Broke's tire change encounter

[broke]

I have almost 5000 miles on the Buddy odo and the rainy season will be here in a few months. My stock Shinko rear tire still has tread before the wear bars surface, but not a ton. And I want something just a tad better in the rain this fall, so I decided on Pirelli SL26's. A local shop that handles a lot of motorcycle repairs is having a deal for free installation this month, so I pulled the trigger. I don't want mixed treads, so I bought two new tires. $80 for both mounted seems like a decent deal. And next time, if I like the Pirelli's, it should only cost me $40 or less since there would be no reason to replace the front. I can pay that every 5000 miles I figure.

Anyhoo, I called the shop to schedule the service and they wanted me to be able to leave the bike so they could fit it in. But, if I brought the wheels in they should be able to turn it right around for me... Modern Buddy to the rescue: Thanks to burtonbb and rickko's posts in the tech library I was able to pretty easily remove both wheels from my bike. This was cool for me, because I love being able to do things for myself, and being able to wrench on the bike myself makes me trust it as a vehicle all the more. I get "a feel for" all the nuts-n-bolts and stuff and get to see the worn bits first hand. (Some day I'm going to bribe a voo-dooer from Oregon City to come out to my garage and help me do some really big stuff

So I wanted to post a few juicy pictures (cuz those are my favorite posts on MB) and ask the more mechanically saavy a question or two. (be sure you are logged in so you can see the pictures)

My brake pads (both front and rear) seem to have plenty of life left in them.

I'm pretty sure that I removed more stuff getting the front wheel off than I had to

I don't think that the rear-wheel nut had any blue loc-tite applied. Wouldn't this be a good idea for that all-important fastener?

There is a white residue on the front axle and nut. What is this? Is it degraded loc-tite of some kind? It looks like powdered sugar but it tastes like crap! (no, just kidding, I did NOT taste it!) I'm going to clean it up before re-installing. Again, should I use blue loc-tite when re-installing these fasteners?

Anything to worry about if I want to grease up the bearings before re-installing the wheels?

THANKS FOR READING!

[DennisD]

Could the white gunk be anti-seize compound? Just a guess, but thanks for the pics.

[Kaos]

Heh, I'm bribeable Leme know what you wanna get done

[pyrocpu]

White stuff, huh?

I'm guessing that's just lithium grease... assembly lube is typically graphite colored...

[Ray Knobs]

it looks pretty cool without wheels

[broke]

it looks pretty cool without wheels

I was thinking the same thing... Like something that hovers that I could ride through the forest of Endor with Princess Leia on the back shooting at storm troopers... uh, on second thought, this post wasn't such a good idea.

[Portland_Rider]

broke,

I've been wondering about researching tires.

My stock tires are still good as I only have 340 miles on my Buddy. Still, safety for me is #1 concern and I imagine there are better tires out there than the Buddy came with.

I still have never ridden in the rain so that is a bit of a concern to me.

What is the quality of the tires that the Buddy comes with?

[DennisD]

Wow, talk about a change of pace! First its riding with Princess Leia on the back (hang on tight!8) ) and then jump right into tire research.

Bummer.

[olhogrider]

The stock tires are great. You can get stickier or longer lasting but the stock tires are a nice compromise.

[Lostmycage]

Blue Loctite turns that white color once it's set up and exposed to the atmosphere. Did you notice how the nut didn't want to spin off freely? If so, that's Loctite, if not... that's dangerous. Grease shouldn't be on the threads. If it is indeed grease (I'm betting/hoping it isn't) clean if off with a degreaser (careful to only remove the grease from the threads) and apply the Blue Loctite to the threads once it's through the wheel and forks.

Congrats on the wrenching and what sounds like a pretty good deal!

[Lostmycage]

Also, would someone mind linking the exact threads you found so useful on the tire removal? I'd like to add this to the FAQ section as well.

[broke]

Also, would someone mind linking the exact threads you found so useful on the tire removal? I'd like to add this to the FAQ section as well.

Two threads with pictures and instructions on getting the rear wheel off:
topic9215.html
topic11038.html

No real pictures, but a good step by step (overkill actually) to getting the front tire off:
topic7876.html

[broke]

UPDATE:

The wheels went back on the scoot just as easily and soundly as they came off.

