Defeated by Rear Dunlop RoadSmart

[wheatonFJR]

For Chrissakes! Get a ROOM you two!

I don't think there are two people arguing in this fight. I just think HRZ is acting out because he's not riding the SE Ohio Ramble.

...and who can blame him.

That guy is so sensitive.

 

[beemerdons]

"Your reply struck me as some kind of backhanded passive aggressive insult..."

No, not at all HRZ. Evidently, I mistakenly recalled you relating an experience that left you lacking confidence in Cycle Gear tire mounting competency. I highly value your suggestions, please keep them coming. Thanks for reminding me about Chad at Bobby J's. Maybe I'll ask him to perform the grounding recall and tighten the steering head bearing.

I have never met Bustanut, but if his claims are true he is able to accomplish amazing motorcycle maintenance feats that give inspiration. However, some of his other accomplishments are of no interest to me!

For Chrissakes! Get a ROOM you two!

+1, Gunny!

 

[Nitro]

"get a two by four and a BFH"

This didn't damage the tire bead or the wheel? I suppose that if you had video of this you would have mentioned it.

"thats how they did it in the 50's before they had fancy air operated tire machines for car tires"

And before they had aluminum alloy wheels and Z rated tires.

Maybe I'm a weenie, but I am reluctant to refine this method for my FJR. With some demo I could be persuaded.

Thank you all,

Andy

No, didn't damage anything at all. Slipped the carcass over the lip and away we went. I thought the same thing when he suggested it but in application it wasn't nearly as scary as it sounds and almost made it seem to easy after a half hour of huffing, puffing and cursing as it slipped and slid around the rim. And this was on a motorcycle tire mounting fixture bolted to the floor in a moto shop no less!

My buddy said he had jinxed us. He has mounted so many bike tires in his life and career working on bikes he said what a cake walk it would be. Even made a wager on how long it would take...LOL. WE both lost! Anyhow no damage and everything works fine. :yahoo:

 

[HotRodZilla]

"Your reply struck me as some kind of backhanded passive aggressive insult..."

No, not at all HRZ. Evidently, I mistakenly recalled you relating an experience that left you lacking confidence in Cycle Gear tire mounting competency. I highly value your suggestions, please keep them coming. Thanks for reminding me about Chad at Bobby J's. Maybe I'll ask him to perform the grounding recall and tighten the steering head bearing.

I have never met Bustanut, but if his claims are true he is able to accomplish amazing motorcycle maintenance feats that give inspiration. However, some of his other accomplishments are of no interest to me!

Haha...Ok. Maybe I was just being a sensitive whiner. That's not like me at all, but this recent lack of sleep is catching up. Haha.

I did have an issue with CG balancing a front tire, but that experience not withstanding, I really like them. I chalk that one up to inexperience.

As far as Bust goes, don't believe anything he says. He's a drunken douche.

 

[Fred W]

"get a two by four and a BFH"

This didn't damage the tire bead or the wheel? I suppose that if you had video of this you would have mentioned it.

"thats how they did it in the 50's before they had fancy air operated tire machines for car tires"

And before they had aluminum alloy wheels and Z rated tires.

Maybe I'm a weenie, but I am reluctant to refine this method for my FJR. With some demo I could be persuaded.

Thank you all,

Andy

No, didn't damage anything at all. Slipped the carcass over the lip and away we went. I thought the same thing when he suggested it but in application it wasn't nearly as scary as it sounds and almost made it seem to easy after a half hour of huffing, puffing and cursing as it slipped and slid around the rim. And this was on a motorcycle tire mounting fixture bolted to the floor in a moto shop no less!

My buddy said he had jinxed us. He has mounted so many bike tires in his life and career working on bikes he said what a cake walk it would be. Even made a wager on how long it would take...LOL. WE both lost! Anyhow no damage and everything works fine. :yahoo:

I'm sorry. I don't want to be mean about it, but that is just wrong. Using a bigger hammer is NEVER a good idea.

If you understand what you are doing there is no reason that any MC tire can't be levered on by just one person. I've done Roadsmarts by myself many times. No BFH required. A really, really stiff tire (like the PR2 B spec) might require a second set of hands to make it easier.

