Changing a tire tube on the road

[Moto]

You totally need a bead breaker in your kit. Getting the stock Pirelli off (rear) was serious work. These are bigger/stiffer tires than your average mx-er, and the beads don't just push off with a little elbow grease...

 

Actually, the bigger difference is the rim. It's bigger/wider. It has larger 'ribs' to hold the bead than other bikes I've had, like rims for 110/120 tires. Maybe that's why it doesn't need a rim locker.

Edited January 5, 2021 by Moto

[DT675]

On 12/31/2020 at 9:36 AM, Alan M said:

One thing I did read on their website which seemed really good advice was preparation before a long trip. That was to break the tyre beads and re-lube before the trip, will make removal that much easier if you're unfortunate to get a puncture.

This is good advise. It always has seemed to me breaking the factory beat is tough. But breaking a bead of a replaced tire is always much easier. I don't know if i will do this before setting out on some longer trips myself or cross my fingers until i replace the tire naturally. 

[Electric biker]

Yes; I had to take the rear wheel to a garage to break the bead on the OEM 150/80 tyre. 

[DT675]

Dang, thats tough! 

[Totti]

You should practice the tire chance in your own yard. So you get the feel of it and see what tools you need. I only have two good tire levers with me. I break the bed with the side stand. I put the bike to the center stand, put the side stand down, put the wheel under the side stand  and tilt the bike on to the wheel. The weight of the bike is enough to brake the bed. You should tie the center stand to the front wheel so that it won't tilt over. Or use a friend's bike for this operation. I sure there a video of this on the internet.

[johnnygolucky]

On 12/31/2020 at 7:29 AM, JamesE said:

It's easy enough to do. I had a puncture on the Welsh TET earlier this year, had the rear off and the tube changed using the motion pro tyre levers. Used shower gel to lube up the rim (or just some soap in a small bottle in your tool kit will do). And we had a small compressor to re-inflate. 

Pro-Tip, don't lay the bike down on a bank like we did here! Spent more time getting the bike going again than changing the tyre. Laying it down floods the engine. If anyone is interested, the fix ended up being to take out the fueling fuse, turn the engine over to burn all of the fuel out, then put the fuse back in. Talk about a nightmare afternoon, but we all learn from our mistakes.

Is this a thing? Laying a fuel injected bike on it's side floods the engine? Forgive me if I sound dumb, but I've laid my 690 Enduro on its side to change the tire and she fired right up. Spent 4 days on a 350 EXC that had a broken kickstand and when there went a tree, laid it on it's side for the night to camp and picked it and started it. 

I've seen vids of people laying their Tenere down and it fired up. 

I've not heard of them flooding. 

[Canzvt]

15 hours ago, johnnygolucky said:

Is this a thing? Laying a fuel injected bike on it's side floods the engine? Forgive me if I sound dumb, but I've laid my 690 Enduro on its side to change the tire and she fired right up. Spent 4 days on a 350 EXC that had a broken kickstand and when there went a tree, laid it on it's side for the night to camp and picked it and started it. 

I've seen vids of people laying their Tenere down and it fired up. 

I've not heard of them flooding. 

The T7 has a tip over switch. If you don't cycle the ignition switch once the bike is standing upright, the tip over switch will not release, hence the engine will not fire. The injectors won't fire either, hence flooding from just tipping it over is extremely unlikely. What might be more likely and is explained well elsewhere on this site is every time you turn the key on, it would seem that the injectors will fire releasing fuel into the combustion chamber. Do this a couple of times without the engine starting and you will run into a flooded engine scenario.

[johnnygolucky]

8 hours ago, Canzvt said:

The T7 has a tip over switch. If you don't cycle the ignition switch once the bike is standing upright, the tip over switch will not release, hence the engine will not fire. The injectors won't fire either, hence flooding from just tipping it over is extremely unlikely. What might be more likely and is explained well elsewhere on this site is every time you turn the key on, it would seem that the injectors will fire releasing fuel into the combustion chamber. Do this a couple of times without the engine starting and you will run into a flooded engine scenario.

So what you're saying is to just sand the bike upright and start it like usual? Or are you saying to do something different that I'm not picking up on? 

