I've bought my first bike and want to do as much of the maintenance as possible myself. I'm decent mechanically, but have never done anything with tires other than changing them on a car. I have no idea how to balance or anything. Is it worth the money to fabricate/buy the equipment needed, or just take the wheel to a shop and have them do it and worry about learning to do the DIY change while I'm putting miles on my new tread?

Also, would like to know whether I should go tubeless or not. I have a 21" spoke up front and got a flat in a not-so-nice area of Detroit and realized that fix a flat could have gotten me home. Any opinions?

P.S. if this is alredy a thread here, I apologize. Couldn't find anything through the search engine

 

Got the wheels off and waitin for opinions...

 

Lol I love Detroit! Were you off livernoise lol. As for the tire subject its probly alot easier to take them to the Stealer. Just taking the wheels off the bike will save you alot of money instead of them doing it. I don't know about the tubeless tires tho interested to hear. I don't mess with my tires enough for it to be worth spending money on my own tire rig

 

I use my local Yamaha dealer. They will supply and fit whatever tyres I want. I always take my wheels in loose, that way they don't have to learn too much Harley! They even serve coffee....

 

I do my own. It's actually simple after you have done it a time or two. Check put youtube. There's a lot of great vids on how to change and balance.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPfg0m1vEsA

 

Even a caveman can do it.

 

I take mine to the shop, its not worth the hassel to me and i dont rally have the room to do it anyways, but it is easy enough if you have the room and tools, as far as tubeless verses tube, if you have the regular wire spoke wheels you cannot go tubeless, the air wont stay in the tire it comes out around the spoke on the inside of the wheel. If you ever consider differant wheels, cast wheels allow you tubeless tires, you can plug or use fix a flat if you get a nail in it to get ya home, a tube tire you can't use either, it has to be taken off and the tube replaced or atleast patched.

I did'nt realize this thread was 3 months old when i posted, i'm sure you have it figured out by now.