I mean look at it this way: If a bunch of guys have been successful manually spooning fricken' car tires onto FJR rims (yours truly included), you Roadsmart wimps have nothing to whine about.

 

[RossKean]

"get a two by four and a BFH"

This didn't damage the tire bead or the wheel? I suppose that if you had video of this you would have mentioned it.

"thats how they did it in the 50's before they had fancy air operated tire machines for car tires"

And before they had aluminum alloy wheels and Z rated tires.

Maybe I'm a weenie, but I am reluctant to refine this method for my FJR. With some demo I could be persuaded.

Thank you all,

Andy

No, didn't damage anything at all. Slipped the carcass over the lip and away we went. I thought the same thing when he suggested it but in application it wasn't nearly as scary as it sounds and almost made it seem to easy after a half hour of huffing, puffing and cursing as it slipped and slid around the rim. And this was on a motorcycle tire mounting fixture bolted to the floor in a moto shop no less!

My buddy said he had jinxed us. He has mounted so many bike tires in his life and career working on bikes he said what a cake walk it would be. Even made a wager on how long it would take...LOL. WE both lost! Anyhow no damage and everything works fine. :yahoo:

I'm sorry. I don't want to be mean about it, but that is just wrong. Using a bigger hammer is NEVER a good idea.

If you understand what you are doing there is no reason that any MC tire can't be levered on by just one person. I've done Roadsmarts by myself many times. No BFH required. A really, really stiff tire (like the PR2 B spec) might require a second set of hands to make it easier.

I mean look at it this way: If a bunch of guys have been successful manually spooning fricken' car tires onto FJR rims (yours truly included), you Roadsmart wimps have nothing to whine about.

The Roadsmart was moderate and the Exalto car tire was a real bitch. Neither of these would hold a candle to helping a friend mount a run-flat car tire on his Goldwing in a cold shop. You think Roadsmart sidewalls are stiff? I agree with Fred, the Roadsmart is not too bad - more technique than brute strength. By comparison, the PR2 front tire I put on the other day could almost be done using fingertips.

 

[Bustanut joker]

"Your reply struck me as some kind of backhanded passive aggressive insult..."

No, not at all HRZ. Evidently, I mistakenly recalled you relating an experience that left you lacking confidence in Cycle Gear tire mounting competency. I highly value your suggestions, please keep them coming. Thanks for reminding me about Chad at Bobby J's. Maybe I'll ask him to perform the grounding recall and tighten the steering head bearing.

I have never met Bustanut, but if his claims are true he is able to accomplish amazing motorcycle maintenance feats that give inspiration. However, some of his other accomplishments are of no interest to me!

Haha...Ok. Maybe I was just being a sensitive whiner. That's not like me at all, but this recent lack of sleep is catching up. Haha.

I did have an issue with CG balancing a front tire, but that experience not withstanding, I really like them. I chalk that one up to inexperience.

As far as Bust goes, don't believe anything he says. He's a drunken douche.

An damned proud of it too! :****:

 

[AAFJR]

No whining from me. I'm just seeking some of that good ol' understanding. Some elements of understanding can easily be transferred from one person to another. Some elements seem to only come from personal experience. I accept that. All I ask is that you try to give me some of your understanding, and you all have done well. Thanks.

This thing called gainful employment is impeding my tire mounting progress.

 

[jmgrif]

Jumping in a little late! Check out No Mar! They have accessories that I think will help with putting the second bead over the rim. They call them xtra hands and a couple will really help when you are alone with the tire mounting. If you have a few riding buddies near where you live I would highly recommend the Cycle HIll tire changer and balancer from No Mar. I don't work for them and have no financial interest in them either but I did purchase a Cycle Hill from No Mar a couple of years ago and now all my riding bud's come to my place to replace their worn out tires! Also when you have a question they are just a phone call away, at least every time I needed help they answered right away.

 

[gixxerjasen]

My buddy said he had jinxed us. He has mounted so many bike tires in his life and career working on bikes he said what a cake walk it would be. Even made a wager on how long it would take...LOL. WE both lost! Anyhow no damage and everything works fine. :yahoo:

And now we find the root of the problem. The only way to have made it any harder would have been to video tape it.

