My personal tips for changing tire

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ballisticexchris

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This is not a tutorial. As anyone knows there are thousands of different ways to change a wheel/tire.

These are just a few tips I have learned over the years doing my own tires.

The first thing I do is remove both calipers. There is no quicker way to remove and replace the front wheel. It's just too fiddly to line up to the pads in the caliper left on. Some guys spread the pads and leave one caliper on. Your choice......
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I use water bottles to prevent the rim from scratching and dowels to keep the tire in the drop center of rim:
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My Motion Pro bead breakers worked like a dream. I cannot believe how easy it is to change a tubeless tire!! I'm used to UHD tubes and double rim locks. The only small issue was getting it to seat. I'm not into letting the tires warm in the sun or spreading the bead. With proper technique tires always mount easy even in frozen conditions. I just put a ratchet strap on and it seated right up with the valve core installed.
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I have to say these Anakee Wild tires were the easiest to balance than any other tire. It took just an ounce to get it perfect.
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ballisticexchris

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Oh, I didn't show it but I also grease the axle as well.
 

heberhog

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utah
this is awesome! thanks for the pics. what weight do you use for balancing? stick on or spoke mounted?
 
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ballisticexchris

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I'm not into the smashed water bottle system. I just do it the old fashioned way.
I don't change enough tires to justify a machine. Just a good old tire stand and irons for me.
 

OldRider

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You need a better balancing stand too. I know the heavy side goes down and when you put a weight on the opposite side it makes it happy, but the stand you have doesn't compensate for the drag in the bushings, spacers and seals. The shaft needs to be setting in low friction bearings. JMHO
 

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ballisticexchris

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The stand I have has served me well over the years. It runs on bearings and is very well built. The one you show is much nicer but takes up too much space. Mine folds up and is compact. I have a very limited amount of room in my garage. We keep the 2 cars in the big door and I have the 1 car section partitioned off for my work space.

I might have a trick up my sleeve when I do the rear tire. I have some special plastic "tire irons" gathering dust I might try. So hopefully no smashed water bottles LOL!
 
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ballisticexchris

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I have those and they were kind of a pain to use on the tubeless tires. They end up dropping inside the tire and you have to fish them out. They are more for tubed rims. The stand actually has its own bearings and is very accurate for balancing.
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Is there a reason you are busting my balls on my technique? Or are you just kidding around?
 

WJBertrand

Ventura Highway
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Ventura, CA
If your stand is using the wheel bearings as it looks like it does, it can't account for the drag in the bearing, seals and spacers. It make look like it's balanced and everything works fine, but it's not fully balanced. Get some real rim protectors, they're cheap and don't take up any room.
That stand looks the same as the one I got from Harbor Freight, it has a pair of low friction bearings with two blade wheels on each side. It does not rely on the wheel bearings. It's so sensitive that I have to close my garage door when balancing or any kind of breeze makes the wheel turn.
 
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ballisticexchris

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My MP stand is pretty sensitive as well. I'm not sure if it needs to be level. But I shim the legs up if needed to level the rod. Even a 1/8 oz wheel weight will make the wheel spin. I balanced a set of wheel for an Iron Butt with this stand and had no strange wear on the tires. So I'm assuming it's pretty darn accurate. I balance the wheel until it never stops in the same place.

Now you have me overthinking this. My garage door was open yesterday and a breeze was coming through. I wonder if that was why I had a hard time getting that wheel balanced. Well it's on the bike and I will live with it. I have no idea how these knobby tires are going to wear on this huge bike. Hopefully there will be no cupping.
 

Mak10

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Aug 20, 2018
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SE Idaho
I am liking the water bottle hack. I got a new rear tire on the way and will be changing it soon.

I am currently running Kenda Big Block knobbys right now. Love the grip, I’ve got about 2500 miles on them and by dirt bike standards the rear is done. I could get probably 1500 more road miles out of it.

Gonna try the Bridgestone AX41 on the rear next.
 
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jpward

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Oct 31, 2017
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Boise, ID
I have those and they were kind of a pain to use on the tubeless tires. They end up dropping inside the tire and you have to fish them out. They are more for tubed rims. The stand actually has its own bearings and is very accurate for balancing.
View attachment 54470

Is there a reason you are busting my balls on my technique? Or are you just kidding around?
I like the water bottles. I use some plastic I removed from some hockey shin guards, and have zero scratches on my rims! Thanks for the tips.
 

