Tire mounting

Narcissus

Hayabusa Immortal
Moderator
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This is something I wrote quite a while back on other boards with a few additions. For anyone tired of getting overcharged at dealers only to have them scratch the rims and misplace the balance weights, this is for you.

You can get new tires online at a fraction of the cost you pay at dealers and if you don't have balancing equipment, some small shops will do it for cheap. Bates, around here, mounts and computer balances for $12. Try for tires. There are a few others as well.

Front tire removal:

If you have a front stand, this will make things easy. Otherwise, if you are careful, you can also get away if you have two jack stands and either a floor jack or two bottle jacks. Place the bike on a rear stand and remove the fairings and look at the engine. There are two tabs on both sides that you can use for holding the bike up (see picture).

engine-mount.jpg


Place the jack stands near these points and move them into position when you raise the bike. There are two ways to raising the bike without a front stand. I prefer using bottle jacks on the front since it is less likely to tip over than using a floor jack. To use bottle jacks, place them under the lowest point on each fork. Place a small block of wood between the jack and the fork to protect the finish and raise the jacks both at the same time until the mount points clear the jack stands. Move the stands into position and lower the jacks. You should raise the bike enough so that when you lower the jacks, the forks rebound so that the tire is still off the ground. On the stands, the bike should be rock solid now.

If you use a floor jack, simply place it below the oil pan, again with a block of wood, such that the jack is just behind the oil drain plug but not touching the headers. Don't worry, the pan can take the weight, as this is done many times in the manual itself. You may need to load or strap the rear so it does not pop off the stand. I would suggest having another person around if you use a floor jack, as the bike will tend to want to fall over when you raise it.

jack-bike.jpg


With the bike raised, remove the brake calipers and remove the screws holding the fender and raise or remove the fender. On the right side, loosen the two hex bolts on the fork and loosen the axle. With the axle removed, loosen the hex bolts on the left side and remove the axle holder. The wheel should be easily removed now.

Rear tire removal:

Equipment:
- Long screw driver or something long and thin enough to fit through the axle hole and pry
- 8mm, 10mm and 12 mm wrenches
- 1 3/16" or 36 mm socket
- cotter pin
- Center stand

Tire specific:
- Bottle jack
- A few lengths of wood
- Car
-or-
- Hydraulic press or bead breaking tool

- Three screw drivers/pry bars or similar coated with plastic or rubber to prevent wheel scratching
- ArmorAll spray or Formula 2001 or soapy water (whichever is available)

Wheel removal:
Prop the bike on the center stand and place the gear in neutral. Remove the two bolts holding the brake caliper to the axle stand and lower the caliper so it no longer touches the wheel or rotor. On both sides, loosen the wheel alignment stop nuts (the ones on the frame side on the bolt). Loosen and the wheel alignment bolts. Remove the cotter pin from the axle bolt (right side) and loosen the axle bolt. Push the wheel forward and lift the chain, rotating it so that it comes off the sprocket on the left side. Push the axle shaft out and remove it, be sure to place it somewhere free of dust and debris. The wheel should be loose now and you can remove it by twisting it slightly towards the left and back to maneuver it around the brake caliper.

Tire dismounting:
Deflate the tire, remove the valve (the little thing you press, not the whole stem) if you have a valve remover.

If you have a hydraulic press or a bead-breaking tool you can skip this part. This can be a bit tricky if you've never done it, but just pay attention to everything and nothing will go wrong. With a car, several lengths of 2x4s and a bottle jack, place the wheel on top of two lengths and under a frame point of a car such that the edge is under the frame point (car can not be low-clearance, an older, heavier car or truck is great for this). Now place the bottle jack, upright, over the tire such that it comes next to the rim but without touching. Start lifting the jack, making sure it does not go at a large angle. As you are doing this, make sure there is adequate weight on the other side of the wheel to keep it on the ground. You should see the tire depressing as the car begins to lift. At a point, it will pop and lower a significant amount. Don't worry, though, there shouldn't be very much force and lifting and the tire will hold the jack (should be around 300 pounds, not enough to lift the car off its tires). Release the jack and you should now be able to break the rest of the bead by pushing the tire in with your hands. You shouldn't need to break the other side, but try nudging it with a the plastic-coated pry bar in case it is a bit stuck.

