First tire change

[Danno]

If anyone is thinking about changing their own tires but not sure if they are capable, just do it.

I was telling my Harley buddy that I was thinking about getting a Cycle Hill tire changer. CYCLE HILL. He was also interested in getting a tire changer and when he looked into the Cycle Hill, he thought it looked good. Since he has more money and garage space, he bought one and we figured between the two of us, we could figure out how to use it.

Well, the other evening, I took my wheels and new Metzelers to his place. It was a first for both of us. In under 90 minutes we had them both mounted, balanced, and everything cleaned up. I'm sure the next time will be much faster now that we have a better idea of the process. I will say though that it's nice to have 2 people, especially for the rear tire. We used the Cycle Hill balancer and that was easy too. We balanced the wheel with the new valve stem before mounting the tire, and again after mounting and inflating the tire.

Removing and installing the wheels on the FJR is also very easy. I do have the Yamaha service manual which is helpful. There is plenty of room to remove the rear wheel with the bike on the center stand. Then I lifted the front end and supported it with wood blocks under the header pipes and removed the front. One thing that the manual says to be careful of is to not let the anti lock sensors touch any metal parts.

I know a lot of folks don't like the Metzeler tires, but my originals went 8070 miles, although the rear was a bit overdue since I was starting to see the cords.

[SIZE=14pt]Thanks to all who have posted on this forum.[/SIZE] After reading about all the work you can do yourself, I am much more comfortable doing lots of my own service and repairs.

 

[fjrrider]

I have the "No-Mar" works great. After about 12-15 tire changes now, I can finally say that I am able to do a complete change in 1 hr and 38 min. Thats ride bike in shop, pull off wheels, change tires, balance, remount and ride out! I know that doesnt sound all that fast, but for me thats gettin it!

Actually taking the old tires off the wheels, and remounting new ones is the easiest part!

 

[DailyCommuter]

i dont get how these type of balancers work. I want to buy a set up like this but, how does this type of balancer work, and how good are the results. What do you do to balance it. Spin it.... then what?

 

[wheatonFJR]

I have the "No-Mar" works great. After about 12-15 tire changes now, I can finally say that I am able to do a complete change in 1 hr and 38 min. Thats ride bike in shop, pull off wheels, change tires, balance, remount and ride out! I know that doesnt sound all that fast, but for me thats gettin it!Actually taking the old tires off the wheels, and remounting new ones is the easiest part!

I have spoons, balancer, and a bead breaker...and will never be that fast.

 

[DailyCommuter]

Duh.... Nevermind I read the directions on the site... Hmmm directions thats a novel concept...

 

[Shane]

Way to go Danno,

I've been rolling my own for about 4 years now--never going back.

Shane

 

[dbx]

Like a lot of my fellow riders, I have the NoMar changer and love it. To me, the best part is not having to visit the dealer, which in my case always meant at least one trip and sometimes two if they needed me to leave it overnight. I always seemed to show up just as they were winding down for the day. Plus, they managed to mount a front tire backwards in spite of me marking the direction of rotation on the wheel, and yes, I rode it that way for several thousand miles! It can be done on a non-ABS bike and now you don't have to ask how I know.

So besides the convenience, there's the satisfaction of doing it yourself and knowing it was done right. Lastly, after a certain number of changes, the machine will have paid for itself and it's all gravy after that.