Changing your own tires

5494 Views 85 Replies 24 Participants Last post by The_real_hati, 23 h ago

Audi403

Discussion Starter · 4 mo ago (Edited)

I'm getting sick of paying shops to do this. I found this tool today, and I'm intrigued. Has anyone used this model?

rabaconda.com

Street Bike Tyre Changer

The Rabaconda Street Bike Tire Changer is designed for both cast and forged as well as for wire-spoked wheels, offering extra rim protection. It’s adaptable to wheel sizes between 12-21", has great ergonomics at low weight, and is perfect for both single and double-sided swingarms.

rabaconda.com

They have a short video showing how it works. I also found a video of a guy on YouTube who used a much more basic Rabaconda tool to do the tires on his R1200RT, this one looks to be much improved.

Otherwise, which tool are you using? Anyone doing it old school with tire spoons? I've also debated trying this...

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Audi403

Discussion Starter · #61 · 16 d ago (Edited)

2

Hey guys, for anyone using the Rabaconda, just a quick caution. I have the instruction manual but was primarily following this video:

When removing the tire, you can see when he dismounts the first and the second bead, the tire iron slips off the duckhead and makes contact with the wheel. While I was removing the second bead of my tire, the iron slipped off the duckhead (as it does in the video tutorial) and it chipped the paint.

The instructions in the manual say to keep one hand on the tire iron to keep it from making direct contact with the rim. This is not mentioned or followed in the video. I'm not sure if it's even possible. I emailed Rabaconda for advice/feedback. Next time I'll have to be much more careful.

Also, I found a had to lubricate the outside of the second bead to remove it. This is not shown in the video. He only lubricates the portion in front of the duckhead on the first bead of the tire. My first bead came off no problem but my tire would not spin at all to dismount the second bead until I lubricated it.

I'm not too upset about the damage as that's the price of learning sometimes. Unfortunately for me, I decided to learn on an expensive BMW wheel lol. Does anyone know the paint code or how to find touch up paint? I did a quick Google but wasn't able to locate it.

Wheel Tire Automotive tire Motor vehicle Hubcap

White Automotive tire Wheel Light Tire

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Scott9999

· #62 · 16 d ago

Audi403 said:
Hey guys, for anyone using the Rabaconda, just a quick caution. I have the instruction manual but was primarily following this video:

When removing the tire, you can see when he dismounts the first and the second bead, the tire iron slips off the duckhead and makes contact with the wheel. While I was removing the second bead of my tire, the iron slipped off the duckhead (as it does in the video tutorial) and it chipped the paint.

The instructions in the manual say to keep one hand on the tire iron to keep it from making direct contact with the rim. This is not mentioned or followed in the video. I'm not sure if it's even possible. I emailed Rabaconda for advice/feedback. Next time I'll have to be much more careful.

Also, I found a had to lubricate the outside of the second bead to remove it. This is not shown in the video. He only lubricates the portion in front of the duckhead on the first bead of the tire. My first bead came off no problem but my tire would not spin at all to dismount the second bead until I lubricated it.

I'm not too upset about the damage as that's the price of learning sometimes. Unfortunately for me, I decided to learn on an expensive BMW wheel lol. Does anyone know the paint code or how to find touch up paint? I did a quick Google but wasn't able to locate it.
View attachment 182602 View attachment 182603

Paint color? For that little thingy?! 😵‍💫

Apply dirt. Ride it. Check it for the chip. If you can still see it, apply a thin layer of grease over it, to attract the proper level of dirt, and ride some more. Eventually, the dirt will cover it up and you'll never even know it's there.
🙃😁

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Audi403

Discussion Starter · #63 · 16 d ago

Max BMW shows this for the rear wheel: "REPAIR PAINT M955 WHITE ALUMINUM"

Looks like there are some touch up paints available aftermarket. Not sure if BMW has one available.

