I managed to locate a brand new Bridgestone Battlax 110/90 18 on tinterweb. I fitted it today (PS thanks to whoever it was for the "G" clamp trick to hold the tyre in the central groove- it works!). The old tyre was only part worn but had started to crack with age. It was a bit of a B*****D to break the rim seals but my woodworking bench vise came in handy.(Glad it didn't puncture on the road!) After cleaning up the rims, I soaped the new (tubeless) tyre and it slipped on easily with a minimum of levering. The beads popped into place quickly and all was good! Whilst the wheel was off I cleaned up all the exposed aluminium, the brake drum and deglazed the shoes. A quick check and regrease of the bearings and splines; another job that I can forget about for a while. The original paint was a little worse for wear, so I took the opportunity to rub down, wire brush and repaint the wheel (Hammerite smooth silver is a near perfect match for the original). I took the rear mudguard off to make the job easier, so replaced the nuts and bolts as necessary. I'm leaving the test ride until tomorrow to allow the paint to fully harden.
I think I have an earlier post somewhere when I said that I wouldn't be changing my own tyres again, well this one was much easier (no tube) so I guess that I will NOT be selling my tyre levers!
PS. There is plenty of clearance to the swing arm with the 100/90 tyre.
