Mounting & Balancing Your Own Tires

Riding Triumphs for so many years I never balance the rear - about impossible with two rim locks and the habit carried over to Norton. I always balance the front on my wheel building stand or on the bike with the front end lifted. I don't worry about perfection either - only if I feel the front out of balance while riding.
 
Well, well, well, just when I was getting ready to mount my new Avon RR IIs.

It has been almost 40 years since I have mounted a tire on a motorcycle rim.

Plenty of bicycle tires over the last several years. Got to where I could do it in about 10 minutes for front a little longer for the rear.

I'm sure it will take me considerably longer with the 400-18 Avon.
 
Dan1950 said:
Well, well, well, just when I was getting ready to mount my new Avon RR IIs.

It has been almost 40 years since I have mounted a tire on a motorcycle rim.

Plenty of bicycle tires over the last several years. Got to where I could do it in about 10 minutes for front a little longer for the rear.

I'm sure it will take me considerably longer with the 400-18 Avon.
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Try a pair of these. I almost like changing tires since I got them.

Amazon product ASIN B0035UDHZ2
 
"I wrap solder around spoke or spokes opposite the heavy point until equilibrium is obtained then remove it and weigh it on postal scale then choose appropriate spoke weight."

I do the same...except I leave the solder on as the "wheel weight!" ;)
 
Dan1950 said:
Well, well, well, just when I was getting ready to mount my new Avon RR IIs.

It has been almost 40 years since I have mounted a tire on a motorcycle rim.

Plenty of bicycle tires over the last several years. Got to where I could do it in about 10 minutes for front a little longer for the rear.

I'm sure it will take me considerably longer with the 400-18 Avon.
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A little soapy water, a couple of tire irons, and a bag of cuss words is about all it takes. Have fun.
 
Wheel weights and then dial it in with solder...and I do the rear wheel too.
 
Big_Jim59 said:
I have been changing motorcycle tires all my life. I have used tire mounting machines. I have also a couple of long screwdrivers to get the job done in a pinch. Mounting tires, in my garage, is not the problem. It's the balancing. I am wondering what other's do when it comes to balancing? Do you find static balancing to be adequate?
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Static balancing is more than adequate. If you doubt this have at look a the tyre companies in the paddock at the Isle of Man TT all wheels are statically balanced and there isn’t a dynamic balancer anywhere to be seen.

Dave
 
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I always fit and balance my own tyres
Many years ago I didn't bother balancing the front tyre on my mk2a ,I could feel a bit of vibration when I was riding at just above 90
I looked down at the front wheel and it looked like the forks were flexing over an inch at the axle backwards and forwards
God knows what punishment it was putting the fork bushes through!
 
Dan1950 said:
Yep, bought some tire irons at Autozone and I am well stocked on cuss words.
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Caution: If Avon "tubeless" tires, the mounting is not overly difficult but getting the beads to seat correctly is sometimes hard as the rims are not tubeless rims. The tires have a thin ridge/line all the way around on both sides and that needs to be equidistant from the rim all the way around. I don't like copious amounts of soapy water, but it certainly helps with bead seating. Yes, the difficulty is the same whether using tubes or not (converting the rims to tubeless).
 
Thanks everyone for your input. I feel better about static balancing now. The shop where I worked didn't have a tire machine. It was a long time ago. We changed every tire over a small oil drum that had piece of carpet zip tied to the rim to keep from scratching wheels. We used a spoon and a homemade lever made from the end of a car's leaf spring. I changed many a hundred tires this way.

We did have a wheel balancer. It consisted of a swing arm mounted under the workbench with a homemade quick release for the axle. The system had a stand with a magnetic pickup that would attach to the underside of the swing arm. When this was installed we used a special built motor (it looked a lot like a starting roller) to spin the wheel. The magnetic pickup would trigger a strobe light and if you put a mark on the tire it would show you where the heavy spot was. You could spin the wheel faster then you would ever ride and you could get the balance to the point where it would not ripple a cup of coffee on the work bench. I have never seen another rig like this since.
 
I have found the last three Road Rider Avon's had yellow writing on the inside of the tire. Old stock and the new Mk2 tires. No markings on the outside sidewall that I could find.
Not sure what to make of it. I install all my own tires, then balance them on a Bike Master stand.
Cheers,
Tom
 
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One down one to go. I hope the 100/90-19 on the front is easier than the 4.00-18 on the rear.
 
Dan1950 said:
One down one to go. I hope the 100/90-19 on the front is easier than the 4.00-18 on the rear.
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If they’re Roadriders they go on easily. Tyre lube one side, pop it over the rim (should go on easily without levers), put the tube in with enough air to give it shape, lube the other side, start opposite the valve working both sides evenly, get the bead opposite the valve in the well then lever the last part over. Job done :) One thing that helps is a decent set of levers; the Rolls Royce of tyre levers are Buzzetti two long and one short like these https://www.dirtbikexpress.co.uk/search/buzzetti_tyre_lever_set_-_350mm__and__240mm

Dave
 
Getting a new car on was the easy part. Getting the old ones off was a chore.
 
Dan1950 said:
Getting a new car on was the easy part. Getting the old ones off was a chore.


Easy again, Break the bead then kneel on the tyre opposite the valve to get the bead into the well then lever the tyre off by the valve, work around until you can pull the bead off the rim. At this point you have one side of the tyre off, get the bead on the side remaking on the wheel in the well, pull the tube out then you should be able to manoeuvre the wheel out of the tyre but sometimes you need the lever it over the rim to get it started. If you see what I mean.
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Dave
 
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