I sure hate changing tyres on a Harley...

Clifton

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... at least on my RK. No centre stand, both mufflers (you don't refer to them as that, what end cans, silencers?) need to come off for the rear, and the tyres are quite stiff so not easy to spoon on. At least it's a good time to polish and wax the wheels, and they lasted 11,000 miles. I would NOT want one with spokes and tubes because no way could I remove the wheel and tyre on the side of the road to repair a puncture.
 
... at least on my RK. No centre stand, both mufflers (you don't refer to them as that, what end cans, silencers?) need to come off for the rear, and the tyres are quite stiff so not easy to spoon on. At least it's a good time to polish and wax the wheels, and they lasted 11,000 miles. I would NOT want one with spokes and tubes because no way could I remove the wheel and tyre on the side of the road to repair a puncture.

To be frank.....Preventative maintenance is my bug bear and I always keep on top of what I have in the winter months, I need to be able to take out any vehicle I have and be able to know that they can do a 3 thousand mile trip at the drop of a hat, so far in 3 years I have been able to do that on everything that I have chosen and I have changed my tyres on my HD`s and not had a problem, even those alloy rims that leak air are scrubbed up and sealed with proper tyre sealer when replacing tyres and new valves, mufflers always come apart because of copper grease and the propensity to maintain over winter.

I always change tyres in the sunshine or put them in a warm place to make them more pliable and I would not be repairing a puncture on the road, I have a phone and a card for that shit....I may do a plug if pushed and have practiced that and can do it.

I hate vehicles and what they need with a passion, so to make it easy is my goal.
 
Winter is indeed a good time to work on the bike(s) att and it's something I mostly enjoy doing. Nevertheless one can have the rear wheel off a BMW in less time than it takes to jack the Harley off the floor just to begin working on it. It just seems more involved than it needs to be. Yes they always work better when warm so I propped my new tyres in front of the wood stove. My little rant is over now, for another 10,000 miles or so anyway. :)
Not a problem repairing a puncture on the road with a plugger and the little compressor, it can likely be done faster than called help would arrive. In this age, given the risk of a blow out, I don't know how manufacturers get away selling bikes with inner tubes? When's the last time new cars were sold with tube tyres?
 
Winter is indeed a good time to work on the bike(s) att and it's something I mostly enjoy doing. Nevertheless one can have the rear wheel off a BMW in less time than it takes to jack the Harley off the floor just to begin working on it. It just seems more involved than it needs to be. Yes they always work better when warm so I propped my new tyres in front of the wood stove. My little rant is over now, for another 10,000 miles or so anyway. :)
Not a problem repairing a puncture on the road with a plugger and the little compressor, it can likely be done faster than called help would arrive. In this age, given the risk of a blow out, I don't know how manufacturers get away selling bikes with inner tubes? When's the last time new cars were sold with tube tyres?

I love the US, I have worked there, lived there and got married there.....You live in a wonderful place and I would have been tempted to settle there where you live....I loved the South, but fuck it was cheap, so cheap that it was too cheap, in that it was scummy and quite uninvolved.....Bereft of all culture and thus promise....Might make me sound a bit pious and a bit arrogant, but Arkansas is a bit of a cultural wasteland to be honest....This is why bikes can be sold with innertubes...
 
LOL if you didn't like Arkansas you won't like West Virginia! At least WV and (northwest) Arkansas have decent roads for motorcycling. Then there's Mississippi which has the worst of Arkansas and WV only with straight flat roads! WV often ranks 49th out of 50 in many measures of affluence, quality of life, education, obesity, etc, we say "thank God for Mississippi"!

They still sell new street motorcycles with inner tubes all over the world, even though wheel manufacturers make tubeless spoke and cast wheels..... it just doesn't make sense to me. On an off road trials bike running 12 psi ok but not road bikes. My last flat was a blow out with the original front on an Africa Twin with 3,400 miles. I was in traffic going maybe 30 mph when front just started weaving. I did not have my compressor, spare tube, a patch kit or even the tools to remove the wheel with me. Thank GOD it happened 100 yards from a Honda dealer and they were still open. Their lifts were all occupied but since I had a centre stand the service manager changed it himself for me while I watched. There was no puncture of any kind, what happened was a slightly rough area inside the tyre had slowly abraded the thin tube and after 3,400 miles it wore completely through in one place. He said this can be a problem running an inner tube in a tubeless tyre and suggested anytime I replace the tyres to carefully feel the inside and sand any roughness away before mounting it. I suggested he mention that to Honda as well. He also said Honda probably used thin tubes since the bike was capable of high speed and heavier tubes generate more heat. All they stocked were heavy duty tubes so that's what I got and thankfully it was the common 90-90 / 21", they did not have the less common 150 width 18" rear in stock. I have since replaced that bike but unfortunately with another bike which uses the inner tubs as well.
 
