Cars & Vehicles Motorcycles

How to Change a Motorcycle Tire With Irons

    Tire Removal

    • 1). Place the wheel valve-stem side up on support. Carefully loosen the valve core with the valve core tool in a counter-clockwise fashion and allow air to bleed off. Remove valve core from valve once the tire is deflated.

    • 2). Pick a spot around the rim to begin unseating the tire. Firmly holding the wheel to the support (a second set of hands is useful here, but not required), then begin pushing the tire sideways--towards the floor--on the rim. Push down on the bead section of the tire while holding tire down. You may need to beat the tire downward at this point with the rubber mallet to unseat the bead. Continue pushing down once the bead begins to release while working your way around the wheel until the entire bead that is facing up has been released from rim. Flip the wheel over and repeat the process to release the other side.

    • 3). Center the now loose tire on the rim. Squeeze the upper and lower beads together on the edge facing you, then push them into the drop-center section of the rim, which is a recessed section in the middle of the wheel. This will allow you to push the tire off-center (concentrically) and create a gap between the tire and the rim on the far side away from you. Raise the tire at the point that this occurs.This will be the starting point for your irons.

    • 4). Place the plastic wheel protector on the rim at the raised gap. Insert the hooked end of the tire iron into the gap and pry the bead up and clear of the rim. Insert the second tire iron next to the first and enlarge the gap. Place second rim protector onto rim at the edge of the gap once the gap is large enough to allow it. Insert the hooked end of tire iron and then pry up. Continue prying the edge of the gap until the entire bead on the upwards facing side pops free.

    • 5). Repeat the process of placing the remaining bead into drop-center on one side and peeling the bead up starting in the resultant gap. Work around the rim with irons and protectors until the tire comes completely free. Remove all wheel-weights at this time.

    Tire Mounting

    • 1). Lubricate both beads on the new tire with the soapy water solution. Place the tire over the rim at a slight angle and decisively push the bottom bead of the tire onto the rim. Allow the bottom tire bead to fall into the drop-center of the rim. Place protectors on the rim under where the remaining tire bead is overlapping the rim. Use the straight ends of your irons and work the bead down, starting at each edge and working towards each other. The tire bead should slip off of the straight irons and into the rim. Repeat the process for the upwards facing tire bead. The tire should be completely on the rim at this point and free to rotate.

    • 2). Rotate the tire until the locator mark on the tire is next to the valve stem. Inflate the tire with compressed air. Tire beads may need to be guided towards their mounting point on the rim. Seat the tire bead onto the rim by pushing up and down on the tire while air is being added. Stiff tires like Police tires or tires that are cold may need help. Placing a ratchet-strap around the circumference of the tire and tightening will help evenly seal the bead and allow the compressed air to seat the bead. Always listen to the beads pop as they seat. You should hear two pops--one for each bead. If you do not hear two, you must separate the entire side that didn't seat and try again until it pops as well. Do not exceed 100 pounds per square inch (psi) when seating the beads.

    • 3). Replace the valve stem core once the beads are seated and then inflate the tire to the manufacturer's specified psi.

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