Noob question, but what about balancing? I mean, I don't know how much a bike tire has to be balanced..wouldn't it have to be put on a machine and weights added and such?

Piece o' cake: http://www.google.com/search?q=diy+motorcycle+wheel+balancer

I just use the axle through the wheel sitting on a couple of jack stands.

Harbor frieght has a decent looking balancing stand, but it's $60, which is too much for what it is. It would definitely be a good deal someday when it's on sale for $40. I figure someday I could catch both parts of the tire changing setup on sale too, but at the moment I'm fine with trying to do them on the floor.

Quote from: dauphinc on February 23, 2010, 10:14:29 PM
Noob question, but what about balancing? I mean, I don't know how much a bike tire has to be balanced..wouldn't it have to be put on a machine and weights added and such?

Technically it is the wheel that needs to be balanced. Most motorcycle tires have a mark to be aligned with the heavy spot on the wheel. The heavy spot is not necessarily at the valve stem. I always spin the wheel without a tire to find the heavy spot and indicate it on the wheel Some tires do not have a mark, like Pilot Powers which can be mounted at any spot. After some experience, it only takes a couple of minutes to balance a tire. Manual balancers work the best. I have never had an experienced motorcycle tire guy who likes a machine to balance a motorcycle wheel.

Quote from: O.C.D. on February 23, 2010, 08:28:11 AM
I would not advise cutting the tire off.  I have done this and although it seems fairly easy, it is not!  I ruined two Sawzall blades and part of a good rim on a Jeep doing this.  The bead is the hardest part to get through.  But that was due to impatience.  A bike may be easier?!

Haha, I got tired of fighting with it and just cut most of the tire off. It was actually pretty easy, I just stood on it and sliced all the way around through the lettering with a razor blade, then flipped it over and did the same. The sidewalls were still on the rim, but getting the main part helped, and considering it's my first tire changed it let me see what I was actually doing. Turns out I didn't have my tire all the way off the bead anyway. I got one side off, the other is still being difficult but tomorrow I've got plans and some 2x4s to make myself a bead breaker and it should be a breeze from there.

I have this bicycle stand with the heavy duty steel plate base, so I'm just going to drill a set of holes half way down...

and make myself something like this to bolt onto it. All I need to do is run to the store and grab about 4 long bolts, some nuts and washers and I'll be in business.

Quote from: tt_four on February 27, 2010, 07:10:26 PM

Quote from: O.C.D. on February 23, 2010, 08:28:11 AM
I would not advise cutting the tire off.  I have done this and although it seems fairly easy, it is not!  I ruined two Sawzall blades and part of a good rim on a Jeep doing this.  The bead is the hardest part to get through.  But that was due to impatience.  A bike may be easier?!

Haha, I got tired of fighting with it and just cut most of the tire off. It was actually pretty easy, I just stood on it and sliced all the way around through the lettering with a razor blade, then flipped it over and did the same. The sidewalls were still on the rim, but getting the main part helped, and considering it's my first tire changed it let me see what I was actually doing. Turns out I didn't have my tire all the way off the bead anyway. I got one side off, the other is still being difficult but tomorrow I've got plans and some 2x4s to make myself a bead breaker and it should be a breeze from there.

I have this bicycle stand with the heavy duty steel plate base, so I'm just going to drill a set of holes half way down...

and make myself something like this to bolt onto it. All I need to do is run to the store and grab about 4 long bolts, some nuts and washers and I'll be in business.

your bead breaker looks good and strong. very inventive

That one in the picture isn't mine, it's just a random one from online, that's just the general plan I'm gonna go with, except I'm going to use some 2x4s. I'll try to post some pictures of it when I'm done though. I still have to make a balancing stand, which I think will be very easy aside from finding a rod that's actually the same size as the axle, since I don't have a lathe to be able to make sliding cones to use on a smaller one.

Alright, so I didn't end up needing to make the bead breaker yet. I'll definitely make one before the next time I need it, since all I need to do is get to the hardware store to grab 3 nuts/bolts/washers. I just wedged the long 2x4 under something and popped it off that way. I finally managed to get both tires changed, but good god was the difficult. I scratched the crap out of my rims too, but they had been repainted black, and I can't say how great of a paint job it was to begin with, so I'll just repaint the spots I scuffed up. I also got all my new fuel lines setup. Currently I'm waiting for the glue to dry on the rubber blocks on the bottom of the tank, since the new tank I got didn't come with any, then I just need to balance the wheels, temporarily spray paint the tail and front fender, and make sure all the random nuts and bolts are tightened, and my bike will be ready for the road!

