Are tires getting more difficult to remove and mount ?

I'm completely baffled why, all of a sudden, I am having so much difficulty changing tires. I have been mounting at least a couple sets of tires every year without much difficulty. I made my own platform to hold the wheel and use a Mojo lever to remove and mount the tires.

In the middle of December, I was able to remove and remount an old Pilot Road GT in just a few minutes.

A month or so ago, I needed to remove a set of Dunlop Roadsmart III tires and put on a new set on my 2003 FJR. It seemed like there was almost zero room to get the removal tool down between the tire and the rim even with the tire pushed down into the well. It took a lot of sweat and bad words but I did get it done. The rear was the worst as usual but the front was not walk in the park either.

And now, I'm removing a set of factory installed tires from my 2016 FJR ( Battlax I think ) and am having exactly the same issue.

Has anyone experienced anything like this before ?

I'd really hate to hand this job off to a dealer.

I have found the Roadsmarts a little more difficult than some others. Having the tires very warm makes life a LOT easier - mount or dismount.

I'm not using the RS3 anymore for this very reason. I don't have an extensive enough vocabulary to get that rear one removed or mounted. I have sufficient vocabulary to do Michelins.

You are getting older, weaker and befuddled..... are not we all?

Pterodactyl said:

You are getting older, weaker and befuddled..... are not we all?

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Actually, that was the first thing that came to my mind.

Had a beach of a time removing the OEM Metzler steel belted rear tire on my '10 FJR shortly after buying it in '16. Finally had to cut the tire in half to get it off right up and around the center. I also use a mojo bar with a Harbor Freight tire mounting stand. I see why Yamaha didn't stick with Metzler, thank God!

No doubt age played a part and maybe even a touch of senility.

jammess said:

No doubt age played a part and maybe even a touch of senility.

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Yours or theirs ???

It's all technique folks. With the stiffer tires, you've got to keep the tire down in the center to make enough room for mounting. An extra set of hands always helps...or use the NoMar "extra hands" to help. Don't forget lots of lube too!

~G

Just completed tire change from Pilot Road 2 to Road 5 with the Mojo lever (and the Mojostand). Keeping tire in the wheel well, and using proper amount of tire lube (I used Baltistol 50/50 with water) and noticed no real difference since last change (possibly a little easier as I gained experience). Aping earlier comments; different tire brands can mount differently.

use personal lubricant

Getting ready to put on Roadsmart 3s. Waiting for a REAL hot day to cook them babies

griff said:

Getting ready to put on Roadsmart 3s. Waiting for a REAL hot day to cook them babies

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You could always use your wife's tire warmer. She may have a different name for it like a hair dryer. Been using it for past 3 years. Shove it inside the tire well for about 15 mins on low. Hot air circles around the tire and makes it nice a warm to mount.

Pterodactyl said:

You are getting older, weaker and befuddled..... are not we all?

Click to expand...

We are!

I'll be mounting a set of RS3s tomorrow, Thanks for the reminder to heat them up first.

DUnlops, Metzlers and BridgeRocks all are know to have very stiff sidewalls. As escapeFJRist said, keep the tire in the center and it will be easier to get it spooned on. It is all about technique even with a tire machine.

I thought it was just me. I'm thinking more trips to Snohomish.

Well, I finally gave up and took the rim / tire and new tire to the dealer. Even with getting the opposite side of the tire down into the well, and lots of lube, I simply could not get a grip with my removal tool; there was just no room. Something was going to break or I was going to get hurt.

But, I did come up with a partial solution. It's cloudy and cool here today so there's no sun to warm up the tire. So, here's what I did:

- Get the biggest garbage bag that you can find; I had some of those big orange "contractor" garbage bags. The wheel and tire easily fits inside.

- Next, "borrow" a hair dryer, and wrap the bag opening tightly around the end of the hair dryer.

- Wrap a bungee cord tightly around the bag opening and hair dryer to seal the bag end. Some air will need to escape, so not too tight.

- Turn on the hair dryer. They seem to have varying heat levels and I had to turn this one up to high but better ones might be best used on medium heat so as not to melt the bag.

- The bag will inflate. After about 20-30 minutes the tire was unbelievably toasty and very pliable.

Unfortunately for me, that still wasn't quite enough. But it would work nicely for someone with more patience or a less stiff tire.

- Carefully clean the hair dryer and return it to wherever you found it. Mum's the word. And don't mention my name.

I just put a new Michelin PR4 GT on my front rim. I used lots of lube on the rim, and the 120/70-18 tire went on with absolutely no effort.

I then removed that new tire and ordered a new 120/70-17 inch, cause the 18 that I bought back in January just seemed a little loose.

Moral of story: when you are old, you sometimes pay for your inattention...in this case,$156.00.

I used Pilot Road GT's prior to the Dunlops and never had a single problem removing or mounting them. I see there is a new PR5 out since I last used PR's so I'm going to do a bit of shopping.