Tire Change Tricks

[BRP27]

I am going to be changing rear tires on a 2003 XR650R. Going to the 140 Tera flex. I have the Motion pro tools and I have done tire changes before but I am looking for any tips you may have to make it easier.

Does Honda glue the tire bead to the rim?

[mikekay]

start by putting the wheel flat on the ground-with a thick piece of wood -- plywood -- under it.

Then put on your riding boots.

remove the valve nut, loosen the rim lock--but dont remeove the nut all the way.

NOW------take the heel of your boot and SLAM it into the side wall. Keep SLAMMING. Like you are going to hurt something.

if you are a smaller framed guy--try jumping up and down very very very hard on the sidewalls, slowly going around the wheel.

flip it and repeat.

thats the secret.

Slam with your heel or all your foot until the bead is completely off the rim and the tire is loose.

If you are a bit of a girlie man than you can assume the position and use your knees to push the bead off the rim...

NOW you can reach in and grab the old tube and rip it out like a dog tearing at fresh dead pig...then just pry the carcass off easily with those nice new tools...

oh yeah--let all the air out before you do any of that....

is that helpful?

[thrtlljnki]

What about the tire changing hat?? ?

[TimBrp]

Good luck changing the terra-flex on your own. I heard they were a BIAATCHH...

[InChanWeTrust]

As for the tera flex being a biatch to put on, it wasn't that bad. I went from a Dunlop 606 and I think the dunlop was stiffer, hence more difficult to mount. I use a small squirt bottle with a mixture of dishwashing soap and water. Makes the whole process slicker than grease. Make sure you put a small amount of air in tube to help keep its shape.

Good Luck,

Chan

[mikekay]

for sure you should wear a hat when you change the tire. if you can get some of your friends to drink beer and stand over your shoulder watching (and snickering) then that would be good practice for when you on the trail with your hot and bothered buds who are wondering why you keep aiming for the nails....ask them to say stuff like ...'hmmm not really ISDE ready yet, is he?' or maybe 'yeah i'm not to good at tires either'...its just what ya need when your hand is pinched inside the tire trying to wrassle that tube out...and if you are changing your tire outside-and starting to loose your hair (like me)-dont forget the hat.

If you dont have any friends find some canadians...!

[BWB63]

As far as your motion pro tools....there are two kinds out there ones that say drop forged and ones that say nothing (both say "made in china") the ones that say nothing bend ? I am talking about the 16" ones.

[tirebiter]

Bandaids...If you've never done it before, get bandaids & a bible - so you can look up all the swear words you uttered that ain't covered.... ?

[Dirt4me]

Some use WD40 to get the bead nice and slick, I use soapy water in a spray bottle. Just as slick and goes away just the same without greasin' up everything else you touch. Either way, use lots and make sure the bead slips real easy on the rim.

Make sure your levers are the long ones and if they've got a rought finish take them to a buffing wheel or risk trashing your rims.

Another thing that seems to be easier is to pull one bead off on one side of the wheel and pull the other side off in the opposite direction. This way you're left with the wheel inbetween the beads with lots of room for fingers and getting the valve stem in place. Just tilt the wheel to get it in or out of the tire. When I first started changing tires, I used to try pulling both beads over the same side of the rim and always wound up with a fight to get the valve stem in and out and same with the tube.

Let us know what kind of hookup you get with the Terra flex.

?

[SaltyWalrus]

Wear your knee pads. When you get half the bead on the rim and you are going for the second half (when the tire starts to get stubborn and the irons start to bend), kneel on the tire already in the rim, keeping the bead down in the center of the rim where the diameter is smallest. Also, warm tires are easier to install than cold tires. Leave it in the sun or even use a heat gun like one of my buddies to warm it up.

The only thing I have trouble with is getting the valve stem in the rim with the tire half on. Especially with the Bridgestone HD tubes. Any tips on that part of it?

[yooper_porkchop]

I have found that you need 3 hands to do the job, or maybe 4, if you don't have help I have found that some small blocks of wood used to hold the tire in the narrow part of the rim while spooning it on helps.

[Rokatt88]

I just take the wheel off. Cut the heads off a couple of chickens, say some Santaria incantations then light some candles, close the garage door and go to bed. When I wake up the next day; new tire is perfectly mounted at the perfect tire pressure. Make sure you have your Gris Gris bag tied in a safe spot on your bike.

...Because I'm a Voo Doo Chile...Lord knows, I'm a Voodoo Chile...(Burning Guitar solo)! ?

[qadsan]

The only thing I have trouble with is getting the valve stem in the rim with the tire half on. Especially with the Bridgestone HD tubes. Any tips on that part of it?

A tube snake makes this easier. They sell them at Dennis Kirk and on eBay, but they're easy to make.

http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/product_catalog/Product.jsp?skuId=282253&store=Main&productId=p282253&catId=4&leafCatId=41811

[mikekay]

yeah that is for me the most difficult part of changing a tire...getting the damn valve stem into the little hole!

My trick is to use a tire iron on BOTH sides just an inch or two from the valve stem hole--both sides meaning not the left and right of the valve stem hole-but flip the tire and move that sidewall out over the rim as well as on the attack side...that way ya have a big ol space to get your hand in there and get it in. Make sure the nut is nearby...

Someguys put all the tube in and then do that last-but i think its better just to put a few inches in on either side of the valve stem hole...

For sure it helps too if you put a little little bit of air in the tube...and some talcum powder on it. Someguys actually unscrew the valve and blow into it a bit, then replace the valve-then stuff it into the wheel...just dont forget the backside tire iron trick ?

Tubesnakes are of course the best bet--but sometimes its still a challenge to even get the wire in there...

[BRP27]

Ok, thanks for the input. Let me see if I can recap all of the tricks. I need a:

Hat

Bandaids

Bible

WD40

Long levers that I buff up

Knee Pads

Warm Tire

3 Hands, no 4

Blocks of wood

Chickens

Santaria Incantations

Gris Gris Bag

Tube Snake

Talcum Powder

Drop forged Motion Pro tools (not the made in China ones)

Beer drinking Friends

Biaatch

And most important Be "Arnold" not a girly man

I can handle it!! ?

[qadsan]

Ya might want to add in a Texas-Do-All, commonly known as a crecent wrench just incase you need to first straighten the rim ?

[BRP27]

Put the 140 Tera Flex on today. It was not bad at all. Blew up the new tube just a touch. Used talcum powder on the tube and inside the tire and lubed the tire bead with window cleaner. Put the tube on with the tire, put the rim in the middle of the tire, set the tube stem, worked first side on. Fliped it over and started working it towards the rim lock. On the last section I needed 4 tire tools, only had 2 so I used big screw drivers as place holders

( carefully) so I could use the tire tools to work the last section on. I used some blocks of wood to hold the tire down in the center grove on the opposite side to give some slack on the last section. Its not a bad job. ?

Here is a good link on How To change a Tire

http://www.transworldmotocross.com/mx/how_to/article/0,13190,656321,00.html

[qadsan]

Good article ?

[Old_Man_Time]

I use WD40 on the tire bead both to break it loose and to mount. WD40 seems to evaporate quickly so there is no problem later. Also having the tube partially inflated is a must if you want to avoid pinching your new tube as you mount the final side of the tire onto the rim. Since I have been using WD40 and a partially inflated tube I pinch tubes only a small percentage of the time. Before pinching the tube was the rule.

[apolloxx]

You guys are awesome. I gave in on my last tire change and went to the local shop. $15 labor if I have all the parts, including dismount and mount, per tire.

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

Thanks for the info ?