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How hard are 650 tires to mount?

6K views 42 replies 15 participants last post by  Charlie Brown 
#1 ·
Looking at Bridgestone TH01.

I mount all my 17" motorcycle tires myself with an old Harbor Freight tire machine and a Mojolever and have no trouble. I'm just a little concerned about the small size of the Burgman tires. Does that make them harder? Easier? :confused:

I know that the 10" tires on the front of my lawn tractor made me consider throwing all my tools away and shutting down my shop :serious
 
#2 ·
In general, smaller = harder. I manage to mount the 400 tires (120/80 - 14 F, 130/70 - 13 R) with no more than a couple of 2x4 scraps and 3 tire irons. I do not think it is particularly difficult.
 
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#5 ·
After posting the question I remembered mounting a 13" trailer tire for my brother-in-law a couple of months back. It went OK. ;)

easy, one swipe of the credit card and it's done !
After reading some of the posts on various Internet forums, I've come to the realization that some people have more money than they need. :laugh My local shop quoted me $570+ for two tires and mounting and balancing this morning. I can buy the tires for < $250. I guess I'm gonna rassle them on.

The front is relatively easy, doesn't take too much #(!*@, and goes on quickly.

The rear tire is a different story, the beads are so stiff that it takes a bit of planning and proper lubing to get both of the beads
on the rim, especially the second one.

I use Harbor Freight''s motorcycle tire changer which really helps with keeping the wheel in place and letting me use all my
energy an strength to get that 2nd bead on. I often have to use clamps to minimize the tire walking as I apply force in
the opposite direction. A good tire mounting bar will make the job much easier.

Give them a try and you will know pretty fast where you stand. Considering your tire changing back ground, I don't
think you will have any problems.

on one or two occasions I was defeated by that 2nd bead on the rear tire so I just took it in to a shop and they popped
the bead on for $5.00.

all the best. :devil
Thanks for the response. I used to mount the rears on a GL1800 Goldwing, and they were the worst I've ever tried. I finally reached an agreement with a buddy who would come help me with mine when I needed it, and we mounted all his here as well, and I'd help him. An extra pair of hands was invaluable. I do the tires on both my other bikes by myself without a lot of drama.

The Mojolever seems expensive, but it's been a lifesaver on difficult tires. I also added a yellow thing from NoMar, and it's a big help.

I'll report back how it goes.

Thanks for the responses.
 
#26 ·
Perfect!
Cheers!
 
#4 · (Edited)
The front is relatively easy, doesn't take too much #(!*@, and goes on quickly.

The rear tire is a different story, the beads are so stiff that it takes a bit of planning and proper lubing to get both of the beads
on the rim, especially the second one.

I use Harbor Freight''s motorcycle tire changer which really helps with keeping the wheel in place and letting me use all my
energy an strength to get that 2nd bead on. I often have to use clamps to minimize the tire walking as I apply force in
the opposite direction. A good tire mounting bar will make the job much easier.

Give them a try and you will know pretty fast where you stand. Considering your tire changing back ground, I don't
think you will have any problems.

on one or two occasions I was defeated by that 2nd bead on the rear tire so I just took it in to a shop and they popped
the bead on for $5.00.

all the best. :devil
 
#6 ·
Start with a very warm tire. Using just two tire irons I have little issues when WARM. But a cold day with a clod tire and it kicked my A$$.
 
#8 ·
It's cool here, but I have been known to warm a tire up with a hair dryer ;)

After reading some of the posts on various Internet forums, I've come to the realization that some people have more money than they need. :laugh

it's nice having a rich eskimo woman :devil
Maybe that's my problem. We were both dead broke when we married, 45 years ago, and we spent it all :(
 
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#9 ·
I pull the wheel off the bike and take it to my local Yamaha/Honda shop. They charge me $30 for the change out. I usually buy the front tire from them but they have no problems with me bring in a car tire to mount on the back wheel. I feel it is a fair price and am happy to let them do it.
 
#10 ·
I don't think that's a terrible price. I usually mount two at once on my other bikes; I run through a front and rear at about the same rate. So I order a set online and get them delivered to the house by UPS. I've never timed it, but I'm guessing maybe 45 minutes a wheel to R&R the tire and balance it -- hour and a half for both. And I'm retired; what else I got to do? :smile
 
#11 ·
A couple of years ago my power sports dealer went from $100.00 to $175.00 then to $225.00 in short order . I called around and found a dealer on the other side of town for $135.00 and had them do it . The next time I needed tires I talked to the manager of my local dealer (the $$225.00 dealer) I told her that I could get it done for $135.00 across town , and asked if they would match the price ?


