Minneapolis resident asks: Can you change a motorcycle tire at home?

By Kris Palmer, Minneapolis freelance writer

Last update: July 20, 2009 - 4:24 PM

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Q: Can I change a motorcycle tire at home? Shops want almost as much to install the tires as they cost. (My bike is a 2003 Suzuki 650.) Back tire has a slow leak. I have put it on the center stand and looked for the cause but I can't find it. - Jason B., Minneapolis

A: You can change your tires at home if you have the right tools. The principle is the same as changing a bicycle tire. You need to unseat the bead (the portion of the tire that sits against the rim on an inflated tire) and push it toward the "valley" in the middle of the rim. This will allow enough slack half way around the circumference of the rim to lift the tire over the edge of the rim at that spot. Once you have a portion of the tire bead over the side of the rim, you need to go around the tire, placing a tool that won't scratch the rim between the tire and rim and peel the bead off the rim. As with a bicycle tire, you need to do this with both sides of the tire.

Key points during the removal process are not to scratch the rim and not to damage the bead on the tire. You don't want to scratch the rim both for aesthetics - who wants a scratched-up bike - and functionality. If the inner part of the rim that the tire bead sits against is scratched up or has debris on it, the tire may not seal all the way and will leak. Because you haven't found anything puncturing the tire, a problem at the bead may be the cause of your dilemma. It could also be a problem at the tire valve.

Before you take the tire off the wheel, do a couple things. First, take one more look for damage that might be causing the leak. If you can't see it unaided, take some soapy water and wipe it around the area by the valve and where the tire meets the rim. Escaping air will create bubbles. Second, mark the current tire's orientation on the rim with a marker or grease pencil - put a mark on the tire and a mark on the rim. If the tire/wheel unit is properly balanced now, refitting it in the same spot will maintain that balance.

If you discover that the leak is coming from some damage to the tire, you have a decision to make - do you fix it or replace the tire? If the tire fails and you're not lucky, you could crash - for example, rounding a curve at highway speeds. (I've experienced flats at the front and rear tires on my motorcycle and have been fortunate enough not to wreck. I noticed a problem in road feel, let off the throttle and carefully came to a stop at the roadside.) Tire manufacturers state that repairing a high-speed-rated tire voids the high-speed rating. Those that condone repairs impose limitations, generally to a small hole in the tread surface itself. Sidewall damage is not repairable. The most recommended repair technique is to plug the hole and also to put a patch on the inside of the tire. If you buy a patch kit, it will include detailed instructions for this process.

You can balance the wheels yourself too with some patience and stick-on wheel weights. Positioned upright and allowed to spin freely, the wheel will naturally settle with the heaviest spot at the bottom and the lightest at the top. Balancing involves placing weights - as few as possible - at strategic points to remove these differences. A perfectly balanced wheel can be rotated and stopped at any point "on the clock" and it will not rotate on its own. Perfection is hard to come by, however, and really close may be good enough.

Regardless of how you solve your tire problem, have a look at your tires every time you use the bike, checking for proper inflation and evident damage.

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