Tire put on

[norleck]

Well, I did my first real work on the 250 today. I got in the swing arm stand, tire irons, tire, tube and rim strip. Now I say real work since changing oil, to me anyway, doesnt count. I pay good mind to how things come off the rear so I can put it back on right. Kind of idiot proof if you ask me but stay tuned! I managed to get the rim off in good order and set to getting the tire off. Thats when other parts fall off. The whole sprocket assembly and such. I thought the rear brake would come off with it but thats what I get for not reading upon things. After all, anything can be accomplished with a big enough hammer :2tup:
Now for the sweat and cursing phase of my ordeal. Now I used to race mountain bike and have changed my fair share of tires on bicycles. I can change a tire and tube with my eyes closed while giving a stern lecture to a growing teenage son but I digress. I used absolutely none of that knowledge in this application. This was an entirely different demon. One that laughs at noobs like me and takes pleasure in my ignorance. Does that stop me? Noooo! I have yet to learn my lesson! After some time I managed to get the slightly overused tire off the rim and set about installing the first part of the tire. Allow me to say 24 inch tire irons are almost enough for the task. I then have an idea, one that somebody told me about a long time ago: soapy water helps a lot! I'll be damn if it does. Life is much easier now, I GOT THIS LICKED! First part is on and here goes the tube. And stuffing it in there, shit, lemme get some air in this to give it some shape. Christ, too much air, let some out. Okay, I can work with that. Maybe. Jesus, who designed this crap? Who idea was this anyway? Idiots! All of 'em! Okay, tubes in, now to get the stem in. Dammit. Oh Christ, curse these meat hooks I got, wheres the wife when I need her?! What I wouldnt give for some long dainty fingers about now... Jesus, how in the hell...how the hell do you get the stem through the rim? Christ, 3 weeks sober and I cant figure the simple things out. Stoned and drunk I did fine. At least I think I did. Okay, step back and reanalyze. Okay, how about I install the tire and press on it to get the stem to come out. Hmm, kinda risky. I dont want to have to pull that off again if that doesnt work. Might look like an idiot(too late). Well, hell. Tried almost everything else, might as well. *Grabs tire irons*
"Dont pinch the tube dumbass, dont pinch the tube." Yes, I said this aloud. I might add that finesse isnt easy when your leaning your body into what you are working on. I managed to get the tire on and I did lay on the top of the tire and get the stem out. Wasnt as halfassed idea as I thought it was. Go and grab the compressor, fill with air and immediately am greeted with hissing. Its 2:30 shop closes at 4. Despite being backed up and walking in an hour before close, Honda Yamaha Sea Doo of Panama City changed my tube out for me and balanced it. I didnt expect them to do that. I was expecting to come back Tuesday after work and pick it up. All said and done, I spent as much as I would have if i would have just taken it to them. Still got the experience though. Got my hands dirty and came out smarter for it. I learned more about my bike today. Little things. But next time, I'm taking the bike to the shop for tires.
Just thought I'd share my day with ya!

[Water Warrior 2]

Great story. Sounds like the same reason I will never change a tire myself. I pay some one with experience and skill just so my sanity level remains in a happy place. I take the wheels/tires into a shop and let them have at er.

[dhgeyer]

The shops have big, powerful machines to do that job. You can buy setups to do it in the garage, but the general consensus I've gotten from people who do it routinely is that, to be any good, you have to get something that you bolt to the floor. Never tried it myself. I've got room for 2 or even 3 bikes and 2 cars in our 2 car garage, but that does not leave room for large, space consuming equipment. I can take wheels off easily, and get tires mounted for $20.00 a pop, so I'm with WW on this one.

[alantf]

Also, I would have thought that some sort of wheel balancing equipment would be necessary, especially when fitting a new FRONT tyre.

