DIY tyre changing

[dern]

Once you've done a few it's pretty straight forward. Not worth it if you have someone next door who will do it for a tenner but way better than paying dealer rates or riding 20 miles each way to queue on a saturday if you're options are like mine.

Dirt bike tyres are easier than sports bike tyres I've found but neither is too bad once you've got the technique down. The first one will be a complete bd.

These irons are the ones I have found work best...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sealey-Deluxe-Tyre-Lever...

...and you need three. I break the bead with a g-clamp, use washing up liquid masquerading as tyre lube from ebay, a balancer you stick in your paddock stand, some stick on weights and you really need a compressor to get the tyre back on the wheel.

Cheers,

Mark

[Prof Prolapse]

CoolHands said:

I looked into this and decided I'd get the full abba package. I have changed tyres before without proper tools and it was not something I enjoyed. £175:

http://abbastands.co.uk/product-detail.asp?item=ty...



One of the best things (from reading reviews) is that decent tyre irons they include with the package make a big difference



Worth looking at.

Don't take this the wrong way but that looks pricey to me. Those balancers are about £25, a tenner if you use the ones that work on your paddock stand. Bead breakers are £40+. Levers and protectors, what £20?

I know quality blah blah, but they look literally identical bar the Abba sticker.

[LoonR1]

Tasmin200 said:

Thats what I was thinking. You can get that machine for £150, so £75 split with my mate.

I've changed tyres with levers etc before and fancied something to make it easier. With a cheap pair of tyres from Tyre Leader in Germany and that's it paid for.

The whole point of getting it is to be self sufficient and not have to entrust my wheels to a 18 year old on minimum wage who really doesn't give a monkeys about the paint on my wheels.

Why do people trot this bks out to justify every one of their own cheap skate decisions.

I service my bike / car / helicopter myself so I don't have to entrust it to a spotty minimum wage 18 year old who couldn't care less

I sell all my houses myself blah blah

I did my own heart bypass surgery blah blah.

[DrDoofenshmirtz]

My method:
Break the bead from the rim: Stick it in the trusty 'Record number 6' and compress the tyre till it pulls off the inner rim.
Remove tyre from rim: Cut the tyre in half with a hacksaw. Cut the metal bead with a bolt cutter.
Fitting new tyre: Slide one side on by hand. Slip the other side over the rim with tyre leavers and rim protectors.
Sealing the bead: Pump up with air compressor.
Balance: I use a cheap tyre balancer like you can get on eBay.

Yeah...it's a lot easier to get someone else to do it for a tenner!...but where's the fun

[Tampon]

Do you all balance the tyre overtime? I have done a few and not bothered balancing it, been fine for the life of the tyres, no vibrations or wobbling. This is on a Bandit for commuting rather than R1's or track bikeso top speed and vibrations aren't going to be quite the same.

Spoke to a bloke at the tyre garage who did it once and he said no real need. He then showed me on the balancer how much it was out with a new tyre.

Read a bit online line and there are quite a few who don't either.

[Prof Prolapse]

Purity14 said:

I never balance the rear, always balance the front.

This for me.

[Mr2Mike]

Tasmin200 said:

Hmm, never seen the cable tie meathod before, it doesn't look too difficult. Cheers for the other tips too.

For balancing has anyone used those beads you put in the tyre?

I thought the cable tie method looked like a great idea until I tried it, but it was st. After pissing around for ages I cut them all off and got the tyre on the rim within about 30 seconds.

Proper tyre soap is your friend, especially when you get a tyre/rim combination that's a bit on the tight side.

[CoolHands]

Bump

Right I want to change some tyres next week, so am going to buy some equipment. Anyone got any links to cheap versions of the abba stuff?

[SteelerSE]

Not cheap but it looks like a much better option at a similar price (£164.11 inc VAT and delivery):

http://www.ccw-tools.com/Motorcycle-Tyre-Fitting-E...

[SteelerSE]

Or for £200 you could pick up a powered one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/John-Bean-t520m-tyre-cha...

[Mr2Mike]

The only difficult bit about changing a tyre is breaking the bead. Forget using a spade, it's a silly idea that simply doesn't work on very tight tyres and you'll likely end up gouging the rim. You can use a (big) bench vice as a bead breaker, or a heavy duty speed clamp or for £24 you can get a proper bead breaker that works very well. Obviously you could build a bead breaker pretty easily if you have the facilities, you can make a perfectly functional breaker from a few bits of timber.

I also recommend you get a set of proper rim protectors. You can use a bit of split garden hose (I did for a few years) but the proper things only cost a few quid, provide better protection and locate securely on the rim unlike garden hose which tends to fall off at a crucial moment.

