So I picked up a tack in my OEM mid-2011 front tire with only 3,000 miles on it. I bought the bike from a friend that did not ride much. It sat in garage most of the time. I could have patched it, but with both tires now being over 5 years old I decided, after much research, to try Metzeler Sportec M7 RR front & rear. They have a great marketing story. I guess deep down inside I'm an Isle of Man wannabe! LOL.
I did not see many tire changing method threads here, so I thought I'd document my experience over the past two days.
Here are the qualifiers: I'm 63 years old, have arthritis, have had 3 back surgeries and 3 foot surgeries in past 10 years. I'm 6"3", weigh 205lbs, most people including my Doctor think Im in good shape for a Sr citizen (hard too believe I have my AARP card!). I try to go to the gym 3 times a week for minimal cardio and mostly light weights. Have a lot of joint pain, but otherwise no complaints. Retired, riding a FZ6R and driving a Protuned 04 Sti I built. Life got better recently when we bought a beautiful 30 year old ranch house in the country with a 1200 square foot dream shop for me and my son.
So I could have had my son remove and mount my tires on his machine at work. That's what he recently did with his SV650. He said he could not guarantee not scratching my painted OEM Yamaha wheels, but probably would not scratch them. So I decided to do it myself, by hand, with few special tools. That way if they got scratched, I could only blame me. Flash forward: I got it done, without the slightest scratch on either wheel. Great learning experience. Not easy. Quite a challenge, but doable. My take away from this: the younger and stronger you are, and the warmer it is, the easier it would be.
The only special tools I used were rim protectors and three tire spoons. You absolutely need these. I bought a bag of large 24" zip ties at Harbor Freight. I bought ceramic balance beads rather than balancing the new tires the conventional way. Several friends have done this and been very happy. So I thought I would try it. I didn't have to, but I also bought some neat metal 90 degree valve stems. These are a very nice upgrade the stock rubber ones, making it MUCH easier to use a conventional tire gauge easily. I made a dishwashing soap/water solution and put it in a spray bottle. I already have front & rear paddock stands, and a few old 2x4's laying around I used to lay the wheels on to avoid putting pressure on the discs and sprocket. After a lot of consideration, I opted not to buy a bead breaker because they were all quite large, and I would only be using it every 5,000 miles or so. I did buy two 8" C clamps at Harbor Freight. In all, I maybe spent $40 in stuff I did not already have.
Got the bike on the stands and removed the front wheel first . I was thinking because it was smaller, it would be easier. Not sure in the end that was true or not. Removing either wheel/tire assembly from the bike is easy enough. Just be sure you support the brake calipers so they don't hang on their hoses. I used Zip ties.
Next I put the wheel/tire on my bench using the 2x4's as supports. Removed the valve core to get all the air out. Then I put the C clamps to it, to break the bead. Looking at the pics are better than me trying to explain it. I was surprised just how tight the bead seal was. Maybe they are all that way? Maybe because these were the OEM tires that were on for over 5 years? For whatever reason I had to use a TON of force on the C clamps. Once I had thoroughly shmunched the tire with the C clamps and the bead didn't break, I used a heat gun to see if that would help... and it did! The front tire bead did not release all the way around as expected with a pop. I had to C clamp it in several places to finally get it to release all the way around. The rear tire popped off in one place and all I had to dog was run a spoon around it, so in that respect the rear tire was easier.
My take on using a C clamps to break the bead:
1. It's a cheap tool that you can use for other things and is easy to store.
2. It works.
3. It's a relatively slow way to do it.
4. It is easy to control being so minutely close to your painted wheel rim.
5. It really smashes the tire. I was worried if I had been patching these tires if it was a good idea to put the sidewalls under that much stress(?). After the tires sat for a while off the bike though, they appeared perfectly normal.
6. Heat does wonders working on tires!
The zip tie method I used to remove the tire from the wheel works well enough. I believe it is easier and WAY less likely to scratch the rim, or break your nose with a flying tire spoon to remove the tire. There are lots of Utube vids on this. Like using the C clamps, it really squashes the tire. The easiest way to get the zip ties tight enough is to stand on the tire and tighten them, which is a balancing act and was hard on my back. But I got it done. Again, after the tire sat for a while it did not appear damaged. Use ALOT of soapy water to get the zip-tied tire off using your bare hands and muscle power. This is where being a strong stud comes in handy. You can get an assist from a tire spoon. Having a second person would have made it easier. But if I did it, you can too.
