Changing my own tyres

[Strappy]

There are definitely savings to be made on tyres, either through buying part-worns or taking advantage of some of the deals that are out there (on this very forum too). However, when I spoke to my local tyre place, he wanted £25 to fit a front and £45 to fit a rear

As I've only ever changed tyres on a pushbike, I was wondering how easy it is to change them myself. I've seen bead breakers and tyre levers for sale on the usual websites, are those strictly necessary? How do I go about it?

TIA

[deviant]

I've only done a front on the DR, which is a bit away from your bike (21" tubed tyre), but here's a few comments....

- It's bastard hard work getting tyres on and off a rim. I'll be buying some longer tyre levers next time. So no you won't get away without levers at least. I squashed the tyre in a workmate in the absence of a bead breaker, but I'll say again, this is a 90/90 section tyre, so for something more conventional I think the extra leverage would help.

- I made a fairly token effort at balancing it (on the spindle/its own bearings), which doesn't really matter on a heavy bike with soft suspension that can't get past the ton. I have done a few hundred miles since and not noticed any undue vibration. However on a sports bike you would want to do it properly.

- I looked into the kit a while back, and I think £140ish gets you all the ABBA kit (bead braker and balancer plus odds and sods). My local tyre place has a big powered bead breaker but he still uses an ABBA balancer, so they are more than up to the job.

I'll be doing it again, at least on the DR and probably on the ZXR. But I'll either buy or make the proper tools for the job first.

BTW, find another tyre guy - my local chap fitted a pair of tyres I'd bought elsewhere to loose wheels for £25 the pair.

[Strappy]

BTW, find another tyre guy - my local chap fitted a pair of tyres I'd bought elsewhere to loose wheels for £25 the pair.

To be fair to him, he runs a wee garage in the middle of nowhere so I find it hard to begrudge the fella a living but those prices magically bring FWR prices up to what he charges for the tyres he sources himself.

Just thought it'd come in handy as the Road2CTs I've got on at the moment have plenty of life left and I fancy fitting some softer tyres for summer before putting the Roads back on when the weather turns again.

My neighbour fits his own tyres but that's to similar wheels to yours (he's got some old Guzzi 750cc thing) and to my knowledge he doesn't bother balancing them as he's not out to break any records on it. His tip of "jump on the tyre to break the bead" doesn't fill me with confidence for doing it to a 190 rear either!

[tootall]

Have used the patented "merc vito bead breaker" more than once in the paddock. Simply get a plank, place wheel on plank to protect it (a bit) get a mate to stand on the opposing edge of rim, slowly drive van over tyre, rotate wheel a bit, repeat. Hey presto bead breaking all done.

[gsxr renegade]

Have used the patented "merc vito bead breaker" more than once in the paddock. Simply get a plank, place wheel on plank to protect it (a bit) get a mate to stand on the opposing edge of rim, slowly drive van over tyre, rotate wheel a bit, repeat. Hey presto bead breaking all done.

Genius. Extra Pikey Points^TM if you don't use your own van.

[deviant]

I've seen pictures of someone changing the tube in the back tyre of a KTM Adventure on a motorway hard shoulder, using the sidestand of another bike as a bead breaker.

[rich7/12]

I've heard of a guy changing tyres at races using a spade to break the bead... viable option or urban myth??!...

[Strappy]

Had another thought, would I also need a compressor to blow the tyre up and seat it properly or would a garage forecourt machine do the job?

Am I really going to change tyres that often that it justifies this expense?

[thefatman]

Spade works fine, tyres are easy once you've done them a few times.

I use a wood vice to break my beads as its what i've got.

Curved tyres levers are much nicer to use than straight ones.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PAIR-OF-15%22-MOTORC...2QQcmdZViewItem

A set of plastic rim protectors if your worried about damaging the paint, otherwise a rag or nothing at all on an old wheel.

Car shampoo works well for helping the tyre on and off.

