Tire changing help

[kgadley01]

The saga continutes ...

Okay, time for the rear tire. Read the owners manual, remove nut, slide out axel, "pull the wheel off towards the left swinging arm, then remove to the rear". Sounds easy. Nut, check, axel, check, pull wheel out, no check. First problem is the tire's too fat to slide between the brake shoes nad the "swinging" arm. To add to my greef, I have lugage racks, so no easy exit there. I figure that the fat tire problem is because the old tire is a 120/90 and not 4.00, maybe a littler wider I assume (more on this below). Well I don't really want to take off the lugage rack, it looks like it's really on there good. The read fender looks easy to take off. So off it comes. Oh, guess I have to take off the tail light too. No fight, curse and beg the rear tire out of there.

(...time passes...)

Okay the tire is out.

The tire doesn't look like it was made for this rim. the beads don't look right on the rim, too narrow. Pop off the first bead.

(...time passes...)

Okay first bead off, now the second one.

(...time passes..........................................................)

(Tradionalists are suggested to look away)

Screw this, I've proved that I can do this when I did the front tire. Out comes the jig saw.

(Seconds pass)

Tire off.

New tire on, first bead, no problem, stuff the tube in, wider tire, more room, valve slips right in Put a little air in the tube. Go grab the tire levers for the second bead. Look at rim tape on table. RIM TAPE Pull out tube AND stem. Put on rim tape. Tube, stem (easy again ). Second bead.

(...a little time passes...)

Ask wife for help holding the tire down while I lever. No problem now. Tires done.

Okay, balance it and put it back on the bike.

You don't need to hear the long story of how I couldn't get the wheel back on. Short version....

The new tire is too wide to fit back in between the swing arm and the brake shoes. I litterly took a baseball bat a hit the tire from the rear to drive it "home". I know I have to be doing something wrong.
Can someone explain?

When taking off the wheel I must have knocked the top brake shoe off it's pivot point. It moved just enough so the brake drum wouldn't go on. Once I figured this out the wheel slipped right on. Game over. Fender back on. Put away the tools a nd out for a quick spin around the block.

So will I do it again (using only tire levers)? No. This ate up a big part of my weekend. I know each time I'd get faster, but I've got beter things to do. I'm glad I did it because now I know I can do this on the side of the road (given time). The next time I'm investing in a Harbour Frieght tire changer and a Mojolever.

To those of you out there that only use levers,

I would have loved to be a Fly on the wall to watch all this...LOL

 

[JeffMunn]

The saga continutes ...

To those of you out there that only use levers,

Not to beat a dead horse here, but I learned to change tires from an 80+ year old rider (Gene Walker of Virginia). If a guy that old who was all of 5' nothing and 120 lbs could do it with only two 10" tire irons, I had to learn.

First, use lots of lube, even on removal. You'll be amazed how much it helps.

One tire iron and a large rubber mallet does wonders to pop the second edge of the tire off the rim.

C-clamps or wood clamps often help keep the bead on the opposite side down into the deep well.

Always work the opposite side of the wheel with the tire iron, while using your thigh to keep the closer edge of the tire pushed down into the deep well in the middle.

Finally, if you are sweating and grunting, you are doing something wrong. Back off and calm down. You can bend older rims with too much force, especially if you use a mogambis tire iron for extra leverage.

Don't worry, it does get easier the more you do it.

If anyone lives around Richmond, Virginia and wants to learn, I'd be happy to host a tire plugging and changing session at my place. I've got plenty of old tires to work with.

This is a great thread. Lots of good advice here.

 

[20715]

After years of using just the two irons that come in the tool kit, I splurged $10 plus a little shipping and bought a couple of 15" tire irons off e-bay that make the job much easier. I just leave them in the saddle bag.

 

[47512]

I have changed all of my motorcycle tires over the years, about 50 years now. Alittle tire lube, and a decent set of tire irons are a must, WD40 works good but real tire lube works beter. When working with tube type tires, a couple of tips, put alittle air in the tube so it will take some shape, not alot but so it's no longer flat. I use tire talac, but any talcom powder will work, put some on your hands and coat the tube with powder, this will make the tube slide around inside the tire much easyer. Assuming you have delt with rim locks, and rim tape, road bikes don't use rim locks any more, put the portion of the tube with the stem in the area by the hole in the rim, use a tire iron to pry up on the bead that is allready on the rim, this will give you alittle more room to work with the stem, once in the hole thread the nut on two or three turns, tuck the rest of the tube in the tire, now make shure your stem is straight in the hole, alittle tire lube and you can work some the tire on by hand start at the stem, push the stem down in the hole so the bead does not catch it, I hold the bead in place with my knee and work around the rim. tip, don't go over 90 degrees to the rim with your irons because you can pinch the tube, just go slow and get another bite. I use a thick piece of leather as a rim protector, but the plastic ones work as well. For home tire changing a 5 gal paint bucket will get you and your wheel up off the floor and give you alittle more working room. A 5 or 6 gal bucket is big enough to fit most brake disc. I use a old automotive gear oil barrel for a tire stand, for me it is the ideal working hight, split some rubber hose and put it around the rim to protect the spokes. These little barrels are discarded when empty so they are around. Use a big C clamp to break the bead on a stuck bead, and more tire lube helps them to come off beter. alittle practice and this a 15 to 20 minute job including rim clean up.

Ken G.

 

[subagon]

I would have loved to be a Fly on the wall to watch all this...LOL

If I had filmed it I would have won the Oscar for best comedy

 

[kgadley01]

well I guess the word has got out on my $ 25.00 tire changing. A guy just brought me two to do tomorrow, and a friend of his has two he needs done as soon as he can get them removed. I guess they don't want to pay the extra $ 10.00 I charge for removeable and replacement. LOL Oh well it gives me something to do plus gas money.

