Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech tire change

now that I got the America I put a new front tire on. I change them the hi tech. way. Three tire iron 's and a 30 gal.barrel. all when well had it change and down the road in littel over a hour, but I had a problem. The bead of the tire hadn't seated in all the way arond. It took longer to seat the tire than it took to change it. And a lot of LPS +70 lbs. of air pressur. It was 90 deg. out their to so you can GUESS THE WORD'S I USED ON THAT TIRE.Rudy

First you shouldn't go over about 40psi or so to seat the bead. Did you use any kind of lube so it would slide on the rim? Also with a tube type tire you should inflate and deflalte a few times to allow the tube to settle into position. This will also help the bead to seat. Also a trick is to put some air in the tube before you put the 2nd bead on, this prevents pinching the tube. There is also a small circle on new tires , line that up with the valve stem and you probably won't have to balance it.

Rudy,

ensure the valve stem (edited: core) is removed. that affords a more abrupt inflation. instead of the slow inflation that may not be dynamic enough to seat the bead(s).


Another trick is to use a ratcheting tie down around the circumference of the tire, centered on the contact patch. this helps prevent diameter expansion and allows a greater width expansion when seating the beads.

Tire snot. The jug type or the ‘drops of dishwashing soap in water’. Amsoil makes a metal protector that is a fine chain lube and it conditions rubber too. That is also usable.

I think moe means to remove the valve core . Silicone spray is an excellent tire mounting lubricant. I just installed a new rear tire a couple of days ago and the whole process went smooth as butter using the silicone spray.

All good tips here... silicone, dish soap. Another tip... fill the tire 'bout halfway then bounce it a few times. That helps the tire to 'settle' on the rim.

It was hot when I did mine. I used sweat and bounced it on the ground.

When I changed my front tire, I found that if you run it on the bike down the street nothing fast or anything at low pressure, she'll find her center. It just takes a lot of work, but it'll fall into place just give it some time.

I used soap and water mix on the bead. I took the value stem out banged on the ground beat it with a rubber hamer. the tire seated all except about 18 ins. section on bouth sides. I mean after putting 50 lbs. air presseur in the tire and then letting the air out I could just slip tire iron right in. I just knew I had pinched the tube, no flat the next morning. I rode it to work yesterday with no problems. I like the silicone, I will use that next time. Rudy

How often or at what mileage should you change your tires?

It's not how often, or how many miles... it's are the tires worn out. For example, an aggressive rider will go through tires faster than a passive rider. Also some brands last longer than others. Another factor is how old the tires are. If they are several years old and full of cracks, they should be changed.