Secrets to do a quick and easy motorcycle tire change
2023 ж. 12 Қаз.
73 607 Рет қаралды
Full length motorcycle tire change. In this video I talk you through a real-time tire change for one of my bikes I am doing service on. Join me as I swap a tubeless Pirelli STR to a Heidenu K60 Ranger on the front of my Ducati DesertX
Have done al lot of tires but after fighting the front tyre of an old bmw r1150rt for half an hour, I decided to consult your video. Taking the tyre off was easy as well as putting it almost back on. Your advice to use sockets made the difference between a possible and impossible job. I realized the tyre needed extra space to make the last jump and the sockets ( use small ones!!) made the last part easy as well. Many thanks from Holland!
The use of the socket is a great idea! Thanks for that tip.
Sockets. Hmmmpt. Now I have a bead buddy for sale cheap. Thanks Bret!
Lol i never thought of using sockets.
Bead breaker/tire changer and actual bead lubricant with a brush make it so much easier. Not sure why more riders don’t just buy bead lube for the home garage. It’s $13 for a gallon that’ll last forever. It stays wet for the perfect amount of time and and doesn’t leave any slick film once dried. Way better than trying to do it with other lubricants.
I just use silicone grease, not cheap but you don't use much of it, and the silicone conditions the rubber so it won't dry out, and just of little of it stays behind so removing the tire in the future is much easier.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I consider myself fairly well skilled in maintaining my motorcycles but keeping the tire slippery while I mount was always an issue in bone dry Arizona. I just mounted a new tire on my Goldwing and using WD40, it went right on and seated easily. You saved me lots of frustration and kept money in my pocket and out of the swear jar. God bless
Thank you for being the motorcycle Uncle I never had as always. So helpful! Thank you!
It's good to have an Uncle 😁👍
Yeah, those sockets were the perfect tool. Love the improv!
Very impressive to see this is real time! Many thanks!
Very simple but slick tire change. Love the tip about the sockets.
Never to late to learn something new. Thanks
Excellent advice. Great tips.
Like the socket trick, thanks Bret
Wow, you make it look so easy Bret. I will plan a bit more and try it myself again. Thanks for making the video!
excellent job man, sockets are great idea, thanks!
Bravo. Made it look easy. Very clear explanation with some helpful tips!
Sockets! Thank you for that new one.
I appreciate the moto mechanic lessons
love the socket trick! I have changed a number of tires, but never used sockets - I will now. :) thank for the tip!
Great instructional video!
I’ve changed a whole lot of tires in my time and yet I still picked up some valuable tips. Like the way you use WD-40 and the way you removed the second bead looks brilliant! Can’t wait to try it myself. Thanks again, Bret!
Good job Bret, thanks! (HF motorcycle lift for the win!)
Just changed my dr650 rear tire for a dunlop d606 which i was told is difficult to mount. With your instructions and tips it went VERY well. Many thanks for sharing Bret! Cheers
I think that the most important thing you should impress on newbies (I have made this mistake and seen many others too) is to make sure (as per your socket trick) that the “knee side” is in the low point. If not told, most people will just use more force and more swear words.
Thanks for posting the video.
I've changed a lot of tires. I've never thought of using the sockets like you did. Great trick! Thanks for sharing. I bet I'll need lots of tricks when I decide to install Dunlop Trailmax Missions on my GS...
Good video, some nice tips, the sockets thing I never thought of. Thanks for posting this.
That's one of the best tricks I've ever learned
Hey great trick with the sockets I've changed many tires and used all kinds of other tricks but the socket one is great especially for on the side of the road or someplace where you have limited tools thanks for that tip I'll use it for sure!
Thanks for the vid but especially for explaining how and why to use sockets. I've seen them in other vids but you explained why and how to use them. Thx
Hey, I wanted to thank you for posting this. I've been struggling for years and this method finally worked for me! I broke my back a bunch of years ago and every time i'd try to do my own tires it would set me back for weeks. This worked! I thought i was stuck getting shops to do this job!
You make it look easy! I struggle every time, but get there in the end with a sweaty face!
The biggest issue I see when I teach this is people get greedy with the spoons and lack patience
The trick to avoiding the sweat is to be a teenager, who is fit and agile. As I've got older, I sweat a lot, and 99% of my energy is spent holding my own body weight when leaned over. Don't get over weight, stay off the wrong foods and never get old, just be a teenager forever! Only if...