Another, probably easier way is to get some long 2x4 lumber, 6-10 feet should do. If you have a post or solid wall beam in the garage that can take an upward force, nail a board into that beam (see text diagram, hopefully makes sense). It would probably be best to get a large hinge. Cut a piece about 3-4 feet and another about 6-8 feet. The long piece will be the lever and the shorter piece the pivot. If you have a hinge, attach the long piece to the wall beam with it such that it can move downward. Screw the shorter piece to the longer piece with another hinge, about 2-3 feet from the wall. Move the edge of the tire so that the vertical wood is over it. Clamp or put weight on the wheel so it won't flip over with force. Press down on the long wood. The side wall should depress and the bead will break. You will probably have to rotate the tire and press a few spots, but the bead will break. Try different points on the sidewall, too, either all the way to the rim or out a bit.

|\
|\\
|-\\
|===................................V... press down here
|========================= 2x4
|.....||
|.....||
|.....||
|.....||
___(_)===||===(_) tire

With the bead broken you now need to dismount the tire. Spray ArmorAll or the equivalent around the bead of the tire on one side and insert one pry bar on one side. Lift the bar against the wheel rim such that the tire comes over the rim. Hold it here and do the same with the other bar about a third of the way across and hold. With the third bar, pry again on the other side of the second. Hold the third and slide the second into the position of the third. Repeat until the tire comes off the one side. You need to work the other side, but this should come loose much easier. Spray the inside bead with ArmorAll and try pulling the wheel from the tire. It may help if you hold the tire on the ground and pull the wheel up.

With the tire dismounted, you can replace the valve stem if needed. Be sure to replace the valve if it was removed and you are keeping the old stem.

Tire mounting:
Spray the bead of one side of the new tire with ArmorAll. With the new tire on the ground, press the wheel, at a moderate angle, into the tire. It should slide in with little to moderate effort. Turn the wheel over such that the tire is over the wheel and spray that side of the tire on the bead. You can press the tire in about half way, then prying will be necessary. Insert one bar against the wheel and tire such that it points away from the center (handle out, in other words). Do the same with the second on the other side. With the third, lift the tire over the rim about an inch or two from the second bar, hold the third, remove the second and repeat with second. It should get harder to pry for a few times, then it will get easier until the tire is finally mounted.

Now you just need to form the bead. With an air compressor, simply start filling the tire. Once it reaches about 20-30 psi, you will hear a sudden pop, followed by a smaller pop. Just keep filling until you reach the set operating PSI (37-42 PSI).

Balancing:
You will need a wheel balancer with knife-edge bearings to do this. Although you could balance it on the bike's axle, there is too much resistance to get an accurate balance. Make sure the sprocket is removed, the rotor and any other fixed parts, though should stay. �

With the wheel on the balancer and level, rotate it such that the valve is at the 3 o'clock position. Release it and mark the point where it stops. Repeat from the 9 o'clock position and add weight on the opposite side from the midpoint of the two. Test the balance starting from several different points.

Wheel Installation:
Bring the wheel to the swingarm and lift the chain over the sprocket. Holding the wheel in place, insert the axle shart, make sure the brake caliper mounting bracket is inserted as well. Make sure the chain is properly set. With the long screwdriver/pry bar, insert it into the axle shaft, handle out from the left/chain side and pull back, tensioning the chain. Bring back the left alignment bolt so that it touches the axle stop. Make sure the chain is tensioned correctly (20-30 mm play) and pry the other side, bringing the right bolt back. Look at the alignment marks, both sides should match. If there are 3 marks showing on the left side, make sure 3 marks show on the right.

Tighten the alignment stop nuts Tighten and torque the axle bolt, adding a new cotter pin. Bring the brake caliper up to the bracket and install and tighten the bolts. Make sure your kick stand is down, remove the bike from the center-stand and you're done.


Hopefully that at least gives you an idea of what needs to be done. A lot of words and I'm sure there's confusion, but it really is easy once you see what you are doing. Maybe I will take some pictures next time I do it to help all the do-it-yourselfers. � �
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Personally, after doing this myself, getting charged up to $55 for a dealer to do just the wheel mounting and balancing (not actually removing the wheel) is unacceptable. I have found a shop to balance mine for $5, which will save me $150 on a balancer for now, but any more than that is too much, IMO.
 
