| Author | Message | ||
     Jandj_davis |
I am going to start changing my own tires, so I am compiling a list of tools and appliances that I need to purchase in order complete said endeavor. I am going to buy the tire changing setup from Harbor Freight, the wheel balancer from www.marcparnes.com, and maybe the MojoLever tire bar (http://mywebpages.comcast.net/prestondrake/mojoweb.htm). Now I need recommendations on an air supply. I have limited space and even more limited money, so I would like to do this as economically as possible. I figure setting beads and filling tires will probably be the biggest job my compressor will have to do, at least volume-wise. Unfortunately, I know NOTHING about air compressors. I don't want some behemoth that costs more than my bike, but I don't want something that isn't going to have the capacity for setting beads. Would a 2 gallon compressor be enough? What about 3 CFM @ 70 PSI? Also, I don't currently own a bike with a 180-section rear tire (mine is a 130) but I know I will sooner or later, so I need the compressor to be able to handle the largest motorcycle tire I could throw at it, up to a 200mm cross-section is probably safe. Should I try to find an oilless one, or is oil that big of a hassle? Am I going to need a dryer? My other thought was, perhaps I should get a 5 gal. air tank. I can fill it with the 12V pump I have, or fill it at the local gas station. It should work for setting the beads, and I can use the cheap 12V air pump to fill the tire to spec. However, that is a fall-back option, because every self-respecting male (myself included)should own an air compressor, at least in my mind. I guess that wraps it up. If I missed anything, those of you that change your own tires, let me know. Thanks a bunch. | ||
| Henrik |
I've been looking for tire changing gear as well. These guys have a pretty nice mount/demount bar as well: http://nomartirechanger.com/ They also carry what they call Xtra hand, which is a clamp that will keep the bead in the grove of the wheel - check out the pictures and you'll see what I mean. Fortunately you can get that clamp $10 cheaper here : http://www.myerstiresupply.com/pls/myers/display_coupon?pass_cou_id=232&cart_id= rbsg0609 Myers also have other tire changing supplies at decent prices. Henrik | ||
| Dave |
I bought a set of motion pro tire irons and changed the rear tire of my Ulysses. Actually a simple job. I do have a 25 gal air compressor. It took a lil muscle to get the tire off the rim but I wasn't comfortable putting it on the Harbor Freight tire changer I bought. More details at http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2470561&postcount=177 DAve | ||
| Buellistic |
"One of the most dangerious things in the world is a HARLEY-DAVIDSON TECHNICIAN working on a BUELL !!!" | ||
| Dave |
That's the honest Gospel Buellistic! | ||
| V2win |
The nomartirechanger folks are here in St.Louis. Good people, good product. Like DAve, I just use the HF tire changer to break the tire off the bead, (I dont mount it in the changer) and then use tire irons to do the rest of the job. I use the marc parnes balancer and buy my stick-on wheel weights at the local nappa store. American moto tire gets almost all of my tire purchases. Im all about saving those $$$$$$. | ||
| Dave |
JOhn ... based on your comments, I ordered the balancer from Marc Parnes the other day. Ron Ayers have had the best tire prices for me. DAve | ||
| Nutsosane |
Not to crap in everyones soup but here goes. I was SERIOUSLY considering purchasing all the tools to do this; even considered it as a small side business to help bikers out until... I found a shop locally to change the tires for $10 each (wheel off) There is another shop that will do it for $15 same conditions. Personally I could not justify the outlay of funds over $20 each new set. I would call all the shops within driving distance and see what they have to say. I would take the rear axle when you find someplace because most don't have the adapter to balance the XB rear. There's my morning rant and I hope I have not offended anyone. If I lived in the sticks I would have the set up being discussed above though. NUTS  | ||
| Jandj_davis |
