Remove/Replace tires

[StratTuner]

Is it possible to remove/replace the NC700X tires at home

and inflate them with a bicycle pump. (as Ron White once said "it's all I've got")

What tools do I need to remove the old tire and put the new one on?
(yes, I can get the wheels OFF...that part is easy).

so far I have some mis-matched screw drivers and a butter knife from the kitchen.
What else might I need?

have some pity on us non-mechanics...

thanks in advance.

 

[DirtFlier]

You need real tire irons, not old screwdrivers. You can add air with a hand tire pump but inflating a new tubeless tire is quite a different story. The rims for tubeless tires have a safety bead over which the tire's sealing edge must get over and it's not easy. When doing it with an air compressor, I usually hear a loud "Pop" when the tire finally jumps over that ridge.

 

[MZ5]

I've done it at home with just that; hand tools and a bicycle pump. It's a pain. I have 2 or 3 tire 'spoons' at home. I bought a couple of inexpensive ones from Cycle Gear or someplace like that, plus I have a larger one or two that came in a toolbox I got after my grandpa died. They're automotive 'spoons' from quite a long time ago!

I usually try to put the tire/wheel assembly on a 5-gallon bucket I have, because it lifts it up to where it's a little easier to work on, and it keeps me from bending the brake disk (or is a brake a disc? Dang! I can't recall!). Those things plus either some plain white Goop hand cleaner or a Dawn + water solution to help me slip the new tire on are about all I have. I've used the zip tie method to try to remove and install them as well. That actually works reasonably well so long as you don't have anything inside the tire (like RideOn or Slime or whatever).

Breaking the bead is the hardest part of removal, I find. I don't change tires often enough to remember what I thought would be best from last time. I've tried C-clamps (marginally effective and not speedy), a couple of 2x4s (all ranges of efficacy, for me), beating on the tire with a rubber mallet, or just prying with the spoons. Usually I've found a section on one side or the other of each tire that slips off the bead fairly easily. Again, NOT having slimy stuff inside the tire helps. The slimy stuff VERY shortly gets EVERYWHERE and makes work tough because I can't hold onto the tools very well.

 

[StratTuner]

My mechanic says $42 / $52 for front/rear remove, mount, and balance.

sigh...that will blow the entire motorcycle budget this month, but it doesn't sound like this is something I can do at home.

 

[Old Can Ride]

To make the job simple, so as you will do it many times on the road or at home, the really nice to have with you tools both on road and at home are:

1. Motion Pro RimShield 2 - Motion Pro RimShield II - RevZilla

2. Motion Pro Bead Pro Aluminum Tire Bead Breaker - Motion Pro BeadPro Aluminum Tire Bead Breaker - RevZilla

3. T6 Ultra-Lite Combo Tire Lever & Wrench 27mm by Motion Pro - T6 Ultra-Lite Combo Tire Lever & Wrench 27mm by Motion Pro

4. 17 MM Allen type wrench - 17 MM Bondhus Allen type wrench LONG arm machinist, Mechanics tools. misc | eBay

5. Small bottle of dishwashing soap.

6. Two 1 in wide rachet straps to tie to center stand to keep bike from falling off the center stand.

7. Two bottles of Ride-On. This balances new tire, and helps prevent future flates. 1 1/2 bottles needed in front tire, 2 bottles needed in rear tire.

8. 12 volt (15 amp) plug installed on your motorcycle. Do not use Honda's 7.5 amp unit!!!!!!!!!!!

9. A small compressor to blow up the tire somewhat quickly. Do not use less than a 8 minute 700 power unit! https://www.walmart.com/ip/Slime-Standard-Digital-Tire-Inflator/44377290

10. Always carry a small rachet with 8mm, 10mm, and 12mm sockets. (Could use open end, but a lot easier with small rachet)

All are light weight, and can be carried with you at all times.

 

[StratTuner]

OCR, that's a great answer with links too! Now I'll have something to refer to if I ever attempt this.
thank you.

 

[Deleted member 5383]

7. Two bottles of Ride-On. This balances new tire, and helps prevent future flates. 1 1/2 bottles needed in front tire, 2 bottles needed in rear tire.

I should fix that for you: one 16oz bottle of QuadBoss sealant works as well (or perhaps even better) than Ride-On, and costs a lot less.

Typical price for 16 oz:

Ride-On $24-28
QuadBoss $9-10 -- even cheaper if you buy the 32-oz bottle

 

[670cc]

At a list price of $239.20 per gallon in 8oz bottles, Ride-On for motocycles is a luxury item.

 

[2wheels4fun]

You can get a cheap air compress at harbor freight for $39 that will work since I just did mine with it.
2 x 2x4 will break the bead fairly easy and here's how.
2 or 3 motion pro tire irons, you can use tape to cover the ends to not scrape the rims.
windex for lube
balance: airsoft be-bes, or ride-on, or quad-boss, or rod through where the axle is a cinder blocks or jack stands.
torque wrench for 72lbs on axel nut which you should already be doing to adjust chain.
I just an one of my old tires to sit the rim on to mount and unmount, bucket should also work.
youtube videos makes it look so much easier than it is. There are many out there. When you get stuck at a part, just look at them again.

