So what has the OP (original poster) decided on doing? I'm going to grab the abbastand skylift package which will cover many bike brands & then grab the kit for tyres. Although I've never changed a tyre, with being charged £35 for two wheel changes locally to me its logical too man up & learn a new skill. Plus they charge now £7-10 for disposal.
I made a breaker out of a length of box section with a metal shoe welded to it, I place the end of the box under the bottom of my bench and lean on the other end. Some do take a bit of shifting. Its all easier in warmer weather as the rubber is softer. Plenty of fairy liquid and water too. I use a bench top balancer too. Fronts are definitely harder.
Been a while since I did it and tyre sections are larger now but I always used a G-cramp (clamp?). Just important to keep the business ends just clear of the rim and screw away.
I change my own tyres,too poor/tight to pay someone else.I used to struggle with a large vice and some hefty G=clamps to break the bead.Ended up getting a nameless vcheap bead breaker off ebay.Works a treat.
Warrior Motorcycle Portable Bike Tyre Changer / Bead Breaker 16"+ Wheels / Tyres | eBay Use this its a piece of piss for £40
Im going to make a bead breaker and see how it goes....if its a massive faff ill shell out on a proper one for next time..as for fitting them....ill let ya know how many tools left british airspace on monday! Im actually looking forward to giving it a go, as you say, its another string to my bow!
Mechanics Workshop Garage Motorcycle Tyre Bead Breaker Motorbike Tyre Changer | eBay As my front on both my bikes are over 16">19" I found this one of similar design. I really like it, thanks for the heads up.
Many of those are too small to fit a 17" wheel properly. I tried 2 different models and the support rings were a smaller diameter than the rim so the wheel is supported on the spokes, this may work OK but the potential to damage the wheel is always there so I sent them back. I ended up finding one that is not only bigger and supports both a 17" & 18" wheel properly but that also has an add-on extra rim to suit even larger (21") wheels. To add to the protection I fitted foam pipe-insulation to the ring to cushion the wheel. Works great, the hardest part of the job is getting the second tyre rim off the wheel, I've tried the large cable ties but on one occasion was struggling and lost patience so I cut the tyre off - which is actually a quicker way of doing it, assuming you're not planning on re-using it...
To add, I used to get tyres supplied/fitted by a tyre specialist/bike shop until cheap tyres on the 'net became available, then I would use a local bike shop to fit tyres for £10 but that soon became £15 + £5 'disposal' fee unless I took the old tyre away, so fitting my own has saved me money despite spending around £80 on the bead breaker and a balancer plus the local shop couldn't balance a 916 rear as he didn't have the adaptor for the single-sided wheel. That said, I'll be saving a bit more in the next few days as I've got 3 tyres in the workshop waiting to be fitted...
I had never done this either, but after some internet-time, did it last year. I dished out for some MotionPro BeadPro's (those tire iron looking things on the right). It was really easy, but ofcourse it was, it was the front wheel Motion Pro BeadPro Forged Steel Tire Bead Breaker and Lever Tool Set
Do those bead breakers work well? They just seem a bit lightweight to me, especially as ive seen YouTube vids of people jumping on spades to break the bead!
At least for me they worked well. The point with these is that you use leverage to undo the bead. The more inappropriate the tool is, the more force you need.
There is a terribly crude and brutal way of breaking the beads on a motorbike tyre which we used to use back in the day, but only if you are stuck in the middle of nowhere with hardly any tools, or time. Here goes. Lay the bike wheel on the ground just in front of the wheel of a van or car. Then drive the van forwards about a foot. Have the wheel positioned so that the tyre of the van overrides the bike tyre but just avoids the bike rim. The weight of the van breaks the bead. Then turn the bike wheel over and do the same for the other side. Have the bike wheel resting on a bit of wood or similar, not bare concrete, to avoid damage. The cable-tie method of holding the beads together opposite the point of leverage works, but at a pinch (literally) you can adapt your belt, a bit of rope, wiring wire, a nylon stocking, or anything you can get your hands on for the purpose. It helps if you are good at knots. To help ease the bead over the rim, if the ideal lubricant is not available you can use washing up liquid, saliva, K-Y jelly, or other substances you can probably imagine. Hope this helps.