SilverBullet

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Harmaston, TX
No tire machine here
No tire stand here
No balancing stand here
No wheel weights here
No rim protectors here
No drop dead center aids here

I get down and dirty on the floor of my garage or driveway. I do use a piece of yoga mat for cushion/protection. One bottle of Ride-On does my balancing. Yes my rims get scratched but so does the rest of the bike when I ride. If it was a shiney street bike I might do otherwise. I change tires alot as I ride about 35K miles a year. I had to do one tire change while out on a ride and it was easy. Almost identical to how I do it at home.

This is just my perspective on tire install. I'm not criticizing other methods or saying this is the best way or that everyone should do it like this but it works for me. I like to keep things simple and minimize tools. Proper technique and practice trumps all. People complain about Mitas Dakar tires but no different for me. If it's hard to go on you're probably doing it wrong.

Sent from my SM-G860P using Tapatalk
 

jjc1957

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Oct 25, 2017
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Rehoboth, MA
I just purchased this one and have two new tires ready to go on. Paid $230 plus $93 for shipping. I have done my own tires with spoons but I think this should make it easier. Now for the balancing part? I pay $138 twice a year if I roll them in so it won't take long for this to pay for itself. Also this is portable and doesn't take up much room.
 

OldRider

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I have those and they were kind of a pain to use on the tubeless tires. They end up dropping inside the tire and you have to fish them out. They are more for tubed rims. The stand actually has its own bearings and is very accurate for balancing.
View attachment 54470

Is there a reason you are busting my balls on my technique? Or are you just kidding around?
Someone stole the rope off of them. I'm serious about the tire balancer. Loud pipes save lives.
 

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ballisticexchris

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No tire machine here
No tire stand here
No balancing stand here
No wheel weights here
No rim protectors here
No drop dead center aids here


Sent from my SM-G860P using Tapatalk
Boy those were the days! Just 2 tire irons and get er’ done!

I tried the RideOn when I first got the Beta. It never did work right when the speeds were over 70mph.

OTOH, it just might be worth a try on the ST. Do you get the wheel wobble for the first mile or so until it spreads out?
 

SkunkWorks

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Sep 13, 2018
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Colorado
I have been using "CounterAct" in my FJ tires, and now my Tenere tires.
Tested up to 101-mph on the Tenere, and no wobble or vibrations...........same for the FJ.
I use (Half) the recommended amount.
 

RCinNC

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Aug 30, 2014
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North Carolina
I'd thought about buying the HF tire changing station in the past, but with limited space and no place to securely mount it, I've stuck with tire irons, and a Motion Pro Bead Popper (which is apparently now out of production). I do use the Motion Pro rim protectors. but at this point my rims are dinged up enough that I probably could get by without them. I've used the compressor I always carry in my tool tube to seat the bead. I wanted to know that if push came to shove, I could mount a new tire on the bike while I was on the road. If I'm doing the cross country thing, I carry my tire changing tools.

I have a Marc Parnes balancer, which looks a lot like the one Chris is using, If they're similar, then the wheel isn't turning on the wheel's own bearings. The axle on my balancer sits on bearings at each end of the axle shaft; the wheel's bearings don't turn, the whole wheel turns on the balancer's axle shaft. And yes, it's super sensitive.

 

SilverBullet

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Location
Harmaston, TX
Boy those were the days! Just 2 tire irons and get er’ done!

I tried the RideOn when I first got the Beta. It never did work right when the speeds were over 70mph.

OTOH, it just might be worth a try on the ST. Do you get the wheel wobble for the first mile or so until it spreads out?
I use 3 tire irons, 2 of them see double duty as my bead breaker. (Motion Pro BeadPro forged). I carry the smaller lighter aluminum BeadPro in my bikes tool kit.

Never experienced a wobble ever with Ride-On. Takes me about 1/2 mile to reach streets of 50 mph and then another 1/2 mile to reach 65 mph. I've been well into triple digits speed many times and never a shake or wobble. Even my dual sport I always take up to 95 mph after every tire change. Same results.


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