Just getting started on handling my own tires (R1200RT), and I really appreciate your videos. Thanks!
You will never be able to change your RT's tyres using this method, not in a million years. You will struggle and f**k up your RT's rims in the process. Having given up you will take your bike or it's wheels to the local bike shop admitting defeat. Been there done that. Get yourself a proper tyre changer. I did. Changing tyres literally takes a few minutes now, no struggling, no damaged rims from tyre irons. Repainting damaged rims is expensive. Spend the money on a decent tyre changer instead.
thanks i thought you was just trying to make it look easy but after following your way iv just don two brand new timers big big thanks for taking your time doing this video
Glad I could help
So much easier without a tube to mess with. Unfortunately all of my bikes have tubes... Great video showing that it isn't too difficult.
I do have a video I made for a Patreon supporter that had only partial use of one hand. That video is a tubed tire.
Obviously the main aim is don't catch the tude with the tyre levers. But apart from that it's no different really. I've only had one bike without tubes and I sold it before I ever had to change tyres.
Hoooo the socket trick ! Hahahha awesome I'll try it next time !
As a new rider, I am going to need to do this sometime soon, so I appreciate the beginner content!
Welcome aboard, and thanks for the channel support! I gave a lot of bikes to service this winter so am planning on more owner maintenance videos.
Jeez Bret you make it look so easy. I’ve just had a go at it and let just say I’ll never be doing that again. 😂
Thank you for showing your technique! I’m hoping you’ll consider a future video of a rear tire change of a wheel with a TPMS as I believe many modern machines run those. You do great work!
It's the same technique
Idk, I’ve always favoured starting opposite & FINISHING at the valve stem because internal tpms sensors &/or tube stems can impede the tire from dropping into the centre of the rim to help make that last bite easier.
I wish you did this video 2 years ago when I tried to change the tire on my own for the first time. After many trials and errors, pain and blood I agree that WD-40 is the best way to go. Works way better than soap. :)
I have been working on bikes for 34yrs and owned over 110 bikes at one point (school bikes and rentals). I have tried every trick I have heard and this is the easiest process I know. I often even skipped the machine when I had one.
I think vegetable oil works better than wd-40. It’s harmless to the rubber and innertube. I put some in a cap and just rub a thin layer around tire
I did my first tire change few weeks ago. And man, I struggled. You make it look so easy, on Heidenaus even! 😅 Now I'm looking forward to my next tire change and I will certainly follow your instructions then. Only 14 minutes (with talking) and not a drop of sweat... I'll get there!
The rear was a bitch. I wish I had recorded that one too. I really want to do a tire change video where everything goes wrong 😁👍
@BretTkacs if that's the case, record me changing one🤨
@plc1721 I put a 130/80/17 avon grip master on a 2.25 rim on a kmx 200 it was much to wide for the rim I couldn't get the tyre off and gave up.
Bought the same spoons, took my courage and mounted successfully a Trailmax raid on my front rim (R1250GS). Your video, patience and technique did the job. Thank you very much!
Congratulations... This is a critical skill to know as an ADV rider
Good video and I love seeing guys like you and Birch change tires by hand and without some well-marketed $600+ changing machines (which you don’t have trailside). One thing I struggle with every time on my 1090 is being able to get the sidewalls to seat the bead enough to hold air. I always have to use a ratchet strap. And even then it’s so much of a struggle I’m tempted to just fit tubes. This is my first tubeless bike and I’m just not sold on it.
Use more lube to seat the bead. Silicon spray works better than WD40. Dish soap mixed 1part with 6 parts water works great plus for trailside it makes for clean hands. I carry it in an old 1/2 liter water bottle.
