Tire Change Tricks

[Old_Man_Time]

I must learn to do this right, I really don't want to have to do it trailside ?

Thanks for the info ?

Hey, tailside is going to happen. So the better ya get at doin it at home the easier it will be on the trail. ?

[JackAttack]

I use WD40 on the tire bead both to break it loose and to mount.

I have been using "Armor All" with good success. The tires are nice and shiney afterwards too. ?

[Weirdo]

Does anyone utilize the portable tire changing thingys, like the one Harbor Freight sells. I think that there is one advertised in the back of Dirt Rider. Would it be worth it to get and use in the camp or at home to change tires quickly.......

woo hoo first post.... ?

[Kritter]

This is what I use as well as all my buddies as well as the tire man in the desert.

[BajaBoundMoto]

I just had to add something....

Last night a few of us were building spare wheels for the Baja 1000.

We are using HD MT18's in the front and Metz "Karoo's" in the rear both with Ultra Heavy tubes and double rim-locked in the rear.

J.Lewis mounted 20 fronts and 20 rears on the concrete floor without kneepads and with only 2 small tire irons......In less than 4 hours.

Yeah, no joke.

[AzMtnThumper]

? :cry: ? :cry:

[Cosmo]

I have probably mounted 20 tire or so in my life.I can't imagine doing 40 tires in less than a day!!!!Let alone,Metz. with Ultra heavy duty tubes AND when the tires are "cold"! Go team BMW !!!

[Kritter]

and hes probably mounted a few hundred tires in his day which is proof that EXPERIENCE is number 1.

[qadsan]

This is what I use as well as all my buddies as well as the tire man in the desert.

That's exactly what I'm using and it works great! ?

[michaeln]

I work in a shop and change a lot of tires. I do use a power electric / hydraulic machine, but the thing I used to fight with constantly was fitting the valve stem back through the rim after the first bead was on the rim. Solution? I never take the tube completely off.

Dismounting the tire, I get the first bead off, then grab the tube opposite the valve stem. Work the tube out, but LEAVE THE STEM IN with the nut on it.

Gather the tube up and put it in the center of the wheel. Get the second bead off. LEAVE THE TUBE IN.

Take the new tire, mount the first bead, stuff the tube back into the rim/tire combo and inflate it just enough so it holds its shape. That helps to keep it from being pinched.

Mount the second bead, you're done. I can do them really fast now, where before sometimes I'd spend 15 minutes and a lot of cuss words and skinned knuckles getting that damn valve stem in there!

[qadsan]

To make getting the valve stem though the hole easier, you can either use a small screwdriver placed through the rim and into the valve stem to help guide the valve stem through the hole or use a tube snake, which makes the job quicker / easier.

Dennis Kirk sells something called the Tire Buddy, which is also known as a tube snake for ~$25, but you can easily make these yourself for just a few dollars with about twelve inches of stainless steel cable, a schrader valve core and some small crimp fittings. The idea is to remove the center pin of the valve core that releases the air, which will leave a hole through the center of the valve core. You'll have to carefully drill this hole so that the stainless cable slides through it and the valve core body. Run the stainless cable through the center hole in the valve core and crimp it at both ends. If you want to get fancy, you can include a small valve core remover on the stainless line so it can act as a double duty tool.

To use the this tool, you simply feed the valve core on the stainless cable through the hole in the rim and screw the valve core into the new tube's valve stem (leave enough of the cable sticking out from the rim's hole). Now you have a good way of pulling the tube's stem through the rim's hole. This tool shouldn't cost you more than $10 to make and it's super compact / easy to carry.

[roadcam]

major auto tire manufactureres put out a bulletin years ago warning to never use ARMORALL on tire sidewalls ... the manufacturers stated the Armorall penetrated the rubber, and internally rots the fibrous cords ... (and they should know) ... however, as fast as dirtbike tires wear out, I should think it would be discarded before that could happen ... just a safety tip...