Ooh, and that whole insurance/registration/inspection hassle.....  There's a custom/chopper/cruiser shop about 6 blocks away, I'm just gonna try to cruise the back street and see if I can make it there for the inspection since I really don't want to deal with trying to have my dad come down some saturday just to load it in his truck and drive it 6 blocks. It's all downhill, I could just push it there if I have too, assuming it passes and I don't have to push it back home!

You guys are hardcore. 

I've done tires by hand before and it sucks.  I'm more than willing to pay the shop to do them.  That's the only thing I'm willing to pay them to do, though.

Haha, as I was doing it I was thinking "there's no way this was worth saving $20 per tire", but from what I've seen on youtube, once you get some practice you can can remove and remount a new tire in a matter of minutes and barely even break a sweat, so it'll be better after a couple tries. There also aren't any shops that are convenient for me to get to. I also like knowing that I can find free tires down the line and install them just to burn then off... 

In general, paying for them to get done isn't bad, but I still don't want to do it. All the trouble I had with that triumph was starting to make me sour on motorcycles, so I figure the more I can learn to do myself, the better. The only way I'd ever take a bike to a dealership again is if I needed a tool that I absolutely could not afford or make, or if there was just some crazy problem that I could never manage to figure out without the help of a forum, but if that was the case, I don't trust a mechanic to figure it out either.

I always change my own tires.  I use the Harbor Freight stand with the Harbor Freight Motor Cycle adapter.  I have tire irons, but don't use them any more because the MoJo Lever tire long bar rolls the tires right off and back on in a snap.  Even GoldWing tires and they are infamous for being tough.  MoJo poly blocks also keep the rims from being marred by the wheel camps.  There are better cycle tire stands, such as Cycle Hill and NoMar.  Logs of video on youtube on how to.

prs

Yeah I've seen that stand at HF. I wouldn't mind picking one up someday. They're what, $60 a piece? That's the kind of thing I'll probably grab when they go on sale for $40 a piece, especially considering you have to buy those plastic blocks seperately, unless I can find some plastic and just make the blocks myself. I got the coupon for their cheap welder in my email this morning, and I spent the last hour browsing online about their mini lathes. God I hate that store. haha

Ive changed my own truck tires with a set up that my uncle had.   It was always done in the middle of summer in Kansas, and was quite possible the worst thing ive ever had to do to my pickup, not trying to scare you, but yea, i wouldnt do it again.  The bike shops here charge an arm and a leg to change tires, i dont know why though over thirty bucks im told. if you dont buy the tires fromthem

See the braces sandwiching the 2x4s on the bead breaker?  Those are important:



I hadn't thought of doing it the way shown in your picture, so I just got some plywood and glued/screwed it together to replace the long part of the lever...been fine since.

Now that's some dry pine!!!  I think I need to make one of those.  They look fun. 

Quote from: badguy on March 02, 2010, 07:24:24 AM
See the braces sandwiching the 2x4s on the bead breaker?  Those are important:

I've been using an 8-foot 2x6 stuck under the rocker panel of a car, placing a piece of scrap wood next to the rim, and put the 2x6 on the scrap.  The first tire took all of my 170# with a 7:1 advantage.  I could hear the 2x6 cracking.  Beads on subsequent tires have popped a little easier.

I used an 8ft long 2x4, only because that's what I had and didn't feel like cutting it, but I probably only used 5-6 foot of it, and probably could've gotten away with 4. Did you have it so it was 6 inches vertical, and 2 inches horizontal?? I didn't have any cracking noise with mine.

If you just do it by wedging a piece of scrap under the 2xwhatever, you'll probably be fine...pretty sure mine split mostly because of the bolts through.

Oh yeah, good thinking. I wonder if I can find some large straps/hose clamp kind of pieces. I'd like to keep it something that I can easily pull apart and stand up in a corner as that's the kind of thing that will clutter up a basement real fast.

I'm thinking of doing this because all of the shops want to charge $100 plus to change my tires and that's if I bring the tires in. Anyone know a place in O-town that is cheaper?

Mary