Do you change and balance your own Tyres?

[Descolada]

Do any of the members here change and balance their own Tyres?

Has anyone used Balance Beads (Dynabeads)?

What average mileage would you expect from a set of motorcycle tyres ?

[Hugo Magnus]

Good question,
I'm about to put AC10's and rim locks on my DR-Z. I guess the rim locks will need quite a bit of lead wrapped around the spokes to balance them up?

[Descolada]

I'm not so sure, I was looking at self balancing aids be it Dynabeads or "Ride-On" sealant (http://www.ride-on.com/). There are also many videos on balancing motorcycle tyres on YouTube. Once again it's all about what you are prepared to undertake and your confidence in your skills.

I still have a safe margin on my tyres for now, but during this year I will need to change them and these will be the first since taking ownership of the bike. I am trying to plan ahead as a result and really like the look of the Pilot Road 3's.

[mr_diver]

I've changed bike tyres before.and it's a PITA!

radial tyres like most modern road tyres are these days are particularly difficult.

when I decided to change the rear on my dads bike and ordered a tyre, the old and new tyre were radial and they have a few strands of steel belting running around in the bead area.
Place wheel on an old piece of carpet to protect it.
You will have to use a bead breaker to get the tyre off the edge of the rim then using leaves and protectors  sliders 'persuade' the tyre over the rims of the tyre.
I got pissed off and resorted to a stanley knife and a heavy duty snips to cut the bead bit off the old tyre and snip thought the cables. came off fine then.

getting the new tyre on is generally far easier and more therapeutic- lay the rim back on the carpet, line up the tyre the correct way round over the top of the wheel rim... The kick feck out of it until it goes on. (with your heal)

now comes the important bit, you will need a proper compressor to inflate the tyre and to seal the bead.
Your usual carry in the back of the car machine will not do it, nor will the 20p a go one in Tesco.
It has to be an industrial type with enough storage pressure to inflate the thing.

Once the thing is securely on the rim, check for leaks with soapy water.

Balancing tyres is easy. I've used a mates static balancer before, but rigged up my own diy one with 2 axle stands and the axle bolt for the wheel you're working on. (youtube search if you want to know how to static balance your wheels) but so far I haven't had to put any weights on any wheels other than replacing old ones if they fell off. (check the balance of the bare rims is your best bet, as tyres these days are made very precisely. but also check with the tyre in place.

to be honest I've said all this to tell you how I have done it before, but is so much work I won't be doing it to any tubeless tyres ever again.

Now I order the tyres on oponeo.co.uk, they arrive and when I need them fitted I take one wheel at a time to the local car tyre place and they charge me £5 per tyre to change them, they don't balance them, but    I check the balance when I get it back home anyway.
if having a pair done I take the front up in the mrs car, go back and fit it then ride the bike up, put it on the center stand and pop the wheel off, hand it to the tyre bloke and pop it back on when he's done, all I have to take up there is a pot of grease for when I put the Axle back in and latex gloves.

People swear by things like Dyno beads... but it's the usual placebo effect. you are only going to need to balance the wheels that precicly if it's bike that goes over 150mph AND you ride at that speed.

[Hilldweller]

I'm not so sure, I was looking at self balancing aids be it Dynabeads or "Ride-On" sealant

Yeuch !

I think you'll find a lot more negatives and the only positives from those who've paid a load of money for it already.

Usual comments "I want to know when I've got a puncture" "Can't do a proper repair with this crap inside" "Pain to fit new tyres".

I fit my own and don't change the balance on the basis modern tyre are so well made they don't need balancing for legal(ish) speeds.

I seem to average 5K rear and 10K fronts but don't know on a wee yet.

[Hilldweller]

I got pissed off and resorted to a stanley knife

The "trick" if there is one is to make sure the opposite side is as deep in the well of the wheel as possible or you'll never get it off. And the same applies to fitting the new one.

And swear a lot.

I prefer a leather mallet to kicking.

Inflating, put the soapy water on the rim first. Then bounce it a lot.

[2112]

No, I never change my own tyres. I always take the wheels off though.

