Changing your own tyres

[viper]

well I proved to myself that it is possible to do this with minimal tools and it was fairly easy.

I placed the wheel on 2 lengths of 4x2.

broke the bead with 2 long G clamps( or sash clamps)

used liquid soap from tescos for 39p and a paint brush.

Used 2 x18inch tyre levers and 2 plastic rim protectors, if you use the soap correctly then the first portion of the tyre will come over the rim with minimal effort. once the first side is off then the other side can be tilted and wrestled off.

However the most amazing part of the process was that I managed to re-seal the beads with a 12v cig lighter compressor . lubed the beads with soap, removed valve core to max air in and while inflating I rotated the tyre and kept banging my knee into the tyre to help squash it out and the bead started to engage, frist side bead popped on at about 35psi , 2nd side bead took 65 psi to pop on, let air out and then reinflated tyre with valve core in place.

this is all good stuff if you want to change your tps batteries, if you are doing this you don't need to remove any tyre rim, just break the bead and clamp the tyre so you can get to the tps.

[Richard]

Hi

I do my own as well (front anyway), use the vice to break the bead, WD40 to lubricate the tyre.
It can be a bit of a fiddle but it not to bad.

Richard

[viper]

Hi

I do my own as well (front anyway), use the vice to break the bead, WD40 to lubricate the tyre.
It can be a bit of a fiddle but it not to bad.

Richard

how easy do you find it to reseal the tyre, what do you use?

[Richard]

how easy do you find it to reseal the tyre, what do you use?

I have a small compressor / 25L tank, with the valve insert out and a bit wiggling they soon start to seat on the bead.

[shaggs147]

Don't you have to balance the wheel afterwards or is that just for cars?

[Richard]

Don't you have to balance the wheel afterwards or is that just for cars?

I use these
http://www.dynabeads.co.uk/index.php

Work a treat, and can be collected and transferred to the new tyre etc.

Richard

[viper]

Don't you have to balance the wheel afterwards or is that just for cars?

yes you do, I use one of these, back tyre is not so critical but front tyre like to be balanced. However ive noticed that each time my dealer does a tyre and balances it, he pretty much replaces the same weights in the same spot which is direct opposite the tps, he told me that rims and tyres are so well made these days that balancing is minimal, the gtr needs a lot because of the tps. If you replaced a tyre on this bike most likely your old weights would do the job just fine.

[shaggs147]

The beads look a good idea but wouldn't they hit the tps as the bike comes to a standstill?

[Richard]

The beads look a good idea but wouldn't they hit the tps as the bike comes to a standstill?

The beads are tiny, think round brown sugar, far too small to damage the TPS.
I have removed my TPS, decided it was more grief than it was worth.

Richard