How difficult is it to change a tire?

[CYYJ]

Hello All:

I need to replace the front tire on my ST 1300. In the past, I have removed the front wheel from the motorcycle and taken it to a dealer, who has then removed the old tire and installed the new tire. Although I have not seen this being done, I suspect they use air-driven equipment (a tire changing machine) to re & re the tire.

I am now thinking of perhaps changing the tire myself. I have no concerns about the process of removing and properly reinstalling the wheel - what I don't know is how difficult it is to break the bead and remove the old tire from the rim, and how difficult it is to install the new tire and set the bead.

I own an air compressor - but not any other tools that might be needed to change a tire.

Can some kind soul explain to me what hand tools I will need, how to go about removing and replacing the tire, and whether trying to do this myself is even a good idea?

Thanks,

Michael

 

[Roger]

Michael, having just watched a neighbour(neighbor) use his machine to remove a tyre(tire) from a spare rear 1100 rim - I'll always leave that business to the 'professionals'. I can do tubed tyres and steel rims, but not tubeless and alloy.....

 

[Mellow]

I have a no-mar w/built in bead breaker but also some tire spoons.. along with their balancer.. that's pretty much it. You do need lube and the first couple tires take some trial and error but you get the hang of it pretty quickly.

Some have used home made bead breakers as well.. and zip ties.

 

[heffly]

Well my minimum tools for tires is a HF tire machine and a homemade tire bar. In the old days when I was young a couple tire spoons and a lot of cussing got the job done. Aluminum rims wont take the punishment like the old steel rims IMO. I don't find it fun even with ummm decent tools. Some way to hold the tire down would be nice, its a fight to break a bead with hand tools IMHO. Unless your willing to buy decent tools I wouldn't do it, not at this point in life.

 

[W0QNX]

Tires R easy. Never paid anyone else to mount a tire for me.

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/threads/cheap-bead-breaker-using-lumber.165463/

 

[beemerphile]

Tires R easy. Never paid anyone else to mount a tire for me.

Me either...

 

[W0QNX]

Me either...

That's a bit nicer than my 3 spoons!

 

[kiltman]

Princess Auto will have the basic tools. https://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/3-pc-bead-breaker-set/A-p8313835e I think you can also get some plastic rim protectors too

 

[Daboo]

I'll let you know. I have the tire spoons with built-in bead breaker. I'm using a plastic milk bottle for rim protectors. And I'll buy an air compressor to help in seating the bead.

Chris

 

[Bush]

For the average price of $50 per mount and balance, why do it, unless you have the proper machine and tools? A friend, with a tire machine, did my last tire changes while I watched and he had a bear of a time at one point, getting the new tire on. Might be easy for the younger, husky boys on here, but I'll gladly pay someone else to do this job.

 

[Daboo]

For me, it is the principle. When it was $30 a tire, it was a no-brainer. But then they upped the price to $70 a wheel, plus extras. If they had gone to $50 in between and gone up in price gradually, I'd have no issues. But an increase like that made me realize it wasn't that hard when I did it for a living.

Chris

 

[beemerphile]

Technique matters greatly, but still, some tires fight you and some comply. B spec Metzeler ME880's and Bridgestone BMW OEM BT-020's are like pulling your upper lip over the top of your head. Most radials roll on easy peasy. Pilot Roads are duck soup.

 

[Mark]

Michael,

When Chris and I both had 2001 ST1100s and had used up the 1st set of tires I figured out that I didn't want to pay anyone else's fees; so, started collecting tools and reading...

I bought a harborfreight tire changer and use the bead breaker on it to get started.
If you have an unfinished garage wall (which I don't) I would build one:
https://www.bansheehq.com/forums/index.php?/topic/29888-build-your-own-bead-breaker/

Here is a write-up that describes about how I did it. I modified the technique to work with the harborfreight changer:
http://www.clarity.net/~adam/tire-changing-doc.html

I bought 3 nine inch tire spoons from J.C.Whitney and use them instead of the large bars I bought.

You'll need lube as well... I posted a DIY recipe (had to hunt for it!):
https://www.st-owners.com/forums/threads/tire-changing-bar.83332/#post-1000689

The other reason I wanted to change them myself is if the rims were going to get scratched I was going to own those scratches... And I do!!!

