Changing Tires?

Been doing my own tire changes for years, I use 2 tire irons, 2 plastic rim protectors, some soap. For bead breaking I use a fork lift I have at my shop, but out of the shop I've used simply a long piece of metal bar or a piece of wood. Sounds very butcher like but I am very picky and never scratch my or anyone's rims. With lots of practice I can even do alot of tires that aren't hockey pucks with my bare hands and soap no irons at all
 
Diesel said:
Where can I buy a good set of tire levers locally?
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I got mines at Royal.

It definitely requires skill, i would rank it 8/10 for a DIY. U need practice & a bit of elbow grease.

I had to use 3 irons, maybe tire brands are different. My pirellis have a harder carcass

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3 tire irons, or 2 irons and a tire spoon, is ideal. Think of it as they pay for themselves just by doing your own tires once.

The first few sets of tires I did were more difficult, there's a couple tricks you pick up when doing it by hand that make it easier. I can go into detail but there's no need too unless someone has some tires ready to go.

At first the harder carcass made putting the tires on more difficult, but like Rockey said, once you have a couple tires under your belt it gets easier.

I can stick my gopro on my head and show the tricks I've learned, would look pretty amusing :D. A couple guys have already asked me to take their tires off so they can powdercoat their rims this winter. It's too bloody cold outside... will try to put it off until a few degrees above freezing... hopefully another 12+ degree weekend will come along :) If you end up doing your tires this spring let me know and I'll post some detailed pointers
 
KarGo said:
The best/ fast tire change I've seen is:
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The guy knows what he's doing, that is quick for almost no tools :)

The only thing you might want to change is using WD-40. It chemically attacks and destroys rubber, wouldn't want to spray it on the tire bead. Sunlight dish soap (water with alot of dish soap) and a small rag is the way too go, or at the very least use a silicone lube spray instead.
 
cjbenedict said:
3 tire irons, or 2 irons and a tire spoon, is ideal. Think of it as they pay for themselves just by doing your own tires once.

The first few sets of tires I did were more difficult, there's a couple tricks you pick up when doing it by hand that make it easier. I can go into detail but there's no need too unless someone has some tires ready to go.

At first the harder carcass made putting the tires on more difficult, but like Rockey said, once you have a couple tires under your belt it gets easier.

I can stick my gopro on my head and show the tricks I've learned, would look pretty amusing :D. A couple guys have already asked me to take their tires off so they can powdercoat their rims this winter. It's too bloody cold outside... will try to put it off until a few degrees above freezing... hopefully another 12+ degree weekend will come along :) If you end up doing your tires this spring let me know and I'll post some detailed pointers
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I vote for GoPro :D

I've seen people done it and go home and try it. For me its harder than it looks, and I;m a hands-on guy.

I need an old rim & old tire, get some practice :)
 
RockerGuy said:
I vote for GoPro :D

I've seen people done it and go home and try it. For me its harder than it looks, and I;m a hands-on guy.

I need an old rim & old tire, get some practice :)
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K, remind me when the weather gets up to 10 degrees and I'll toss on the gopro, will be amusing.
 
cjbenedict said:
The only thing you might want to change is using WD-40. It chemically attacks and destroys rubber, wouldn't want to spray it on the tire bead.
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That's odd. I prefer it for 2 reasons: turns rubber very sticky when dry preventing tire rotation at lower psi. Dissipates moisture preventing rusty innards. I don't like soapy water inside my wheels.
 
BNKN said:
That's odd. I prefer it for 2 reasons: turns rubber very sticky when dry preventing tire rotation at lower psi. Dissipates moisture preventing rusty innards. I don't like soapy water inside my wheels.
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Wd40 is basically dissolving tires, probably not good

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RockerGuy said:
Wd40 is basically dissolving tires, probably not good
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I'd really like to know how you have managed to dissolve a tire with WD40.I've used it for 35 years swapping tires.Everthing from modern dot track tires to snowblower tires.Never seen a tire come off with any ill effects.
 
I dont know about the disolving stuff but I wouldnt use it on bead simply because it is so slick. I would be concerned with spinning the tire on the wheel in hard acceleration/braking. I have always used a very mild solution of soap and water. VERY little soap.
 
kneedragger88 said:
I dont know about the disolving stuff but I wouldnt use it on bead simply because it is so slick. I would be concerned with spinning the tire on the wheel in hard acceleration/braking. I have always used a very mild solution of soap and water. VERY little soap.
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It's counter intuitive. Super tacky when dried. Experiment, you'll see.
 
