Do you change your own tires?

[LanceK]

Called a local shop and he said $80 to change the rear tire if I bring him the tire/wheel, not the whole motorcycle. Seems high and I’m contemplating buying the necessary tools and just doing it myself. I’ve done car and trailer tires, just not motorcycles.

So do you change your own? Is any one set of tools better than the other?

 

[Itdoesn'taddup]

Change my own. I've got the Harbor Freight tire changer with the motorcycle add-on. I've heard that these aren't available anymore.

 

[potter0o]

I change my tires as well. That price seems pretty high off the bike. I would expect $30. I have heard some shops can be prickly if you don't buy the tires from them. I use a harbor freight changer mounted to a pallet to break the bead. A tusk balancer with motion pro weights and rim guards. I would recommend some basic spoons. I have the fancy motion pro ones but I think they are a waste.

 

[670cc]

Yes, I change my own motorcycle, car, van, and trailer tires. I bought my 2012 NC ten years ago and all of it’s tire changes have been done by me. Doing it myself is faster, cheaper, more convenient, and it ensures that the job is done correctly without damage to wheels. I got so tired of shoddy work and rim damage from shops, that I now don’t care what the costs and times are either way; I just want it done right, so I do it.

As far as recommending tools, it depends on how much you want to spend.

 

[rudivb]

Paid only 50 euro for labor at an official Honda garage and that's as simple as bringing in the whole bike, wait 1.5 hour and ride away with new rubber.

(Oh and that's for 2 tires)

 

[Aiwa]

$80 for mounting a single tire on a wheel is way over the top.
I change my own tires, as a result I have avoided a lot of cost. Buying tires online (versus at a dealer) combined with the purchase of a machine, greatly reduced my "per tire change cost". In my case, I was going through 3 sets of tires a year so my break even (to buy the changer and other related items) happened within a years time.
You could try looking for a small, private shop in your area. $20 to mount a tire on a wheel is pretty common around here. This assumes you've taken the wheel off the bike. You might still need to balance it but that's simple.

 

[Klap]

I have changed my own now for over 20 years. I use a set of 3 Harbor Freight tire irons, and a Pit Posse balancer.

I use the “ duct tape” method, which works exceedingly well. I spoon the old rubber off, then add duct tape at 6 or 7 points around the tire, to compress the beads together. With a little homemade lube, the tire pops on without any use of irons at all. This even worked with Bridgestone T-32 GT tires, which are VERY stiff. I do it on the floor, the wheel supported by a couple 2x4’s, and my knees holding the bottom of the tire, while pushing the tire over the rim. Easy- Peasy!

I used to use tie-wraps, but the duct tape method works even better. There are many videos on this process.

Good luck on it!

Edit: I use slit pieces of garden hose, or PEX tube as rim guards, to avoid scratching or denting the rims. Leaving the new tire in the sun for 1/2 hour will make it MUCH easier to mount.

 

[Jt105]

I change my own.
I have used the 'Zip Tie Method" (look it up on YouTube) to do many tires. The Rear tire on my ST1300 is such a bear I paid to have it mounted once, then found a friend with a tire change machine the next times. I highly recommend a tire change machine over the Zip Tie Method.

 

[the Ferret]

I let my local shop do mine. I used to do my own years ago, but at 72 years old, now I find it simpler just to take the bike in, go out to the show room and test sit a few bikes, then hand them my credit card in an hour when it's done lol

 

[MZ5]

The NCX’s tires are pretty easy to change, as far as m/c tires go. I’ve done many of my own, and paid other people to do some. $20 - $30 per tire is all one should pay, assuming the price of the tire itself is competitive, too.

The last NC tire change didn’t go very well. The tire got extremely upset and threw the iron back at my face. It hit me _just_ to the side of my eye. Luckily it only turned black for several days, rather than causing loss of the eye itself.

Take care to learn how to use the irons safely, and then see that you do so.
(-:

Tires for my riding partner’s super-heavy cruiser, and for my K1600, are distinctly more difficult. We’re discussing the possibility of acquiring an electro-hydraulic changer.

 

[orlando]

Called a local shop and he said $80 to change the rear tire if I bring him the tire/wheel, not the whole motorcycle. Seems high and I’m contemplating buying the necessary tools and just doing it myself. I’ve done car and trailer tires, just not motorcycles.

So do you change your own? Is any one set of tools better than the other?

I used to. A local shop charges 40.00, and I consider it part of aging. One thing I did discover was that if you saw the tire in half along the perimeter with a Sawzall, the two halves come off easily.