Audi403

Discussion Starter · #64 · 16 d ago

Scott9999 said:
Paint color? For that little thingy?! 😵‍💫

Apply dirt. Ride it. Check it for the chip. If you can still see it, apply a thin layer of grease over it, to attract the proper level of dirt, and ride some more. Eventually, the dirt will cover it up and you'll never even know it's there.
🙃😁

Yeah, I'm not too worried about it. Curious what Rabaconda recommends to avoid this from happening again 🤔

The_real_hati

· #65 · 16 d ago

Audi403 said:
Curious what Rabaconda recommends to avoid this from happening again

Not sure what they can recommend, I mean the whole setup just sits on the floor and is asking for it to be put out of balance and stuff. Have seen a couple of videos using this and, admittedly, no idea how experienced the users were, but it did look to me that it won't be hard to slip up.

What I recommend

is bolting the thing down to the floor, like my Frankenstein setup:

I know, that's not how your changer was designed...

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Audi403

Discussion Starter · #66 · 11 d ago

Here is there response:
"Ideally, the tire iron should remain on the duck head when starting the rotation, but often times it slides off. We haven't had any reports from our customers about paint damage before. Also not or during our own countless tests and demos. As I mentioned in my previous email, we have a new version available in a few weeks' time. This will have an additional lip on the beak of the duck which will reduce the chances of tire iron slipping off.

What often makes a difference is how much the bead has been pushed down to the drop center from the opposite section. This reduces the bead tension on the duck head and tire iron noticeably."

I was just going to leave it because it isn't noticeable with the wheel mounted, but they offered to pay to refinish the wheel. I told them about this touch up/repair kit and they reimbursed the cost for me:

www.amazon.ca

ScratchesHappen Exact-Match Touch Up Paint Kit Compatible with BMW White Aluminum III (M955) - Bottle, Complete, Paint Guns & Accessories - Amazon Canada

ScratchesHappen Exact-Match Touch Up Paint Kit Compatible with BMW White Aluminum III (M955) - Bottle, Complete in Paint Guns & Accessories.

www.amazon.ca

Next time I may place a rim protector beside the duckhead when I first start ratcheting. That way if the iron slips off, it should be fine.

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Mellow

· #67 · 10 d ago

I've scratched my '21 RT wheels on the last 2 tire changes, one using the No Mar and one w/Rabaconda... It's just one of those things, as you do it more you get better at it. I have some brake caliper paint I used to touch up the black wheels.

On the Rabaconda, the tire iron will pop off once the lip starts to clear and the iron doesn't have any tension on it so you just have to hold it while racheting the mechanism because the lip just has to clear a little for the tire iron to loose it's grip.

Even with the no mar there were times I had to use tire irons to help me get a tire mounted.

It's funny most videos use narrow or sport bike tires in their tutorials... not our stiff sidewall touring tires ...

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Audi403

Discussion Starter · #68 · 10 d ago

Mellow said:
I've scratched my '21 RT wheels on the last 2 tire changes, one using the No Mar and one w/Rabaconda... It's just one of those things, as you do it more you get better at it. I have some brake caliper paint I used to touch up the black wheels.

On the Rabaconda, the tire iron will pop off once the lip starts to clear and the iron doesn't have any tension on it so you just have to hold it while racheting the mechanism because the lip just has to clear a little for the tire iron to loose it's grip.

Even with the no mar there were times I had to use tire irons to help me get a tire mounted.

It's funny most videos use narrow or sport bike tires in their tutorials... not our stiff sidewall touring tires ...

Yep, I noticed the tires are very stiff. Not as easy as it looks in the videos! I think I'll be much quicker on the next set I do. Thank you for your input. Next time I'll know what to watch for.

The benefit of being able to change tires in the garage whenever I want is still a huge advantage to me. Still happy with the Rabaconda purchase!

I'm going to get a lot more experience here shortly. I just bought a set of Michelin Road 6 GTs. My front Dunlop Roadsmart IV is getting close to the wear indicator and cupping. ~10,000km on it. I have a big trip coming up at the end of June so I'll be mounting the new tires in the next few weeks.

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Mellow

· #69 · 10 d ago

Audi403 said:
Yep, I noticed the tires are very stiff. Not as easy as it looks in the videos! I think I'll be much quicker on the next set I do. Thank you for your input. Next time I'll know what to watch for.

