changin' tires woo hoo (pics)

finally going back to the Michellin Pilot Powers!!!! thanks to Steve for the bead breaker link!!!! life is good!!! I fabricated a bead breaker with a few mods. my garage is finished so I didn't want to anchor the breaker to the wall, so I made mine portable, it works like a charm.

heres changing the front

mounting a new tire & balancing

Hell YEAH Danny that is a huge improvement. Great idea. Its going in the how to as a sticky.

How did you support your bike while the wheels were off?

Nifty work by the way on the portable bead breaker. A guy at work mentioned that using a C-clamp will work, I"m assuming it has to be a pretty heavy duty clamp to generate enough pressure without stripping the threads, but it's an interesting idea.

Oh, and thanks for the pics. Photos make everything easier to understand.

Got to be said, I'd pay the extra & get the supplier to fit the tyre. Yeah I know, you need to be confident it's been done right.

This made me smile ;O)

Oil Change instructions for Women:


And for God's sake Danny, lose the flip flops when you're in the workshop!

shaggystyle said:

How did you support your bike while the wheels were off?

Nifty work by the way on the portable bead breaker. A guy at work mentioned that using a C-clamp will work, I"m assuming it has to be a pretty heavy duty clamp to generate enough pressure without stripping the threads, but it's an interesting idea.

Oh, and thanks for the pics. Photos make everything easier to understand.

Click to expand...

Theres a jack on the driver side of the bike.:thumbup:

nice tire machine...

pedwards89 said:

Got to be said, I'd pay the extra & get the supplier to fit the tyre. Yeah I know, you need to be confident it's been done right.

This made me smile ;O)

Oil Change instructions for Women:


And for God's sake Danny, lose the flip flops when you're in the workshop!

Click to expand...

mounting and balancing the tires myself saved me $90.00, changing three sets yourself is like getting a fourth set free!!!

oh and speaking of the flip flops, thats a California thing you wouldn't understand. (lol)
:Sport:

shaggystyle said:

How did you support your bike while the wheels were off?

Nifty work by the way on the portable bead breaker. A guy at work mentioned that using a C-clamp will work, I"m assuming it has to be a pretty heavy duty clamp to generate enough pressure without stripping the threads, but it's an interesting idea.

Oh, and thanks for the pics. Photos make everything easier to understand.

Click to expand...

the bike is really supported by the center stand, I have a bike lift but with the exhaust system ran the way it is use the center stand and a floor jack, the floor jack is just balancing the bike. I put just enough pressure on the exhaust to lift the tire high enough to clear the fender.

I've tried the c-clamp method with no luck, I have a 10" c-clamp all it wanted to do was slip off the tire or dig into the rim. I used to use a scissor jack, placing the base of the jack on the sidewall and crank the jack up until the bead pops, but that is kinda hard also, the rear is easy but on the front the jack wants to slide off, that bead breaker is absolutely awesome it took almost no effort to break the beads.

When your balanced you tires, did you have to add some weights or did you just set the balancing dot to the valve stem and say"That's good enough"? If you did add weights, what kind did you use( Stick-on, clamp on) and where did you get them? I'm going to be changing mine in about another 1000 miles so I like to know.

Thanks, Rog

after spinning the tire a few times it was less then 1/4 ounce out.( when i tried a 1/4oz weight it became the heavy end) I poped the bead and rotated the tire on the rim. I spun it another 5 or 6 times and it never stopped in the same place twice. I got my weights at a car tire shop I just asked a tire guy if I could have a few strips of sticker weights and he gave them to me.
:Sport:

I do one tire at a time.
I use a ratchet strap to tie the centerstand to the front wheel, remove and change and balance the rear wheel then reinstall. Remove strap.
Then put bags of aquarium salt on the back seat till the front comes up and change it.


Oh and I can assure you I care a whole whole whole lot more about my bike than the guys at the dealer. They just want a paycheck, and to go home. I want to make absolutely certain my ride is tip top tits.

sportrider_fz6 said:

after spinning the tire a few times it was less then 1/4 ounce out.( when i tried a 1/4oz weight it became the heavy end) I poped the bead and rotated the tire on the rim. I spun it another 5 or 6 times and it never stopped in the same place twice. I got my weights at a car tire shop I just asked a tire guy if I could have a few strips of sticker weights and he gave them to me.
:Sport:

Click to expand...

Thanks Mr.Danny, sounds like a plan.:thumbup:

Whitehorse Gear - Dyna Beads Innovative Balancing

Supposed to be the best way. I dont know but thats what I am doing next time.

wrightme43 said:

Whitehorse Gear - Dyna Beads Innovative Balancing

Supposed to be the best way. I dont know but thats what I am doing next time.

Click to expand...

if you try those let me know how they work, just for kicks if you put them in try to spin balance the tire and see what happens. I can kinda see how they would work at high speed, but I don't see how they would go to the light spot on the wheel, sounds like magic to me.:Flash:

sportrider_fz6 said:

mounting and balancing the tires myself saved me $90.00, changing three sets yourself is like getting a fourth set free!!!

oh and speaking of the flip flops, thats a California thing you wouldn't understand. (lol)
:Sport:

Click to expand...

Yeah, it's the same sort of money here £20 / £25 a wheel. I just have mental images of me screwing up the rims & ending up with a bill for a grand for new wheels & then still having to pay someone 50 quid to fit the bleedin' tyres anyway!

I guess it's a confidence thing too. I'm an Engineer by trade, so I'm not incompetent in a workshop. I used to change tyres & tubes (Tubes! that tells you how long ago it was) on the little bikes I learnt to ride on. Typically they had small spoked wheels with steel rims & as I had been changing bicycle tyres for ever, it was just a natural progression.

I like the bead breaker though. It's a masterpiece of design, simple, functional & adaptable.

It is difficult to grasp the California mindset, sat here in the UK, pissing down with rain for the 3rd straight day, it's supposed to be bloody summer. Bah Humbug!

sportrider_fz6 said:

mounting and balancing the tires myself saved me $90.00, changing three sets yourself is like getting a fourth set free!!!

oh and speaking of the flip flops, thats a California thing you wouldn't understand. (lol)
:Sport:

Click to expand...

Yeah, it's the same sort of money here £20 / £25 a wheel. I just have mental images of me screwing up the rims & ending up with a bill for a grand for new wheels & then still having to pay someone 50 quid to fit the bleedin' tyres anyway!

I guess it's a confidence thing too. I'm an Engineer by trade, so I'm not incompetent in a workshop. I used to change tyres & tubes (Tubes! that tells you how long ago it was) on the little bikes I learnt to ride on. Typically they had small spoked wheels with steel rims & as I had been changing bicycle tyres for ever, it was just a natural progression.

I like the bead breaker though. It's a masterpiece of design, simple, functional & adaptable.

It is difficult to grasp the California mindset, sat here in the UK, pissing down with rain for the 3rd straight day, it's supposed to be bloody summer. Bah Humbug!

Real American Heros change thier own tires.

Update.
DYNABEADS SUCK THE DRIPPY SWEAT FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF ORANGATANG TESTES.