She said sure no problem . :eek TheReaper!
 
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#12 ·
Two Bridgestone TH01 tires ordered $195 and change with free shipping.

Shop quoted me $500 plus for two tires, R&R the wheels, and mount and balance tires. He said the labor was high because the exhaust had to be removed. Darned if I can see why. I sure hope he's wrong.

Wish me luck. ;)
 
#14 ·
Two Bridgestone TH01 tires ordered $195 and change with free shipping.

Shop quoted me $500 plus for two tires, R&R the wheels, and mount and balance tires. He said the labor was high because the exhaust had to be removed. Darned if I can see why. I sure hope he's wrong.

Wish me luck. ;)
100% wrong for a Burgman 650 on having to remove exhaust. For a Burgman 400 then 100% right.
 
#13 ·
Thanks for the response. I used to mount the rears on a GL1800 Goldwing, and they were the worst I've ever tried. I finally reached an agreement with a buddy who would come help me with mine when I needed it, and we mounted all his here as well, and I'd help him. An extra pair of hands was invaluable. I do the tires on both my other bikes by myself without a lot of drama.

The Mojolever seems expensive, but it's been a lifesaver on difficult tires. I also added a yellow thing from NoMar, and it's a big help.

I'll report back how it goes.

Thanks for the responses.
anybody that has changed a GL rear tire can easily put a a rear tire on the 650, you fall into the master tire changer category

I don't think you will have any issues, good luck
 
#15 ·
I quoted that just because I enjoy so much being considered a master at anything anymore. ;)

100% wrong for a Burgman 650 on having to remove exhaust. For a Burgman 400 then 100% right.
Ah. He obviously remembers the last 400 he had in the shop. Thanks for the clarification.
 
#17 ·
#18 ·
Boy and I swapped out his rear tire on his Honda Reflex a few weekends ago. It is a 12 inch tire. Cold tire. First tire either of us swapped out. Lots of learning, grunting, a huge bruised knee when the outside bead popped over the wheel rim, and about 6 hours.

Only real tools we had were 3 tire spoons.

Like I said, it was a learning moment and a great time between father and son. He got to pop the beads when airing up the tire.

First and major issue was forcing the tire to sit against the wheel rim in order to air it up (to pop\seat the beads). Had to use a cinch strap around the circumference of the tire to seal it up.

We used Windex as our lubricant.

So, if a 49-year old IT guy, and a 22-year old teen can do it.. you can. :)
 
#20 ·
well, but your profile says you're retired. That means no pressure. We had to make sure we got his bike done that afternoon else he'd not have transportation the next day. hhahahaha.

Since you've done swaps before, am sure I'm not telling you anything new, but to put it on the post for proper posterity (and with feeling), breaking the old bead was not fun. as was the cleaning of the old rubber off of the wheel rim. Had a single C-clamp that I used to use for changing out tie-rod ends of my trucks in my youth. Used it to pop the beads of the tire. First bead popped out fine, but that other one took about an hour of finageling (no idea if that's spelled correctly). On the rear, make ample use of the brake rotor to hold your tire spoons down while you slip the next one in under the old tire (when trying to remove tire from wheel).

But, the 14" tire for Burgy should be a tad bit easier than the 12" of my son's Reflex.
 
#23 ·
Yeah. I'm a retired IT guy. I finally found something I'm really good at. This retired gig is just my cup of tea. ;) I've got an old Harbor Freight tire changer with a Mojolever, so I don't anticipate any problems (famous last words sometimes). I didn't comment on your use of Windex. I've heard of that before but never tried it. I'll give that a shot and see how it works.

Heck, just buy a new bike when the tires are shot. :devil
Back in the 60's and 70's my uncle would trade in a car when it had 15,000 miles. Every year when the new model of Lincoln Mark V would come out. He had a standing pre order with his Lincoln dealer and my aunt bought the last one after he died but canceled the pre order for after.
Heck, this bike is almost new, and the tires look great. It's a 2006 model with 933 miles (yes, 933 miles) on the clock. The date codes on the tires indicate they were made in January of 2006. Like I said, they look great, but I'm not getting it on the road with them.

I posted a few weeks back that a dear friend with terminal cancer had given it to me. He passed two weeks after he gave it to me, so I didn't get a chance to go visit him on it.
 
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#30 · (Edited)
Get yourself a bar of ivory snow and chop it up and put it in a blender with about a pint of water. Wipe it on the tire bead and rim with a brush or rag and you can mount a new tire by throwing it on the rim and just press it over the rim with the heel of your shoe. Ivory snow Bar soap is pure soap. No detergents, totally safe. And slicker than a greased banana peel.
 
