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Message started by Pswartz on 04/23/19 at 09:52:05

Title: Tire change
Post by Pswartz on 04/23/19 at 09:52:05

Hi All,
I need new tires. A buddy suggested that I buy them online and take my wheels off and take them and the new tires to shop to have them mounted/balanced.
My question is, what kind of stand should I use/make to hold the bike while I have the wheels off?
Or should I just take the bike to the shop and let them pull/replace?
I not a mechanic, but am mechanically inclined and do enjoy some degree of "DIY", but, if the risk out weighs the reward then I'm fine with someone else doing the work.
Thanks again for your input and suggestions.

Patrick

Title: Re: Tire change
Post by springman on 04/23/19 at 17:11:42

I've built a little wood stand that requires a good bit of muscle (my son) to get the bike up. I need to buy some sort of motorcycle lift. However, once you have the bike in the position where you can remove the tires it is quite simple to remove them both. The front tire is no sweat, extremely easy to remove and put back on. The rear tire is a bit more work to remove and a lot more work to reinstall (it is a pain in the backside if you are doing it on your own, not too bad if you have a helper). Probably the most difficult part once you have the tires back on is adjusting the belt just right so it is straight, not too tight and not too loose. I mark the belt adjuster on each side to indicate how it was before I take the rear tire off, but even then it might take 3 or 4 fine tuning tries before I am satisfied.

Title: Re: Tire change
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 04/23/19 at 17:38:16

I use a come along in the shop and make two trips.

Title: Re: Tire change
Post by Dave on 04/23/19 at 18:12:41

Patrick:

I change all my own tires - been doing it for nearly 50 years. I started with bicycle tires, then my dirt bikes....and eventually my street bikes.

I was lucky enough to get lessons on how to do it - I can't imagine trying to do it without having someone show you how to do it the first time. Even in this internet age with YouTube videos....it isn't the same as getting a hands on lesson.

Even after fifty years.....getting the tube in and valve stem through the hole is a challenge with the overly stiff modern tires.

You have any biker friends who would be willing to help you get the wheel on/off the first time?

Dave

Title: Re: Tire change
Post by Pswartz on 04/23/19 at 18:20:43

This may be more than I'm wanting to tackle for this go-round. Will probably just let the shop do it, they have the equipment/experience.
But you guys raise a new question ...

Tube or Tubeless? Or do I have a choice?
The bike has tubes on it right now.

Cheers!

Title: Re: Tire change
Post by springman on 04/23/19 at 18:37:33

No choice with stock rims. You need tubes.

Title: Re: Tire change
Post by springman on 04/23/19 at 18:38:06

Oh, and possibly a new rim strip.

Title: Re: Tire change
Post by Pswartz on 04/23/19 at 20:21:18

Well... guess it is back to the drawing board... I've only been looking at/for tubeless tires.
I was hoping to get away from tubes.
Looking through a bunch of the mod pics here I really like the GS550L wheels that some folks have used. I had an 81 GS550L and wouldn't mind finding another at some point.
At this point though I just want to get the bike on the road, so no major mods in the near future (other than adding a tach).

Title: Re: Tire change
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 04/23/19 at 20:34:38

Buy tubeless tire
Install
With tube

Title: Re: Tire change
Post by batman on 04/23/19 at 20:54:45

The early GS550L rims also require tubes.

Title: Re: Tire change
Post by Dave on 04/24/19 at 03:23:33

4371766066717F7F7166140 wrote:

Well... guess it is back to the drawing board... I've only been looking at/for tubeless tires.

Tubeless tires work with tubes.....and it may be impossible to find tubeless tires these days. They make tire tubeless so they can be used on both tube and tubeless rims.

If you only ride 1,000 miles a year - buy less expensive tires as they will get old and hard long before you wear out an expensive tire. If you ride 10,000 miles a year......then you will get your money out of a more expensive tire. Generally you can wear out 2 back tires for each front tire....so if you don't ride many miles the front tire is likely to be old before you wear the tread off it. Most folks don't like riding on tires that have been on the bike for more than 5 years....the rubber gets hard and doesn't stick to the pavement as well.

Here is a link to the new Tire Thread:
http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1448021014

Title: Re: Tire change
Post by cytocatlady on 04/29/19 at 06:27:19

4D767B6C7D716A6C777F726D1E0 wrote:

I was lucky enough to get lessons on how to do it - I can't imagine trying to do it without having someone show you how to do it the first time. Even in this internet age with YouTube videos....it isn't the same as getting a hands on lesson.

My hubs tried to do a tire change on Friday afternoon and it was terrible. We both watched a few videos and it seemed pretty straightforward. Not so much for us! There was so much cussing and sweating and frustration. After much scratching of the rim (even with the plastic rim shield doodads) and using all the brute force he had in him, he finally got the darn tire on the rim. He vowed to never try doing this again. In the end, we still had to take it to a tire place to get the thing inflated (no compressor at home). After seeing him go through all that, I have no confidence that I can do it for my bike.

Title: Re: Tire change
Post by ohiomoto on 04/29/19 at 06:41:01

Google "Zip Tie Tire Change" method. I'm not saying it's completely painless, but I think it helps with stiffer street tires.

Title: Re: Tire change
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 04/29/19 at 09:31:19

I do everything I can to not hire someone for anything.
I Pay for tire swaps.
Could I learn how to get the job done?
Maybe, but I have other things that need done, and a banged up body, so, I don't want to experience that learning curve just to save a few bucks a year..
If you're determined to learn, start on the front.

Title: Re: Tire change
Post by verslagen1 on 04/29/19 at 10:38:27

Regardless, the rear is a beotch. The front is easier by far.
Having tools will the rear possible w/o cursing... much.
The harbor freight stuff can be made adequate for the job.
But there are other ways to skin a cat.

Title: Re: Tire change
Post by zipidachimp on 05/02/19 at 02:10:36

My next rear tire will be a 130/90-15. The 140 is very heavy and wider than necessary. 8-)

Title: Re: Tire change
Post by Dave on 05/02/19 at 05:47:00

56455C45484D4F4445415C2C0 wrote:

My next rear tire will be a 130/90-15. The 140 is very heavy and wider than necessary. 8-)

I just read an article about the first Kawasaki Z1 (900cc) bikes. They were the start of the "superbike" era - they 542 pounds, 81 HP and could go over 130 mph. They ran a 3.25 -19 front tire and 4.00-18 rear tire....which is comparable to the modern metric sizing for a 90/90-19 front and 100/90-18 rear.

The wide tires on cruisers are more for styling than they are for performance...........although a big cushy back tire may help to make up for the limited suspension travel.

The only downside to the 130/90 tire is you can't get the high mileage Michelin Commander in that size.