How to install new tires…(in your living room)
Jun 22nd, 2010 by Leo
The easiest way for most people to install new tires is to take the bike to the shop and leave it there for a couple of days. But in three hours you can install your tires yourself in the comfort of your own living room (took me about 2 hours for one wheel on my first try – while going slowly reading the directions)…
“How” you ask? With this nifty little kit. (My little really early Father’s day gift to myself – even though I’m not a dad yet). It actually has everything you need (except an air pump) to remove and install a motorcycle tire onto a wheel…
The hardest part of removing a motorcycle tire is breaking the seal that rubber tire has around the metal rim. Normally tire changers use a large contraption to do this. Do it yourself-ers often use a couple of pieces of wood to make a lever that can break the bead… But the Bead Brakr kit assembles the tire irons into a sturdy and ingenious little contraption that can do the same job with no fuss.
I was skeptical at first. I thought it would be too difficult, or too complicated to assemble – but it only took a minute (after letting all the air out) to get it together and five minutes to “break the beads” so that the tire was just sitting inside the rim.
So how do you do it? I basically used the tire irons and rim protectors in the Bead Brakr kit (along with a little bit of soapy water), and followed this YouTUBE video that I’ve posted before… There are also videos for installing the tire, and balancing the tire…
Other than breaking the “bead”, the other slightly difficult part is setting the new bead. The tire has to be inflated with enough force to set the tire against the metal rim with an air tight seal. If you use the air pump at a gas station – that will do the job fine! But if you want to use a smaller home/car air pump or a bicycle pump (which is what I used) then you need to come up with another way… If you try to pump air in without setting the bead, the air simply leaks out the side.
Well the people who designed the Bead Brakr also made something called the Bead SetR. All it is, is a ratchet strap to go around the middle of your tire; as you tighten the strap along the center line of the tire, the sidewalls get pushed outward to help set the bead. You simply start inflating the tire with the ratchet strap on, and remove the strap once the tire. I did this with a bicycle pump and it worked fine… I bought both the Bead Brakr and the Bead SetR, but I think you could get away with making your own ratchet strap bead setter if you had one lying around…
The whole thing took a couple of hours on a slow afternoon. I had to park my bike someplace safe where I could leave it on a rear stand. Removing the rear wheel was a breeze, but assembling can be a little harder so it helps to have an extra hand who can help hold the wheel while you line things up to install. But nevertheless it can be a one person job…
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