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37 Years & First Flat Tire


Pilot

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I have been riding for a litle over 37 years now and I have never had a flat tire.

 

Well so much for luck, I have one now and the bike only has 2700 miles on it. It doesn't supprise me with all the new houses going up in this area. I have picked up dozens of nails and sheet rock screws in the road while out for walks. Looks like my rear tire found a #8 nail.

 

I'm in the market for a new rear tire, does anyone recommend a dealer with good prices and fast shipping? The local stealer wants $198.00 for a Bridgeston, he's NUTS!

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I have been riding for a litle over 37 years now and I have never had a flat tire.

 

Well so much for luck, I have one now and the bike only has 2700 miles on it. It doesn't supprise me with all the new houses going up in this area. I have picked up dozens of nails and sheet rock screws in the road while out for walks. Looks like my rear tire found a #8 nail.

 

I'm in the market for a new rear tire, does anyone recommend a dealer with good prices and fast shipping? The local stealer wants $198.00 for a Bridgeston, he's NUTS!

Pilot,I had my Avons shipped from Southwest Moto one of our vendors..was here in like 3 days,maybe 2??? Tom

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I'm also thinking of changing this tire myself. I have not done this before. How hard is it to change the tire and do you need to balance the rear tire, I don't see any weights on mine? Maybe they didn't need a weight from the factory. I think I read on this site that someone used wood working vises to break the seal, is that correct? Also do you need to put any type of glue on the rim to seal the tire? Any advise from those that have done this is welcome, thanks.

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I'm also thinking of changing this tire myself. I have not done this before. How hard is it to change the tire and do you need to balance the rear tire, I don't see any weights on mine? Maybe they didn't need a weight from the factory. I think I read on this site that someone used wood working vises to break the seal, is that correct? Also do you need to put any type of glue on the rim to seal the tire? Any advise from those that have done this is welcome, thanks.

I have never changed the tire but YES get it Balanced,especially before you put Ride On in it if you use it.I use ride on but i get my tires balanced BEFORE I ever put it in the tires..It has saved me more than once..No glue on rims. On other bikes i have just put a blund end of a tool to the ede and tapped it a few tomes and it let loose fairly easy. Thats as much as I know!

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You need a way to protect the brake disk. I mount an old car wheel with plastic tubing around the rim in a vice. The brake disk goes down inside he wheel and doesn't touch anything. I have a lever mounted to the wall above the wheel that pushes down on a 2x4 cut off at an angle to break the bead. They definitely need balanced. I melt lead wheel weights and pour it slowly down a steel plate. It comes out thin. I use double stick tape to apply it to the wheel. I made a fixture with rollers from an old garage door and use a piece of copper tubing for an axle. You will need several tire levers. It can be a big job but I think I get better every time I do it. I have found a independent that will mount a tire I bring in for 25 dollars. If I had known about him before I got all set up I probably never would have started doing it myself.

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Check the yellow pages for Independant dealers.

 

I you pull the wheel take it down, a lot of them will mount

and balance for about $25, if you buy the tire from them.

 

If you've never done it and don't have tools, this might be the best

way to go.

Call around for estimates.

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It doesn't supprise me with all the new houses going up in this area.

 

You really have alot of building still there was tons of it here but now its completly dead.

In fack I just saw a sign down the road today for a brand new 3/2/2 for $105,000 a couple years ago it would have been $180,000 - $225,000

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37 years of riding, that is about 73 miles a year = 2700 miles. Ok?

 

2700 miles on this bike, I have had 8 bikes in all. I started with a Honda 350 back in 1970. That 350 was a piece of crap and I'm being nice. That thing was in the shop more then on the road, just one thing after another. I switched to Yamaha and have been there ever since. Thought about a Hadley once or twice but didn't have the money.

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One problem with living in Del Rio is that there's one Honda and one Yamaha dealer in town and they are both owned by the same person. No deals to be had in this place. I changed both tires on my 03 when I moved here in January of last year. I removed the tires and brought them in to the Yamaha place to have new ones mounted and they charged me $79.00 each, and I purchased the new tires from them. I was not a happy camper so I am going to try and change them myself, at least try and then maybe bring them in for balancing if I have a problem doing it.

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You need a way to protect the brake disk. I mount an old car wheel with plastic tubing around the rim in a vice. The brake disk goes down inside he wheel and doesn't touch anything. I have a lever mounted to the wall above the wheel that pushes down on a 2x4 cut off at an angle to break the bead. They definitely need balanced. I melt lead wheel weights and pour it slowly down a steel plate. It comes out thin. I use double stick tape to apply it to the wheel. I made a fixture with rollers from an old garage door and use a piece of copper tubing for an axle. You will need several tire levers. It can be a big job but I think I get better every time I do it. I have found a independent that will mount a tire I bring in for 25 dollars. If I had known about him before I got all set up I probably never would have started doing it myself.

 

Are tire levers different for bikes and cars or are they the same? I might have a problem finding tire levers here in Del Rio. You would be supprised at what you can't find in this town.

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I'm also thinking of changing this tire myself. I have not done this before. How hard is it to change the tire and do you need to balance the rear tire, I don't see any weights on mine? Maybe they didn't need a weight from the factory. I think I read on this site that someone used wood working vises to break the seal, is that correct? Also do you need to put any type of glue on the rim to seal the tire? Any advise from those that have done this is welcome, thanks.

 

 

Breaking the bead is the fun part, I used 4 ea 4x4 to set the wheel on, to keep the rotor from being damaged, then got a small piece of 2x4 and a bumper jack, backed my F250 over the tire and jacked my truck up with the jack on the 2x4 and the 2x4 on the edge of the old tire, allmost lifted my truck off the ground but the bead finally broke... I bought a wheel balancer and it came with self stick lead weights.... the first time doing this on both front and back took me all day, but I got it, and am sure the next time will only take a few hours. The stealers here wanted between $154.99 and $253.00 to change my tires, I bought everthing I need and have about $125.00 invested... I really enjoy doing my own work. Allways afraid the mech. at the stealer may have been out all night or had a fight with his girl, and I just do not want to put my life in there hands.. Good luck, if you want the info on the balancer, shoot me an email and I can send you the info..

 

 

K

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Hey,

 

The dude with the South West Moto reccommendation hit it on the head. Same for me. Picked up a screw. Brand new set of Commanders. Internet hit on SWM. I bought the tire and had it shipped, mounted, and balanced for less than the dealer wanted for the tire alone. I had the tire at my doorstep in two days. Cannot go wrong there. :no-no-no:

Good luck partner.

 

Ricardo.:080402gudl_prv:

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Oh, and at 2700 miles, I'd just plug the tire and keep on riding.

 

Lots of people believe that riding a plugged tire is safe. I'm not one of them and the reason is my brother used to do that until one of this plugged tires blew while he was doing 60mph on RT 11 in NY. Three and a half weeks later he left the hospital. He can't ride any more because he only has one leg left.

 

Just a word to the wise, don't ride a plugged tire. If you have to plug a tire on the road, ride it to the nearest dealer and put a new tire on.

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I change my own. I have a harbor freight changer. I don't find it particularly hard, but I am kinda slow. Still faster than taking it to a dealer and waiting for them to do it. I've had one tire that didn't want to take air and pop to the bead. A ratcheting tie down around the tire took care of that.

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