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Changed Tire: Look What I Found
- bountyhunter
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The rubber rim strip was duct taped together. Seriously. I guess the guy tore it mounting the tire last time. Oh,well.
The rim area that mates with the bead was rusted all to hell. That's why you don't use soapy WATER to mount tires. It will cause rust. So, naval jelly and a wire brush took off as much rust as I could.
What I learned:
I built a work platform out of some 2 x 4"'s and 2 x 6's with an opening in the middle so that I could lay the wheel on it with the brake rotor down. That turned out to be a really good move, because I could work the wheel from the hub side and not have to fight with the rotor all day.
I found out you need at least three good tire irons, one to pry and hold a starting point and the other two to work the bead "leapfrog" around the rim.
An assistant or a third arm is needed.... or else you have to hold that starter iron down with your knee as you work around the bead.
I used straight diswashing liquid detergent (no water) to lube the rim and the rubber bead. Worked very well.
Getting the rim bead locks in was not as much trouble as I thought..... getting the tube's valve neck through the rim was a lot harder than I recall.
One trick: don't fight the rim strip. Slightly enlarge the hole where the tube's neck goes through. The rim strip moves around as you fight with the tube and the hole likes to move away. I also cut two holes in the rim strip for the bead lock mounting bolts so I can put the rim strip on first and then the rim locks and tube.
All in all..... it was a pain in the rear and I would not do it for anybody else for the meager sum of $25. And I had sore knees the next morning.
1979 KZ-750 Twin
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- RonKZ650
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321,000 miles on KZ's that I can remember. Not going to see any more.
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- bountyhunter
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Whenever you let anyone else do your work for you, you'll quickly find laziness or incompetence enters the story quite often. I wouldn't mind paying $25 as much as the thought of what kind of hidden "work" they've done. In their defense though, I doubt rust would hide from inside the wheel no matter what was used in the install. Guys on the Honda Goldwing groups say not to use soap as a lube because it causes corrosion of the wheel, so soap itself is probably no better than soap/water. I can for sure testify soap/water corrodes honda wheels as last tire I did on the front of the goldwing would not hold air after a few months because the wheel corroded. Guys say to use AFT instead of soap. I did that last couple tires and had no problem. I don't mind changing tires as I said as I was forced to do my own work since age of 13.
Yeah, but I also read not to use any type of oil like ATF because it rots the rubber over time.
Next time I think I'll use Mpro 7 which is a waterless cleaner derived from stuff used to clean surgical instruments and made into a gun cleaning spray. It's slippery like soap but leaves only a waxy residue, not water based at all.
The good news is my tires use tubes so I don't have to worry about air leaks at the rusty rim beads....:laugh:
1979 KZ-750 Twin
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- MFolks
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1982 GPZ1100 B2
General Dynamics/Convair 1983-1993
GLCM BGM-109 Tomahawk, AGM-129A Advanced Cruise Missile (ACM)
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- steell
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For $25 a tire I wish there were people lined up at my door wanting tire changes, I could easily knock out four an hour.
It gets a lot easier after you've done a few hundred tire changes
KD9JUR
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- bountyhunter
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I powdered the heck out of the inside of the tire and the surface of the tube so it would slide easily.I've read/heard using talcum powder works o.k. too for tire changing. No corrosion to worry about.
1979 KZ-750 Twin
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- bountyhunter
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They throw in the spin balance with the change for $25.Why not use the stuff that's sold for the purpose?? Napa and other places sell Ru-Glyde and other brands of rubber lube specifically for tire changing.
For $25 a tire I wish there were people lined up at my door wanting tire changes, I could easily knock out four an hour.
It gets a lot easier after you've done a few hundred tire changes
But now that you mention it, they only take about 30 minutes to do the whole thing and that probably includes some goofing off.:laugh:
1979 KZ-750 Twin
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- timebomb33
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1973 z1 2-1974z1-a,2-1975z1-b dragbikes1015cc+1393cc, 1977kz1000,1978kz1000,1981kz1000j, 1997 zx-11, 2000 z12r,1428turbo nitrous pro-mod and a shit load of parts thats all for now leader sask.,CANADA
I THINK MY POWERBAND BROKE
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- pstrbrc
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Guys say to use AFT instead of soap. I did that last couple tires and had no problem. I don't mind changing tires as I said as I was forced to do my own work since age of 13.
AFT?
American Farmland Trust?
American Federation of Teachers?
Applied Flow Technology?
Applied Financial Technology?
Almost Free Text?
Advanced Forming Technology?
Association for Financial Technology?
Accelerated Failure Time?
Automated File Transfer?
Atmospheric Flight Test?
Agglutination-Flocculation Test?
HUH?????:ohmy: :dry: :huh: :blink: :S
\'81 GPz 1100 project
Elkhart, Kansas USA
\"Man does not control his own fate. The women in his life do that for him.\" Groucho Marx
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- JMKZHI
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- timebomb33
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1973 z1 2-1974z1-a,2-1975z1-b dragbikes1015cc+1393cc, 1977kz1000,1978kz1000,1981kz1000j, 1997 zx-11, 2000 z12r,1428turbo nitrous pro-mod and a shit load of parts thats all for now leader sask.,CANADA
I THINK MY POWERBAND BROKE
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- bountyhunter
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actually when ever i find wheels with a bunch of rust i clean them as good as i can then spray them with rust paint
Too bad they don't make a dedicated product you could brush onto the rusty area to neutralize and seal it like maybe a cold galvanizing agent or something that would bond with the metal.
1979 KZ-750 Twin
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