Changing tubed tyres yourself.

[mike-s]

Hey,
I'm at the point with the dunger that i need to get new hoops for it, however I've been wondering if it is worth my while actually just buying tyres & tyre irons myself and changing them onto the rims by myself. As the wheels are tubed (they are alloy's but i haven't been able to find any indication if they can take tubeless tyres) there's not going to be as much a concern with the bead needing to be sealed and the manual for my 250 seem pretty self explanatory about the quirks of shedding and adding rubber using old school tyre irons.

the only fly in the ointment about taking the bike in to get them swapped is because the bikes unregistered i am loathe to take it anywhere until i get her out for her blueslip.

[robracer]

With the tyre irons you run the risk of damaging the alloy rim as you will probably need to lever off it at some stage ... if the condition of the rims is poor then go for it as for the tube just call your LBS & see what they say

[Strika]

With the tyre irons you run the risk of damaging the alloy rim as you will probably need to lever off it at some stage ... if the condition of the rims is poor then go for it as for the tube just call your LBS & see what they say

I used to have to change my own tyres at the track when I was racing. I got pretty quick at removing and refitting tyres with hand levers and three planks of wood!!!! If you are careful and have good quality tyre levers, then it is a simple, if time consuming affair. The only issue I ever had was breaking the bead. Most times, I could get it by standing on the tyre, but occasionally it would require the car to be driven over the tyre to squash it off the bead. Also you can get little plastic rim protectors to stop the levers from biting into the soft alloy!

[greeny]

If you are going to get a set of levers get the ones pictured below.
I used to chage the rear tyre on the Blade about every week, sometimes two or three times so i ended up getting the hang of it.
I tries a couple different styles of levers but these were by far the easiest to use and the most gentle on the wheels.
Even with good levers like these be prepared to scratch some paint off and maybe nick the metal when learning.
Best to get someone you knows how to do it to show you.

As for breaking the bead i have used a variety of way from G-clamps to car jacks. to using wood and levering off the chasis rail of my 4WD.
If you are going to do it all the time get a bead breaker. I have a heap of pics of one you can make easy as if you are handy with a welder.

[mike-s]

Cheers for the help guys,
I'm not planning on doing it all the time but figured as i've done almost everything myself (aside from getting the bike OFF the back uf a jacked up ute, that required the sellers help) i figure why the hell not have a go at trying to do this as well.

I think i'll just use a g clamp to break the bead, but as for the rest of it, its a cast aluminium rim and i'll see what i can find from supacheap & auto pro in the way of irons & protectors on my adventures out today. p.s. i would have thought cut sections from the edges of an icecream tub lid would do a smashing job as rim protectors . im feeling very much like a yet again.

[MickLC]

I just took my wheels off the bike, chucked them in the car and took them out to get new tyres and innertubes...wasn't worth the hassle of trying to do it myself and they can balance them up as well

[mike-s]

to be honest i didnt want to have to do the juggling act of trying to get the bike on the centrestand, on engine stands and on a trolleyjack, just to make sure i could get everything off (bit of a p.i.t.a due to the mufflers being slung a bit lower than "normal" and crossing the swingarm bolt, means the shocks come off to change a tyre ). This way ive got the rubber,and can change it when & if i can be arsed, and more importantly one at a time. Next challenge is getting a pair of tyre irons/levers, got to try auto one tomorrow, repco & supacheap naturally both didn't have them.

On a side note i just fired the bike up, warmed it up and gave it a good old rev and saw that above 5k or so theres a bit of smoke coming out, unsure if its oil (due to ring wear) or fuel (i was revving it a lot while stationary) as i was just inside the garage and the light didn't really help.

lets see how hard these effing things are to get a hold of now .....

[mike-s]

Got two sets of levers from the local bike shop, the big 15 inch levers and a smaller 8 inch set. Got the tyres on with ease..... But realised in my manhandling to get the old rubber off i had torn a hole in the tube. Hole is repaired and waiting for the tube to cure.

I must say that it took hours to figure the technique to get the bastard off again. Never let it be said that small radial tyres are easy to remove, i call bullshit!!! Hopefully it'll be easier when they're worn out... or ill just get the shop to do them

Next step, refitting up the front and then doing the back, at least now i know wtf im doing, kinda....