 

[SkooterG]

I'm sorry. I don't want to be mean about it, but that is just wrong. Using a bigger hammer is NEVER a good idea.

If you understand what you are doing there is no reason that any MC tire can't be levered on by just one person. I've done Roadsmarts by myself many times. No BFH required. A really, really stiff tire (like the PR2 B spec) might require a second set of hands to make it easier.

I mean look at it this way: If a bunch of guys have been successful manually spooning fricken' car tires onto FJR rims (yours truly included), you Roadsmart wimps have nothing to whine about.

You must live a charmed life my friend. And have some wicked technique. Youse gots to remember that not all of us are fart smellers like you. I've been doing tire changers for a long time now and ALWAYS prefer to have a third hand available. Yes, I've done them on my own but all the fighting, cussing, and frustration wasn't much fun. Not was it very expedient.

 

[Bustanut joker]

I'm sorry. I don't want to be mean about it, but that is just wrong. Using a bigger hammer is NEVER a good idea.

If you understand what you are doing there is no reason that any MC tire can't be levered on by just one person. I've done Roadsmarts by myself many times. No BFH required. A really, really stiff tire (like the PR2 B spec) might require a second set of hands to make it easier.

I mean look at it this way: If a bunch of guys have been successful manually spooning fricken' car tires onto FJR rims (yours truly included), you Roadsmart wimps have nothing to whine about.

You must live a charmed life my friend. And have some wicked technique. Youse gots to remember that not all of us are fart smellers like you. I've been doing tire changers for a long time now and ALWAYS prefer to have a third hand available. Yes, I've done them on my own but all the fighting, cussing, and frustration wasn't much fun. Not was it very expedient.

expedient???? Ok now I've got a headache.. :huh:

Keep it simple ya jackhole. I don't have the time nor inclination to look up big werds.

 

[Fred W]

You must live a charmed life my friend. And have some wicked technique. Youse gots to remember that not all of us are fart smellers like you. I've been doing tire changers for a long time now and ALWAYS prefer to have a third hand available. Yes, I've done them on my own but all the fighting, cussing, and frustration wasn't much fun. Not was it very expedient.

Wicked technique? I suppose.

I'm not saying it isn't easier with a 3rd hand. And I would certainly always prefer having one.

But I don't always find that when the tire needs changin' that I have a helper handy. So, you know, necessity is the mother... and all that.

OTOH, the fighting, cussing, and frustration? Why, that's just another fine day of mechanical work in the garage. About 90 percent of my job is fixing stuff with my brain. So I like to get a chance to fix stuff with my hands for fun.

 

[Bustanut joker]

Heyy!! Me wiener is malfunctioning Fred..

Wanna lay yer hands on it?

:finger:

 

[HotRodZilla]

**** that! $25 per tire at my dealer is totally worth not being frustrated and wasting 3 hours of my day on this stupid shit. I mounted my current set of PR3s with Pinhead, and honestly, its a hassle. I'd rather pay someone to do it.

 

[Bustanut joker]

But.. You have no penis..

Soooooooo.

:lol:

 

[Fred W]

**** that! $25 per tire at my dealer is totally worth not being frustrated and wasting 3 hours of my day on this stupid shit. I mounted my current set of PR3s with Pinhead, and honestly, its a hassle. I'd rather pay someone to do it.

Sure, if you can find someone to do it for $25 you are lucky. Around here they want $50 or more and that's if you bring the wheel in. Taking a wheel off is at shop labor rates of ~$75/hr. And many won't even be able to "fit it into their schedule" if you didn't buy it from pay too much to them for it.

But, for me, it's far more about the convenience of being able to change the tire whenever I want to, than it is about any money saved. It's less convenient to me to have to take the wheels off and shlep them and the tires to some shop to wait around while some kid puts them on and scratches my wheels up at no extra charge.

You have to realize that there aren't as many bike shops around these parts as there are down in the tropics. Motorcycling is just a "seasonal hobby" in these parts and the dealerships treat you like a hobbyist.

PS - If it took me three hours to change a tire I'd figure that just maybe I was doing something wrong.

 

[LAF]

No experience on the RS tire but me and a B spec Z8 had a go yesterday. I remembered this thread and was close to giving up for sure.