The benefit of being able to change tires in the garage whenever I want is still a huge advantage to me. Still happy with the Rabaconda purchase!

I'm going to get a lot more experience here shortly. I just bought a set of Michelin Road 6 GTs. My front Dunlop Roadsmart IV is getting close to the wear indicator and cupping. ~10,000km on it. I have a big trip coming up at the end of June so I'll be mounting the new tires in the next few weeks.

Michelins are much easier. The front tires, due to the narrow rim, you would thing would be harder but they are very easy.

I've done hundreds of tires on my previous no mar classic and just my 2nd set on the Rabaconda. The first set was a friends Versys 650 so those tires were very easy.

A couple days ago I switched out my RS III's to BS T32s and the rear mount was better than on the no mar due to how the duckhead stays in place so you can manually push more of the tire in the drop center whereas the no mar was more difficult as you'd have to hold the tire tool while trying to do that. I've used blocks and other tools for aiding in getting it in the drop center and this was a little easier than that approach but those would surely help as well.

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Audi403

Discussion Starter · #70 · 10 d ago

Mellow said:
Michelins are much easier. The front tires, due to the narrow rim, you would thing would be harder but they are very easy.

Glad to hear! I haven't tried a front tire yet.

Mellow said:
A couple days ago I switched out my RS III's to BS T32s and the rear mount was better than on the no mar due to how the duckhead stays in place so you can manually push more of the tire in the drop center whereas the no mar was more difficult as you'd have to hold the tire tool while trying to do that. I've used blocks and other tools for aiding in getting it in the drop center and this was a little easier than that approach but those would surely help as well.

Are you using the drop centre tools for the Rabaconda? I have two of them and mounting a rear Roadsmart IV was a breeze!

Mellow

· #71 · 10 d ago

Audi403 said:
Glad to hear! I haven't tried a front tire yet.

Are you using the drop centre tools for the Rabaconda? I have two of them and mounting a rear Roadsmart IV was a breeze!

I have 3 from no mar but never liked them... may have to take a look at the Rabaconda versions. Thanks

Audi403

Discussion Starter · #72 · 10 d ago

Mellow said:
I have 3 from no mar but never liked them... may have to take a look at the Rabaconda versions. Thanks

I would highly recommend two of them. They did their jobs and I never had to fight with the tire to get it mounted.

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Mellow

· #73 · 10 d ago

Audi403 said:
I would highly recommend two of them. They did their jobs and I never had to fight with the tire to get it mounted.

$23 on amazon for a set of 2, look to be identical.

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: Sutekus 2PC Set Tire Changer Tire Bead Clamp Drop Center Tool : Automotive

Buy Sutekus 2PC Set Tire Changer Tire Bead Clamp Drop Center Tool: Tire Repair Tools - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

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Audi403

Discussion Starter · #74 · 4 d ago (Edited)

3

Successfully mounted my front Road 6 GT tonight! I learned the trick with the Rabaconda for dismounting. Once the tire iron is pulled over the duckhead and you start ratchetching, ensure the tire iron doesn't slip off the duckhead for the first couple of ratchets. At this point you can twist the iron off the duckhead without contacting the rim. I wish Rabaconda was more clear on the instructions here, but I figured it out. They mentioned they are redisgning the duckhead to have a slight lip to prevent the iron from slipping.

Now, does anyone know why Michelin doesn't mark the light spot of their tires? My Dunlops were marked with a paint spot at the light spot. The Roadsmart IV that I took off was balanced (by a shop) using only 1 quarter ounce weight on each side of the wheel, for a total of 1/2 ounce. Because I didn't know where the light spot of the Michelin tire was, I just put it on randomely. It took me 3 x 1/4oz weights on each side of the rim to balance it, for a total of 1 1/2 ounces. Seemed like a lot of weight compared to what the last tire took.