[greywolf]

I change my own tyres and us Ride-On for balancing. I get higher tyre mileages than anybody else I've ever seen reporting, 15,000 miles on the rear and over 20,000 miles on the front. Unlike Slime and some other products that get all over the place when changing tyres, Ride-On gels and stays under the treads. I've changed dozens of tyres and never had the stuff get on the wheels or tools. It also supposed to seal small tread punctures but I've never had one while using Ride-On. Maybe it works by repelling nails.  

I have friends who use Dyna Beads. Almost all like them but a few report them feeling odd when just starting out until they distribute themselves. Some don't like that they spill out when tyre changing while others like that they can be scooped out after one bead is separated and reused.

[Descolada]

Very useful feedback folks, once again  

I am aware of the issue with getting the bead off and then on to a new tyre. I was fortunate enough to get a 50L air compressor for my B-Day recently and, along with sand blasting (they do a dedicated kit for this compressor) am looking forward to a change in the weather so I make it start to earn it's keep.

It comes with an industrial tyre pressure gauge so I am not anticipating a problem with getting the bead to seat once the new tyre is back on.

Greywolf, much appreciate the feedback re: Ride-On. I am very interested in this stuff and there is a UK dealer I can go to.

[iansoady]

Been changing tyres myself for 40-odd years.....

Rather than put it one the deck, build a little frame out of 2/2 timber or similar to stop the disc touching and put the whole thing on a workmate so you can get at it.

Breaking the bead on tubeless can be tricky but a bead breaker is easy to make using a bit more 2/2.

As said, the key to both removing and replacing is getting the bead right down into the well on the opposite side.

I can't understand how those beads could possibly work. Again, a decent jig can be home made - mine was out of MDF (which I also use for rebuilding spoked wheels).

Bead breaker:



Balancer / building jig:



The compressor is indeed very useful for seating the beads - but keep your fingers well clear as they can go in with a bang!

Oh, and scrounge some proper tyre soap from wherever you get your car tyres etc done. Much better than fairy liquid etc.

[mjc506]

I do my own.

Breaking the beads can be a pain. I made my own bead breaker, but c-clamps work (or another bike
+ sidestand etc). Once part of the bead is broken, the rest comes off OK. Break both beads.

Tyre levers to get the old tyre off (or cut it off, but most modern tyres are a bit tough). Use protectors if you don't want to scratch your rim. Make sure to push the other side of the tyre as deep as possible into the rim well - this makes it much easier to unmount the tyre. Generous use of a lubricant (window cleaner is great) helps too.

New tyre on... place rim on the ground, lube rim and new tyre bead generously, and 'throw' the tyre down onto the rim at an angle. If you're lucky it'll all go on first time. If not, push the remainder on with brute force Once you've got both beads onto the rim, seating the bead is next. Which can be difficult.

Two general methods - safe, and quick. For both methods, remove the valve core - this allows more air in quicker to seat the bead. Yes, the tyre will lose pressure after, but then refit the core and reinflate. You will not seat the bead with the core in.

Safe includes compressed air (lots of it - the fuel station pumps are crap, you need a good amount of compressed air at once) and maybe some help with a ratchet strap. Place the ratchet around the circumference of the tyre, and tighten. This pulls the middle of the tyre towards the rim, squeezing the sidewalls out towards the bead. This is fiddly. But, if you take your time (and use lots of lube) it works OK. I've successfully seated road tyres using this method with a small handpump.

However, my preferred method is quicker and more exciting (read: dangerous). Again, lots of lube on both beads. You will also need a cheapy can of aerosol (or lighter fluid, or something sprayable and flammable) and a lighter (preferably one with a long 'head') Push one bead on as much as possible from the other side, then loads of spray into the tyre. Leave a trail of 'spray' up the sidewall a little way too. Make sure you've got your boots/gloves on. Light the sidewall trail. The tyre may pop onto the bead now, but if it doesn't, stamp on the tyre to allow the flame/oxygen in. Get it right and the tyre will pop onto the bead and jump into the air a few inches.