Thank you Bret. I was very wary of using WD-40 on the tyres as there is much controversy around the subject, but in the end I decided that I would take your advice because I just couldn't get the bead to seal. WD-40 all round, some bouncing of the tyre and I was able to get the bead to seal so I could procede to seat the bead, balance the wheel etc. I look forward to my next wheel change so I can follow the rest of your advice.
great video ! thank you ! Didn´t expect, that I can use WD40 as well, and the sockets! .. and the Heidenau K60 Ranger is on my Husky701 as well... good choice :-) quite stiff... but it looks very easy, how you changed it. wish you happy and safe riding ! cheers from Germany
Thanks Brett, the WD 40 is a gamechanger. I used to use Windex before, but the WD 40 is so much better. Having to remove both the tires on my, new to me, 2016 FJR1300. Both wheels need the balance beads removed and rebalanced with weights. The bike has a high-speed vibration after the previous owner was talked into balance beads by the dealer when he bought new tires. 🙈
EXCELLENT!
If you use both spoons when remounting the tire you don't have to use your knees to hold the tire in place. The tension by leaving one spoon wedged keeps the tire in the center of the rim. The other thing is to put the wheel on top of a bucket so you can't put weight on a rotor. Change the rear with the rotor facing up. Knees on the tire is a very common thing to do, but it's honestly not needed at all if you use a good set of spoons correctly. Changed my own tires since the 90s. I'm still using the same set of spoons. lol
Really interesting to watch your technique thanks. It would be good to see if the approach changes on tubed tyres as it's so easy to pinch the tube when putting the tyre back on. Technique I have picked up says to avoid going over 90 degrees with the lever as that tends to be where it starts to catch the tube. That's a LOT of WD40 too. I think maybe spraying a little on a rag and then wiping it around the bead might present less danger of contaminating the rotors and then the pads. But anyway, cool video. Always good to see how people do it by hand 👍
THIS! Watched many videos and just changed my first moto tire with no drama following your video. The tire was the notoriously hard Tusk D Sport on the rear of my Honda Rally and you method was ace! Try to leave your new tire in the sun to warm it up if possible, take SMALL bites and the WD-40 was key and IT did evaporate with no issues. I am now confident to ride solo in the back country knowing I can fix a flat if it arises. Thank you for your excellent instruction.
Great to hear!
As a ypung kid, I was sire that Fad spraued my pushbike with WD40 before storing it in a shed while we traveled for a year. Tyre walls blew out when we re-inflated them on returning. Kept the stuff away from rubber ever since!
Good video. Enjoyed the trick with the sockets. Your point about this being about technique and not force is very valid, keeping the tyre in the well of the rims being one of the most important things. I'm spoilt, as having worked with tyres for years I always have access to a tyre changing machine. Now ummm, you just have to do it again so the rotation of the tyre is actually the right way around - don't worry, we've all done it! 😅
Yeah, I noticed he got the rotation wrong...ooops😂
I use 2 buckets(1 inside the other) and a old car rim on top of the bucket . I put some gorilla tape around the car rim so it won't scratch cast mc wheel. The car rim, in my case an old jeep wrangler oem rim is wide enough on the inside to accommodate the rotor of the mc wheel. Wood clamp work well to break the bead.
I used the bucket method for several years. Mostly when I was in my teens.
@BretTkacs lol I used the floor way when I was much younger,; but now at 54 buckets is better for my back
Pay attention kids..tubeless is much easier....dont pinch your inner tubes or you will get to practice again...good stuff in this video.
Aaaand 8 hours later, I have one tire off a rim.
Hey Bret, i use a bit of chalk on the brake rotor for direction of rotation. Some manufacturers dont make the direction arrows clear 👍
It makes only having one disk a good thing when it comes to direction of rotation.
I've changed a lot of motorcycle tires and enjoyed watching you work and demonstrate that when the technique is good nobody has to break a sweat. One tip I have is to bounce the tire 3 or 4 times to the floor while rotating impact positiion (in the vertical position of course) to set the bead. Some tire rim combinations can be stubborn and the air fill will not set the heel in the bead on a tubeless tire. Some pros use Bead Blasters but I have found my method to be reliable.
Let's be honest some tires are a shit show 🤣
When you say use soap or WD40, I want to emphasise, tyre soap, not ordinary soap or washing up (detergent) soap as this will rot the tyre and inner tube. Great tip about the WD40, great vid, thank you!