For balancing i've never really bothered, most tyres these days are so good that they hardly need any weight, and you only tend to feel it above about 100 anyway.

I will bring a spare wheel and tyre along to anglesey and you can have a go if you like

[gurninman]

I've heard of a guy changing tyres at races using a spade to break the bead... viable option or urban myth??!...

It is an option, but not that easy.

I used to use a gert G clamp to break the bead, but I now have a big ole hydraulic ram with a swivelly shoe on the end.Place a long bit of wood on top and brace against the garage roof joists - pump it a wee bit and the bead breaks in seconds (just after the joist starts to move)

Once the bead is brokeded, getting the tyre off the rim is a piece of piss, and getting the new one on is fairly easy too, especially if you leave it in the sun or in the airing cupboard overnight.

Then just pump it up to pop the bead (Gurus will tell you it can't be done with a footpump, but apart from one particularly stubborn tyre that needed 80 psi to seat the bead I always do it with one)

Then you just need to balance the wheel - again, simple if you're not fitting Avons in which case it takes forever because the carcass construction doesn't seem overly consistent and they need a lot of weight adding.

[thefatman]

Had another thought, would I also need a compressor to blow the tyre up and seat it properly or would a garage forecourt machine do the job?

Am I really going to change tyres that often that it justifies this expense?

Tyre levers and rim protectors will cost you £20, and will last the rest of you life.

You can make a bead breaker using that new welding set you've got! A nice little project to get started with

Not having to run down to a garage and wait for them to chip your wheels has to be worth it!

[deviant]

Then just pump it up to pop the bead (Gurus will tell you it can't be done with a footpump, but apart from one particularly stubborn tyre that needed 80 psi to seat the bead I always do it with one)

something I wondered - how far do you dare go in terms of pressure to get the bead to seat?

[Strappy]

Gurus will tell you it can't be done with a footpump, but apart from one particularly stubborn tyre that needed 80 psi to seat the bead I always do it with one

The track pump I use for my pushbike will happily stick 120psi in those tyres - might take longer due to volume but that's handy to know, thanks.

You can make a bead breaker using that new welding set you've got! A nice little project to get started with

Ah, erm, yeah, about that ...

[budda]

PM 2639 he's the man.

[addiction269]

thats way too much! m+m only charge me between 5 and 10 quid if i whip the wheels off and take them to him, thats balanced and everything. i think there was something in pb not so long ago about it that talked you through it, not sure when though?!

[porter_jamie]

http://www.btms.co.uk/

or buy your own machine - Mark @ btms is a proper bloke, raced the manx etc. he could probably sort you out with a second hand machine for sensible money - watch how you become very popular with motorcycle owning friends once you have one!!

[Number 6]

I've heard of a guy changing tyres at races using a spade to break the bead... viable option or urban myth??!...

It's what I use even on my Dymags.

[gregtrx]

Spade works fine, tyres are easy once you've done them a few times.

I use a wood vice to break my beads as its what i've got.

Curved tyres levers are much nicer to use than straight ones.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PAIR-OF-15%22-MOTORC...2QQcmdZViewItem

A set of plastic rim protectors if your worried about damaging the paint, otherwise a rag or nothing at all on an old wheel.

Car shampoo works well for helping the tyre on and off.

For balancing i've never really bothered, most tyres these days are so good that they hardly need any weight, and you only tend to feel it above about 100 anyway.

I will bring a spare wheel and tyre along to anglesey and you can have a go if you like

The man speaks the truth, I watched him fitting my new tyres and it didn't look too bad, practice is important. we did some balancing on my front, I've yet to see how effective it is but I won't be going fast a lot of the time anyway.

[lorenzo]

we did some balancing on my front,

I now have visions of thefatman standing aloft your tum, like a high-wire artiste!?

