Seating Tubeless tyres

[TigerWax]

Hi all,

So I have taken one tiny step to getting my YBR 125 Custom back on the road! Last night I attempted my first tyre change!

It took me about an hour and a half but I managed to get the old Mitas off the rear rim, replace the valve and get the new Michellin City Pro on.

Unfortunately things went less well when I got to the Tesco petrol station to try and pump the rear up (Currently I do not own a pump of any description). The videos I watched on the subject were a bit less detail rich on getting the tyre pumped up so I kind of assumed that just whacking the air machine up at petrol station would be sufficient to get it going but it would appear I was wrong about that (it went up to 80PSI maybe this is not enough?). I had removed the core from the valve and attempted to turn and bounce the tyre as I went but to be honest the tyre seems massively loose on the rim at the moment and I guess the bouncing thing is more for when you have a small gap.

Having spent a bit of time searching on the internet I have learnt that there is a lot of information around tubless tyres for mountain bikes and what I can find about motorbikes seems to be hit and miss.

I have seen two techniques on YouTube for seating beads: one involves lighter fluid and an explosion (so that's out as I prefer my eyebrows on my face) and the other involves a ratchet strap.

So as it stands I think I have a couple of options:

• Buy a ratchet strap and hope that it pushes the sidewalls out enough (and combined with more tyre paste) that the Tesco garage air pump will be able to finish the job
  
  
• Buy an inner tube for the tyre and use it tubed (didn't realise that I could use a tubed tyre on a tubeless rim until I took the Mitas off and found I have been using an inner tube the entire time I've had the bike)
  
  
• Try and find somewhere to take it to see if they could blow it up (being in the Gatwick area all the tyre places seem to only deal with car tyres and there aren't many bike places locally). In all honesty I was hoping to get it done myself so that I only needed to take one tyre off the bike at a time as I have a center stand and no paddock stands (or even anything that I could use to try and prop the frame)
  
  
• Get an air compressor? I have no idea what I need and I'm guessing it's going to be pretty costly

So could I get the opinions of the old hands who have done this before?

what's my best option?

Is the ratchet strap a goer?

Have I missed some option that's going to make this process super easy for pennies?

Thanks!

[G]

Did you use tyre soap inside the rim, to help the tyre easily slide onto the bead?
What you really need is high volume, not high pressure - a lot of air very quickly.
One trick that's worked for me is using deoderant or butane etc sprayed inside the tyre, then lighting it.
The small explosion blows the tyre onto the rim - this worked okay for fairly skinny tyres.
Youtube has plenty of examples. Do be careful, of course.

Or take it to somewhere with a half-decent air compressor.

If the tyre is warm (left out in the sun, say), it will be a bit more flexible - though this is a lot more true of race tyres (I stick mine on tyre warmers first if I can.)

[TigerWax]

I had tyre soap on there from when I actually put the tyre on but in retrospect I think I should have put more on prior to actually trying to blow up the tyre.

Prior to fitting the tyre was sat in front of a small electric heater since it was gone 20:00 and I didn't have any other way to warm the tyre.

I'll have another look at the butane thing although straight up I feel a bit hesitant of doing it so that definitely feels like a last resort.

Out of interest what's considered a half decent air compressor?

Thanks

[Polarbear]

The couple of times I tried to change a motorbike tyre were pretty much a disaster, what could have gone wrong, did.

I had the same problem as you and in the end took it to a garage for a bloke to use their compressed air system to get it on the rim. After the few quid I gave him for a pint for doing it and all the faff and hassle I decided in future I'd just take the wheel and tyre to the tyre place and pay them the £10 or whatever it was to do the whole job.

I do prefer an easy life.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[weasley]

One very experienced motorcycle workshop once took an hour to seat a tyre on my old bike. They ratchet strapped it (snapping one in the process), they hit it, they pumped it, they swore at it. They were about to give up and put my old tyre back on when they said "just one last go" and it popped on straight away. They blamed the fact that the tyre was freshly out of it packaging and was therefore still quite squashed together. Perhaps leaving the tyre in the sun/warm for a while to relax, then try again (and don't forget the "one last go" chant). I assume you've tried all the swear words?
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Yamaha XJ600 | Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat | KTM 990 SMT | BMW F900XR TE

[Freddyfruitba...]

[Riejufixing]

It should just go on. You don't need excessive amounts of tyre paste, a smear is enough. Make sure the tyre's as near seated as you can get it before you blow it up. A ratchet strap might help. Good thing you removed the valve core to allow more air in faster. Try a different valve/compressor? You don't want the "on demand" Tesco type, which is as much use as a fart in a thunderstorm for this task, you want one with a resevoir of compressed air. A garage (or even talking to a quick-fit tyre place) might get you some help with that. Turn the compressor up to a high pressure to encourage initial air flow, but obviously don't blow the thing right up to 80 psi/5 1/2 bar!

