Tire question.

[drycell]

So I got a new tire today. Went to put it on the wheel and it appears that I bent the bead on the tire. It won't hold any air. Is there a way to straighten the bead out or did I trash this tire?

Thanks.

[Nessism]

Bent the bead? Didn't think this is possible. Maybe it's just not contacting the rim bead the way it needs to in order to inflate? Sometimes tires can be a pain about this. Using some tire soap is recommended, not regular soap which can cause corrosion of the rims. You may also want to try bouncing the wheel to try to get the tire to spring out farther.

Hope this helps.

[drycell]

yeah, when i was trying to squeeze it on the rim i didn't have it properly set inside the slot in the middle of the wheel. i was jerking on it for a little bit before i realized something was wrong. took it off, properly set it inside and then it went on easy. but now it won't fill up. i took it off again and there's a definite bend in one section. it seems to go toward the outside of the wheel. do they sell tire soap at pep boys?

[bwringer]

AFAIK, Pep Boys doesn't have tire lube, but you never know.

The only place I've found tire mounting lube is at Napa -- theirs is called "RuGlyde". You might also find it at a farm store if that's more convenient for you.

[drycell]

no, I live in the city... i wouldn't even know where to find a farm store... i think napa's closed till monday... grrr.

[bwringer]

Here in Indianapolis, most of the Napa auto parts stores are now open on Sundays.

I can't imagine they'd be closed in Philly, unless you have even stranger blue laws than Indiana.

[drycell]

i think they're closed because most of the mechanics are closed sunday and that's who they mostly deal with. it's time for a retarded question. the tire that was on the wheel was a 110/90 19 and the tire i'm trying to put on is a 100/90 19. is it possible that it's too skinny to seat on the rim?

[Nessism]

Proper front tire size for an 850 is 100. 110 fits on the rim but is oversize.

You might want to try straight water on the tire/rim - it lubricates but won't corrode. Keep playing with it and you should be able to get it to fill.

[drycell]

you'll have to forgive me because i'm having one of those days when i wake up and my brain doesn't work, so i'm asking a lot of questions. i have an 82 gs850g. someone once gave me an 82 gs850gl which i've been using for parts, which came in handy when the stator went and the rear tire blew out. now i'm trying to mount the front tire and it won't go. the wheel on my bike says mt19x2.15 and it had a 110/90 on it. the wheel off the gl says mt19x1.85 and it had the 100/90 on it. now i'm trying to put the 100/90 on the gs and it won't go. what is the 1.85? is that inches? how does that transfer to the other numbers, which i assumed were mm?

thanks for being patient

[scrapper]

I was wondering if you put a rope all the way around the diameter of the tire has to be in the middle and twist the two ends together the sides should push out and seal you have to put air in it at the same time. you may have to use a stick or a socket extension to tighten the rope. It worked on a wheel barrell tire at home and a golf cart at work. you may need two people. all it does is compress the middle of the tire all the way around so the sides stick out. Hope it helps

[drycell]

yeah, i tried that already. it worked for me on my handtruck, but the bike tire appears to be a little too thick for it to squeeze the way i want it to. thanks for the tip though

[Joe Nardy]

I've used Murphy's Oil Soap as a lube many times. It seems similar to the tire lube we used years ago when I worked in a tire shop and I've never seen any corrosion from using it.

How are you trying to get the bead to seat? Are you trying to put air in with the valve stem in? If so, remove the valve stem and use a nozzle on the air hose. This will allow more air into the tire and help seat the bead. Along the lines of the rope, try wrapping a tie-down strap around the tire and tightening it down to help push the beads toward the rim.

Good luck,
Joe

[Nessism]

you'll have to forgive me because i'm having one of those days when i wake up and my brain doesn't work, so i'm asking a lot of questions. i have an 82 gs850g. someone once gave me an 82 gs850gl which i've been using for parts, which came in handy when the stator went and the rear tire blew out. now i'm trying to mount the front tire and it won't go. the wheel on my bike says mt19x2.15 and it had a 110/90 on it. the wheel off the gl says mt19x1.85 and it had the 100/90 on it. now i'm trying to put the 100/90 on the gs and it won't go. what is the 1.85? is that inches? how does that transfer to the other numbers, which i assumed were mm?

thanks for being patient

The 850G/1100G/1100GK front wheels are 2.15" wide and the 850GL/1100GL front is narrower at 1.85". The 2.15 front can take a 110 tire (width in mm), in fact, the GK is spec'ed this way. The proper size for the regular G/GL is 100/90-19.

Hope this helps.

[themess]

A "kinked bead" is a common tire defect. It can occur as a hot tire is removed from the mold in the factory. On tubeless tires, a kinked bead sends it to the scrap pile.

Bead wire is high tensile and brittle. When I still worked in tire factories, there were tools for straightening kinked beads for tube-type tires. Nothing fancy, just a few clamps almost identical to the bead width, with handles on them to try to manhandle the bead until it is looks OK.

Unmounting tires often results in a minor kink. Not enough to scrap a tire, but enough that it won't hold air properly. When I used to use snow tires, I kept them mounted on a separate set of rims year-round, to avoid both the expense of a twice per year change, and to avoid bead damage.

Not using lube would seem to me to be an easy way to kink a bead. But I have no experience in this area.

My guess is that you can probably get the tire mounted if the bead isn't too badly kinked. But I'd probably stick a tube in it.