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General Category >> Technical Documents/Reference >> How to change a tire
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Message started by Oldfeller on 06/24/09 at 15:56:42

Title: How to change a tire
Post by Oldfeller on 06/24/09 at 15:56:42

The internet has several good pictorial and video resources on how to change your own motorcycle tires.

Best Advice to a newbie: Buy yourself a good set of tire irons (several different lengths) and use lots of liquid dish washing soap as your mounting lubricant. Use a large "C" clamp to break the bead on your old tire, it's easy and you already own the tool. Have a friend handy as a second set of hands is often needed on a stubborn tire.

Be careful never to exceed like 60-70 lbs of air pressure when first inflating (popping) the bead on to the rim -- if it won't go, deflate the tire and loosen and relubricate the bead with more liquid soap.
THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE -- DON'T EXCEED 60-70 psi AIR PRESSURE !!!

If you have a section of bead that just will not pop on to the rim, then GREASE that small section of rim with bearing grease (just grease the small stubborn part, the rest of the ungreased bead will grip the rim during acel/decel until the grease can be completely absorbed by the tire's rubber compound)

PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO SCUDMAN -- HE HAS GOOD COMMON SENSE
Using basic hand tools and not much else (#1 of the SCUDMAN how-to instruction series)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pfp2Z9k0n0&feature=PlayList&p=BFD70FC8864BFBE0&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=11

pictorial version
http://www.clarity.net/~adam/tire-changing.html

series of short videos from the Brits
http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_523_change-motorcycle-tires.html

Title: Re: How to change a motorcycle tire
Post by AngloSaxon on 06/25/09 at 12:24:11

606D776E6776637066020 wrote:

I don't see how you guys change tires with just irons without pinching and popping the tube.. looks easy on TV but.. :-/

To avoid pinching the tube you need to add enough air so that the tube sits up in the tire, that way as the bead is mounted it also pushes the tube out of the way. Also, try not to use tire irons to mount the tire. You should be able to mount it by standing on the wall of the tire.