 

[roginoz]

Some tires are easier to dismount and mount than others. I think the Michelins are easiest, but the PR4GT rear is a bit more difficult than the other Michelins. We've been changing our own for several years, using a No-Mar changer. You can change them by hand, but I would not want to do so. The cost of having a shop do the mounting is less than the aggravation of wrestling with a wheel on the ground using tire irons. You might check to see if anyone on the RAN list has a tire changer in your area. If you have room, and others might make use of it, purchase of a No-Mar might be a good move.

 

[Uncle Phil]

The biggest deal is breaking the bead - not bad on the front, can be a bit of work on the rear. Then spoon 'em off and spoon 'em on. Or ride down to the Holler and we can do them on my fancy machine!

 

[mello dude]

Me either...

What machine is that Beemer?

 

[Gus1300]

I did one in the garage, on the floor supported by 2x4s to keep it off the cement. Have taken all the rest (wheel off the bike) to the shop since and gladly pay the $50 or so fee for the lack of wrestling time.

 

[SMSW]

I paid local shops to do my first four tires. After reading the usual horror stories about shops that blew the installation (tire mounted backward, bad balancing, etc.) I decided to get a HF machine to do it myself. Spent $100 on it (roughly). Bought a no mar tire bar (c 130(?), no mar tire goop ($15), and a yellow thing (c$30?). Put the changer together - it was defective so I went back to HF - the other NIB tire changer that they had also had the threads buggered up and the MC adapter would not fit. They sent me to another HF store where I found one good machine among their 3 in stock. The manager said my experience was not unusual. Back at home I considered buying the plastic parts that fit into the HF machine to hold aluminum wheels w/o damage, but decided to make them myself instead. I sawed, drilled and milled a nylon block per online pictures and I was ready to change my first tire.

Assembled the machine. Bolted it down to several RR ties and discovered: The HF's wheel grippers are pinned to the arms every 2"; only one of the grippers is infinitely adjustable via a 'jack' screw under the arm. The ST's wheel, when gripped by the HF machine was not centered over the arms and the bar that drops down from overhead does not socket into the center of the 3 arms. No real big deal. I struggled and whispered terms of endearment amid dripping sweat as I fought to seat the tire(s). My Angel GT's have a stiff carcass and no matter what I did, my experience was about as similar to the No Mar video as walking upstairs to my second floor is to the annual race up the stairs of the Empire State Building in NYC. I used the No Mar tire bar as well as spoons. I won. The tires got mounted.

Shortly thereafter, I read here about someone who made different mandrels to fit the center socket of his HF machine, so I got some 1 1/2" diameter steel, turned a thread on the end, machined the shaft down to the size of the axles on the ST and I had two new and different mandrels for the next tire change. But the wheels are not centered - remember that? I then duplicated the 'jack' screw on the other two arms by machining and welding. All three arms are now infinitely adjustable. To date I figure i have between 40 and 80 hours of labor in my changes to this 'cheap' tire changing machine.

Breaking the bead using the HF machine is childs play. I had no trouble at all. The problem is wrestling w/ the stiff carcass. Oh, and my tire in the HF machine is now somewhere in the range of 4' + above ground (measuring from the base of the machine, since I stand on the RR ties to do the mounting). The blessed wheel is simply too high for me to do what No Mar suggests - move the bar around with your hip. Sure, if you are built like Lebron or Zydrunas, but for me? Not a chance.

Now, I've enjoyed doing all the work to make this HF gadget functional - according to my definition - and I will continue to use and refine this machine. But tire changing is NOT quick and easy.

Oh yes, balancing - another thread. Depends how accurate you want to be.

 

[st11ray]

Here you go. I recommend using a Corvette or Porsche instead of the old pick up but it will do.

 

[beemerphile]

What machine is that Beemer?

It is a Derek Weaver W-M807X...

https://www.derekweaver.com/bikers-garage/motorcycle-tire-changers/weaver-w-m807x-motorcycle-atv-tire-changer/

It is their low end model, but it works fine. The price isn't much more than a higher end NoMar by time you add all the gizmos that go with it. I used a NoMar for years and it does quite well. I just decided to take it up a notch with the full auto. I like it.