Tyre recommendations ?

[bonny]

Can anyone recommend tyres for the golden flash that can be put on with normal tyre levers and not have to be put on with a machine ? Something good in the wet that can be bought in the uk.

[chaterlea25]

Hi Bonny,
Avon Roadriders are excellent, you can buy online and have then delivered to the door,
try,  visorshop.com or scoot up to Newry and collect
Make sure to get decent tubes, Michelin, Continental or Metzeler

HTH
John

[bonny]

Thanks for that John. Are they ok to be put on with levers ? The last tyres i bought for the 500 were only able to be fitted with the machine and it was a right pita having to bring wheels, tubes, tyres to a bike workshop to be fitted.

[chaterlea25]

Hi
Yes, no problem with levers

John

[duTch]

 A potential pitfall with DIY is getting wheel balance right

[Dean]

Don't forget that the original tyre pressures do not apply to new tyres. Your supplier should be able to advise.

I have taken the lazy route recently and taken the wheel to the supplier to fit the tyre. It might take 45mins each way to drive but thats about the same time it takes me to get the wheel off to fix the leaking inner tube that I nipped with the tyre lever

[duTch]

 For a long time I've also taken mine to the tyre shop, when I need a new one I ride over, but with a flatty I have to take it, like today, as I picked up a pop-rivet a couple of days ago .   I reckon this time I'll go on the Gutzi and get a tube and do it myself, not to save money but just for the practice, but as I said above I might ride over after for a balance check.

  Probably doesn't need to be said but; if you fit it yourself don't use levers for fitting- use a rubber mallet, should go on easy using methods mentioned elsewhere.

 I need the practice because a few years ago on a Thursday, I was 400k from home middle of nowhere just getting dark, and had to be 40k other side of home for 7am next day. Luckily I saw lights ahead which turned out to be the roadhouse that I thought was another 30k up the road. I managed to limp there and ripped the wheel off when a guy offered me a lift 300km south but closer to where I could catch a bus the remaining 150km east and sort it out (needed a new tyre anyway). He was doing a return trip a couple of days later, so did the same trip in reverse (order), lucky it was a long weekend.....If I'd had levers and a patch kit I could've maybe done an emergency repair- and just add air. 

[Greybeard]

As long as you understand about the tyre bead opposite the valve being right into the bottom of the well in the rim the valve side will go over the rim fairly easily. Levers are OK to finish off the last few inches/centimeters as long as you are careful. That's how I do it anyway. I recently changed an inner tube on my son's Land Rover with levers and I've done many bicycle tyres as well as motorbikes. As in other situations lube helps.

[BSA_54A10]

Google face book removing motorcycle tyre with zip ties.
Well  tried it just for the heck & it worked.

[bonny]

A lot of the modern sportsbike  tyres would be unremoveable with levers, they are far to heavy in construction, even the smaller sizes for the likes of 250's. The bike shop near me closed during the recession and there is no one else i know of local. 

[Kickaha]

A lot of the modern sportsbike  tyres would be unremoveable with levers, they are far to heavy in construction, even the smaller sizes for the likes of 250's. The bike shop near me closed during the recession and there is no one else i know of local.

They're not that hard, I've done plenty, I'm yet to find a tyre that can't be fitted or removed with levers, some just take a lot more work than others

Re zip tie method mentioned earlier, in the time it takes to put the zip ties on In most cases I could already have the tyre fitted

I should mention I have been doing this for 30 years, car, truck, loader, forklift, most of it comes down to technique and experience

With wheel balance, I don't ever bother on my bikes (mostly laziness) and haven't had any problems yet, if I had easy access to the gear or a balancing stand I would do it though

[bonny]

You could static balance the wheel, chalking on the wheel the heavy side and adding lead to the spokes on the opposite side of the wheel, until the wheel will stop in a random place after being spun. But with bikes that aren't going to be travelling so fast, its probably not worthwhile.

[bsa-bill]

A lot of the modern sportsbike  tyres would be unremoveable with levers,

don't think they are as hard or heavy as a tractor tyre (Agricultural),  and they go on with levers (and big hammers)

[bonny]

I tried taking off a suzuki sports bike tyre before and i nearly did my self a bad turn.

[duTch]

 Tyre fitted OK, kicked the last bit of bead on with my boot heel; only had 'em on to go get the tube.
 I stuffed a length of7/8" SS tube through in place of the axle and slid the ply off the benchtop and hung the wheel in there while I had a coldie or two and watch it go around   .
 Rearranged the two 25g weighs, and seems ok; now just need to get the tube out