Thanks again! Great video. May I know the adaptor for the air compressor you used that did not need the center valve?
at 5:36....my humble suggestion to avoid scratching your rim with levers is to lever off the tyre on both sides of the wheel so the wheel is 'inside' the tyre. Then stand the wheel vertical between your thighs. The rim will then sit inside the tyre, at the bottom, revealing a massive gap at the top near your thighs....Just pull the rim out, a chosen side, by hand and assist by kneeling on the top of the tyre and pushing the tyre downwards at the same time.....Works for 17 inch rears and 21 fronts...(XT660Z Tenere).....and lube is always your friend..
A yellow dot is the lightest spot on a tire. The red dot is the flattest spot on a tire. Some wheels have markings indicating the high spot, so that is where the red dot should be in line with.
Nice job. I've never used WD 40, only soap. Which doesn't take up much space on travels (old analog film box). Maybe you could show this process also with tubes, which I find a hazzle compared to mounting tubeless tires. Happy days on your Desert X, Günter/Nürnberg (I've been riding Heidenau K60 Ranger for the last 4,500 km e.g. in Rumania and I'm impressed by their offroad capabilities, especially the front. Bike is an old Honda Transalp 600. On tarmac I prefer the Scout)
Success! I changed my GS-1200 front tire using this method. With new confidence I'm ready to change the rear tire. Saves big $$ and time doing it yourself rather than going to the shop. I'm 74 years old and can still change a tire! Whoop Whoop! BTW: The socket trick is just awesome.....
The socket trick is the best trick I've ever shared with WD-40 being a close second
Cool stuff! Just a small addition: use tech gloves to prevent instrument slipping, cuts, skin irritation by chemical solutions.
Instead of sockets I have been using small blocks of wood to keep the bead in the rim center hollow. There have been times trying to remove a Motoz brand that after I break the bead I Zip disk cut the bead cable and boom the tire just falls off the rim then
10 seconds in. A couple a tricks . Paused video opened Amazon. I guess this rabaconda is worthy
This is again a great video that gives people a good look at what to do and how to avoid struggling. One question: When you use WD-40, aren't you worried the tire will slip on the rim under heavy braking? I am a automotive technician and have seen some colleagues use it on stubborn tires. Sometimes, they get away with it. But I have witnessed a tire come off the rim when driving out the garage. To wrap this up, a tip I have learned myself: A right side wheel always rotates right (clockwise) and a left side wheel always rotates left. (counter clockwise) Same goes for which side the rim is facing you. Also, face away when you seat the beads! Some dirt or sand may fly in your eye when it pops. You wouldn't be the first...
He is my answer about the WD40 kzhead.info/sun/asqcZMqJlmh_jX0/bejne.html
Would like to see you do a rear adventure tyre as there must be a trick to getting the beed off to replace the tube….. I had a crack with the gear I carry on my bike and failed
The K60 Ranger is one of the hardest tires I have mounted. That sidewall is stiff. You mounted it pretty quickly. The rear tire is really tough.
When putting a tire back on the rim, I have found that the Baja no pinch Tire Tool is the best and easiest way to remount the tire. As far as converting tube type rims to tubeless, most rear rims do have the raised bead retention, but the front rims do not. And if you are working with tubes, the best way I have found is to pump a little air into the tube and then put the tube in the tire, and then pull the portion with the valve stem out of the tire a little bit so that you can insert it into the hole in the rim and then you can go ahead and start mounting the tire, this way you're not having to use a fishing wire which can be a royal pain in the ass
Baja and the Euro version is the best and easiest.
I started using wd40 for tyre lube, about ten years ago...Reason being - the soap, "or whatever it was" that was being used for tyre lube by my dealer, was corroding my rims, what a mess....I change all my own tyres now, as well as friends..... I've also used ArmourAll, which works well, bit pricey..... Can't wait to try the socket method....
that pressure on the disk break is a touch of magic lol
After changing tires this way for years, I bought a Rabbaconda changer for my 40th birthday!
AND...your thoughts on it; have you used it yet? I am definitely getting one. Holding out for any possible black Friday promotions.
@@onemileattatime2642 Get an Olmax tyre changer instead. Much better and cheaper. Very high build quality and very very robust. Will still be going strong in 1000 years.
