I want to start changing my own tyres at home. Only tyre changing I've done was back in the 125 days of inner tubes and tyre levers. Advice and tips appreciated. Which home tyre fitting kit do people use? The Abba tyre change package has to be about the cheapest. Any good? Tyre Change Package - Abba Stands, UK
I've been changing my own tyres for 20 years plus, in the early days I used to have an Abba bead breaker,they work well but they are slow. If you search on e-bay for motorcycle bead breakers you will find lever types,these are much quicker and easier, then you just need 3 short tyre levers (6-8" long is plenty) and some rim guards and a bit of practice. I've change so many tyres I can change and balance a tyre quicker than a mate with a machine. Always balance the front wheel but don't bother with the rear with modern race tyres. Good luck. Kev
Don't know why you wouldn't balance the rear, if it's out of balance it will cause just as much trouble for the suspension as the front does. You may not just feel it so readily.
I bought that exact Abba package last year and used it to change & balance the tyres on my 996. First time doing it for me. I left the new & old tyres out in the baking hot summer sun, figuring it would soften them up a bit. All in all it was pretty straight forward and I found the kit & instructions easy to use. It was something id wanted to do myself for years and years and never got around to doing, so it was quite satisfying finally being able to change my own tyres.
Which rim guards to people use? I helpfully tried to put MissPineapples new maxxis tyres onto her rims a few weeks ago as I've been doing my dirtbike ones and managed to trash her GSX-R rim, I wasn't a popular Royal! I think my main mistake was forgetting to use soap/talc but I'm wary of trashing more rims now!
I use the ABBA bead breaker and balance stand ... you can get spindles to suit single swing arm wheels. Rim protectors .... bear in mind they make getting the final bead on a lot harder work. TBH I've given up using them but as mostly I'm changing tyres on my work bike this is no problem. Have to be very careful on the Dukes though. After breaking the beads give a liberal squirt of cheapo WD40 type stuff (from the pound shop) all round the bead .. makes getting the old tyre off the rim much easier. Pop into your local Quick Fit with a jamjar and scrounge some tyre soap ..... makes fitting far easier and helps the tyre seat/bead properly. Remember to support whell with discs clear of the ground while you fit the tyre .... and try to do as much fitting as possible with your feet/hands, rubber hammer and as little as possible with the levers. Leave the valve core out for the initial inflation .... much less chance of the tyre not catching on the rim. Inflate to about 50psi before letting the air our, refitting core and inflating to your chosen pressure. Remember to refit valve caps and any other bits to wheel before balancing. Same Quickfit will probably sell you a handfull of sticky weights.
I have been fitting my own for years too. Easy enough once you know your way round. Reason for blowing up with no valve is to maximise volume of air going in to get the tyre to sit on the wheel bead quicker and safer. Always use tyre soap. It makes it far easier to mount the tyre. Never use wd40 or similar as they affect the rubber. I always balance both wheels. Weights, soap, levers etc can be bought cheap off ebay or demon tweeks etc Have fun!
I have all the home diy kit now, and find a camping compressor works perfectly. Reminds me I have a pair of slicks to fit this week...
I use an Abba bead breaker, some strong cable ties and some diluted washing up liquid. Bought a cheap balancer on ebay and been doing this for 4 years now! No levers and no rim protectors, because you don't need to! Does make it a bit harder but at least I can guarantee no marks are left on the wheel. I even use a high pressure bicycle pump and haven't had a problem setting the bead!
I have been fancying one of these though: manual tyre machine changer bar alloy wheels car / bike | eBay Might make things a bit easier
I use short lengths of hose pipe sliced down the middle, they make an excellent rim guard. No scratches yet!
Google removing tyres with cable ties and watch the videos on Youtube. A bit redneck, but works for me! No risk to carbon or mag wheels!
