Tire Change, Part III

Changing your own rubber

You can save a lot of money by taking your wheels in for tire changes, rather than the whole bike, but some shops are reluctant to change out tires that they did not sell, and many of those that do get a hefty charge for change labor since they can't make anything off tire sales. Some shops change the rubber for free if you buy the tires there, but they charge considerably more for tires than you can find them at other places (nothing is free).

Whether or not it's wise to invest in tire changing tools will depend a lot on how often you need to do that kind of work, and what your time is worth to you. You can spend a lot of money on professional tooling, or you can go with low budget Harbor Freight type stuff. It all works, but the more you spend on tools, the easier the job gets. That being said, it ain't a HARD job even with just very basic tools.

In my own experience, by purchasing a set of tires online, on sale and with free shipping, I saved enough on ONE 2-tire change to pay for my Harbor Freight changer, motorcycle adapter. We own two bikes and my wife and I go through tires pretty regular, so on the next tire change, I will save enough to pay for my No-Mar upgrade tire bar, lubricants and a tire spoon (lever). After that, I'm coasting my way through tire savings!

I want to take this opportunity to thank my friend "Hamshog" for allowing me to use his photos from a recent tire change that he did on a Harbor Freight changer. He prefers not to use the top cage that comes with the motorcycle adapter, and prefers not to use the tire bar on the final bead, so his technique may vary from some others that you will see. You just have to go with what works best for you. There are other sites online as well that will guide you along the process, and we'll link a couple of them here as well. Hamshog runs tubed tires, but the procedure for tubeless is the same, just without the tube.

Tools recommended:

Harbor Freight or equivalent tire changer with motorcycle adapter.
One or two Tire spoons
Tire & Wheel Lube (paste and spray)
Valve Core Tool
Ratcheting Tie-down Straps


Harbor Freight Changer

First order of business it to break loose the bead on the old tire. Use the bead pusher attachment on the changer and the tire bar for leverage.

Place a length of 2x4 under the backside of the wheel so the rotor doesn't rest on the floor. Work the bead down with the pusher on both sides of the tire.

Use soapy water or tire lube to help with the process.


Break the Beads

Next,  secure the wheel to the changer platform as per instructions with the changer. To avoid damaging your chrome or polished rims, use strips of plastic, or leather between the rim and the clamping blocks, or coat them well ahead of time with liquid plastic coating.

The Harbor Freight wheel blocks are not high enough to permit wheel mounting without first removing the drive belt pulley from the rear wheel. However, with care, you can leave all brake rotors in place.


Secure the rim

Remove the top bead with the tire bar as per instructions with your changer. The flat end is for bead removal, and the "T" end is for bead installation.

After you insert the bar into the tire and lever the edge of the bead over the rim, hold the opposite end of the tire down in the middle of the rim while you pull the tire bar around the center pole.

Tire lubricant is your friend!!

Pulling the first bead off the rim with tire bar

If you run tubed tires, remove the tube and valve stem now.

Pull the tube

Now use your tire bar again to pull the lower bead off the top of the rim, following the same procedure as you did with the top.

Be VERY careful not to put any pressure on the brake rotor with the tire bar!! It WILL BEND!

Pull the bottom bead off

Any foreign (or domestic) matter or debris on the rim will set the stage for constant air loss later, so take the time to clean the rim with acetone or other strong cleaner.

Tire lubricant gel should be wiped around the rim and bead area prior to tire mounting.

Clean the rim

Most motorcycle tires are directional in tread pattern and are only supposed to be mounted one way. Make certain that you are not installing your tire backwards!

Look on the tire for the directional information and mount it accordingly.

Check the rotation!!

Push the tire's lower bead as far onto the rim as you can, and hold it there while you insert the mounting "T" end of the tire bar under the rim and over the bead, the push the bar around the center pole in the opposite direction that you used to remove it.

Mount the lower bead

For tubed tires, insert the tube now and secure the valve stem. Push the tube fully into the tire cavity and make sure that it is not twisted or kinked. Some people prefer to inflate the tube at this point to smooth it out, the deflate it again in preparation for mounting the second bead of the tire.
Mount the final bead on the rim by again, pushing as much of the bead on the rim by hand, then holding it into the center, deeper area of the wheel, while you use the tire bar to finish the job. Hamshog prefers to spoon the final bead on, probably in an effort to more carefully avoid damaging the tube. Use whatever technique you're comfortable with.

Final Bead

Air it up to specs and visually inspect the tire all the way around both sides of the rims to make sure that the bead is properly seated. If it is not properly seated, you may need to slightly over-inflate the tire to pop the bead uniformly in place. Do this carefully and don't use any more pressure than you absolutely have to!
 
Here's a Tubeless Tip from me. To help push the beads out to the bead seating area so the tire will take air, wrap a ratcheting tie-down strap around the circumference of the tire and cinch it down tightly to compress the tire, forcing the beads outward toward the edges of the rim.

If you still have an air leak somewhere and can't get the beads to seat, move the ratchet around to another part of the tire, and keep doing this until it takes air.

Strap the tire

Take an easy test ride and allow rainy-day braking distance until you are confident that your tires are scuffed in and your brake pads are properly seated.

Because my rims are chromed aluminum, they are more easily damaged by unprotected tire bars and spoons, so I upgraded my tire removal system with the purchase of a No-Mar tire bar. No-Mar Tire Changer.Com has some great tire changing tools and materials, as well as some awesome D-I-Y videos online at their site.

No Mar Bar

Click here to go to Fred Harmon's site for more tire changing pics and tips.

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