Just changed my rear tire myself this past weekend. Takes me about 2-3 hours for the whole process. Each time I do it, I seem to struggle with a different part. Last time was to get the old tire off the rim.

 

[dduelin]

My Honda dealer will demount and remount and balance a tire on a wheel I bring in for about $24 a wheel. I have the spoons and stuff from doing my own tubed tires in the past but it's not worth it to me to struggle with tubeless tires for several hours and risk scratching and/or bending a rim. As long as the dealer keeps the price this low I let him do it.

 

[showkey]

Strat........if you were to attempt DIY tire changing.........it would be extremely helpful to have an assistant that was been through the process multiple times. There are at least a dozen tips and techniques that make the job go from a nightmare struggle to a "walk in the park"

 

[Wcmike]

'Sweat equity' don't apply here unless you plan on changing your tires forever. OCR gave the minimum list (except that you can break the bead with some 2×4s) for doing it yourself. And he relies on Ride-On alone for balancing. Do it only if you want the experience. That is what I did. I changed the front once since it is the easiest. The rest of the time it was my local guy. I walk in with the wheel and old tire and walk out with the new at about $40 more than me doing it.

 

[670cc]

Strat........if you were to attempt DIY tire changing.........it would be extremely helpful to have an assistant that was been through the process multiple times. There are at least a dozen tips and techniques that make the job go from a nightmare struggle to a "walk in the park"

+1 on this comment. If you go forward with this, it's great to have a mentor. There are people that can probably do this with minimal tools because they know how, and there are those that couldn't do it with the best tools because they don't know how. The right techniques make the job easy, but the wrong ones, no matter how right they might seem, will make it impossible.

I changed lots of tube type tires in the "old" days, but the first tubeless tire I tried in the late nineties was a disaster. I swore I'd never do it again. Now I change all my motorcycle tires (except perhaps the Goldwing's tires because they are so stiff, but I'm gonna give it a shot).

 

[potter0o]

I'm totally agree with Wcmike. Just add up the cost of the equipment and figure out how many tires you would need to do just to break even on those costs. If you love to fiddle fill you boots. I did and have bought most of the tools but I'm stubborn like that. If you don't enjoy it shop around for the best rate. Some people would rather ride than wrench and there is nothing wrong with that.

 

[StratTuner]

My Honda dealer will demount and remount and balance a tire on a wheel I bring in for about $24 a wheel.

the powersports honda dealer here is well known to be always the most expensive choice. Wish that were different

 

[StratTuner]

Strat........if you were to attempt DIY tire changing.........it would be extremely helpful to have an assistant that was been through the process multiple times. There are at least a dozen tips and techniques that make the job go from a nightmare struggle to a "walk in the park"

Great idea.... I'll have to find out where I can rent someone like that. Most things...i could do with help like that. ... but it's just not in the cards...
for me, I get help from here and youtube....that's it.

 

[StratTuner]

thanks to everyone who posted...it's encouraging... at least now I know what tools I'll need.
'guess I can put the butter knife back in the kitchen.

 

[Old Can Ride]

If you are a dirt adventure rider with tube type tires for the dirt, you will carry these tools with you at all times. You will also carry extra tubes. No just putting in a string patch and going on your merry way, as with tubeless tires. For all you folks who want the advantages of the spoked 21" tube type tires with tube locks that you can let the air pressure down to 20 lbs of air for the dirt, there are disavanages, ALSO! No Honda dealership around the corner, you must learn to do it all yourself when in the dirt, yet still keep it lite....... Add a two sided screw driver, phillips and regular for lite weight when in the dirt.

Tool Box......

 

[DirtFlier]

I've been changing my own tires for roughly 10-15 years and in all that time I've found that technique is far more important than muscle or even having the right tools. And you can be sure that the first time will cause a lot of cuss words to fill the air in your garage! If you can find a local, independent shop that will do it for a reasonable fee, that might be your best bet.

GreenBoy - I looked up QuadBoss and found it's mainly a dirt bike and ATV sealant which makes me wonder about its use at high speed with air temp above 80 F?

 

[Agent]

I've done all three tire changes on mine. I am not a great mechanic and it gets frustrating, but it can be done and isn't nearly as scary as some of the other stuff I've had to figure out over the years. I bought an automotive tire changer with a bead breaker for the same cost as a dedicated bead breaker. This also comes in handy for changing automotive tires. I have seen people use the kickstand to break the bead, but for $40, it was worth it to buy the changer. I have one long tire iron and two short ones. I have a set of two rim protectors, but wish I had a third one. I have a valve stem tool from Wal-Mart. I have YouTube. Finally I have a gas station down the road that has a compressor for setting the bead.

I do use Ride On to balance my tires. I used to have to buy two bottles per tire to get the last ounce or two that was prescribed, but then I found a shop close by that will pump it in for $1.50/oz. I got out way cheaper. I don't know exactly how to explain it, but I just like working on my own bike. I'm not intrinsically opposed to mechanics, but most of the time I prefer to do something for myself just for the sheer pleasure of knowing that I did it. On the other hand, there are a lot of times when it is worth it to just pay someone to do it.