Where do you get your tyres from

you can pick up a bead breaker for 30 quid. I wouldn't bother with rim protectors and tyre spoons to much hard work and risk of chipping your wheels, instead I'd go for a mojo bar.

I modified my bead breaker and made my own mojo bar out of wood. I'll post pictures of it all when I get home and hows it works.
 
famas said:
you can pick up a bead breaker for 30 quid. I wouldn't bother with rim protectors and tyre spoons to much hard work and risk of chipping your wheels, instead I'd go for a mojo bar.

I modified my bead breaker and made my own mojo bar out of wood. I'll post pictures of it all when I get home and hows it works.
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mm interested in your modified mojo bar friend of mine still does his own waiting for pics.
 
Bead breaker was just from e-bay cost around £30. All I did was change the central threaded bar to m18 (supplied one is m12) and added a couple of m18 nuts to hold it in place once I'd drilled the hole in the frame to suit the bar.

Also made a ply wood spacer and handle with another m18 nut secured in it.

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I made the mojo bar from a piece of 55x35mm beech. The nylon ends came from another e-bay seller.

I tapped and epoxied a length of m12 threaded rod into one end of the beech, I then epoxied the nylon tyre removal part to the threaded rod.

Once the bead is broken and the removal part is inserted under the bead its a simple case of levering the tyre off working around the m18 rod in a circle motion.


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I slip a piece of plastic tube over the m18 rod to stop the beech from getting chewed up on the m18 rod.

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The other end of the mojo bar is for getting the tyre back on. I used a piece of 5mm aluminium which I cut and bent to shape then a few nuts and bolts to hold it all together.

When it comes to fitting the new tyre I use plenty of lube and just push the first bead over by hand, then insert a plywood wedge to hold the second bead in the drop center of the wheel, insert the mojo bar and work the mojo bar around the tyre using plenty of lube and moving the wedge as you go.

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Better look at the end of the mojo bar. any part that touches the wheel is made from nylon so no chance of getting a scratch.

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Once the tyre is on I use a compressor to pop the bead and its onto the wheel balancer.

Again made from plywood, I bought the cones, rod and bearings from e-bay around £12-15.

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loads of videos on youtube showing how to balance wheels its pretty straight forward.

job done :)
 
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Nice :D

Wish I had the same workshop skills as well! Would save money after just one change. I'd probably just balls it up and the tyre wouldn't come off, then I'd slip and chip my rim or something :p
 
I tried with tyre spoons and rim protectors initially and had no luck at all only managed to chip the rim. It was probably down to technique but super sports tyres are known to be a lot harder to fit.

Changed over to the mojo bar and its so much easier, still hard work but nothing like trying to do it with spoons!


Also my tyres came, excellent service. I used the cheaper 4-5 day courier but they still came after 2.

Cheers for the recommendation chaps :)
 
I use something similar to the Mojo bar and its still a complete nightmare unless you have the wheel held onto something, I will probably buy the same as Famas and modify it to a stronger bar unless I can come up with something else, Ive struggled changing about 5-6 sets of tyres since last summer and Im not doing it again without something to hold the tyre :D
 
famas said:
I tried with tyre spoons and rim protectors initially and had no luck at all only managed to chip the rim. It was probably down to technique but super sports tyres are known to be a lot harder to fit.
Click to expand...

I used to use a bit of split garden hose as a rim protector which was quite awkward to use, but I bought proper rim protectors recently and they made the job hugely easier. I put two new tyres on my Fireblade a few weeks back and the job was done in about 20 minutes. The secret is ensuring the opposite side of the tyre stays centred in the wheel well. Sports tyres are so stiff they constantly want to spring out onto the rim which makes removal almost impossible. A shaped wooden wedge like famas made isn't a bad idea at all.

I also have one of these bead breakers and it works perfectly, saved a lot of faffing around with my old woodwork clamp.
 
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its still a complete nightmare unless you have the wheel held onto something
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You definitely need a bench of some sort to work on.

I screw the bead breaker to my bench which stops it from moving around as I'm levering the tyres off.

The plywood spacer and handle clamp the wheel to the bead breaker so it cant move either.

Once you replace the center threaded rod for m18 its more than rigid enough to lever off.
Don't go bigger than m18 though or your wheel bearings wont fit over it! ask how I know ;)
 
Ah didn't realize that, last few bikes I've owned had 20mm spindles so thought it was standard.

Got the tyres on today.

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And then back onto the bike, had to fit the stock exhaust for the MOT also, my god it sounds like its powered by a hamster now!

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That is a nice machine

I like the offroad version aswell,very tall

And you need to change your mot place if he ain't passing it with the aftermarket can on
 
You've not heard the exhaust it's ridiculous even with the baffle in, it being a single cylinder doesn't help. They don't call them thumpers for nothing :)
 
I picked up a pair of Pilot Road 3's from Manchester bike show so thought I may as well set myself up with the kit to change tyres myself.

Spent £90 in total on tyre paste, levers, rim protectors, weights, balancer, cores and caps.

Couldn't break the bead so had to improvise.



The rim protectors didn't work too well and chipped the rim so I put a bit of tyre paste on the outside of them and a bit of paste on the end of the levers and they worked a treat.

I turned the tyre on the rim to get it as close to balanced as I could before inflating then re balancing.

Only needed 10g on the rear and nothing on the front.

Easy really, don't know why I've been paying £30 a time to get them changed. With 3 bikes I'll be quids in soon enough. Might see if I can find a way to balance car tyres so I can save on those too.
 
I like the skills shown in knocking up the equipment needed & getting the job done yourselves but personally I do it the ***** way & use a Family run firm over Leicester called R&S Motorcycle Tyres which is down Oakland Rd. It's run by Rob & his wife & they've saved me money in the past & handle my bike perfectly so I trust them 100%. I've sent friends & family over there & all have come away saying they won't go anywhere else now. You get a right nice mug of T as soon as you walk in the door as well which is a nice bonus on these colder days. :cool:
 
Really like those wheels famas. I'm a sucker for two-colour wheels, particularly on a supermoto. Have been ever since I saw RJ's SMR. :)

Was going to comment on its overall lock being slightly spoiled by the exhaust, but then noticed you said it is the stock one for the MOT. Got any pics of it with your exhaust of choice?
 
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