Does anyone fit their own tyres? What about balancing?

[Bikerbaz78]

Guy's alot of you use the words "I fitted a pair of blah blah tyres"?

Does this mean you fit them yourself or get a dealer to fit them?

I guess people carrying spare tyres on a long run must change their own tyres?

In the case someone does actually break out the tyre levers what do you do about balancing?

It would appear there are not many "Enduro" style tyre suppliers / fitters in this region so im thinking of picking up a pair of TKC's from M&P and fitting them myself. I'm not worried and fitted motor bike tyres before but they were tubed tyres. So there could be a chance that I damage the bead around the circumference of the new tyre?

As for the balancing I see M&P offer some errr... "Dyna Beads" or something like that which roll around in the tyre opposing the heaveir point of the tyre during rotation.

All input welcomed as it maybe safer for me to do the distance to find a fitter?

Cheers all, Baz

 

[Greg Masters]

I fit my own on my Husaberg and, before that, my DR-Z.

But it's altogether too much faff to do it on the GS.

Greg

 

[King Rat]

I used to ride to a chap th eother side of Crewe for mine. He is a race tyre fitter and does them at a good price. Then there was the Busters offer, which I couldn't refuse, so asked my local tyre dealer if they would fit them if I did the wheels - which they did, on their machine with a lever. No damage and takes the awkward finger nipping bit out of the equation. The damage for fitting two tyres? £10.
I reckon that is worth it. I have a bead breaker and levers, but from now on they are for emergencies only.

 

[ktmmark]

I fit my own but tend to use TCK'S and don't ballance these with no problems .But if i did motorways i would balance them

 

[Slowdown]

I got a second hand Abba tyre bead breaker and wheel balancer.

I got a 'fag packet' drawing of how to make an adaptor for the rear wheel from someone on here and got someone on another forum to kindly make it for me.

It's actually really easy to change tyres!

And balancing them made a huge amount of difference to vibration - I don't get numb fingers on the motorway anymore!

The only local place that I could find to fit tyres they hadn't sold did a crap job and it would have been quicker and better to do them myself.

Ok - it takes me a couple of hours to change them, but it really is easy and there's loads of instructional videos on youtube to guide you along.


P.S. - If you're gonna do it, you can't have too much lube/tyre soap

 

[dancata]

How do you all feel about dyna beads for balancing?

 

[ian6760]

I haven't had my last 2 sets of tyres balanced, and they have been fine. The company I work for has ATS doing the commercial tyre fitting on our fleet. They throw them on for me, and I buy them a bacon butty in return.

 

[Shep]

Dyna beads?

Whilst i've never used them, if they work then great but if they don't it will make matters a whole lot worse. I changed my own tyres for years (but never on the GS) and I never bothered to balance them, just check the tyre is on the rightway around and thet and manufactureres 'valve' marks are lined up correctly.

Oh and a few sticking plasters might be needed for the first few attempts especially for tubed tyres

There is a technique to fitting tyres get somebody good to show you

 

[GADGET]

Dyna Beads

Bikerbaz, can you post a link to Dyna Beads, I looked on M&P`s site but couldn't find them. Reason I ask is that I did buy something similar a couple of months ago whilst in the States, but haven`t got round to trying it out.

 

[Stanley Knife]

I have always fitted my own bike tyres since I had an FS1E,not really much other option where I live as the car garages won't touch them.

I have found a cheap hydraulic lift and an Abba beadbreaker makes the job much easier and the GS is one of the easiest bikes to work on,its worth buying a couple of hard plastic rim protectors and three decent tyre levers but avoid long ones as it easy to exert too much force with them and damage the bead or rim.
Plenty of lube helps a lot and so does the temperature,a hot summers day makes the job much easier and leaving the new tyre in the sun while you remove the old one makes a big difference.

If you are doing the job in the winter bringing the whole lot into a centrally heated house a couple of hours before doing the job makes life easier, (well the tyre changing part anyway!)

I generally do not balance them unless I find a problem with vibration then if its bad enough I will whip the wheels off and balance them using a couple of axle stands.

I have friends that use Dyna beads and swear they make a big difference

 

[ianboydsnr]

I do mine, use a mark parnes balancer with the 1100/1150 adapter, though the past couple of times I have only done the front, I break the bead using a air bead breaker meant for a car, then use 3 x 12" buzzeti tyre levers, using old head and shoulders shampoo bottles cut up as rim protectors(I used milk cartons untill I had enough), and four heavy duty quick clamps used to keep difficult tyres in the wheel well, then rest the wheel on a couple of 3x2 2ft long bits of wood

 

[rockchunk]

i fit all my own tyres to all my bikes and have never balanced the gs's tourances or tk's no problem

 

[D6]

I fit my own on my Husaberg and, before that, my DR-Z.

But it's altogether too much faff to do it on the GS.