Wow, that NoMar Tire Changer looks like a nice piece of equipment. It makes the HF version look like I engineered it! But, for $600 I could pay for a whole bunch of mounts at the shop. The main reason that I want to mount my own tires is not for cost savings, which is the reason I give my wife, but to make sure that it is done correctly and carefully. I know that my tires are not balanced correctly, and I am fairly certain that the rear was not mounted correctly either, as there is leaking around the bead. So, that is my motivation. I am also trying to get out of the mechanically declined slump that my family seems to have fallen into. My dad and his dad couldn't turn a wrench to save their lives. Now, my main question has yet to be answered. I can't afford a 25 Gal. compressor like Dave, though I sure do wish I could. In a pictorial diary of changing a tire with the NoMar piece, I saw a guy seating the bead of a BMW front wheel with a little 2 gallon pancake compressor. If that is all it takes, then I think this whole thing could be a reality. | ||
| Henrik |
I haven't done tire changing by myself ... yet ... but I'm fairly certain that any one of the small pancake compressors will do the job. I'd love to spring for the No Mar changer, but if you look around the web, there are lots of good instructions for how to change tires just just an old car tire, some 2x4, good long tire irons, rim protectors and either an old car rim or an old oil drum using sliced oil line to pad the rim/drum to protect your wheel. I'm thinking that the Xtra hand/bead depressing tool that I linked to above could save a Shade Tree Tire Changer a lot of cursing and busted knuckles. I know of racers that use the axle and a couple of jack or milk crates for wheel balancing - works well for them So going the frugal route, you should be able to get into tire changing for less than $100 plus compressor. Henrik | ||
| Dave |
Here's my No Mar changer.  DAve | ||
| Henrik |
Way to go all high tech on us there Dave  Henrik | ||
| Bomber |
I've been changing my own tires for a year, now -- I've got a lil $25 buck compressor for topping off tires and the like, but it will not, under any circumstances, seat the beads on the wheels -- however, five minutes away in the pickemup is a gas station that has a compressor the size of the Hindenburg, which WILL seat the beads -- just an alternative for those frugal types that don't wish to buy a Kompressor right now ;-} | ||
| Skyguy |
I will deny I ever posted this but you dont need no stinking compressor to seat a tire bead. Us 4x4 guys carry a can of lighter fluid and some matches. Squirt about half an ounce of lighter fluid (reduced for mc tires) into the tire, light the match stand back and toss the match at it. Boom! tire is seated. Okay I dont know if this will work for motorcycle tires but I have done it with truck tires several times. | ||
| Road_thing |
Hey! I remember you! You're the guy in the Jeep without any eyebrows! rt I mean you don't have any eyebrows, not the Jeep! | ||
| Blake |
 This may be a good opportunity to remind everyone that the views of folks expressed here on BadWeB are not necessarily shared or endorsed by BadWeB, it's owners or supporting personnel. I'll be darned if I won't have to try that someday though, yes with video running. LOL! Actually, maybe I can just double dog dare RT into testing that method. And Melissa will hopefully be kind enough to report on Henrik should he give it a try. | ||
| Road_thing |
You shoulda been there the time I tried to re-light the pilot on my pool heater! Man, I wish I had video of that one--first time I ever saw the inside of a big fireball! I smelled like burned hair for a few days... rt | ||
| Henrik |
Oh no Blake. I've done my share of 'splodin stuff and am done with that. I will however stand back - way back - and observe someone else trying that trick  Henrik | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Stop it Road, you're killing me!  I've actually seen the "lighter fluid method" except with hair spray. It WILL remove your eyebrows if you insist on a close up look.... (No didn't loose mine, the the person with the match did....) Neat WHUMP sound when it lights off. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I remember the first time I was trying one of those newfangled gas grills with a button starter at a girlfriends house. click. click. click. click. click. whooooooshhhh! Like thing said... looking out of a fireball is cool, but the absence of eyebrows and the smell of burnt hair does NOT go over well with the ladies.... | ||
| Henrik |
Lighter fluid method ... when I worked ER we used to have a month or so in the spring where we'd get the "this thing just won't light up" guys that had poured alcohol, charcoal lighter or similar on an already lit grill. Not pretty - please be careful out there. Henrik | ||
