blackhawkxx Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 I wanted to try mounting a tire with heavy duty wire ties (like on youtube) and thought I would give it a shot last night with a front Bridgestone 023. It didn't work at all for me and even installing it the regular way, it gave me a hard time. Maybe when it was warmer, I could compress the tire more but I will not be trying it again. The tire I removed was a Stone 016F and it was the best tire that I ever had on it. Sticky, zero cupping but it had no tread on the sides with the belts just starting to show and very little in the center. It had 2,697 miles on it, maybe less because my bike is geared 16/46. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IcePrick Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Every time I change a tire I forget to try that. Based on what you've said, maybe I'll just skip it. They sure make it look easy, but those big ties ain't cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Krypt Keeper Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Thought about getting my own changer but got enough crap as it is. Local guy does my tires for me. I enjoy BSing with him for a few hours anyways. Way cheaper than shops and a lot closer. BT 016s are my favorite tire ever. Just had another set spooned on. Think that was the 7th set to go on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Goat Herder Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 I've been mounting my own tires for the last 10 years and stopped using Stones about 8 years ago. Unless you get them very warm, as in letting them sit in the sun on a very hot day they're almost impossible to mount. I've been using Mich. PRs and found I can mount them even when they're cool. I figure if I mount them I can afford to pay the extra for the tire off setting the extra cost of the tire and get more mileage out of them to boot. I was also going thru around 2 sets of tires a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLyFoXX Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 I've been mounting my own tires for the last 10 years and stopped using Stones about 8 years ago. Unless you get them very warm, as in letting them sit in the sun on a very hot day they're almost impossible to mount. I've been using Mich. PRs and found I can mount them even when they're cool. I figure if I mount them I can afford to pay the extra for the tire off setting the extra cost of the tire and get more mileage out of them to boot. I was also going thru around 2 sets of tires a year. What type of equipment/ are you using to mount and balance your own, considering doing this myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Goat Herder Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 (edited) Never had to balance a PR2 in the 5 sets I've mounted and have seen 155 mph. I made my own mounting stand out of an old 14" car rim, some 4" square steel tubing and a piece of plywood. Made an extension for the bead breaker to handle the 180 section tire and squizzy clamps to get the tire down into the middle of the rim. I can take pics if you want of everything? Yamaha makes a great tire mounting lube that you spray on the makes getting the first bead on the rim just a hook and push. No tire irons needed. By the way I've had Chaparral mount and balance my tires in the past and have had the front tire bouncing off the road at around 120. That was the last time I had them do any mounting. Edited October 29, 2015 by Desert Goat Herder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IcePrick Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Good irons (I use three), a couple fat-handled screwdrivers, valve stem remover, a decent sized compressor, and some lube should get you right into business. Cut up a plastic milk jug or washing detergent jug to use in between the irons and wheel if you fear gouging it. I use the handles of two screwdrivers (the chunky square Snap-Ons work well, YMMV) between the sidewall and the rim to keep the tire bead in the valley, but there are special tools for this as mentioned also. I've always done mine on the ground, on top of the new tire to remove, old tire to install. Some people use a 5-gallon bucket with some old hose split and put over the top for a workstand. Warm tires work more easily. Some tire/wheel combos are fiddly to get the bead seated, sometimes a ratchet strap will help with this and sometimes it needs a high-volume bead seater tank. I've only run into that once and it was cold out. I have a Marc Parnes balancer. I get too obsessed with getting them balanced, modern tires are so close now it's amazing. More likely your wheel is out more than a new tire. As with many things in life, the right amount of lube in the right place can make things a lot simpler. No-Mar has a video on their website that shows exactly where to put lube. It's well worth a gander, even for experienced tire changers. I have a commercial No-Mar, but I've never used it - I bought it just before I moved to Nashville and I've not had the luxury of a garage since. There's something satisfying about getting on the ground and wrestling with your tires anyways, so there's that in my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Goat Herder Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Here's a picture of the stand I made. I have 2 16" tire irons and use rim protectors in between the rim and iron. I use clamps on at least 3 places opposite the area I'm doing the final levering in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 14" steel car rim bolted to a sturdy bench with a split piece of garden hose to cover the lip, a bead breaker of unknown manufacture (purcahsed from the Aerostitch catalog many moons ago), tire irons and a Marc Parnes balancer here. I've changed a balanced a lot of tires with that setup. I went through the purpose made rim protectors pretty quickly and started just using plastic water bottles folded in half. Works great and you just toss them in the recycling bin when they're toast. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkxx Posted October 29, 2015 Author Share Posted October 29, 2015 Every time I change a tire I forget to try that. Based on what you've said, maybe I'll just skip it. They sure make it look easy, but those big ties ain't cheap. Like others said the Bridgestone's seem to have very stiff sidewalls and it wasn't very warm. Only one time I couldn't get a tire on and had to take it to a shop, I switched to Stones for the front on my Wing. I watched the guy fight with it for 15 min. using a pro machine. That tire was so stiff that with no air in it, you can't tell that it is flat but it is so much better than the Dunlop that was on it. Harbor Freight has 10 pack of large ties for $1.99. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Krypt Keeper Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 My tire guy never had a issue with my bt's Or mentioned more struggle with a certain brand. For some reason he loves shinkos. Tried to get me to try them for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Goat Herder Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 When you have a pro machine they aren't a problem but when your doing it yourself with levers IMO they're a PITA!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 I went through a couple sets of 016's on the track bike, never had an issue with changing them. The ones that were always a bitch for me were Avons, they usually took a shitload of weight to balance as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Goat Herder Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Don't know about sports tires as I rode way too many miles to be changing tires every couple of months like I would've needed to with 016's. My experience has been with sport touring tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Yeah, the ST tires are usually more difficult regardless of brand. I somehow got the idea you were talking about Bridgestones in general. Probably a reading comprehension failure on my part but I'm too lazy to review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrated Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 iFanboi wrote: I have a commercial No-Mar, but I've never used it - I bought it just before I moved to Nashville and I've not had the luxury of a garage since. There's something satisfying about getting on the ground and wrestling with your tires anyways, so there's that in my life. Mike, once you get the NoMar set up and get comfortable knowing how to use it, you will never, never, ever want to use any other method for mounting tires.......unless you get a electric/pneumatic one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Goat Herder Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Yeah, the ST tires are usually more difficult regardless of brand. I somehow got the idea you were talking about Bridgestones in general. Probably a reading comprehension failure on my part but I'm too lazy to review. No, I should've been more informative as to what I was talking about. I've never used sports tires as I'm too much of a cheap ass to buy a tire that only last a few thousand miles. I grew up in a home where I was only allowed 1 glass of milk at supper so to get around that I would fill the glass half way with water so I could have 2 glasses of milk. As such I've been a cheap ass my whole life. My wife and I had a big fight because she wanted me to get a new mattress due to mine being over 20 years old and kept saying I don't need a new mattress and of course she kept saying yes you do. Poor sales man didn't know what to do. I felt so bad for him I finally gave in and got the new mattress. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IcePrick Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 iFanboi wrote: I have a commercial No-Mar, but I've never used it - I bought it just before I moved to Nashville and I've not had the luxury of a garage since. There's something satisfying about getting on the ground and wrestling with your tires anyways, so there's that in my life. Mike, once you get the NoMar set up and get comfortable knowing how to use it, you will never, never, ever want to use any other method for mounting tires.......unless you get a electric/pneumatic one. Oh, trust me - I can't wait! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrated Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 I've had my NoMar Jr. Pro since 2007 and I've mounted well over a hundred tires on it, not to mention flipping rears for track day use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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