Hey Brett, Love your videos. Question/hypothetical: Say I’m out in the woods, alone on bike, rip tire (2-3” rip). I can remove tire, put “external” patch on inside of tire (will it stick?; feels like silicone in there), but my tiny electric pump won’t deliver enough air to push out the sidewalls and hold air. So I can’t inflate tire. Now I’m wishing I had a tube to put in there. Is it safe to use a tube on a tubeless tire? Is it safe enough to get me home (on the highway)? Are there better options? I’ve learned a lot from watching you. Probably kept me out of a lot of trouble. Thanks. David A.
Socket! "What. No wayy!"😊
Changing the front tire is easy... changing a rear one is a different story :D
Hence the invention of the Rabaconda ... but those things are very pricey to buy.
@Jonathan-L they are, but I am waiting to buy one; going to see if any black Friday sales come up. I have a KTM 890 and a goldwing, and changing tires on the Wing at a shop is 120! The rabaconda will pay for itself soon between 2 bikes.
The Olmax tyre changer from Poland is better and cheaper. Very high quality and very very robust. I just bought one, Very pleased with it indeed. Changing tyres is a breeze now, no more struggling and no damage to rims. Will also do car tyres. The Rabaconda looks like a gimmick stand in comparison and is way more expensive.
Be very careful to NOT damage the ABS ring when working on tires. I recently changed the tires on my bike and put a small dent in mine and it cause some scary issues with the ABS system activating on its own.
With tires that slip on/off like that, I'd be putting Stan's no-leak in there!
Awesome video, though those Motion Pro Beadpros aren't cheap!
I'd love to see someone do this easily with a Dunlop Trailmax Mission (TMM) tire on the rear wheel of a CB500X. I gave up in frustration after tearing the bead a bit, took it to the local shop, and the guy struggled with it for 40 minutes on his machine before finally getting the tire mounted. He told me to never buy those tires again, they just don't work for my bike. Short version, some tires are far easier than others. Having said that, this looks like a good method. I used 1" wood blocks to keep the tire away from the rim, I used Windex as a lubricant, the same tire irons you're using, and otherwise a similar technique. I did manage to get the front TMM mounted, the rear was impossible.
The Heidenu K60 is well known for being a difficult tire as is the Dunlop Trailmax. I had intended to video the rear as well hoping it would be more challenging (and it was) but time didn't allow it. I have changed 7 sets of Dunlop Missions now and they are never fun but all of them go on and come off with patience and technique
Had same expirience with Mitas and Heidenaus on my 625SXC KTM. They prey to me to buy other brands next time.
@@BretTkacs On a rear wheel of a CB500X? If so, you have worked a miracle! I'm not ever going to try that again, but I will try a different tire next time around as the TMMs are pretty heavy. Having said that, I suspect that if one of my TMMs got a puncture that I couldn't repair with a plug, I could limp back to a repair shop just because the sidewalls are so stiff, which is a definite plus. For a more powerful bike, I wouldn't hesitate to buy TMMs as they are an excellent 60/40 tire IMHO.
my only concern with wd-40 is that it wouldn't dry off like other lubes leading to the tire slipping on the rim. this is a good video for the technique of tire changes people definitely need to practice this at home a few times before getting stranded on the trail. your first couple of tire changes will have you cursing!!! also use your trail tools to do it so you can see what tools you need for certain. thanks bret for the friendly informative video you do great work
Wd-40 is not a lubricant. It is a Water Displacer and will absolutely go away on its it's own accord
I've used WD40 for years on all my tire changes from a 2 stroke 125 to a tubeless 1290, works wonderful. Also easy to carry a small can for the road/trail. Thanks Bret for doing this using only the MP bead breaking tool as your only bead breaker/tire spoon.
Great content. Thanks! How would you bead the tire on a trail if you do not have an air compressor??
I always carry a amall 12v compressor. I also carry a 21" tubr I can slip in in case the tire isn't repairable are I end up with a seating issue. Luckily a full tire removal on the trail is normally for tubed tires, but not always.
I always carry a 150ml spray bottle to clean my visor - I use that if I have to change a tyre - it's better than WD40 for cleaning visors too :-)
Busa 🏍!
Nice might instead of just spraying small spot with wd just light spray around the entire circumference of rim crack and could possibly save a couple minute respraying ¿
Thats where the 10 mm sockets have gone!!!
Yes, but how about the rear tire? I find that is an entirely different beast to change on an ADV bike.