 

[GregC]

I always hear of folks getting their tires mounted for $30-$40 bucks with the wheel off ... I've never encountered a shop who would (a) do it anywhere near that cheap, and (b) would do it at all if you didn't buy the tires from them. I do it myself but I'm here to say it is one GIANT PITA. I would gladly, cheerfully, and with a song in my heart pay $40 to have a tire mounted. I go through maybe a set of tires every 12-18 months, so it isn't really worth sinking thousands in a really good machine (plus I have limited garage space).

I did buy a Bike Master rig (like the pic below), and that helps some, but unless you have the space to mount a real machine to your floor, all the cheap devices are relatively unstable and still a pain to use (especially if you mount the tires when it's cold).


Cycle Gear has started advertising changing tires for around $30 (you bring in the wheel), but the one here doesn't do it and nearest next one is 2 hr away.

I can't figure out why at least one auto tire shop doesn't get a motorcycle mount or adapter and do that. They'd corner the market.

 

[trjerm]

$80.00 is over the top. The independent shop I use charges $25-$30 /tire and I just drop them off and they'll get to it when they have a chance.
Most of the time they can get it by closing that day, but when they're swamped it might be a day or two before they can fit it in. No worries or pressure from me

 

[hulkss]

I use a No-Mar Tire Changer. For mounting a tire with the No-Mar, I use a Mojolever.

 

[TonyKZ1]

I've been changing my own tires for decades, using a 14" compact truck wheel, several tire tools, wheel rim protectors, along with an old HF tire bead breaker. That being said, many years ago the local motorcycle service shop would mount them for $25 if I bought the tires from them, their tire prices were fair and it didn't take them long either. That shop has been gone for many years unfortunately, so I had to start doing them myself. CycleGear also will do this, but the closest one is almost 2 hours away around St. Louis, MO. I have had the local BMW shop do them once or twice, as I needed tires and the weather was cold and rainy (ie. not conducive to working outside on tires) but the cost of both the tires and the mounting was so expensive (but I understand that you can't work for free either) that I only have them do it as a last resort.

 

[LanceK]

Update. Changed my own tire using a cheap set of tire tools I got off Amazon. It took me right at two hours including dismount, swap, balance and mounting. Next time will take less time. No special tire balancing tool, I leveled up my jack stands and used the rear axle to spin the wheel and balance it using stick on weights.

The best part was my 8 year old son, who doesn’t usually want anything to do with working in the garage stuck with me the whole time and “helped”

 

[Aiwa]

Update. Changed my own tire using a cheap set of tire tools I got off Amazon. It took me right at two hours including dismount, swap, balance and mounting. Next time will take less time. No special tire balancing tool, I leveled up my jack stands and used the rear axle to spin the wheel and balance it using stick on weights.

The best part was my 8 year old son, who doesn’t usually want anything to do with working in the garage stuck with me the whole time and “helped”

Good news. 2 hours isn't bad at all for your first tire. For me, I burn a surprisingly large amount of time balancing....weird I know.
Now, the key question is would you be willing to mount tires for "friends" for 20 bucks? ;->

 

[LanceK]

Good news. 2 hours isn't bad at all for your first tire. For me, I burn a surprisingly large amount of time balancing....weird I know.
Now, the key question is would you be willing to mount tires for "friends" for 20 bucks? ;->

Well I did put two small scratches on my wheels, so not sure I would do someone else’s just yet.

I don’t have any friends that ride motorcycles, but if I did, I’d do the tires for free. No guarantee on the scratched wheels though….

 

[Janus]

I bought a No-Mar tire machine and have used it a couple of times on dirt tires for my DRZ. I have had buddies either use their machine for me or let me use theirs.

I had been benchmarking my break-even point with $50 changes, but now I guess with inflation I should charge myself $80.

Only ten more changes go go till the machine pays for itself!

I didn't have to buy the particular model I got or all the accessories. But I've had enough frustration with my buddy's cheap machine that I was willing to pay more. So far my experience is mostly a positive one. Certainly once I am competent and confident with tire spoons I will sing a cheerier tune.

But for now, I save some money and give myself peace of mind knowing I'm the only one who can screw it up. And I know what happened, and can't hide it from myself. Those scratches are mine.

 

[CamaroEric]

I just changed the NC's myself for the first time. Definitely not my first tire. But all I used was the 3 spoon method and the 3 spoons that came with my Ural no less. I used some old rim guards and everything worked fine with a little soapy water.

Better to take your time and do it once than rush and do it 2 or 3 times...