Good post Narcissus, also you will find the balancers today are good for +or- 5 grams. Static balance like all the road racers and you'll be spot on and doing it yourself.  
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Front Axle 100n.m   10.0kgf.m   72.5 lb.ft

Rear Axle  100 nm   10.0 kgf.m  72.5 1b ft
WHAT DOES YOUR SCREEN NAME MEAN???

GO TO RANDOM THOUGHTS AND POST ON THE THREAD WITH THIS TITLE.

I'M CURIOUS CAUSE WHERE I LIVE IS SIOUX TERRITORY.

SIOUX FALLS, SIOUX CITY, NORTH SIOUX, SIOUX CENTER, AND THEIR IS THE SIOUX TRIBE RESERVATION NOT FAR FROM HERE. WE ACTUALLY CALL THIS AREA SIOUXLAND.
 
why remove the sprocket to balance?

also i removed the rotor before starting, only takes a couple minutes and then u don't have to worry about it when u start with the tire irons.
later
Michael



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So far I ran into a problem. The bike stand is on, the rear is lifted, the pin is out, but the axel nut is stuck in place. I greased it with WD-40 and it still doesn't budge. Has anyone ran into this problem, and if so, any solutions they suggest?

I'm using the stock wrench found in the rearseat toolkit. Should I get a longer shafted wrench for more torque?
 
(nicholonious @ Nov. 12 2006,20:49) So far I ran into a problem.  The bike stand is on, the rear is lifted, the pin is out, but the axel nut is stuck in place.  I greased it with WD-40 and it still doesn't budge.  Has anyone ran into this problem, and if so, any solutions they suggest?

I'm using the stock wrench found in the rearseat toolkit.  Should I get a longer shafted wrench for more torque?
They are VERY hard to loosen unless you use a socket and a LARGE 1/2" ratchet
or a VERY larger adjustable (Cresent) wrench  
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Try using a 5 foot section of 1.25 inch PVC pipe as a lever. The stock wrench handle fits inside it and it gives plenty of leverage to break it loose.
 
ArmorAll is bad choice to lube tire for mounting. Have you ever ArmorAlled your seat and found that you slip around even when it dries? This could cause tire to slip on wheel under hard starts and create a problem with balance and could even cause bead to let loose expelling the air (BAD THING) Use some sort of lube that will go away after dry we use Honda Silicon Spray. If you have never changed a tire don't start now, there are only 2 and when one screws up you are in DEEEP trouble. Take it to a dealer, motorcycle dealer not a car tire shop and get it done correctly. The few bucks you spend could save you ass.
 
(sidebusa @ Dec. 01 2006,21:44) ArmorAll is bad choice to lube tire for mounting. Have you ever ArmorAlled your seat and found that you slip around even when it dries? This could cause tire to slip on wheel under hard  starts and create a problem with balance and could even cause bead to let loose expelling the air (BAD THING) Use some sort of lube that will go away after dry we use Honda Silicon Spray. If you have never changed a tire don't start now, there are only 2 and when one screws up you are in DEEEP trouble. Take it to a dealer, motorcycle dealer not a car tire shop and get it done correctly. The few bucks you spend could save you ass.
Agree about not using the Armour All. A better choice is O-Ring lube or just plain soapy water. The O-Ring lube dissapates after installation - it is only slippery when wet, then it disappears. You can get a free 8 oz. sample on the I-net from some companies that sell it, and it is enough to last FOREVER.
 
(Deadeye @ Jan. 01 2007,09:06) Here is an update on the video link ... I'm no expert but the guy in the video uses Pledge as a lubricant! Seems to cover all the points .... http://video.google.com/videopl....+change
Hope it helps! Hope you like classical music ... lol.
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Deadeye
Great find! Very informative.

and the music is from Mozart's Requiem Mass, in case anyone is interested..
 
Just a thought, but should this sticky go in the Maintenance and DIY section and not be in Engine and Performance mods?
 
(pward76 @ Mar. 02 2007,11:51) Just a thought, but should this sticky go in the Maintenance and DIY section and not be in Engine and Performance mods?
Don't think we had that forum five years ago when I wrote this... lemme see if I can move/stick it, though.
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(Narcissus @ Mar. 02 2007,19:15)
(pward76 @ Mar. 02 2007,11:51) Just a thought, but should this sticky go in the Maintenance and DIY section and not be in Engine and Performance mods?
Don't think we had that forum five years ago when I wrote this... lemme see if I can move/stick it, though.
smile.gif
Thanks! This will make it easier to find when I want to reference it again!
 
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