DIY Tire change

RoadKill

RoadKill

New member
I am getting ready to get some new tires and i usually take off the wheels and take them to the stealership to have them change and balance at $45 a tire. How many of you guys change and balance your tires? any suggestions?

I plan on buying a balancer, tire irons, rim protectors, bead breaker and weights and doing it myself. saving myself $90 every time i change the tires. Is it easy or hard etc?
 
JSP

JSP

Administrator
$45 each off the bike?!?!? WOW. Thats a rip. Most they charge here is $20 a tire off the bike.

Never done myself, but those that have the stuff themselves swear its the way to go. Maybe look into those dyna bead self balancing bead things you put in the tires too?
 
DLSGAP

DLSGAP

New member
With the right tools it's pretty easy. I used to do mine all the time...

I'd say no to the dynabeads though

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
 
JSP

JSP

Administrator
DLSGAP said:
With the right tools it's pretty easy. I used to do mine all the time...

I'd say no to the dynabeads though

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

Never used them myself... Just heard about them as a way to not need a balancer.
 
tjfisher

tjfisher

New member
i normally change my own with irons and a blanket and static balance my tires looking into a no mar bar soon
 
RoadKill

RoadKill

New member
i think ill pass on the beads for now. I read about 30 reviews some negative mostly positive though. maybe after they have been around for a while longer i will start using those.

yeah $45 a tire off the wheel is not cheap. it isnt called "stealership" for nothing right :D
 
mikefz8

mikefz8

New member
RoadKill said:
i think ill pass on the beads for now. I read about 30 reviews some negative mostly positive though. maybe after they have been around for a while longer i will start using those.

yeah $45 a tire off the wheel is not cheap. it isnt called "stealership" for nothing right :D
Click to expand...

You are living in NY which seems ridiculously overpriced anyway. But I agree $45 is way too much IMO. The place I have taken my bike in the past has informed me that if I bring the tire in sans the bike and I purchase the tire from them the mounting and balance is included in the sale of the tire. A little more palatable for 5 minutes worth of work to mount and balance a tire. I just have to take the tire off and put it back on once I get the new rubber :)
 
e11charlie

e11charlie

New member
Not that hard at all. I have use a 3 gallon air tank with a nozzle that's fanned out to about 4 inches. I have a simple lever valve. Put it close to the tire and rim, hit the lever and bam instant reseat. Looks like this but mines got more creative crackering to it. In other words redneck engineering. My dad showed me how to build it. I've seen some people use a ratchet strap around the tire.
 
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b-eock

b-eock

New member
Yeah, I used to use the ratchet strap in the middle of the tire when I was little and had to air up my go cart tires.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
 
9 Lives

9 Lives

New member
Put some propane in it and light er up, seats like a hot damn.

"disclaimer" I am not responsible if you make the Darwin awards.
 
RoadKill

RoadKill

New member
after 9 hours i managed to get the front tire changed. The rear is too much for tire irons. i watched some videos etc they made it look easy but then i realized those tires had a lot of free play around the rim. bt-023's have almost none.
so i got 1 side of the rear off after hell breaking the bead. i didn't have a 2X4 to do the lever trick under a car etc. i used a motion pro bead popper. it sucks.

anyway i have to wait until tomorrow and pay the stealership $45 to change my tire. i am pretty bummed...
 
C

cpatt

New member
RoadKill said:
after 9 hours i managed to get the front tire changed. The rear is too much for tire irons. i watched some videos etc they made it look easy but then i realized those tires had a lot of free play around the rim. bt-023's have almost none.
so i got 1 side of the rear off after hell breaking the bead. i didn't have a 2X4 to do the lever trick under a car etc. i used a motion pro bead popper. it sucks.

anyway i have to wait until tomorrow and pay the stealership $45 to change my tire. i am pretty bummed...
Click to expand...

to make u a little less bumbed.... there at 85$ a tire around my area. unless u buy the tires from them then its 40......
 
SeñorJack

SeñorJack

El Guapo
I change my tire myself with two huge ass levers, a bead breaker I made with a drill, a compressor, a rug, and my wife most expensive face wash. To exfoliate my rims. 9 hours is too long. Sounds like you aren't dropping the bead into the drop center. Anyways, don't give up, it's a worthy skill to posess

Oh and no need for the bead blaster, those are for truck and tractor tires. Just set it upright and air it up
No mames wuey
 
RoadKill

RoadKill

New member
yeah i filled the front tire with a 12v compressor. the tires are so tight on the rim that setting the bead is no problem. breaking with out a bead breaker was tough. but the toughest part was getting the tire off the rim. doable on the front but impossible on the rear. in the future i will get the no-mar motorcycle tire machine. (when i have an extra 700 dollars)

ps. i was dropping the bead into the center. i would love to see someone dismount and mount a BT-023 on an FZ8 rear tire with irons.
 
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