 

[paulfinney2]

Pieces of old garden hose make good rim protectors. Shaped right.
Loosening the rear bolt on the luggage rack should give you room to pull tire out.

 

[ccolwell]

1) There was a recent blurb in, I think, Cycle World about a tool that lifts the tire to install the valve stem and rim locks.

2) http://www.nomartirechanger.com/video/showcase has good videos on tire changing. They are selling their products, but the videos are still good.

 

[kgadley01]

that no-mar setup looks good. I changed two tires yesterday, and I have three to do tomorrow. I may take a look at the Harbor Frieght setup also.

 

[JANMILLER]

Tube type tires, always a good idea to inflate the tube just enough so it takes shape, prevents it getting caught under the beads, or helps anyway.

Stem, I used to carry a plastic tube I could push over the threads after inserting it from the outside, which would allow it to be guided to the hole. IF it didn't pull off, worked most of the time....

I got to where I could fix a tube on the side of the road without pulling the wheel, just broke the bead enough to be able to pull out the area of the tube with the puncture. Used those 'burn on' patches with the tin cup and lightable material, a clamp made for them. Carried a small square of plywood to put on the other side. Clean, peel, clamp, light.. stand back.... stuff back in, lever bead over, inflate TEDIOUSLY with a bicycle pump. Ugly, but beats walking to town....

I have not had to patch a tubeless tire yet.. How lucky is THAT.... Sure my day is coming... Knock, knock...

 

[keelerb]

Those are good suggestions Jan, thanks. The "plastic tube" in particular will be helpful to me I think.

I wouldn't worry about tubeless tires these days - if you have those "gummy worm" type of sealers and an air source, you should have no problems. It's the bloody tubes (and getting the wheels on and off, without a stand, especially bikes w/o centerstands - an abomination, in my view (but I don't run offroad)) that's the problem with most bikes.

Thanks again! - BrianK

 

[ccolwell]

that no-mar setup looks good. I changed two tires yesterday, and I have three to do tomorrow. I may take a look at the Harbor Frieght setup also.

I have the Harbour Freight stand with Marc Parnes rim blocks. It makes changing tube tires much easier. I also have the No-Mar mount-dismount bar for tubeless tires. I'm sure the no-mar changer is better, but it's also about $400 more expensive. Meanwhile, three more tire changes and the set up I have now has paid for itself.

 

[146128]

stem through the rim

There have been lots of great info, so I thought that I would input:

put some hair around it!!

 

[skyrider]

http://w6rec.com/duane/bmw/tire/index.htm
Cut a shampoo bottle or oil bottle into strips and place between the tire iron and rim as a rim protector.

Now were talking, I've been using oil and especially gas conditioner bottles with with the bottoms cut off as funnels.

Cutting the material into strips for protectors, well, that is the next level!

Cheers

 

[Manfred]

I discovered a very good CBMMA solution to getting my rear tire & wheel out of the back of R80RT. The saddlebag mounts prevent the wheel from being cocked to either side and the rear fender interferes with any pulling the wheel out. The bike needs to be up in the air to provide more clearance! I made a wooden bracket for my motorcycle jack, but only succeeded in raising the front end.

Then it hit me.

I positioned my bike so the rear wheel would hang out past the garage floor, over the driveway, which is about 1.5" lower than the garage. Then I put a 2x6 where the center stand would land, on the garage floor. This raised the bike and lowered the floor enough for the deflated tire & wheel to be easily removed and re-installed.

Simple, easy, free.

 

[jpeck]

Mojolever/Mojoblocks

I started out changing tires with tire irons and rim protectors. It can be done, but takes lots of muscle. Several years ago I acquired a Harbor Freight changer, which was a big improvment, but still took a lot of muscle. After a time, I only used the changer to hold the wheel and used levers to keep from making so many marks on my wheels.

I recently added a Mojolever and Mojoblocks. I'd seen the Nomar demonstrations at rally's, but the price seemed pretty steep to change a couple of tires a year. At $130, the Mojo solution seemed like it was worth a try.

Today I changed my first tire with the new setup - the rear tire on my R1150R, which is a pretty big, pretty stiff piece of radial rubber. The Mojoblocks did a nice job holding the rim securely without any damage. The Mojolever worked exactly as advertised and greatly exceeded my expectations. I never had to use more than one hand to move the lever, and the old tire slipped off the rim so easily that I was almost giggling. Installing the new tire was the same, and no (new) marks on my rims.

The Mojolever and Mojoblocks work and are a great buy, especially if you already have the Harbor Freight changer.

John Peck
Maple City, Mi

02 R1150RA
93 K75SA

 

[jforgo]

Removing wheel

Seems a lot harder with the drum than disc rear brake. I couldn't get the wheel out from the R65. I got the bottom of the wheel as far to the rear and left as possible. Then I tilted the bike to the right on the centerstand with my body, pulling slightly back on the lift handle so it wouldn't go forward on the stand. Then I reached down with my right hand, and slipped the wheel out. Assembly is reverse, of course.
Maybe this looked scary?

 

[lkchris]

The bike needs to be up in the air to provide more clearance! ... I positioned my bike so the rear wheel would hang out past the garage floor, over the driveway, which is about 1.5" lower than the garage.

You're getting close, but so far I think no one has mentioned the traditional way to work with rear tire, which is to do it with the FRONT wheel removed and bike tilted forward on centerstand so it rests on bottoms of forks.

An again "traditional" step in this process is to use your belt to tie front exhaust crossover to centerstand crossbar to keep the bike in this position while you work.

I think I've never changed a rear tire on my RS doing it any other way.