My T7 had tubed rims and in all honesty I will be probably using it 70% on the street so recently went with a set of SM Pro wheels utilising the Bartubeless system.

Very pleased with them. :thumb2
 

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My T7 had tubed rims and in all honesty I will be probably using it 70% on the street so recently went with a set of SM Pro wheels utilising the Bartubeless system.

Appears to be a good option Tricky. Curious why you didn't just Bartubeless the stock T7 wheels?
 
Because Tricky is a bit of a label tart :green gri
 
Exactly. I love a bit of bling. :D

I got them from Rally Raid Clifton who do an exchange option with your original wheels. The SM Pro wheels are beautifully made with better quality materials than the originals and also have stainless steel spokes so won’t rust like the originals are bound to do eventually like all chrome plated spoke wheels do. :thumb2
 
Winter is indeed a good time to work on the bike(s) att and it's something I mostly enjoy doing. Nevertheless one can have the rear wheel off a BMW in less time than it takes to jack the Harley off the floor just to begin working on it. It just seems more involved than it needs to be. Yes they always work better when warm so I propped my new tyres in front of the wood stove. My little rant is over now, for another 10,000 miles or so anyway. :)
Not a problem repairing a puncture on the road with a plugger and the little compressor, it can likely be done faster than called help would arrive. In this age, given the risk of a blow out, I don't know how manufacturers get away selling bikes with inner tubes? When's the last time new cars were sold with tube tyres?

You wouldn't want to change a drive belt on my '95 FXSTC on a friend's shed floor then!

It was a four hour labour of love - bad design putting the drive belt inboard of the primary drive!
 
You wouldn't want to change a drive belt on my '95 FXSTC on a friend's shed floor then!

It was a four hour labour of love - bad design putting the drive belt inboard of the primary drive!

You know where I am, you could always come and use my table lift next time:thumb
 
You know where I am, you could always come and use my table lift next time:thumb

Thank you for your kind offer.

The main issue is everything you have to take off before you can get a new belt in!

I've broken two - one in Inverness and one at Milwaukee at their 100th party campsite.
 
Ah makes sense to trade up then Tricky. Sounds like you plan on keeping your T7 for a while?

Yes I understand changing the drive belt on a Harley is a monumental job. What else gets changed while you've got it all apart?
 
Ah makes sense to trade up then Tricky. Sounds like you plan on keeping your T7 for a while?

Others may come and go but this is a bike for the long term. :)

Have a soft luggage system already in place and GPS sorted. Thinking of some of the Yamaha crash bars for the front, heated grips and a set of barkbusters and I’ll be good to go. :thumb2
 
Good to hear Tricky, I'm keeping mine too. I have Bumot soft luggage on the way as well as Oxford heated grips. I need to mount my old Zumo GPS still.
 
... at least on my RK. No centre stand, both mufflers (you don't refer to them as that, what end cans, silencers?) need to come off for the rear, and the tyres are quite stiff so not easy to spoon on. At least it's a good time to polish and wax the wheels, and they lasted 11,000 miles. I would NOT want one with spokes and tubes because no way could I remove the wheel and tyre on the side of the road to repair a puncture.

Do you not have ride in ride out bike tyre fitters there?

When I get my tyres changed, I just ride in, sit in the lounge and have a coffee then ride out again half an hour later with new tyres all nicely balanced. They charge me £25 over the cost of the tyres to do this. Life's too short for fighting with Harley tyres.
 
My T7 had tubed rims and in all honesty I will be probably using it 70% on the street so recently went with a set of SM Pro wheels utilising the Bartubeless system.

Very pleased with them. :thumb2

That looks rather nice Trickster!

What you need to do now is come over here for a bit of off road riding. We can do a few muddy lanes on the TET and then I'll take you up Buster Hill on it (not a euphemism) and we'll see how you get on ;)
 
That’s sounds fun (I think) Toddy. :)

I’ve got a nice route for Salisbury Plain and gravel roads on part of the Northern TET (Scandinavia etc) are on my radar for next year.

I think the T7 is too heavy for serious muddy stuff however.
 


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