| V2win |
DAve, Instead of the cardboard, I use an old 16" truck tire laying on top of my flat bed trailer. Its just the right height so I dont have to kneel down to do the work. (Replaced the right knee a while back). I lay the wheel on the tire and have at it. I use three irons. One just like your long one, to keep the bead from moving where I first start, and the other two smooth ones to work the tire off or on. Piece of cake. Bob bought a no-mar set up, but I dont think he has used it yet. Nutsosane, I do live out in the boonies. Im 50 miles from a dealer friend who would do the job for free, if I ask him. I dont feel like using up 2 hrs of time to make the trip. Im only 5 minutes for the good roads here. | ||
| Jackbequick |
I've never done a tubeless on a bike, do you use a strap around the tire to get the bead seated? And will a quick shot at 100 PSI or so seat it enough to get it filled? Anyone ever watch the "professional" tire service folks do heavy equipment tires in the field using aerosol engine starter (ether) and one of those 10" or so long BIC fire starters. They spray the engine starter inside tire (standing vertically) and then one guy clicks the fire starter near the rim/bead junction while the other guy throws the dump valve open on the 60 gallon air tank. Whumph! And the bead is seated. You can always tell who is the junior man on that job, he is never the guy on the dump valve. Jack | ||
| Dave |
My compressor was at around 60-70 psi. JOhn... I have a flat bed trailer. All I need is the 16in truck tire and some boonies. PS JOhn. Comin' down for the AMA Races? I'll have the Coca-Cola for you. Oh and ya never told me before you have "one just like my long one". hahahahaha DAve | ||
| Bomber |
Jack -- I wrap a length of rope around the tire twice, and then use an old screwdriver as a handle and make a tourniquet thingie -- works OK wrt the use of rapidly expanding gas to seat the bead, anyone know of a source of flashbang grenades? this sounds like BIG fun! | ||
| Jackbequick |
Thanks Bomber, I did something like that on a garden tractor tire last summer. The flash bangs might leave some residue inside the tire. The flash bangs I saw when I was around specops had a fuse assembly similar to a frag grenade's. Too big and heavy to have rattling around inside a tire. There's a lot of fun to be had with engine starter. A buddy built a potato cannon with a long aluminum tube and it used engine starter for an propellant. Neat! That thing was dangerous, potentially lethal at close ranges. And then someone noticed that it was sized just right for golf balls. That was undoubtedly lethal. On a vertical firings, no one could track a golf ball to the apogee so we used to all stand around in hard hats waiting for it to come back down. We were guessing maybe 3,000 to 5,000 feet. I'd do an internet search but I'm afraid of what I'll find. Then there is carbide. Can't be beat for making noise. Now there is some fun stuff... And the guys in the welding shop making acetylene ballons, those are lighter than air. Did you ever hear a 300 foot high air burst on a cheap trash can liner full of acetylene? Watch out for static electricity! I heard about a acetylene balloon expert that was found stand nearly naked, nearly hairless, and stone deaf after a failed attempt at filling one. One of the "experts" said you have to dunk the bag in water and shake the excess out first to keep the static down. Jack | ||
| Bomber |
Jack -- field expediant explosive devices are ACES! no need to visit the fireworks store for the fourth at all! | ||
| Beache |
I did it. I mounted the new rear tire myself. I bought a Dunlop D220 for 99$ (BARGAIN), took an old car rim and cushioned the rim edge with tape and some old hose I had lying around. which made a very stable working platform. I used plastic bottle cut outs as cushions for my pry bars. I used a short piece of 2x4 with a slight angle cut on the edge as the bead breaker, and a 4' 2x4 as a lever, and my work bench made a good fulcrum. Demounting the tire from the rim took 5 minutes, some muscle and maybe a dozen curse words. Remounting the new tire was the real challenge. The first bead slipped over the ream after about 5 minutes of persuasion, but the second bead took at least 45 Minutes....and I was fired up. Man that was a pain in the A$$. I am going to have to buy some actual spoons instead of pry bars the next time I attempt this feat. I have yet to balance it, I might bring it in this time and let the dealer balance it. |