[blaine]

I do most of my own maintenance & work,but I refuse to change my own tires,for the reasons already stated,plus I would need to take them to the shop to get them balanced at $10.00 a wheel.I'm not going to that aggravation & headache to save $10.00 on installation. :cuss: :cool:

[burkbuilds]

After paying to have the first couple of tires replaced on my GZ and then realizing that I was putting so many miles on this was going to be something that needed to be done several times a year, I decided to learn to do it myself. My first experience was about like yours. Pain in the rear to get the tire unseated from the rim, but eventually I did it with help from my son in law. Then I pinched the first tube, just like you did and had to go spend $20 on a new tube, and yes it is a pain to get that angled valve stem through the hole on the rear wheel but I learned to do it. After the first tire, I went to Harbor freight and bought the tire changing stand and the motorcycle tire adapter and bolted it to my shop floor. It works pretty well, could be better, but for the price not bad. I've now changed the tires on my trailer and on the spare for my pick up truck along with about six motorcycle tires. Can't say it is easy, but I haven't pinched another tube since my second tire change. As for balancing, it isn't that difficult to do on a narrow motorcycle tire. I simply stand two concrete blocks on end and place the axle through the wheel and set it up between the blocks with the ends of the axle sitting on the blocks. Spin the wheel and the heavy side will stop on the bottom eventually. Mark that spot, do it again and see if it comes back to the same place. If it does, you simply add weights to the opposite (180 degree) until you get the right amount of weight so that the tire will stay put no matter where you stop it in the spin. It usually only takes a few tries until you've got it right. I did get tired of messing with the tubes though so I changed my wheels out to aluminum tubeless wheels and that problem no longer exists for me. By the way, I don't have the GZ any more, I did that to my Vulcan 500 and since the older 500's came with aluminum tubeless tires that swap out without much hassle, all I had to do was find them on e-bay and it didn't cost too much. So, was it worth it? Well, probably not to most people who ride, but in my case, I think I broke even about the fourth or fifth tire I did myself and I just like being able to do it for myself even if it is a pain sometimes. It hasn't been nearly as hard to break the bead loose after the first tire, probably because the first tire had been on longer than any since then and it was just "stuck" to the rim more. I also got tired of changing that rear tire every 11,000 miles, and so I've started running a car tire on the rear, which I'm hoping will go about twice as long or more between changes. I'm getting almost 19,000 out of the front tire, which is pretty good for a motorcycle.

As my old dad used to say, "To each his own, said the old man when he kissed his cow." :)

[alanmcorcoran]

burk, as you well know from previous posts, I am the anti-mechanic, partly due to limited mechanical skills but mostly due to lack of interest and a large dose of good old laziness. One thing I do wonder/worry about is getting a flat Out In The Middle Of Nowhere (a place I have spent considerable time whilst astride the Strat.) When I rode bicycles, I could do a tube change in about ten minutes, front or back (although I truly hated it and considered it a ruination of the ride.) Aside from not having a tire, tube or even patches with me on the motorbikes I have had to hope that either my cell phone is in range of a tower or a non-homicidal maniac stops to assist with contacting AAA. Worst case scenario: world has gone zombie and I've got a flat tire. Do those flat stop aerosol can things work on Motorcycle tires?

[blaine]

Do those flat stop aerosol can things work on Motorcycle tires?
They work well on a tubeless rim,as long as the puncture is in the "contact" area of the tire.A tire sealant doesn't work well in a tire with a tube,as the puncture usually puts a tear in the tube.There is a product called "Ride On TPS" that prevents flats in the first place,as long as the puncture is in the contact area.It is also balances the tire and saves checking air pressure as often.You can check out the site yourself and see what you think.I use it and think it is a great product.
:) :cool:

[burkbuilds]

I'll add a second to Blaine's recommendation of the TPS stuff. I don't know if it will really stop a hole in a tube or not, but it certainly makes the tire balance about as vibration free as it could be. I've been using it in my 500 since day one, and now I've got it in the front tire which is now a tubeless tire and it's supposed to work even better on tubeless tires. Alan, if I blow a tire out on the road, I'm not man enough nor carry the tools that would be necessary to change it on the side of the road, (not to mention that I don't actually carry a spare tire or tube with me), so I'd be in the same shape you are in that case. It's pretty much all I can do to change it in my shop much less on the side of the road.