Mounting front tire woes...

[Ringo]

I am trying to mount a new tire on the front of my LS. It seems I am not getting the bead set, as the tire is "crooked" when I spin it on the balancer. I have only changed a few tires before, but never on the LS and have not had this trouble before. It seems that this wheel is especially tricky because it is kind of "shallow." Or else I am just really bad at this. But I am really getting frustrated. And on top of that, I think I got a leak in the tube. So off it all comes again. Any tips?

[Justin B.]

I have not changed an LS tire yet but the snowflake rims are pretty bad in my opinion.  Mix a bout 50-50 dish soap and water, soap it down real good, and keep trying.  I had to put almost 100 psi in the front on our '80 R65 to get the bead to seat.  You can also aggressively bounce the tire, that often helps

Good luck, they can be a byotch at times!

[Clutch]

I had the same problems Ringo (even the leaking tube after finally getting the bead set).  It took a couple of hours of constantly working with the tires to get them on.  My frustration level has been equaled but never greater than during this test of will.  Use lots of tire lube (I heard that dish soap isn't good for some reason...can't remember why right now.  I think there may be some corrosive properties to some dish soaps), and don't be afraid to crank up the air pressure in the tube like Justin said.  I also took a tie-down strap and with the tire deflated tightened the strap around the middle of the tire and then added the air to help force the sidewalls out.

I wondered if the reason for the difficulty is that these wheels were designed for tubed tires, and I installed tubeless tires (but still used tubes anyway).

I live in fear of getting a flat and having to fix it on the side of the road!  I actually started a thread about this on the last website, and apparently after the tires have been on the wheel for a while they are a little easier to take on and off (what others have told me).  However, I'm still crossing my fingers every time I ride that I don't have to deal with it.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I'm considering a roadside assistance plan, myself...

[Ringo]

100 pounds??

[msbuck]

When I had my flat tire out in California, the Harley shop had a very hard time getting the bead to seat.  He ended up having to use over 80 psi to get it to seat.  Man, I was watching, holding my breath and ducking!  It worked, but it was scary!

[MrRiden]

Lots and lots of murphys oil soap and 100 lbs of pressure on really really clean rims (you did clean it all up nicely, right?)
Wear saftey glasses!
Rich

[Ringo]

Well, no, I quess I didn't clean it real good. I mean, it looked clean. What's "really clean?" I have some "real" tire lube from the shop. Tomorrow I plan to take the tire off and re-mount it. I will lube the shoulders extra good and pump it up. When i first mounted the tire last weekend, I only got the pressure to about 50 pounds, so that may be a factor here.
Umm... what are the safety glasses for?

[airhead]

I heard that dish soap isn't good for some reason...can't remember why right now.  I think there may be some corrosive properties to some dish soaps

Correct, ordinary dish soaps contain caustics (to cut through those difficult greases), and as we all know, caustic just loves aluminium and alloys. I work in an Alumina Refinery, and the process liquor is caustic soda, to dissolve the alumina out of the bauxite. We use very little aluminium on the plant as a result!!
Bill....................;-)

[Justin B.]

I didn't know that.  I've been using dish-soap for 30+ years and didn't realize I was dissolving my rims!

[Clutch]

thanks airhead,  it's nice to know some of my memories are real...although that only adds to my confusion of which ones are real and which aren't

[airhead]

I didn't know that.  I've been using dish-soap for 30+ years and didn't realize I was dissolving my rims!

OMG Justin, stop riding now, your rims are about to disintegrate!!
In actual fact, the amounts would probably be so small that it probably makes little difference. It was just in a report I saw put out by the Tyre Lube Manufacturers Association. LOL

Bill......................;-)

[MrRiden]

Safety glasses are to protect your very vulnerable eyes from bits that my go flying when the bead gives that satisfying POP or in case it gives an expensive BOOM. At 100psi you do need to shield yerself. your pressure may vary.
Rich

[Justin B.]

Bill, thanks for qualifying the source of the research.  I have no idea it was conducted to prove their point and sell the product purveyed by their members but there is always some truth in this type of study!

I would imagine that the dish soaps would be very high alkaline in nature and this is definitely corrosive to  aluminum.  I bought some parts cleaner concentrate (for my parts washer) and noticed a caution in the  fine print that it was not for use on aluminum.  I e-mailed the manufacturer and their reply indicated it was because it was  because of the strong alkaline content.  Needless to say I bought something friendlier that smells like some sort of soda pop and is barely better than water...  Guess I'll have to bite the bullet and spend $100 for 10 gl.the petroleum based  junk and re-jug the 10 gl of the "environmentally friendly" $80 crap.  I should have known better, every time I try to do something "green" I find out that it doesn't work nearly as well and I'm not tree-hugger enough to put up with something that doesn't work...  Maybe it'll work for rubber lube?

[nhmaf]

don't worry Justin, that dish soap stuff is mild...

more than just mild, it softens your hands (and rims) while you're changing the tires,

you're soaking in it, now !

 

I couldn't help it, this thread brought back memories of those old TV commercials with Madge....