BNKN said:
That's odd. I prefer it for 2 reasons: turns rubber very sticky when dry preventing tire rotation at lower psi. Dissipates moisture preventing rusty innards. I don't like soapy water inside my wheels.
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Personally I use Nomar Bead lube, it's expensive but I change alot of tires in the summer so it gets paid for, and it works better than soapy water.

It would take a long time for WD-40 to actually eat through a tire carcus to the point where you could actually see the damage. The average rider out there changes his tires every season or two, I'm sure that for the amount of WD-40 actually used it wouldn't affect the structure of the tires during their lifespan, but personally I'm avoiding things like that when I can.

Spray some rubber trim or a clean tire with WD-40. Let it sit for a few minutes then take a clean cloth and wipe it off. The black on the cloth isn't dirt, it's the top layer of the rubber.

Aluminum rims aren't going to rust from a bit of soapy water.

After a few thousand km's of riding the heat cycles of the air inside the tires will vaporize any water in the tires. That's probably why when you take out the air valve to change the tire the air that comes out is moist and a bit funky smelling.

Topping up the air in a tire will always add moisture to the inside of the rim, depending on the temperature and humidity. The only way around that is to fill 'em with nitrogen, and I'm not ****'in spending 10 bucks per tire to inflate them.

Motorcycle steel rims are usually chrome plated, it takes at 10-15+ years to start getting surface rust on the inside, I've changed enough tires, I've only changed rims from the 70's and early 80's that were getting good surface rust.

Spoke rims are not air tight, hence the tube. Thus they are not water tight, moisture will get inside the rim no matter what.

I ran R10's for a couple track days last season, I know two guys who ran track with them as well. The rear tire moved plenty on the rim, for one friend almost 6 inches. This didn't affect the performance of the tire, there was no vibration for them. A couple track friend's mentioned that when you get your tires changed at the track they don't usually bother to balance the rear tire, there's no point with the vibration of the chain and sprocket moving around in the cush drive. I would assume that balancing the rear is more for optimal tire wear, which is more important for street riding.

Go to any motorcycle shop, ask them what lube they use to change tires, chances are they will say Sunlight dish soap. Go to any car shop and ask them what lube they use to change tires, they will say Sunlight dish soap ;)
 
Wingboy said:
I'd really like to know how you have managed to dissolve a tire with WD40.I've used it for 35 years swapping tires.Everthing from modern dot track tires to snowblower tires.Never seen a tire come off with any ill effects.
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Not because you've been doing it for a long time there are not ill effects.

The rubber is oil based. WD40 is oil based; like dissolves like. Do what you will, but I would not use that on my tires
 
hedgehog23 said:
do you guys take them to a shop for balancing or do you do that yourselves too?
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I balance it myself, I have a static balancer. There is a huge tolerance for motorcycle rims, but with some patience you can get it almost perfect.

If you think garage digital balancers are better, they technically are. But they have to be calibrated every so often. Do you think every bike shop pays big money to have their Snap-On balancer calibrated every 6 months (or however often they need to be)? I am happy with my old school rod on a stand ;)

Average price for a "brand name" static balancer is $100, I believe Kapsco has a chinese one for $50. Or if you don't want to bother, most bike shops will balance for $5-$10 per rim if you bring it to them. Rosey Toes for sure wouldn't look twice if you just want him to balance 'em.
 
cjbenedict said:
I balance it myself, I have a static balancer. There is a huge tolerance for motorcycle rims, but with some patience you can get it almost perfect.

If you think garage digital balancers are better, they technically are. But they have to be calibrated every so often. Do you think every bike shop pays big money to have their Snap-On balancer calibrated every 6 months (or however often they need to be)? I am happy with my old school rod on a stand ;)

Average price for a "brand name" static balancer is $100, I believe Kapsco has a chinese one for $50. Or if you don't want to bother, most bike shops will balance for $5-$10 per rim if you bring it to them. Rosey Toes for sure wouldn't look twice if you just want him to balance 'em.
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I balanced a rear a couple months ago with just jackstands & my axle. It turned out well surprisingly

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