SV650.org - SV650 & Gladius 650 Forum



Tyres Post your own reviews, opinions and experiences on this subject.

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 05-06-09, 06:15 PM   #1
Berlin
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Changing and balancing your own tyres – How to.

Changing and balancing your own tyres – How to.

Here’s a quick guide for those who fancy having a go at changing their own tyres.

First of all you’ll need:

Paddock stands, so you can take your wheels out.
Tyre Levers
3-4 six inch pieces of 1” diameter Hosepipe cut along the inner curved side so they follow the rim shape.
Scissor jack (to break the tyre bead)
Three sections of 2x4 (see later)
Home made wheel-balancing stand. (see picture) or axel stands
Some stick on weights begged/stolen/borrowed from your local tyre fitter.
Compressor (the small car ones are fine)
1:100 Fairy Liquid : Water mix / Jug or Tyre soap
A spare pair of hands
Wax crayon
Masking tape
Tools

Step 1: breaking the bead.
1)Take the wheels out of your bike and remove any spacers, sprockets, cush drives etc. Disks can be left in place. If you’ve never taken a front wheel out you’ll need to remove one brake calliper if you have a twin disk bike to remove the wheel.

2)Find a suitable place in a door frame or between two fairly close walls so you can use the scissor jack and a piece of wood to break the bead.

3)Place the wheel with two pieces of 2x4 behind it, one on the floor and one at the top just behind the rim, against the wall. These keep the disks from hitting the wall.

4)Place a piece of wood end on, between the scissor jack and the tyre just above the rim.

5)Get your willing assistant to slowly start jacking the tyre whist you pour a small splash of fairly liquid water mix into the opening it creates to help the tyre slide off the rim.

6)Keep jacking with steady pace holding the bottom of the wheel in place with your foot and a hand on the wood to guide it.

7)The tyre will gradually slide off the bead.

If you intend doing this a lot you can build leverage bead breaker

8 )Turn the tyre round and repeat.

Step 2: getting the tyre off.

1)With a wax crayon, mark the direction of rotation if you don’t have directional spoke design for the front!!!

2)Lie the two pieces of 2x4 from earlier down so you can lie the wheel on them so the disk doesn’t touch the ground.

3)Use the palm of your hand to push around the tyre so the bead is broken all the way around the tyre.

4)Turn over the wheel and repeat.

5)Place 3 pieces of hose on the rim where you are going to use the levers so you don’t damage the rim.

6)Make sure the tyre opposite the pieces of hose is in the centre of the wheel and not on the raised bead.

7)Insert the first lever and lever the tyre over the rim. Hold in place.

8 )Insert the second lever a little way along the rim and lever this over. Remove the first lever making sure the tyre stay where it is and move this lever to the other side of the second lever and continue until 12” of tyre are over the rim.

9)Remove levers and splash a little fairy liquid mix on the rim.

10)With the wheel vertical. Place your knee on the tyre that is over the rim and kneel on the tyre. It should slide off the rim.

11)Next, repeat with the other side of the tyre levering it off the same side of the rim. Be careful here that you don’t take the levers too far over and mark the rim.

12)Once you have 12” off the rim, kneel on the tyre again with the wheel vertical and the tyre should come straight off the wheel.
You may want to take the opportunity here to add Bolt on tyre valves so they don't need changing again. These are readily available on the net.

Step 3: New tyre on.

1)Take the tyre and make sure the rotation is the right direction for the wheel

2)Check it again!

3)Check it one more time!

4)Place the rim in the tyre and wipe the rim with fairy water mix.

5)Lie the wheel on the pieces of 2x4 and ease the tyre onto the rim.

6)Place two pieces of hose onto the rim where you will use the levers. Sometimes its easier to put these one before starting the tyre

7)Insert one lever and gently ease the tyre onto the rim. Insert the next lever and do the same again. Don’t push the lever over too far or it will mark the rim. A Circular movement is better to remove the lever without the tyre slipping back to where you started.

8 )Continue with the levers until the tyre pops on.

9)Repeat with the second side of the tyre MAKING SURE YOU DON’T LOSE THE PIECES OF HOSE INTO THE TYRE!
10)Count your pieces of hose to make sure you have them all.

Step 4: Inflating the tyre.

1)With the wheel vertical squash the tyre around the wheel so it seats against the rim.

2)Connect the compressor to the valve and turn on. Dribble a little fairy/water mix down each side of the tyre to show if the air is leaking and make an easier seal.

3)The tyre should seat and start to inflate easily. If it doesn’t, you make need to apply pressure at various places around the tyre by placing it against a wall and pushing with knee and hands to seat the tyre. If this doesn’t work you can use a rope around the centre of the tyre tightened by twisting a hammer handle in the rope.