Whatever you do, DO NOT poke your fingers in to try and seat the tyre while you're blowing it up!

[G]

You need a high rate of air dumped more than being a high spec compressor.

You can get bead blaster tanks with a 1.5 inch outlet to let out a 40l tank in well under a second.

You need tyre soap on the inner face of the inside of the rim where the tyre will slide along, not just on the bead area.
This both allows it to so slide easiler and creates a better seal to keep air in.

Get some fire on a stick, or a cooker lighter etc for the 'bangy' solution.
Normal problems I had was it not doing enough, rather than blowing up too much!

[TigerWax]

Thanks guys,

Once again it would appear that experience is an excellent teacher! Should have listened to the Haynes Manual which basically says take it to professionals. I think my snorting at that particular paragraph was probably a bit short sighted in retrospect.

I did the maths and found that I could get the wheels and tools I needed for £146.01 which looked a lot better then the £220.80 I was quoted (and that's without figuring how to get the bike there or how to prop it up so I could take both wheels loose) especially considering I thought I could change future tyres myself at the cost of just the tyres.

I've brought a couple of ratchet straps from Screwfix so I'll have one last go at that (and ensure I tyre paste up the inside of the rim as well) and failing that I'll see if I can ring up some local garages to see if anyone is going to take pity on me.

With regards to air compressors can anyone recommend one? From a considering all my options POV I'm interested how much extra I'd be looking at if I wanted to try and do this at home in the future.

[Hawkeye1250FA]

The Aldi air compressor they sell seasonally has more than enough grunt to seat the tyres on my 1200 and 1250.

Cheap as chips as well.

Get as large a capacity as you can afford.
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1993 RF400R - 2002 Bandit 1200 - 2012 1250 FA

[WD Forte]

Inner tubes on tubeless are usually a bodge when someone cant be arsed to seat a tyre properly
I've used the aerosol 'lynx effect' to seat them a few times, good bangy burny fun, but my last two tyres were done in a shop where the guys made a point of cleaning up the rims before smearing on the jollop and fitting the tyre.
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bikers smell of wee

[MCN]

You can squeeze a bike tyre out using a bit of washing line in a noose around the tread.
That and a tourniquet made of a stick, screwdriver etc. will suffice.
Bump the tread as you squeeze.
Then blow the air in. When the bead seals loosen the tourniquet.

Tourniquet goes around the tire not your bicep.


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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[MCN]

[yen_powell]

Slap a bit of extra lube between the rim and the tyre bead.

Put a ratchet strap or rope and twisty stick around the circumference of the tyre and tighten to get the tyre as close to the rim as you can.

Remove the valve core from the valve. This lets more air in for the initial inflation and seating.

Use the garage pump to initially blow the tyre up and seat it. If you can refit the valve core, but it is difficult to do with all the air flying out. I usually wait till it calms down, refit the core and reinflate to normal pressure. Check tyre is on straight.

I have done a YBR rear tyre at the garage air line this way.
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Blackmail is a nasty word........but not as nasty as phlegm!
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[sickpup]

[The Shaggy D.A.]

I think the rear tyre that was fitted to my YBR had been stored in a stack, as the guy couldn't get it to seat fully and keep air in. Went with a tube in the end.
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Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[MCN]

[jaffa90]

Back in the 70`s with car tyres, resting the tyre on 4 blocks of wood and dancing on the dry rim ( tyre as well) and then turning over still resting the tyre on the wood and then slightly pressing down the rim with full com air.

[G]

[sickpup]

[G]

Do you have some examples of tyres being blown off rims from using a bead blaster?

Or at least some manufacturer warnings about cases that it will happen?

Never heard of it myself and couldn't find any examples with some very quick searches.

[TigerWax]

Morning fellas,

[colink98]

Where are you based ?

there is certainly a knack to it.
when i was racing (karts) i used to change a lot of tires.
our main mech used to laugh like a lunatic when it would take me an hour to change 4 tires.

id be soaping it up good and proper..
bouncing it up and down and all sorts.

he would pick up the wheel...give it a good eye ball and then smack on it the ground and drive his knee into the tire.
only ever took him a couple of attempts to get the bead seated.
____________________
PCX125 (stolen) - CBF600 (current)
Ride it like you stole it.
ride sensible and not like an idiot and you wont get 6 points in one week.

[sickpup]

[sickpup]