changing your own tire
Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,569
Likes: 12
From: Arizona
thats what ill do, let the shop do it. it would be a shame to mess up the mag just to save 20 or 30 bucks. i have done the same thing on car rims, the jack under the rear bumper works great, but that was on a car, truck wheel.
Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,569
Likes: 12
From: Arizona
how did you break the bead. that would be the hard part. im still trying to figure out how a maxxis tire only lasted 6,000 miles, thats pretty bad, seeing as all i do is run down the highway. i though about trying some big c-clamp vise grips to break the bead down. $32.00 to change a tire when i have it off the bike sounds a little steep.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 8,200
Likes: 3,089
From: NW AR
The chances of damaging your stock mag with hand tire tools is pretty slim. Wrap them with black tape and go for it. Getting the old tire off is never the problem. Cut it if you have to. Prying the new one on is always the hard part. Plenty of soapy water or other lubricant. 16's are not hard to do. It would probably help if you saw someone do it once with hand tools.
Way back when I had my first Europa, I bought some new tires in SoCal. The wheels wouldn't fit on the tire machine. 4 guys worked on one wheel trying to do it manually. An hour later, this old Mexican guy shows up for work. He swapped the other 3 out in an hour, by himself. It was a little disconcerting watching him take a sledge hammer to the tire to break the bead, but he never missed. He'd probably been doing it like that for 50 years.
Way back when I had my first Europa, I bought some new tires in SoCal. The wheels wouldn't fit on the tire machine. 4 guys worked on one wheel trying to do it manually. An hour later, this old Mexican guy shows up for work. He swapped the other 3 out in an hour, by himself. It was a little disconcerting watching him take a sledge hammer to the tire to break the bead, but he never missed. He'd probably been doing it like that for 50 years.
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 48
Likes: 2
I have the Harbor Frieght tire changer with motorcycle wheel adapter and a couple of tire irons (spoons) from Cycle Gear. I mainly change tires on my sportbikes and have done over twenty tires in the last year between mine and a few friends. I just did the 19" front on my FXEF the other day and it was a piece of cake. I'll be doing the 16" rear in the next month or so. I'm not anticipating any problems.
I really wished I'd bougth the No-Mar tire changer, though. That'll be my next purchase. The price difference of $400+ for the changer was a little steep for something I wasn't too sure I was going to be doing on a regular basis (the Harbor Frieght unit cost about $100 in total cost and it paid for itself in 3-4 tire changes).
I really wished I'd bougth the No-Mar tire changer, though. That'll be my next purchase. The price difference of $400+ for the changer was a little steep for something I wasn't too sure I was going to be doing on a regular basis (the Harbor Frieght unit cost about $100 in total cost and it paid for itself in 3-4 tire changes).
Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,569
Likes: 12
From: Arizona
well its doen. had the shop do it. i tried to break the bead in a vise, no such luck. even tried clamping it in a couple different spots, just didnt want to break down. any way my bikes runs smother now. this tire only took 1/2 ounce to balance it. now what for the front. its got some weather cracking. still has about 75% of its tread. seeing as its a tube tire i wonder if i really have anything to worry about. hate to swap a good tread tire out just because of a little weather cracking, but if its not safe then im not really saving anything by having a blow out.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,952
Likes: 15
From: Senoia, Ga., by way of Miami, Fl..
I change mine in pairs.. Its not that much more expensive.. Many blowouts on cars happen becuse of "old" tires... You may be able to find some video's on tire degradation based on dates, if you were to look.. It will probably be fine, but being there's only two tires on a bike, I dont like to take the chance.. JMO...
