stem back in and bounce the tire around the entire circumference to start the bead, then use a compressor to seat it. Balance the wheel and reinstall. Mounting and balancing are covered thoroughly on Youtube.

Use a small screwdriver to open the locks on the cable ties and you can re-use them 10-15 times. You can buy everything for about the cost of paying the dealer to do two tires. Michelin tires will pretty much fall onto the wheel, while you will probably have to let Metzelers sit a little while to let the tension of the partially mounted tire and lube pull the off side completely into drop of the wheel. Everything else seems to fall somewhere between those two brands. I use tire irons to remove the old tire.

It really is that easy and you can't mess it up. As long as you hear two pops when you seat the bead, the tire is on.


Thanks very much. I truly appreciate it. Yeah, I'll buy tire lube just because instead of paying for two tires I can literally get them done for a price one one and still use all tools/lube for as long as I wish. Thanks again for the advice.
 
Originally Posted By: David_g
One more thing about balance. Typically you mount the tire dot where indicated (IIRC the tire dot usually represents the light spot, and is typically mounted by the valve stem). But if you know the wheel needs weight elsewhere (or checked its balance with no tire), you may be able to balance more easily and with less weight if you put the tire dot elsewhere.


That's a good point, I'll check rough balance of tire on jack stands after aligning the mark with where tire has heaviest point(if other than valve stem)
 
Originally Posted By: 02SE
Originally Posted By: SlipperyPete

Pay no mind to those who seem to think tire changing is some sort of dark art. It ain't rocket science.



It wasn't my intention to imply he couldn't do it. But I have seen a lot of wheels with chips, dents, and bent rotors, from people learning how to change tires on their formerly pristine wheels.

Hence my advice to learn the skill on a wheel you don't care about.

Most shops I know will mount and balance tires they sold, on wheels that are off the bike, for no additional charge.


That's a good point. Chipped wheels and a bent rotor are the reasons I use cable ties to mount tires now instead of tire irons.
 
Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
And as you're leaned over in that sweeper, or working through the Tail at Deal's Gap take heart in your first time DIY tire mount and balance. What could go wrong?


What do you think could go wrong? In what way is it possible to mount or balance a tire that will lead to dire consequences?
 
Originally Posted By: SlipperyPete
Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
And as you're leaned over in that sweeper, or working through the Tail at Deal's Gap take heart in your first time DIY tire mount and balance. What could go wrong?


What do you think could go wrong? In what way is it possible to mount or balance a tire that will lead to dire consequences?


Uh...let me count the ways! Fasteners not torqued to spec, misalignment of the wheel, bead not seated properly, brake pads or caliper not installed correctly, belt/chain not adjusted correctly...etc. And I haven't even mentioned the shaft driven, or ABS equipped bikes.
 
Last edited:
PFFFFT. None of those things are going to be a problem for anyone with enough aptitude to remove a wheel. In fact, I submit someone would have to be a booger eating moron for anything you listed to be an issue. After all, those things are just basic maintenance. Anyone should be far more worried about trusting those things to a dealer mechanic than doing it themselves.
 
I recently replaced the tires on my SYM 150

When the new tires were on the rim and aired I slipped the rim over a piece of re-rod mounted horizontally in my shop vice. The re-rod is smaller than the axle shaft and the wheel/tire assy sat on it's own bearings.
Heavy spot went to the bottom and I taped weights on the top until it balanced. Stuck the weights in palce and installed the rims on the bike.
Bike runs smooth as butter !
 
I would happily use beads to balance...my wife's PC has them, and it is glass-smooth at any speeds. I have never mounted a bike tire...local shop mounts and balances free if you buy from them.
 
Just an update, I was able to install the tires without scratching or bending anything. There were no small nicks and all, but nothing catastrophic.

Both front and rear ones, used beads for balancing and learned on a lot. I think tires spoons are a lot more easier and fun than zip ties. Removal of tire was a piece of cake using furniture polish!

Use HF motorcycle bead breaker tool for breaking beads.

Thanks again all.
 
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