I decided not to zip tie my new tires for the install. It probably would not have caused any tire damage, but just didn't want to do it. Also, after removing them using that method, I think it would have taken ALOT of brute force to man-handle the zip tied tire onto the rim. And, I was getting tired at that point. So I REALLY heated up the new tires... and before I removed the rear tire I warmed it up also. It was 65 degrees in my shop using the wood stove during this project. I used the wood stove and an auxiliary small space heater to warm the tires before installing. A warm tire makes for a MUCH happier tire installer!
With A LOT of soapy water jamming the first side of the tire onto the rim was easy enough. I pushed hard to get the second bead over the rim, using my knees to keep it in place as I went. This is where you HAVE to use the tire spoons and the rim protectors. There is a point, say a third of the way home, that you need a LOT of leverage to get the tire bead over the edge of the wheel. It would have been be nice to have had a third hand or leg. But it was not all that hard in retrospect.
These parts are critical:
1. Be SURE you are putting the tire on in the right rotation direction, as marked on the sidewall
2. Get the factory red mark on the tire aligned with the valve stem
3. If you are using ceramic balancing beads remember to put them in before airing up and setting the bead
4. If putting in 90 degree valve stems be sure they are seated, tight and use lock tight. Also, you want them facing the right side of the bike, so when it's tilted on it's kickstand, they are easiest to access pointing up a bit.
Setting the bead on both tires was relatively simple. The front seemed a tad stubborn in one area. Before hitting it with more are pressure, I gave it just a little heat with the heat gun and it instantly popped into place. Be prepared for a loud pop, twice, when seating the bead. It only took about 20-25 lbs pressure for both my tires.
My final thoughts;
1. It can be done and it is not expensive to get the tools to do it.
2. It is not easy. My knees are bruised, and admittedly I am a little sore. I did one tire one day, and the other the next day. Sure, I could have done both in one day, but it tired my butt out just doing one per day. Heck for me, just getting up and down from a concrete shop floor over an over wears me out!
3. Next time would I do it again? Maybe, but I might just let my son do it on his machine.
4. I'm glade I met the challenge.
Hopefully some of you will find this experience of interest.
I did not see many tire changing method threads here, so I thought I'd document my experience over the past two days.
Here are the qualifiers: I'm 63 years old, have arthritis, have had 3 back surgeries and 3 foot surgeries in past 10 years. I'm 6"3", weigh 205lbs, most people including my Doctor think Im in good shape for a Sr citizen (hard too believe I have my AARP card!). I try to go to the gym 3 times a week for minimal cardio and mostly light weights. Have a lot of joint pain, but otherwise no complaints. Retired, riding a FZ6R and driving a Protuned 04 Sti I built. Life got better recently when we bought a beautiful 30 year old ranch house in the country with a 1200 square foot dream shop for me and my son.
So I could have had my son remove and mount my tires on his machine at work. That's what he recently did with his SV650. He said he could not guarantee not scratching my painted OEM Yamaha wheels, but probably would not scratch them. So I decided to do it myself, by hand, with few special tools. That way if they got scratched, I could only blame me. Flash forward: I got it done, without the slightest scratch on either wheel. Great learning experience. Not easy. Quite a challenge, but doable. My take away from this: the younger and stronger you are, and the warmer it is, the easier it would be.
The only special tools I used were rim protectors and three tire spoons. You absolutely need these. I bought a bag of large 24" zip ties at Harbor Freight. I bought ceramic balance beads rather than balancing the new tires the conventional way. Several friends have done this and been very happy. So I thought I would try it. I didn't have to, but I also bought some neat metal 90 degree valve stems. These are a very nice upgrade the stock rubber ones, making it MUCH easier to use a conventional tire gauge easily. I made a dishwashing soap/water solution and put it in a spray bottle. I already have front & rear paddock stands, and a few old 2x4's laying around I used to lay the wheels on to avoid putting pressure on the discs and sprocket. After a lot of consideration, I opted not to buy a bead breaker because they were all quite large, and I would only be using it every 5,000 miles or so. I did buy two 8" C clamps at Harbor Freight. In all, I maybe spent $40 in stuff I did not already have.