I just kept at it and with a knee and both hands finally got it on. It is all technique. Getting all of the rest of the tire into the center giving you the space needed is the secret. Very hard to do when you are kneeling on it to hold it in place and the bottom bead slips down.

Absolutely the hardest tire I have ever spooned on any motorcycle.

Front today and hope for less trouble with it.

While money is a reason, I do my own for convenience and the opportunity to clean everything. I also know a shop can not afford to do these things. The rim is spotless inside before I go to mount the new one. There is a lot of rubber and gunk left on the bead area of a tire when removed after 11,000 miles. I also clean all the brake pistons and any frame and things you cant really reach with a wheel on. I also grease the axle, bearings and any thing involved in rotation of the wheel.

Of course I am obsessive, or at least have been referred to as that from some board members.

I am looking forward to running these Z8's in though.

 

[gixxerjasen]

**** that! $25 per tire at my dealer is totally worth not being frustrated and wasting 3 hours of my day on this stupid shit. I mounted my current set of PR3s with Pinhead, and honestly, its a hassle. I'd rather pay someone to do it.

Sure, if you can find someone to do it for $25 you are lucky. Around here they want $50 or more and that's if you bring the wheel in. Taking a wheel off is at shop labor rates of ~$75/hr. And many won't even be able to "fit it into their schedule" if you didn't buy it from pay too much to them for it.

But, for me, it's far more about the convenience of being able to change the tire whenever I want to, than it is about any money saved. It's less convenient to me to have to take the wheels off and shlep them and the tires to some shop to wait around while some kid puts them on and scratches my wheels up at no extra charge.

You have to realize that there aren't as many bike shops around these parts as there are down in the tropics. Motorcycling is just a "seasonal hobby" in these parts and the dealerships treat you like a hobbyist.

PS - If it took me three hours to change a tire I'd figure that just maybe I was doing something wrong.

You could do like I did. Arrange to drop them off at Cycle Gear and have your tires changed while you have lunch. Then you come back from lunch and they tell you that the tire guy won't be in till 3pm. They agree to have them done when you get there after work. Then you show up after work and the manager sheepishly points out that your wheels are right where you left them at noon, nobody has touched them. THEN you can sit around and wait on them to be changed and pay too much money for it to be done. When you get home you fire up the web browser and type in harborfreight and hit ctrl-enter.

 

[Fred W]

**** that! $25 per tire at my dealer is totally worth not being frustrated and wasting 3 hours of my day on this stupid shit. I mounted my current set of PR3s with Pinhead, and honestly, its a hassle. I'd rather pay someone to do it.

Sure, if you can find someone to do it for $25 you are lucky. Around here they want $50 or more and that's if you bring the wheel in. Taking a wheel off is at shop labor rates of ~$75/hr. And many won't even be able to "fit it into their schedule" if you didn't buy it from pay too much to them for it.

But, for me, it's far more about the convenience of being able to change the tire whenever I want to, than it is about any money saved. It's less convenient to me to have to take the wheels off and shlep them and the tires to some shop to wait around while some kid puts them on and scratches my wheels up at no extra charge.

You have to realize that there aren't as many bike shops around these parts as there are down in the tropics. Motorcycling is just a "seasonal hobby" in these parts and the dealerships treat you like a hobbyist.

PS - If it took me three hours to change a tire I'd figure that just maybe I was doing something wrong.

You could do like I did. Arrange to drop them off at Cycle Gear and have your tires changed while you have lunch. Then you come back from lunch and they tell you that the tire guy won't be in till 3pm. They agree to have them done when you get there after work. Then you show up after work and the manager sheepishly points out that your wheels are right where you left them at noon, nobody has touched them. THEN you can sit around and wait on them to be changed and pay too much money for it to be done. When you get home you fire up the web browser and type in harborfreight and hit ctrl-enter.

Yup. That's exactly what I'm talking about.

But unfortunately the Harbor freight tire changer (it was more of a wheel stand actually) is no more. So you'll probably have to spend more for a Cycle Hill changer if you want to go that route. Otherwise you can cheap out like me (and many others) and buy a few tire irons and use an old steel auto rim as the wheel stand. Still beats playing that game with the bike shops just to get the skins mounted.