Changing tires by hand

[Lone Wolf]

There is another thread focused on Tire Changers, such as No-Mar or clones by Harbor Freight. 
This thread is focused on using tire irons, with suggestions to make it easier.

I have been changing my own tires for 10 years, and believe it is a skill that gets easier as you learn the "tricks". As a starting point, here is a video showing tire change on FJ-09 / Tracer

I have Motion Pro tire irons - but I am of the opinion their bead breaker used in the video is only good for when you are off road.
Breaking the bead can be very challenging. This Harbor Freight bead breaker was money well spent for me. 

Edited August 31, 2020 by Lone Wolf

[Lone Wolf]

In that video he uses "Windex" as lubricant. I believe that is why he is struggling so much. There are many brands of dedicated lube for tire changes, and any of them would have made that tire change go much easier.

Edited August 29, 2020 by Lone Wolf

[Lone Wolf]

In this photo (from NoMar video) you can clearly see where the "bead" of the tire sits on the outer parts of the rim. Once the tire is pushed down, and you have "broken the bead", the edge of your tire will be in the "drop center" also known as the "valley" of the tire. 

When you are trying to pry off a tire (or put it back on), it is very important to understand that that the other side of the tire needs to be in the drop center / valley of the wheel. In the video, Ari mentions this and uses his knee to push the opposite side of the tire into the valley.

Edited August 30, 2020 by Lone Wolf

[Lone Wolf]

Once the old tire is removed, that valley of the wheel is your friend and must be lubed up to help get the new tire on. You want the new tire to move freely in that valley to provide the room for the stiff sidewall to go over the opposite side of the rim. There is a steel cable that cannot stretch running along the bead of the tire. If it can't stretch, it must go in the valley on the other side.

This photo is from the NoMar video on changing a Gold Wing tire - showing the area to be lubricated. The experts at NoMar do know what they are doing, and when it comes to these tough tires they are basically using their expensive stand as something to hold the wheel while they use tire irons.

Edited August 29, 2020 by Lone Wolf

[Lone Wolf]

This NoMar video shows use of tire irons to put the tire on a Gold Wing. 
They are using a NoMar Bar to remove old tire, but the "put back" is all by hand.

Here's another video where NoMar decides to use tire irons for very difficult tire.
Notice the use of wood blocks to push the bead down toward the valley / Drop center of the wheel.

 

Edited August 30, 2020 by Lone Wolf

[Lone Wolf]

My tires are not as difficult as a Gold Wing. I have one of the huge NoMar tire irons, but tend to reach for my thinner Motion Pro (traditional) spoons because they aren't as fat, and provide more clearance for the tight region where you are forcing the new tire over the rim.

That photo shows a zip-tie holding the beads together, and a tie-strap forcing that side of the tire into the drop-center / valley.

Although the zip-tie method works, I think I prefer using the 3/4 inch thick wood blocks because they are easier to insert and remove.

The NoMar videos show the use of wood blocks, and they even sell them on their web site if you don't have scrap wood laying around. I still use a "tie-strap" to force that side of the tire into the valley rather than using my knees.

Edited August 30, 2020 by Lone Wolf

[banderso]

Hi, 

I don't like the motion pro rim protectors, they're too loose fitting.

These Stockton ones snap tight to the rim, mucho better....

And I also use plastic jugs, cut up, for additional protection.

 

AND, I keep swearing, I'm done, manually mounting...but......

See ya

bill

 

 

[Lone Wolf]

1 minute ago, banderso said:

I don't like the motion pro rim protectors, they're too loose fitting...

Agreed. I have the same ones Ari is using in that first video at the top of this thread.  His popped off, then he puts the tire iron right on the rim (metal on metal).

Mine have popped off, and also cracked, they are very brittle. As you can see in my photos, I have better luck with scrap plastic, which is also thin and takes up less room in that tight space as you force the tire over the rim.

[daboo]

Thanks for putting this together.  Like you wrote, the No-Mar changer is basically a tire stand so you can use your tire irons.  I'm still experimenting, but for the foreseeable future, I'll keep changing my own tires now. 

I bought a cheap 2x4 at the hardware store and cut it into a rectangle to hold the front wheel.  It keeps the disk from getting damaged.  I use the same BeadPro tire irons Ari uses.  I found they work well.  I thought about buying the HF bead breaker, but with patience, the irons work well.  The "trick" I'm finding is to use lube when breaking the bead too so the bead will slip down farther.  Once part of it goes free, the rest can be pushed off by hand.

As for protecting the rim, I tried those same Stockton Rim Protectors.  They were so-so.  The plastic milk jugs and left over thick plastic from things like my wife's old Tupperware containers work very well.  I think part of this, is just what you get used to.

I tried the zip ties.  Didn't work with my HF zip ties.  The sidewall was too stiff and it just pushed past the catch that holds the zip tie tight.  It also sucks at times living in Washington State on the west side of the mountains.  It doesn't often get hot enough to do much good by putting the tires in the "sun" to soften them.

But still, I'm sold on doing this myself.  Plus, I can get a close-up look at my brake pads to see how they are doing without taking the word of a mechanic.

Chris

[Lone Wolf]

30 minutes ago, daboo said:

...Like you wrote, the No-Mar changer is basically a tire stand so you can use your tire irons.  

...But still, I'm sold on doing this myself. 

Yeah, the links I posted show the NoMar staff using tire irons on difficult installs like the gold wing.
They are a great example of using tire irons - but the NoMar changer is much more than that, as I am sure you are aware.

For tires that do not have super stiff sidewalls like the gold wing example, the allure of the NoMar changer is to go beyond tire irons. Here's the video of Sue changing a tire using the normal NoMar method, for typical motorcycle tires and wheels.

 

[andz]

I did this once on my 400 back in the early 80s and swore never again.

For what the bike shops charge to do this I'd rather let them get on with it.

However, I know people out there like to do everything themselves and respect to them!

[Lone Wolf]

4 hours ago, andz said:

I did this once...  and swore never again.

We have all been there. But there is a reason for that. 
Changing tires by hand is an absolute bitch until you learn the tips and tricks.

Over the last 10 years, I must have watched every video on youtube re: changing motorcycle tires.
I got "Adblock for youtube" and set the speed at 1.5 or 2.0 and just barrel through them.

For someone without a dedicated stand, no specialized bead breaker - only tire irons, this would be my recommended video.

I review that video before every tire change.

His method of breaking the bead is a good one for those without specialized tools. It also shows just how much effort is required to break a bead.  The Motion Pro bead breaker that Ari uses at the top of this thread would be great if you needed to carry it with you on the road - but I prefer something with more leverage like this dude's 2x4 or something from Harbor Freight.

My only tweaks to this video would be to get a better bead breaker, and apply more lube as described on some earlier posts on this thread. The frustration goes away when you fully understand the importance of the drop-center / valley of the tire. This video (and others) demonstrate the need to control the OPPOSITE side of your tire iron. You have to make sure that other side of the tire is in the valley of the wheel so there is room to work the tire over the rim.

Lube is your friend, and any local auto parts store has a decent brand if you haven't ordered some from NoMar.
Full strength, undiluted NoMar is like Gorilla snot.

Edited August 31, 2020 by Lone Wolf