Got the bike on the stands and removed the front wheel first . I was thinking because it was smaller, it would be easier. Not sure in the end that was true or not. Removing either wheel/tire assembly from the bike is easy enough. Just be sure you support the brake calipers so they don't hang on their hoses. I used Zip ties.
Next I put the wheel/tire on my bench using the 2x4's as supports. Removed the valve core to get all the air out. Then I put the C clamps to it, to break the bead. Looking at the pics are better than me trying to explain it. I was surprised just how tight the bead seal was. Maybe they are all that way? Maybe because these were the OEM tires that were on for over 5 years? For whatever reason I had to use a TON of force on the C clamps. Once I had thoroughly shmunched the tire with the C clamps and the bead didn't break, I used a heat gun to see if that would help... and it did! The front tire bead did not release all the way around as expected with a pop. I had to C clamp it in several places to finally get it to release all the way around. The rear tire popped off in one place and all I had to dog was run a spoon around it, so in that respect the rear tire was easier.
My take on using a C clamps to break the bead:
1. It's a cheap tool that you can use for other things and is easy to store.
2. It works.
3. It's a relatively slow way to do it.
4. It is easy to control being so minutely close to your painted wheel rim.
5. It really smashes the tire. I was worried if I had been patching these tires if it was a good idea to put the sidewalls under that much stress(?). After the tires sat for a while off the bike though, they appeared perfectly normal.
6. Heat does wonders working on tires!
The zip tie method I used to remove the tire from the wheel works well enough. I believe it is easier and WAY less likely to scratch the rim, or break your nose with a flying tire spoon to remove the tire. There are lots of Utube vids on this. Like using the C clamps, it really squashes the tire. The easiest way to get the zip ties tight enough is to stand on the tire and tighten them, which is a balancing act and was hard on my back. But I got it done. Again, after the tire sat for a while it did not appear damaged. Use ALOT of soapy water to get the zip-tied tire off using your bare hands and muscle power. This is where being a strong stud comes in handy. You can get an assist from a tire spoon. Having a second person would have made it easier. But if I did it, you can too.
I decided not to zip tie my new tires for the install. It probably would not have caused any tire damage, but just didn't want to do it. Also, after removing them using that method, I think it would have taken ALOT of brute force to man-handle the zip tied tire onto the rim. And, I was getting tired at that point. So I REALLY heated up the new tires... and before I removed the rear tire I warmed it up also. It was 65 degrees in my shop using the wood stove during this project. I used the wood stove and an auxiliary small space heater to warm the tires before installing. A warm tire makes for a MUCH happier tire installer!
With A LOT of soapy water jamming the first side of the tire onto the rim was easy enough. I pushed hard to get the second bead over the rim, using my knees to keep it in place as I went. This is where you HAVE to use the tire spoons and the rim protectors. There is a point, say a third of the way home, that you need a LOT of leverage to get the tire bead over the edge of the wheel. It would have been be nice to have had a third hand or leg. But it was not all that hard in retrospect.
These parts are critical:
1. Be SURE you are putting the tire on in the right rotation direction, as marked on the sidewall
2. Get the factory red mark on the tire aligned with the valve stem
3. If you are using ceramic balancing beads remember to put them in before airing up and setting the bead
4. If putting in 90 degree valve stems be sure they are seated, tight and use lock tight. Also, you want them facing the right side of the bike, so when it's tilted on it's kickstand, they are easiest to access pointing up a bit.
Setting the bead on both tires was relatively simple. The front seemed a tad stubborn in one area. Before hitting it with more are pressure, I gave it just a little heat with the heat gun and it instantly popped into place. Be prepared for a loud pop, twice, when seating the bead. It only took about 20-25 lbs pressure for both my tires.
My final thoughts;
1. It can be done and it is not expensive to get the tools to do it.
2. It is not easy. My knees are bruised, and admittedly I am a little sore. I did one tire one day, and the other the next day. Sure, I could have done both in one day, but it tired my butt out just doing one per day. Heck for me, just getting up and down from a concrete shop floor over an over wears me out!
3. Next time would I do it again? Maybe, but I might just let my son do it on his machine.
4. I'm glade I met the challenge.
Hopefully some of you will find this experience of interest.