Obviously you will need a set of tyre levers and some tyre soap. A bit of washing up liquid will do the job, but the proper stuff applied with a small paint brush makes the entire job easier and no worries about possible corroded rims.

[y2blade]

It's doable, but it's a tt of a job esp when working in a cold workshop.

local Tyre firm charge a tenner per wheel

[DuraAce]

I've got the ABBA kit, works well. Can change two tyres in an hour or so. I would've bought a powered version if my garage was bigger though! Must've done 50+ tyre changes with the Abba kit so it's paid for itself already.

[3DP]

Some useful tools posted. I have 10 tyres to change this year on my bikes. With my tyre guy being super careful with rims, but a little expensive at £15 per tyre to loose wheels, I'm tempted to make the leap now as it'll damn near pay for itself in 6 months...

I'd want to get a good machine though, as having changed scooter and enduro tyres by hand, it involves far too much blood, sweat, swearing and potential rim damage. I'm keen to see this one http://www.ccw-tools.com/Motorcycle-Tyre-Fitting-E... in action.

[Steve Bass]

Definitely worth changing your own if you have the space/time/inclination to do it.

Not sure if it's been mentioned so far but from my experience...

1. Tyre Soap. Don't mess about. Get this and rejoice
2. A decent compressor. To pop the bead on you usually need a compressor that can "balloon" the tyre and get the bead to seat. Too low a CFM and the air just escapes without pushing the tyre out.
3. Get a decent valve removal tool. With a reasonable compressor having the stem out allows the air in quicker/
4. Consider a valve removal/puller tool to go with the kit.
5. Look for the dot on the side wall of the tyre, often red. This lines up with the valve

[3DP]

Steve Bass said:

Definitely worth changing your own if you have the space/time/inclination to do it.

Not sure if it's been mentioned so far but from my experience...

1. Tyre Soap. Don't mess about. Get this and rejoice
2. A decent compressor. To pop the bead on you usually need a compressor that can "balloon" the tyre and get the bead to seat. Too low a CFM and the air just escapes without pushing the tyre out.
3. Get a decent valve removal tool. With a reasonable compressor having the stem out allows the air in quicker/
4. Consider a valve removal/puller tool to go with the kit.
5. Look for the dot on the side wall of the tyre, often red. This lines up with the valve

Steve - what compressor would you recommend (or minimum CFM)?. Other than a few low end air tools, seating the tyre on the bead would be the primary use for my compressor.

[Steve Bass]

3DP said:

Steve - what compressor would you recommend (or minimum CFM)?. Other than a few low end air tools, seating the tyre on the bead would be the primary use for my compressor.

I have a 150 litre jobbie that I got from a mate when he was upgrading. Tank size is more important as it's the reservoir of air you want to use to push the bead out. But you usually find large tanks go hand in hand with large CFM.
Something with a tank about a meter long and 400mm diameter works well. they're also handy for running other air tools, especially things like sand blast cabinets etc.

[3DP]

Steve Bass said:

3DP said:

Steve - what compressor would you recommend (or minimum CFM)?. Other than a few low end air tools, seating the tyre on the bead would be the primary use for my compressor.

I have a 150 litre jobbie that I got from a mate when he was upgrading. Tank size is more important as it's the reservoir of air you want to use to push the bead out. But you usually find large tanks go hand in hand with large CFM.
Something with a tank about a meter long and 400mm diameter works well. they're also handy for running other air tools, especially things like sand blast cabinets etc.

Thanks - space is at a premium for me in the garage, so will have to think this one through. Also the Sealey wheeled aluminium wheels tyre bar is £93, which seems mad as the whole tyre machine is £165.

[Steve Bass]

3DP said:

Steve Bass said:

3DP said:

Steve - what compressor would you recommend (or minimum CFM)?. Other than a few low end air tools, seating the tyre on the bead would be the primary use for my compressor.

I have a 150 litre jobbie that I got from a mate when he was upgrading. Tank size is more important as it's the reservoir of air you want to use to push the bead out. But you usually find large tanks go hand in hand with large CFM.
Something with a tank about a meter long and 400mm diameter works well. they're also handy for running other air tools, especially things like sand blast cabinets etc.

Thanks - space is at a premium for me in the garage, so will have to think this one through. Also the Sealey wheeled aluminium wheels tyre bar is £93, which seems mad as the whole tyre machine is £165.

If you can squeeze it under a work bench then you're set.

[3DP]

Steve Bass said:

If you can squeeze it under a work bench then you're set.

Yeah - Motolug collapsible trailer lives there currently. I think I need to build a shed to remove non-essential garage items like kids bikes, BBQ, lawn mower, leaf blower, wood chipper etc...