No joke! Most every tire change video shows an easy front tire but rarely the beastly rear. I used these same tools recently to change my 200 wide rear tire on my new generation goldwing, and MAN....I hated life! I did learn new swear words, though!
@@onemileattatime2642 Get a proper tyre changer rather than spend money having the rim repaired and repainted due to damage caused by struggling with tire irons.
Great video. Any tips for getting stiff stubborn tires such as Mitas to seat ?. They always seem to give me a problem and I end up having to bring them to a motorcycle mechanics shop.
A few weeks ago I mounted a e09 21 inch mitas. Takes a bit more muscle to mount it, but it’s doable. Seated the bead using my bike pump, just to see if it works, and it did.
This old video uses a Mitas E07 and a tube. kzhead.info/sun/psOah9eeiZ2bmmg/bejne.htmlsi=8ydU9BlNN2E11GIr
I was just with my tire guy, and he was suffering changing my gs tires to put new missions on, and I say to him" is a crazy guy (you) that changes tires in a parking lot! And he was looking at me like "sureeeee"
That's funny, I spooned on my first Missions in the parking lot of the dealership 🤣
I've never got my head around this - when levering the second bead down over the rim (at 9.01 mins), why do you spray lube on the OUTSIDE / upper side of the tyre??? What does that achieve? So many videos show this method and yet it seems to me that you'd need the lube on the INSIDE edge of the tyre to help ease the edge of the tyre down and over the rim. The way it is shown, the underneath of the tyre bead is dry, surely? I spray underneath instead and can usually push the second bead over the rim by hand until the last 1/3rd of the tyre. Love the socket hack though :)
How does a flat tube help keep a tube-type tire on a rim without a safety bead? Is there some property of a tube-type tire that's not on a tube-less tire to hold it on a rim? Don't quite understand how a TL conversion is any less safe.
In a pinch can you put a tube inside a tubeless tire?
You were mentioning that when you convert tube to tubeless rim, then it will not hold air when it is flat. Can you confirm that one alone please. Am planning to make my bike from tube to tubeless. If you think it is not worth for long term benefit then I will not do it.
This worked on the front, but needed my no-mar tire changer for the rear. Scratched the shit outta the rims though. My tires were so much stiffer than yours. Maybe temperature difference? Either way, it no worky.
Agree. Use this method with tyres irons if you want to f**k up your bikes's wheel rims putting scratches and gouges in them. Getting them refurbed and repainted will cost a fortune, money which you could have spent on a quality tyre changer such as an Olmax tire changer.
Did that K60 get mounted backwards?
I would recommend a threaded wire inner tube "fish" if you are trying to insert the valve stem into the rim hole, especially if it's a thick heavy duty tube. Insert the end of the wire fish through the valve hole of the rim and screw the end of the wire fish into the inside of the inner tube valve stem (core removed). Then pull on the wire fish and the valve stem will follow into the rim hole.
Is there a way to seat (pop) the tire back on the bead without using a shop compressor? Trails usually don’t have them 😅
Carry a mini compressor.
@@alexmorgan3435 , I do, and it will inflate a punctured and fixed tire, but not powerful enough to take care of “beading” action.
Hey Bret, do you still recommend the the Mitas e-07 as the best tires in your opinion to this day, or something else?
I still really like the rear e07 (non +). Currently I am using the K60 Ranger and it is really moving up my list.
3 tire irons so much easier and not so rough on the knees
Won't WD40 contribute to the tire spinning on the rim and tearing the tube apart (on a tubed setup) or will rim-locks solve this? Or don't use WD40 on tubed setups?
yea wd-40 doesn't completely evaporate I don't think its the ideal solution in most cases but if you're stranded on the trail I'd use it.
I've used WD40 changing removing/mounting most tires for years from a tubed 125 cc to tubeless 1190. The smaller bike did have rim locks, but the +690 cc did not have rim locks and haven't had any tire slippage problems. Granted most of the big bikes I'm running 25+ psi vs 6-12 psi for the small dirt bikes. No problem on 890 and 1190 running tubes without rim locks at 25+ psi.
Getting old tires on and off is not a problem for me. What is a problem is getting the bead to seat. Every time, its a horror show☹️. Ive tried soapy water, WD40, tire bead lube. Ugh so aggravating. DR650 BTW. When I saw yours pop🤦♂️😂