#32 ·
Get yourself a bar of ivory snow and chop it up ,,,, Ivory snow Bar soap is pure soap. No detergents, totally safe. And slicker than a greased banana peel.
I agree mikey, I don't think we're talking about tires any more. :angel :grin
 
#33 · (Edited)
Tire brand can make a big difference to how easy tires mount on a 650. Pirelli Diablos are a hellishly difficult to mount on the rim, but easy to seat the bead. Michelin Pilot Sports are the reverse. The Bridgestones sit somewhere in between on both counts. Call me stubborn, but I always use three Motion Pro tire levers.

Over the years, I've tried windex, wd40, soapy water and ru-glyde. They all work as lube, but the ru-glyde leaves the least residue and no moisture inside to corrode the rim if the paint is dodgy (on my 650, it is). Technique is SO important with Burger tires. The carcasses don't have the same amount of give as motorcycle tires, so if you're not paying attention, it will take hours to finish. Getting the first side of a tire over the rim lip is generally pretty easy. Its the second side that's the hair-pulling swear-a-thon.

When guides tell you to keep the near side of the tire pushed down into the rim while you work, they mean BOTH beads (top/bottom). What tends to happen when you push the top bead down into the rim, the bottom bead slips up to the other lip, unnoticed. It's virtually impossible to stretch the stiffer scooter tire carcass enough when this happens. Motorcycle tires are more forgiving here, which is why I thought I knew what I was doing before I got the Burg.

What I do is use a ratchet strap to squeeze both beads into the rim so I have that tiny bit of leeway to complete the mounting on the opposite side. The same ratchet strap (get the type without the hooks) can be used to hold the tire around the circumference if the air escapes too quickly while you seat the beads with a compressor. Keep it tightened, but not locked and it will loosen as the tire expands. I'm not a mechanic and no expert, so take the advice with a grain of salt. Good luck!
 
#34 ·
#38 ·
Tires

Just following these comments on tires for 650. The prices you're talkin about are ridicules.
Go to Motorcycle SuperStore and buy both front and rear in Shinko tires for less than $100 delivered.
I've been running these tires on Sport bikes for years and they are hard to beat for wear and handling.
 
#39 ·
Well, I finally got some time this afternoon to mount the rear. It was a stiff little son of a gun, but I didn't really have a lot of trouble.

The rear that I took off looked fine. I couldn't see any weather checking at all. But at 11 years old, I wasn't riding on it.

I had planned to do both of them today, but an old friend texted wanting to bring two of his over to mount from his ZRX, and we got to jawboning and lost track of time. I'll probably get the front Sunday. That's the next day I'll get free. I never knew being retired would require so much time. :serious
 
#40 ·
Well, I finally got some time this afternoon to mount the rear. It was a stiff little son of a gun, but I didn't really have a lot of trouble.

The rear that I took off looked fine. I couldn't see any weather checking at all. But at 11 years old, I wasn't riding on it.

I had planned to do both of them today, but an old friend texted wanting to bring two of his over to mount from his ZRX, and we got to jawboning and lost track of time. I'll probably get the front Sunday. That's the next day I'll get free. I never knew being retired would require so much time. :serious
Besides ReTired meaning tired again, it is a full time job. Watch the moss grow while trying to figure how to grow grass. Watching back episodes of "Fixer Upper". Feeding the squirrels while chasing the crows away. Feeding the Crows while keeping the squirrels out. Keeping track of if its Saturday again today or Saturday tomorrow again.... Its tough.
 
#42 ·
I just did my first tire change bigger than a bicycle. At 64 years old it was a real thrill and only took me about six hours. Why are learning curves so much longer at 64 years old? I promise next time I will have some well dissolved ivory soap. Dish soap just did not do the trick. I did try the mega zip tie trick that I saw on YouTube. I don't think it's for motorcycle tires as small as ours as it was not very functional. Anyway my new Michelin city grip is on the front and while I was in there I took out my airhorn as it had died and replaced it with the original. Much easier without wheel and finder. Oh, I have two sons and needed one, had neither. A third hand would have been nice. I spent as much on tools (2 tire irons, set of large hex bits, 1/2 in. Ratchet drive, torque wrench) as it would have cost to get it installed. But now I have them for my next tire on rear.....Darkside ?
 
#43 ·
Learning curves at 64 are longer because you're more likely to take the time to do it correctly. That's my story ... ;)

I tried the zip tie trick on one of the fronts for my ZRX, and it did not go well. Maybe for a soft knobby for a dirt bike, but I'm not convinced it's good for a street tire.

I did the front this afternoon, and it was no problem at all. Now I'm waiting for it to stop raining so I can take this thing for a ride.
 
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