getting tires mounted

[outofcontrol]

tire changer

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=42927

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=34542

You have to buy these both. I happened to buy them both on sale, and it was $55 total. The local outlet even had had them in stock. Even if you buy them at full price ($90) its a steal. Comes with a bead breaker - It's part of the base tire changer (item 34542). The only thing you'll need is some rubber coating to protect your rims (or some duct tape).

Use soapy water. If you use something that will really lube your rubber like grease or WD-40, you might risk spinning the tire on the rim once you start riding. I use about 20:1 soap to water (that's 20 parts water) No offense bwinger, it's no more corrosive than what you wash your bike with.

I too race, and I've changed up to 5 sets of tires in one day just for myself. Rains, to slicks, to practice rains, to race rains, etc. Only once did I have a problem setting the bead. I used a ratcheting tie down and wrapped it around the center of the tread to push the tire out.

I can change both tires with balancing in 25 min.

I've watched the AMA superbike and MotoGP guys balance tires the same way I do it on my home made wheel stand. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.

-KM

[bwringer]

Almost forgot -- the hardest part of my quest was finding the stick-on wheel weights. Several tire stores and motorcycle shops flatly refused to sell me any wheel weights, and finally one guy mentioned that he gets his from Pep Boys.

The pimply teenager at the Pep Boys counter had no idea what I was talking about (worse, she wouldn't admit that there might be something in the world she hadn't heard of at the advanced age of 16), but one of the managers happened to walk past and knew exactly what I needed and where to get it.

The only problem was that I had to buy a 20 pound box -- enough for several lifetimes. It was only $18, though.

NAPA didn't have wheel weights (whyyyy?!?), but Pep Boys didn't have tire mounting lube, so I had to visit both. PITA, but I'm set for many years now.

There aren't a lot of dirt bikes around here, so that might explain why the motorcycle shops didn't sell any tire mounting lube or wheel weights. But I think it has more to do with protecting their lucrative tire changing and tire-selling-at-ridiculous-markups business. Keep the public ignorant and powerless, ya know.

I see your point about the diluted dish soap, but I certainly wouldn't wash anything with 20:1 dish soap and just leave it to dry without washing -- and that's what you're doing to the inside of your wheel. But hey, do whatever works for you. The chance of fatal corrosion is admittedly remote, and some kinds of soap are less corrosive than others.

However, I bet tire lube is still much easier to use -- it's thicker so it stays put and it stays slippery without drying up. It also dries tacky so that the wheel can't rotate on the rim. It's cheap (assuming you can track it down in your town) so why not?

One other tip that I found here is to use a large wooden woodworker's clamp to break the bead. The wide wooden jaws are much kinder to the rubber than other methods in case you plan to remount the tire later, and won't scratch your rim. Just tighten the handles, then twist the clamp a bit or use a second clamp if the bead is stubborn. This method also has the advantage of placing little to no stress on your wheel -- it's too easy to bend a wheel or rotor with the brute force lever methods. Plus, you're applying force in a gradual, controlled way -- even if the clamp slips off, the result won't be catastrophic. And the clamps are cheap at Menards.

[retrex]

Penny wise

I use a local independent shop where I buy a lot of parts. I use mail order/web for tire purchases.

They charge $15 per wheel on a carry in.

In my book that is money well spent.

Ride On, Ed.
1983 GS750ED
2005 GSF1200SZ

I echo this sentiment. My local aftermarket store charges 15 a tire if you buy their rubber. And they spin balance the wheel. Worth every penny.

[bwringer]

The shops around here (Indianapolis) are pretty uniform in that they either refuse to mount tires you don't buy from them or quote $45 - $50 each just to make you either go away or buy tires through them.

The best deal around here if you don't want to mount tires yourself is Cycle Outfitters on the south side -- they charge a premium of $35 - $50 (and up) per tire, but mounting is included. They mount tires while you wait 7 days a week, and they have a room full of tires, so you normally have a choice of several brands in stock, even in obscure sizes. Convenient, and their prices beat all the other dealers, but still pretty expensive.

I ordered up a set of Dunlop 491 tires for $165 delivered and mounted them myself. Cycle Outfitters wanted $270 plus tax ($150 rear, $120 front). Yeek! That adds up when you burn through two or three sets a season.

[Ogri]

The shops around here (Indianapolis) are pretty uniform in that they either refuse to mount tires you don't buy from them or quote $45 - $50 each just to make you either go away or buy tires through them.

The best deal around here if you don't want to mount tires yourself is Cycle Outfitters on the south side -- they charge a premium of $35 - $50 (and up) per tire, but mounting is included. They mount tires while you wait 7 days a week, and they have a room full of tires, so you normally have a choice of several brands in stock, even in obscure sizes. Convenient, and their prices beat all the other dealers, but still pretty expensive.

I ordered up a set of Dunlop 491 tires for $165 delivered and mounted them myself. Cycle Outfitters wanted $270 plus tax ($150 rear, $120 front). Yeek! That adds up when you burn through two or three sets a season.

I have heard that about Cycle Outfitters,....... a couple of my friends have their tires done there. They also said that CO aslo has a great selection of accessories. I may have to make a trip down there to check them out.

There is only one dealer in the Fort Wayne area that is worth dealing with, that is Woodson Motorsports, and they charge $35.00 mount and balance whether you bought the tire there or not. But, they do it while you wait.
I don't mind paying that for mount and balance as much as I hate paying a premium to get a tire right away. I want to support the local dealer, but they are not making it easy at $150 for a BT020. At that rate, I could make a trip to Cycle Outfitters and it would be less. All I would loose is a little time.

[bwringer]

Cycle Outfitters also carries hundreds of helmets, riding gear galore, boots, oil filters, tools, etc. and so on.

Prices are generally just a bit above rock bottom internet prices, but most often it's well worth an extra $5 - $10 to try stuff on and then go home with the exact item you just tried on.

I love the place, and have spent many, many dollars there!

I certainly wasn't casting any aspersions on their tire pricing -- they have the best deal around, and they keep a wide range in stock. They do a lot of business in tires, so you know you're going to get reasonably fresh rubber and that the tire mounting monkeys in back are going to have the proper equipment and experience to do a good job.

[bwringer]

And since it's just us Indiana folks here...

If you can mount your own tires or find a reasonable deal for the service, I highly recommend ordering from Tires Unlimited:

http://tiresunlimited.com/default.htm

The web site is terrible -- figure out what you need on the site, then call to place the order. They're located in Dayton, Ohio, so standard UPS shipping to most or all of Indiana is cheap (about $8 a set) and overnight!

They are an actual tire warehouse with tons of inventory, not some goober ordering from catalogs in his Mom's basement.

A lot of online tire and parts stores these days aren't actual stores, so you have to watch yourself or be prepared to wait a couple of weeks for Skippy the Geek to get around to ordering your stuff from the real suppliers.