Greg

i do all my own ,unless its winter,, i find it just as easy to do the gs as the drz?
only ever had to balance one wheel, that was on a bandit front,,,
the gs has always been ok,
the drz wasnt, it was the tyre grippers,great big heavy things,, after id sorted those, it was ok,

 

[Strappy]

There are a few videos on youtube that show how to change the tyre and how to make a bead breaker from a couple of bits of wood, though you could also use a rag and a shovel at a push. Good tyre levers are a must, rim protectors are useful and you can make your own from an old oil bottle (thick plastic, basically).

I've seen wheels balanced using a broom handle in place of the spindle across two chairs, does a good enough job for Irish road racing. You might also be able to balance the front in the forks, although the rear could be tricky.

I'll be changing them myself next time I need tyres after the dealer put the rear on backwards then swapped it over without balancing when I took it back.

 

[Slowdown]

I definately believe that if you think you *need* 12" tyre levers then you're doing it wrong. The most important bit is to get and keep the bead in the rim well. If you don't then you'll never get tyres off, even with 12' tyre levers.

Warm's good too. But not as essential as lots of tyre soap.

Someone on here gave a top tip for rim protectors on BMW spoked wheels - hose pipe is *just* the right size!

The biggest problem I always have is getting the rim away from the second bead - but that's 'cos I'm a 9 stone weakling. Lube and prize, lube and prize!

 

[Bikerbaz78]

Dyna Beads Dynamic Wheel/Tyre balancing

Hi Guy's,

Thanks loads for all the posts, its a great help!

When I was living "dan souf" I had a local motoX guy who ran a bike tyre fitting business. You could ride in any time of the day with out an appointment and ask for any tyres you liked to be fitted whilst you waited. He would have them in stock, beat the average mail order price for the tyres and not charge for fitting!

Now in Crosshands South West Wales i'm havng a job finding a place that stocks any bike tyres let alone GS specific!

Guy's I spent a half hour of my time last night and read up on these Dyna Beads. I feel fairly convinced but im sure some peoples highly rated reviews are a result of the placebo effect!

After all, given semi-off-road tyres, a quarter tonne of bike and UK roads how are you really likely to notice a one or two ounce imbalance of your wheel?

Maybe im wrong but its certainly a good topic of conversation for the people that have more experience in this field.

Oh... I forgot... SORRY to all who trawled M&P looking for the Dyna Beads! I looked at 20 or 30 sites last night and got mixed up. The web site you want is: www.dynabeads.co.uk

Personally I think the logic they explain on the site is good and the operational principle is EXACTLY the same as a crank shaft counter balance like those fitted to V-Twins etc! So if its good enough for your engines crank shaft its certainly good enough for a wheel....RIGHT???

Well as it stands i'm fairly certain that to get a dealer to supply and fit my tyres they will have to order them in specially which means a 60 mile round trip and possibly paying over the odds for something that I know I could do myself?

Time to ponder some more as today I actually measured my tread at 3mm. At least its not completely bald! (yet )

 

[squid]

I fit my own, after a few goes it gets pretty easy. Three levers and three plastic rim protectors and a G clamp for the bead.

I balanced them at first (you can do on the bike before re-fitting the brakes.

Just keep rolling and the wheel will regularly stop at the same place. However, I don't find it makes much difference to be honest. Easy enough to do though.

Practice thats all. less time and bother than taking to someone in the end. How long does it take to get kitted up, wait around etc etc.

 

[ianboydsnr]

I definately believe that if you think you *need* 12" tyre levers then you're doing it wrong. The most important bit is to get and keep the bead in the rim well. If you don't then you'll never get tyres off, even with 12' tyre levers.

Warm's good too. But not as essential as lots of tyre soap.

Someone on here gave a top tip for rim protectors on BMW spoked wheels - hose pipe is *just* the right size!

The biggest problem I always have is getting the rim away from the second bead - but that's 'cos I'm a 9 stone weakling. Lube and prize, lube and prize!

I never said that I believed you need them, I said that is what I use, I relieved work of them together with the car manual tyre changer, the only thing I bought was the clamps which keeps the tyre in the wheel well, and stop the tyre climbing back out of the rim as you go around with the tyre levers, you could probably use 6" ones, I just never tried them

 

[earthmover]

i fit all my own tyres to all my bikes and have never balanced the gs's tourances or tk's no problem

Wot he said.
Mark

 

[AndrewD]

Guy's I spent a half hour of my time last night and read up on these Dyna Beads. I feel fairly convinced but im sure some peoples highly rated reviews are a result of the placebo effect!

Oh... I forgot... SORRY to all who trawled M&P looking for the Dyna Beads! I looked at 20 or 30 sites last night and got mixed up. The web site you want is: www.dynabeads.co.uk

I fit and ballance my own tyres, but instead of Dynabeads I use a decent speed rated anti puncture fluid (can't remember which though). Most tryes are ballanced new, but what about when they get a little worn particularly on rough roads or when you skid? Having the fluid in saves on puncture repairs AND provides the same function as the Dynabeads as it will always pool at the same place Dynabeads would and ballance the tyre throughout it's life.

I now await the debate on anti-puncture fluid!