It certainly doesn't sound like you pinched the tube - usually leads to a split and rapid loss of pressure.
Ive been checking the tire pressure the past few days at constant temp and I think I’m ok. Hasn’t lost readable pressure in a couple of days.
I can't see why the wider rear would be any harder to do than the front? As ever, just be careful not to pinch the tube . . .
I thought the smaller diameter / wider tire may be more challenging. On the upside it will give me an excuse to buy a good pair of tire irons!
I watched this video lots of times before I changed tires on my DR650. It has some great info and excellent safety advice in regards to using tire irons.
Interesting he removes the tire to the outside of both sides of the rim and pulls the tim from the center. Most other vids show pulling the tire off of one side of the rim only. Other thing is not everyone uses the baby powder. Is this a dirt bike thing?
I'm not sure. I understand the baby powder was to ensure the tube slides around easily on the tire during assembly? I'll have to watch it again. He seems a pro, that is for sure.
If you ever ran a tire low you remember how the stem was tilted crazy one way..... I think the baby powder helps prevent this. I am willing to experiment. Bicycle. Rear wheel only. I am a wimp.
Yes, know that well from bicycle tires. Too late for me now on the front tire. No way I’m going to remove it just to powder its butt. Lol. Odd thing is, many instructional videos don’t use it. Must be s personal preference thing.
Having a brief consideration after too many whiskeys one asks whether a soapy water solution to mount the tire traps too much moisture inside the cavity and leads to internal corrosion?
I was thinking
I don’t mind the cost of the actual procedure. It’s just a pita because the guy I use is 1/2 hour away. Local bike dealers make you bend over if you dont buy the tires from them. I recall one time a couple of years ago they charged me close to $80 for one tire. They claimed it was an up charge for tube tires and they had quoted tubeless - crooks. This is the same dealer that will charge you 10-15% above msrp for parts. I don’t go there often. I usually buy parts from a dealer 100km away who offers free shipping over $49.
A shop 10 minutes away from me has that $20 up-charge and I can live with that. I did offer to buy my tires through them but they could locate, in their supply line, the tires I wanted. I know they have to pay the rent and I won't grumble about a small business trying to succeed.
I believe in supporting local small business too, but only to a point. One of the local shops who doesn’t like installing customer purchased tires, gave me a hard time about not buying tires from him. He said he was very competitive. The next time I had him quote tires and he was well over 1.5X the price I eventually paid and he’s a miserable SOB to boot lol.
I do understand the mindset. Few are willing to do the work we willingly do on our XS650s or other motorcycles. Our "cult' (?) change jets, mess around with an aging charging system, check valve clearances etc regularly and think nothing of it. In the old days I changed my own tires. I probably never balanced them well. One time, the first ride after spooning a new front on, things went horribly wrong at 100 mph. I still did my own tires until I had two daughter to worry about. Now, 30 years later, bodies and bones don't mend so easily and I will pay the pros with liability insurance to do the job.
