7-17-2003

Okay, here goes... I changed my first several sets of OEM Dunlop tires with just some irons, dish soap and lots of sweating and cursing. Decided to make things easier because I hated to jack up the bike and pull the wheels and axles and have the bike just sitting there. I tryed a few other makes and models of tires but went back to the 105/701 Dunlops.

I got a spare set of wheels along the way, then later I bought a Harbor Freight tire changer. I modified it to work with the Concours wheels. This made things easier. I would buy a set of tires and mount them to the spare wheels while still being able to ride. The changer made it easier to break the bead seat and remove the old tire. But it was still a hassle to remount a new tire because they were so stiff. Especially trying to get the beads to seat. It still takes the right amount of squeezing the tire and wiggling it around to get the bead to "grab" so air pressure could force it in place on the wheel.

So, recently (Jul 2003) I bought the motorcycle attachment for the changer and unmodified the changer back to work with the attachment. I found the center bar arm was misaligned when it was welded! Had to cut three sides of the welds, bend it slightly and re weld them. See the photos below. The aluminum foil was to protect the paint and screw threads from welding splatter and heat. I guess I should learn about buying cheap stuff. There are other changers out there like this one but cost more and have more features. I think the HF unit is a cheap knock off of the Wicko tire changer which it resembles.

 

Even with the motorcycle attachment for my Harbor Freight changer, doing a recent set of Dunlop 205's was a bear. They are much stiffer than the old OEM Concours tires. I did the front tire first, but let it set for two days before trying to seat the beads. Big mistake! I should have mounted only one side of the tire on and then spread the beads open with wooden blocks to help the bead contact the rim better. As it was, I struggled for two days using clamps, tie down straps, I jumped up and down on it, cursed it bounced it up and down, kicked it and finally it popped into place.

 

I got smart on the rear wheel, I set it aside with some of my wood shop clamps to spread the bead for several days and then mounted the rear tire. It was still a bit of a struggle, those 205's are stiff! As Norm Abram would say, "You can never have too many clamps!"