[Canzvt]

Yes. Stand it up, turn the key on, and start it like usual. If the key is on when the bike went down, and is still on when you pick it up. Turn the key off, wait a couple seconds, turn the key back on and start it up. Turning the key off, and then back on resets the tip over sensor.

 

Fuel injected engines will not flood by sitting on their side like carbureted engines. Fuel injectors are small, highly precise valves that open and close once every 2 engine revolutions. If the engine is not running, they are closed.

 

That being said, I can't provide an explanation for the situation above, other than the bike became flooded (sounds like) through trying to start it and likely repeated key cycles as explained elsewhere on this site.

[WalterT]

Had a puncture a few weeks ago on a trip though France. Was able to get the rear tire off with a little help from my riding buddy, just using the 2 bead breakers. 

The bike looks quite dangerously balanced on the pictures, but actually wasn't going anywhere (front brake locked with a strap). When actually mounting the wheel, my friend would hold on the the bike.

 

As @Tottialready mentioned: practice before at home. I bought a cheap rim which fitted an old tire I had lying around. Had a fun afternoon with a riding buddy trying it out and after 1,5 hours timed each other who could get a tire off and back on again the quickest. That does not make me an expert, but I have the confidence that I can do it if need be. 

 

If anyone in the Netherlands (or anywhere else I'd you want to ride that far) wants the rim and tire to try it yourself, you can pick it up for free!

[Moto]

Nice to see the pics. Good report! That stock tire is pretty stiff, huh?

[lakincoe]

Changing a bike tube is really not that hard. I replace the inner tube at home on my dirt bike. Removing the bike tire from the rim may be a hard step, but don't worry, you just insert the tire iron between the tire and the rim. Then, put pressure on the rim with your hand while you’re taking the rim down on the bead until the tire is fully out of the rim. Remember that set it on a mounting stand or the floor before this step.

Edited June 30, 2023 by lakincoe

[Rider 101]

Another trick for breaking a bead on stiff tyres is to carefully ride flat for a while. 

The tyre heats up and is so much easier to get off.

Get the wheel out as quick as possible.

Stand on the wheel and use your heal to break the bead.

 

I recently fitted an E07 Dakar in the shed. It was a bit of a bitch to get the second side on.

I have ultra HD tubes which makes the situation a little worse.

The secret is to keep the beads in the spoke well of the rim.

I carry some very large cable ties which may or may not help on the trail.

[random1781]

18 hours ago, Rider 101 said:

Another trick for breaking a bead on stiff tyres is to carefully ride flat for a while. 

The tyre heats up and is so much easier to get off.

Get the wheel out as quick as possible.

Stand on the wheel and use your heal to break the bead.

 

I recently fitted an E07 Dakar in the shed. It was a bit of a bitch to get the second side on.

I have ultra HD tubes which makes the situation a little worse.

The secret is to keep the beads in the spoke well of the rim.

I carry some very large cable ties which may or may not help on the trail.

What tools did you use to mount the Dakar? I have a UHD tube also and am wondering how it would be to deal with on the trail.

[mpatch]

I have the Dakar and have had to patch a tube off road. Was not the most fun thing. Luckily a guy I was riding with had the motion pro bead breaker thing. 
The only cool part of the deal was what gave me a flat…. A old hand made nail along an old mining road in the San Juan mountains. 
 

[Rider 101]

4 hours ago, random1781 said:

What tools did you use to mount the Dakar? I have a UHD tube also and am wondering how it would be to deal with on the trail.

I use the 4 Metzeler pattern tyre levers

I had to use a quick clamp to hold the tyre into the well.

It was a new tyre and I guess the sidewalls will soften a little over time 

I carry  large cable ties in case I need to hold the side walls together

 

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[random1781]

7 hours ago, mpatch said:

I have the Dakar and have had to patch a tube off road. Was not the most fun thing. Luckily a guy I was riding with had the motion pro bead breaker thing. 
The only cool part of the deal was what gave me a flat…. A old hand made nail along an old mining road in the San Juan mountains. 
 

Artesanal, handcrafted nail just waiting to fulfill its lifelong purpose of ruining your day.