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Who Else Changes Their Own Tires?

Wheel weights

Over the years I have saved a bunch of genuine factory weights, which take care of my spoked wheels. For the stick-on weights, you might want to develop a relationship with your local car tire store. My friends at Discount Tires are always willing to give me enough weights to do a couple of wheels.
 
How about a picture with a little write up on how you use it?
TIA
OM

Here are the requested photos of my home-made balance stand.

The first photo shows the stand with a bolt-on hub for the BMW four bolt pattern used on Classic K bike and Oilhead rear wheels. That is a replica machined for me 25 years ago by Mike Jones at Engle Motors in Kansas City. That is a /7 Airhead axle I use with this hub.

The second photo shows the stand with an axle and hub for an F800S rear wheel from Marc Parnes. (http://marcparnes.com/).

For front wheels and the rear wheels with axles like our G310GSs I use the axle taken off with the wheel.

The third photo shows a closer view of the rollers the axles roll on. They are patio screen door rollers I bought 20 years ago for $2.39 a pair.

To use, the wheel and axle assembly is set on the rollers and the wheel/tire is allowed to rotate so the heavy spot is down. Then I attach a weight with tape opposite the heavy spot and rotate the wheel so the weight is at the 9:00 or 3:00 position and see what happens. Once I have the correct weight(s) in position so that the wheel no longer rotates I then affix the weights to the wheel rim. It takes one or two tries usually to get the weight right.

If it is a new weight it has adhesive affixed. But I do re-use weights which I attach with 3M Weatherstrip Adhesive.
 

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Fishing Weights

For spoked wheels you can use fishing weights. The kind that you crimp on you line. They go up to an ounce in small increments. You will need to take a drill the same size as your spokes and open up the hole that is already there. Then squeeze it with pliers around your spoke.
 
For spoked wheels you can use fishing weights. The kind that you crimp on you line. They go up to an ounce in small increments. You will need to take a drill the same size as your spokes and open up the hole that is already there. Then squeeze it with pliers around your spoke.

Thanks Daz, that had occured to me, if the line type fishing weights could be used. I've got lots of them. Thanks again.
 
I've done mine for years, first with a Harbour Frieght with the mods noted above. Now I have one from tirxmoto.com. It works well with practice and the wall mount saves space in my one car garage.
 
For spoked wheels you can use fishing weights. The kind that you crimp on you line. They go up to an ounce in small increments. You will need to take a drill the same size as your spokes and open up the hole that is already there. Then squeeze it with pliers around your spoke.

Hang on to those lead fishing weights, they are already illegal here in Mass. No lead shot either.
 
Hang on to those lead fishing weights, they are already illegal here in Mass. No lead shot either.
Here in Ca. they are probably NLA as well, I haven't tried to buy any in a very long time. I'm pertty sure lead shot is gone, so it stands to reason that lead fishing weights are too.
 
Here in Ca. they are probably NLA as well, I haven't tried to buy any in a very long time. I'm pertty sure lead shot is gone, so it stands to reason that lead fishing weights are too.

Probably a bad idea to chuck lead in the water. :)

Anyway, had a NoMar for 6 or 7 years now. I bought the Classic package and added the adjustable rim clamps for the old bikes and GSs. It readily breaks the most recalcitrant bead. The magic lube stuff is effective at letting the bar slide and the tire come over the rim.

I bolted mine to the garage floor.

It’s all about technique, so expect to get better. Their videos are terrific. Take your iPad to the garage.

Worth every penny. Would buy again.

Pneumatic next time, I think. But not in this garage.
 
A box of stick on weights is only about $15. You can get then at a good auto parts store, or Amazon. I bought a box 15 years ago and will never run out. For the $15 it was worth it to have them handy when I need them.
 
Changing my tires old school

I lay the wheel between two pieces of wood, take a 6' iron pike and lay it as close to the bead as possible and then drive my car slowly up the pike. The weight of the car tire breaks the bead. I back up, flip the MC wheel over and break the other bead. Did this last week on my K100.
 
tires

This thread should be called "sweatin' and cursin'". As a teenager I worked in a service station that did tires. Pneumatic bead breakers and professional grade tools made the job tolerable. Quite a few years later, a Harbor Freight tire changer and some "slime" lubricant made Airhead tire changes something most guys could attempt, but get into the smaller and heftier K bike and Oilhead tires with TPS and other do-dads, you're better off going to the dealer. At least then you can go away and have a beer, come back pay the 50 bucks, know that it's done right and they haven't bugg**ed up your TPS, axle bolts or rim paint.
 
I lay the wheel between two pieces of wood, take a 6' iron pike and lay it as close to the bead as possible and then drive my car slowly up the pike. The weight of the car tire breaks the bead. I back up, flip the MC wheel over and break the other bead.

That's one thing that a changer like the NoMar has bragging rights to. The bead breaker pops beads loose effortlessly. I've also done ATV tires with the changer, and it made me grin at how easy it was.

But, that all came with a price too. You found a workaround that obviously worked for you for a lot less money. :thumb

I found this old photo, pre-Nomar days, my wife took this photo after asking me why the heck I was drilling a hole in the neighbors tree stump. (It was actually on our lot line so I figured I had dibs). You do whatcha gotta do:

i-m3DGt7m-X2.jpg
 
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I have always used these, hand screw clamps, the jaws can be adjusted out of parallel and one, or sometimes two, I pinch the tire right at the bead, and it just comes easily off the rim and since they are made from wood, maple or beech usually, they won't damage the rim. Use what you got.


Screenshot 2020-11-23 at 18.10.48.png
 
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Depends On Type Of Rim

On a wire spoked wheel, just about anything can be used to break the rim off of the bead, including wooden clamps, boot heels, etc.. But on a snowflake mag it takes a lot of force; I used to use the foot of my Studebaker's bumper jack, with a 2x4 laced on the bottom side so as not to injure the wheel surface. The jack's foot was about 6" x 6", and would get right up to the edge of the rim and slip under when force was applied. Have not yet tried to break down the newer, tubeless tire on the 1995 RT yet, but pretty sure it can't be any worse than a Snowflake mag. I have the Harbor Freight tire changer now, with bead breaker, which has no problem with any rim.
 
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