Here's what I came up with to warm the tire for mounting. Space heater blowing into a box with the tire in it, rotating it every few minutes:

I've read it's recommended to change the valve every few years. After taking the old one off, I don't really see why. What is the concern? The rubber O-ring wearing out? The thread sealer drying up? Seems like it should last a lot longer than 3 years to me 🤷‍♂️

Thanks for everyones help here. I'm starting to get pretty good at this. Going to mount the new rear tomorrow!

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Scott9999

· #75 · 4 d ago

Audi403 said:
Now, does anyone know why Michelin doesn't mark the light spot of their tires? My Dunlops were marked with a paint spot at the light spot. The Roadsmart IV that I took off was balanced (by a shop) using only 1 quarter ounce weight on each side of the wheel, for a total of 1/2 ounce. Because I didn't know where the light spot of the Michelin tire was, I just put it on randomely. It took me 3 x 1/4oz weights on each side of the rim to balance it, for a total of 1 1/2 ounces. Seemed like a lot of weight compared to what the last tire took.

All that I recall hearing was that tire companies, and Michelin especially, feel that their tire mold quality has improved to the point where the weight difference between one side or the other is negligible. Being the kind of perverse perfectionist I am, it bothers me, too. However, the biggest influence on your tire balance, weight wise, is likely to be the weight of your valve stem, (particularly so if you add any of the do-hickies that are available as a dust cover). I used to balance the wheel with the stem with no tire, and mark the heavy point, then mount the "dot" opposite that heavy point (yeah, the heavy part of the rim WASN'T always where the valve stem was).

So, bottom line, if Michelin ain't worrying about it, we shouldn't either.

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The_real_hati

· #76 · 4 d ago

Audi403 said:
does anyone know why Michelin doesn't mark the light spot of their tires?

Second hand information, but they (Michelin) claim to have the tyres manufactured balanced.

If you have the time and feel like stuffing around, you could balance your rear wheel without the new tyre on it, stick the R6 on and see how it behaves. Would be a very interesting experiment.

Audi403 said:
I've read it's recommended to change the valve every few years.

That was meant for the traditional rubber stem valves, due to rubber aging. The metal ones we have on the RT are not included in that recommendation.

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Audi403

Discussion Starter · #77 · 4 d ago

I did balance just the wheel and mark the heavy spot. After I mounted the tire, the heavy spot was still in pretty much the same place. So the tire was probably balanced, or I put the heavy spot of the tire at the heavy part of the rim. That is unlikely though. The tire was probably balanced like Michelin claims.

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beech

· #78 · 4 d ago

Confirmation, I went to a tech talk given by Michelin engineers at the Montana MOA rally years back. They said no marks because their tires did not have a light or heavy side. Another bit of info the engineer said in general tires loose 15% of available traction when roads are wet. Not bad. I just ordered 8 rubber valve stem units for use in tires that I change for people. I ask if theirs is more that 4 years old and if so, offer a new one. Old ones are always hard as a rock when I take them out.
I can see changing the oring in a metal unit occasionally but that might be every 5 years? And use good quality ones.

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Audi403

Discussion Starter · #79 · 3 d ago

Hmm, so maybe I don't have it figured out. I'm putting a new rear on right now and had the same problem. When dismounting the tire and I have the first bead off, I pull the second bead over the duckhead with the tire iron and start ratcheting. I can't keep the iron on the duckhead. It slips off and hits the rim. Left another mark. There just seems to be so much pressure on the iron from the tire, it won't allow it to move with the duckhead.

Second issue, I follow the instructions on where to place the TPMS, where the bead should be able to clear it, but the tire always gets caught on it while I dismount the second bead. It spins the TPMS sensor as the bead pulls itself over. I don't think I've damaged one yet, but to be determined when I get them back on the bike. I loosen them off, apply new locktite, and retorque before installing.

Mellow

· #80 · 3 d ago

Audi403 said:
Second issue, I follow the instructions on where to place the TPMS, where the bead should be able to clear it,

What I did was, after the 1st bead is done, I pull the tire up so the 2nd bead is past the TPMS, then I work the mechanism, so it's like doing two 1st beads if that makes sense.

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