[2639]

Strappy

I've done quite a few tyres these last few years, say a hundred. I would suggest your being given an overly simple representation. Yes, once you have the knack it straight forward, physical, but straightforward. Until you have a knack it can be a bastard of the first order. Like everything that looks easy...

Part worn ex race tyres with suppler side walls nigh on fall on themselves with the knack. New cold road tyres onto rims with little well in them can make you wish there was a garage nearby. You wouldn't be the first person to damage a tyre beyond hope, if the tecnique is wrong, and your a.... erm... ham fisted fucker. Id practise with something that deosn't matter - a dead tyre from the local bike shop.

Pressure for seating - normally about 30 psi and wait for 2 pops as it goes over the retaining lip on the rim. Keep your fingers out the way. And eyeline. If its up to 50 psi I would suggest there is insufficient lube. Over 50-60, I'd reckon something is wrong, dont keep upping the pressure. I can see a footpump working sometimes if all works smoothly. But any kinks or nicks in the bead, damage or dent in the rim and you'll pump forever and not build any pressure.

If your doing a couple of tyres a year a 12v electric camp bed style compressor thingy will work fine. Take the inner out of the valves. If you get a compressor, learn about it, dont rot the inner out of the pressure vessel through never draining it. Don't take the piss with compressed gas.

If you've a welder make a bead braker. I will try a spade and the sidestand idea (it may come in handy oneday) soon, just to see. Maybe I'll borrow Morepower's carbon wheels... For guys who done this with a spade does it damage the sidewall at all? Any tips to know?

Part of the knack is getting, then keeping the part seated section of the tyre in the well of the rim. If you don't do this it wont work. Forcing it can damage the bead.

Don't overlook valves. Many of the home tyre changing lot never change the valve. Never known one to fail, but its not a bad idea to put a fresh one in every now and agin. Use good valve caps.

Put something under the wheel your working with. eg an old car tyre. This keeps the disks of the floor. An expensive mistake if bend them.

Use loads of lube. It makes it easier to get in it... er on

Balancing is easy. But writing the instructions is not - google for a pictorial wossname. Balance problems normally show up as a slight hopping feeling at 80 ish then builds to a violent shaking at 90, then goes away, only to repeat at 120 ish.

But... Clean rims. Use old weights to set it up, then replace with new. Gaffa tape over weights is doing nothing but keep the weight clean. Place weights on flat bit of rim, centripetal acceleration then throws the weight into the wheel preventing movement, slanty bit of rim and the weights can come off after a bit. Look for red or yellow dot on tyre, this is the manufacturers balance mark, it should align with the valve. There is a concentric line on tyres, if insufficnet pressure to seat rim tyres can sometimes seat wonkily, look at line as first check, bead break, lube and re-seat if this happens.

I would not recommend using angle grinders to cut a tyres bead. It works fine oh yes. Just need to chopout big access hole in treaded bit then care to not nick the rim. But it makes enough acrid white smoke to fill a mid sized industrial unit and empty every member of staff inside 90 seconds. The airstreram of the grinder propels the smoke away from the impatient eejit who didnt notice initially, but then had to carry on. The sofa in the office still niffs of burnt rubber

Hope that helps.

PS I've missed abit on how to get the worn tyre off the rim - you'll have to you tube it. Explanation made no sense verbally, sorry.

[Strappy]

Strappy

I've done quite a few tyres these last few years, say a hundred. I would suggest your being given an overly simple representation. Yes, once you have the knack it straight forward, physical, but straightforward. Until you have a knack it can be a bastard of the first order. Like everything that looks easy...

<snip loads of useful infomation>

Brilliant, thanks for all of that

Reckon I'll get the garage to change them ahead of Anglesey, keep the old tyres for later and look for a cheap wheel off ebay and some discards from the dealer to practice on before I start attacking the 'blade rims with a spade.

Thanks for all the responses.

[scwirral]

There are some useful demos of various techniques for tyre changing and balancing on you tube. Who'd have thought YouTube would have ever proved useful??