So: Lots of lubricant is key. Warm tyres helps quite a lot too. Remove disk rotors/sprockets (yes, its a pain, but if you don't you'll likely bend something), and work somewhere soft (grass/carpet) to prevent scratches. If the tyre's not coming off/going on and you're about to bend a lever, you're doing something wrong. Make sure the other side of the bead is pushed into the rim well. It'll be hard work the first (few) times, but I can now change a tyre without taking it to a garage



Balancing... I don't bother too much. I static balance on the bike (bike on the center stand, front end lifted for the front wheel, calipers and sprokets not fitted). Put the wheels on the axles, make sure nothings touching. If the wheel doesn't turn, the heaviest part may already be at the bottom, but otherwise, induce some vibration - whack the wheel or bike to make it vibrate a bit - this helps overcome any friction in the bearings. And small amounts of weight on alternate sides of the wheel. I don't bother with dynamic balancing, or spending too much effort on static balancing. The Wee isn't fast enough, and the roads are too bad to bother!

[greywolf]

The basics include getting the bead opposite the irons into the wheel well and using plenty of lube. The tricky part is keeping the irons from scratching the paint. I use rim protectors and have some wooden blocks that sit between the bead and rim that keep the bead down in the well.

[hookie]

Can't remember when I last had a tyre fitted. Been doing them myself for years. Once you've done it a couple of times it's usually quite easy. It's worth investing in few basic tools and either buying or making a bead breaker. I use a home made balancer based on a front stand frame and use stick on weights. It's worth having a look at this on Youtube. Haven't tried it but will next time I fit new ones.

[KLV-Rider]

Yes, but I have a tyre and balance machine!  

[Andy M]

The variation is what gets me. Heidenaus on the Bonneville can be done with only a tea spoon (to make tea when you are done). Pirellis onto a Guzzi Nevada blew the seal on the tyre places machine after we cut off the old tyre, tried the bead breaker in reverse and gave up.

If you have bikes with tubes make sure you have TT tyres that are lubed before a puncture. A TL on a spoken rim, unlubed a la the Bavarian B****** Thumper can only be fixed with gloop.

Andy

[ziggy]

Not a hard job to change tyres, may be a knack. I have a bead breaker and balancing spindle. I just use tyre levers and nylon rim protectors.

Use tyre soap not washing up liquid.

 

[Jacko]

Yep, I change all my own tyres, and my brothers'. I bought the ABBA kit, breaker (screw type, not the lever type) and balancer, and have a compressor, I always meticulously balance my wheels, it comes from running sportsbikes, I can feel when a front is out of balance so it does make a difference. I use tyre soap and levers with plastic rim protectors, it's all about technique.

The cable tie bloke in the above vid really did feck about, it looked like the first time he'd tried it, comical almost, even the massive beard didn't help, rubbish. I can get a tyre on with levers in the time it took him to do that. I've probably fitted about 30-35 tyres in the last 3 years, including swapping out road tyres for trackdays.

It does appear to be a proper faff the first few times you do it but you learn the technique through trial and error and you get better at it, it's all experience. I got an old car tyre and wheel from a scrapyard and practiced on that until I was happy to turn my new skill on my bikes.

Pirelli and Metzeller have the softest carcasses and are relatively easy to fit, Bridgestones are like concrete, Michelins tend to be somewhere in the middle.

[kirky1298]

Balance ? What is this balance thing that you speak of ??  
Yos I change my own and have never balanced them , guess I have just been super lucky .  

I usually just put the bike on the centre stand , flick the side stand down and rock the bike over with the tyre and wheel placed under the side stand .The weight of the bike breaks the bead . This lets you fix punctures at the side of the road if tyre strings don't suffice .

Just like this ..........

[Jacko]

That's pretty slick. How do you change the front though?

[Descolada]

That's a good idea Kirky - I saw a bloke on a vid yesterday putting a piece of 2x4 under the sill of his car, then a wooden block on the bead and breaking it by leverage. You are right though, from time to time it's nice to be able to use the weight of the v-strom for something specific.