4)Inflate until both beads pop onto the rim. Make sure your fingers are clear when this happens!

Step 5: Balancing the tyre.

1)Remove the old weights

2)Take your home-made balancing rig (see picture) or axel stands and place the wheel and spindle on it.

3)Gently spin the wheel and note where it stops.

4)Spin again and see if it stops in the same place. If it does, stick a 5 gram weight to the rim at the top with masking tape (it will be removed and permanently attached later)

5)Spin the wheel again and note where it stops. If the weight is still at the top add a second 5 gram weight and spin again.

6)Repeat until the wheel stops randomly. Hint: If the wheel rotates ever so slightly in the opposite direction when it stops, you’re not close to the final weight. When finished the wheel will come to a gradual stop.

7)Spin in the opposite direction to check weights are correct.

8 )Remove temporary weights and add permanently evenly across the rim

9)Once on, spin the wheel for one final check.

Step 6: Adjust pressures and refit wheel.

Adjust pressures and refit wheels


Last edited by Berlin; 06-06-09 at 09:27 AM.
  Reply With Quote
Old 05-06-09, 10:26 PM   #2
ThEGr33k
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Changing and balancing your own tyres – How to.

Ahh nice one mate.

Only thing is ill probably just get the people at the shop to do it... far quicker and only costs a little bit. besides, it will help the economy... lol
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-06-09, 12:12 AM   #3
yorkie_chris
Noisy Git
Mega Poster
 
yorkie_chris's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Halifax/Leeds
Posts: 26,645
Default Re: Changing and balancing your own tyres – How to.

Pair of axle stands are fine for balancing. But wood is cheaper...

Sticky this!


Maybe add how to change valves?
Also recommend some soap that doesn't have salt in it. I think traditional sorts of washing powder/soap flakes would be good for this.
__________________
Currently Ex Biker
Now rebuilding a 63' fishing trawler as a dive boat
yorkie_chris is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-06-09, 09:30 AM   #4
Berlin
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Changing and balancing your own tyres – How to.

Now edited to include adding bolt on tyre valves and axel stands.

Salt is only used in fairy liquid to thicken the detergent and is in in tiny quantities. (I used to work for Proctor and Gamble ).

Some folks use furniture polish but this doesn't go sticky later like soap does and I'd not fancy my tyres slipping round the rim from this.
  Reply With Quote
Old 17-08-10, 09:35 AM   #5
yorkie_chris
Noisy Git
Mega Poster
 
yorkie_chris's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Halifax/Leeds
Posts: 26,645
Default Re: Changing and balancing your own tyres – How to.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Berlin View Post
Hint: If the wheel rotates ever so slightly in the opposite direction when it stops, you’re not close to the final weight. When finished the wheel will come to a gradual stop.
They sometimes do that even when perfectly balanced, I believe just from grease drag in the bearings.
__________________
Currently Ex Biker
Now rebuilding a 63' fishing trawler as a dive boat
yorkie_chris is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 17-08-10, 11:13 AM   #6
Berlin
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Changing and balancing your own tyres – How to.

I told you that!
  Reply With Quote
Old 17-08-10, 11:50 AM   #7
yorkie_chris
Noisy Git
Mega Poster
 
yorkie_chris's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Halifax/Leeds
Posts: 26,645
Default Re: Changing and balancing your own tyres – How to.

But I knew they did it anyway... so why'd you include the contrary in your guide!!
__________________
Currently Ex Biker
Now rebuilding a 63' fishing trawler as a dive boat
yorkie_chris is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 17-08-10, 12:29 PM   #8
Berlin
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Changing and balancing your own tyres – How to.

Because both are true
  Reply With Quote
Old 17-08-10, 12:36 PM   #9
Skip
Member
Mega Poster
 
Skip's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 3,151
Default Re: Changing and balancing your own tyres – How to.

Good write up - but my local fitter will swap tyres at £10 a time including a new valve so all this messing about would not be worth my time!
__________________
'81 Honda H100A
'18 Honda MSX125 (Grom)
Skip is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Changing tyres rant. Berlin Bikes - Talk & Issues 36 06-03-09 08:16 PM
Balancing spots on new bike tyres. Where to they go in relation to the valve? monkey Bikes - Talk & Issues 9 24-02-08 12:39 AM
Changing tyres!!! MeridiaNx Tyres 9 23-06-07 05:19 PM
Changing tyres... northwind SV Talk, Tuning & Tweaking 11 22-07-06 09:17 PM
Balancing and fitting tyres northwind Bikes - Talk & Issues 12 27-01-05 08:22 PM


All times are GMT. The time now is 09:32 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® - Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.