[Raoul The Great]

I ordered a Pirelli Diablo Tire.

I have no problems removing the rear wheel.

However I have concerns about removing and replacing the actual tire on/off the rim.

What do I need to know? Do I need any special Tools? I have changed tires on Bicycles before; just using screw drivers to pry the tires on and off the rims. Can I do the same with My Burgman 400? Any danger of dammaging the rims?

I would appreciate any guidance. Thank you in advance.

 

[TwoWheelTim]

First find some u-tube videos and watch a bunch of them. I do all of my own tires, and did two this week. It is nothing like a bicycle tire, other than being round. This process is tough to describe, thus the videos will prove helpful or sway you to having a shop do the work.

Tire removal requires the bead of the tire be separated from the wheel. Tools needed, bead breaker which can be C clamps, or some type of compression device to squish the side of the tire. I use a wooden lever that I built from scrap lumber, much easier than C clamps. Again there are U-tube videos of people using home made bead breakers.

Remove tire from the wheel. This is 80 % technique, and 20% tools. Use tire Irons, not screw drivers, they are for screws. The key to removal and installation is to make sure both of the beads of the tire opposite of the area you are working is in the lowest portion of the wheel. This will give you the most amount of freedom to remove the tire using the tire irons. Remove one edge of the tire from the rim at a time.

Ru-glide, or a soap and water solution greatly helps in slipping the tire off the rim. I recommend ru-glide found at NAPA auto stores.

You should also get rim protectors to protect the rim, especially if this is your first time. I do well with plastic from a milk jug, but I do have motorcycle rim protectors that I use on difficult tires. Some tires are harder than others, let your new tire sit in the yard with the sun warming it before installation it will soften it up.

I find removal harder than installation most of the time. Installation is opposite of removal. Ohh don't forget to replace the air valve stem while the tire is dismounted. You will need a stem tool to insert it. Ohh do you have a decent air compressor, to seat the new tire and inflate it.

I have done many changes without balancing the tire/wheel system, on previous scooters, but the B400 can do over 90 mph, and I do get on some 70 MPH highways, so I balance the system after each change. I use a Black Widow wheel balance with stick on weights. Again there are great videos on how to use on, yep U-tube.

Well I gave you a few things to think about, it seems simple until you examine each step of the process, and these are just the rudimentary steps. There are torque specs, brake disc removal, and other diss-assembly and assembly steps.

Consider all of this before you decide what to do.

 

[mikeyMarine]

you will need a 2 day supply of cusswords stored up and handy to reach when changing those tires, the basic procedure is the same as a bicycle tire but a bicycle tire bead can be broken by hand and usually the whole tire can be taken off without screwdrivers or tools , a motorcycle tire bead can only be broken with tools cussing sweat ingenuity patience and lots of other stuff in short supply around here :evil: , I heard once that God could break the bead by hand but He sends His to the shop to avoid temptation.

Long story short , best tool for changing tires is a credit card :thumbup:

 

[cliffyk]

I have had Harbor Freight's motorcycle bead breaker for years and found it to work quite well on every motorcycle tire I have ever thrown at it. I do have an 18" extension for the handle made of rectangular tubing, counter-intuitively smaller wheels often require more force to brake than larger sizes.

Ignore this photo from their online catalog. it shows the tool being used "backwards" with the wheel on the wrong side of the stop:

Here is the old catalog image from 5 years or so ago showing how it is used properly (OK I'm anal, I save things like that):

If you look closely you can see that some idiot in their graphics department "photochopped" the tire from the old picture into the new image.

old:

new:

I wrote to them about this a couple years ago--they don't seem to care...

 

[mike1nw]

I did the front tire R&R recently (see my posts, I made a bead breaker that uses the worthless dead weight of a Ford Freestar) and found that the operation requires some ingenuity.
For a while it looked impossible but you will figure it out.
The 24 inch tire levers, balance stand, and stick-on weights came from Harbor Freight. Seems smooth so far, took it up to 80+ with no bad vibes.

The rear tire is probably more difficult. Just cuz it's bigger.

 

[Raoul The Great]

Is it necessary to change the valve and/or the valve stem?

 

[cliffyk]

Is it necessary to change the valve and/or the valve stem?

Not "necessary", just well advised. That said I have often changed tires (even on bikes) without changing the valve stem, however do inspect it closely for cracks or any other signs of hardening or deterioration, and is there is ANY doubt as to its condition replace it...