I was careful not to touch the front brake while the front wheel was off, and I was careful to work the front brake several times before taking off and relying on it on my test ride.

If you have to force any bolts in the exhaust then something is askew... loosen everything and manipulate it some more until everything lines up. Make sure that you take extra time and tighten each bolt evenly so the exhaust seats right.

OK, so after getting the tires changed I had pretty heavy vibration from both the front and rear tires. With the bike on the center stand I could rev. it and watch the rear tire start bouncing up and down at a certain speed where the feedback was positive. I was not happy.

These SL-26 are designed for both front and rear operation. You swap the rotation between front and rear. The shop did install the treads in the right direction for both tires, so this wasn't the problem.

Pirelli says that they put a red or yellow dot on sidewalls if it matters where the valve stem should go for balance. These SL-26 don't have dots. So that wasn't the problem.

I talked to the mechanic at the shop that mounted the tires for me and he told me Pirelli ships the tires with a really tight strap holding two tires together. He said it deforms the tire a little and it will take some riding to get it back to shape. He asked me to put 100 miles on it before I do anything else.

I put 150 miles on it. The back vibration was much less reduced, but still much more noticeable than I ever recall with my stock Shinkos. The front vibration was still totally unacceptable.

I removed the front wheel and built a little contraption that allows me to hold the wheel by it's axle and spin the tire. I drink a beer and spin the tire over and over again. Each time I use white crayon to make a mark "up". After lots of spinning (the tire, not me) the crayon is everywhere (on the tire, not me) which tells me there is not an obvious balance problem.

But I can definitely see the rubber does not seem "straight" on the rims. Just by looking at the rims you can't tell, but when it is spinning you can definitely see the rubber moving back and forth as the tire goes through its rotation.

I took the wheels back into the shop and asked them to swap the rubber between the front and rear wheels and to just try to get the tires mounted on the rims better. They treat me like I'm an idiot but for $25 they are willing to do what I ask.

NOW THERE IS NO VIBRATION! VERY SMOOTH, JUST LIKE MY SHINKOS WERE!

So, either the malformed rubber from the shipping strap needs the weight of my butt to work it back into shape, or mounting tubeless tires to rims takes a little bit of finesse and you don't automatically get it right the first time every time.

Next fall, when I am ready for a replacement rear tire again, I think I am going to invest in the harbor freight tools that I've seen in other posts here. I am willing to take extra time to do the job right, or to re-do the job until it is right... but I just don't have the tools to unmount and mount tires.

...if you want a job done right...

[broke]

broke,

I've been wondering about researching tires.

My stock tires are still good as I only have 340 miles on my Buddy. Still, safety for me is #1 concern and I imagine there are better tires out there than the Buddy came with.

I still have never ridden in the rain so that is a bit of a concern to me.

What is the quality of the tires that the Buddy comes with?

Your 150 comes with very nice Maxxis tires. I believe they are a softer tire and a step up in "grip" over the Shinkos that ship on the 125. Those should be pretty good tires for wet roads.

of course, the downside of soft tires is the shorter lifespan... I think some folks are getting only 3,000 to 4,000 miles on their rear Maxxis.

I wanted something a bit closer to the Shinkos that I had, but a little bit softer for riding in the rain. The Pirellis I picked should be a good compromise... I hope. I'll let you know later this year when the rain really starts.

[broke]

Blue Loctite turns that white color once it's set up and exposed to the atmosphere. Did you notice how the nut didn't want to spin off freely? If so, that's Loctite, if not... that's dangerous. Grease shouldn't be on the threads. If it is indeed grease (I'm betting/hoping it isn't) clean if off with a degreaser (careful to only remove the grease from the threads) and apply the Blue Loctite to the threads once it's through the wheel and forks.

Congrats on the wrenching and what sounds like a pretty good deal!

It definitely is not grease. Very crusty and hard to remove. It must be loc-tite exposed to the elements as you said. Thanks for all your work on these boards LMC. I really appreciate your advice and work on the FAQ.

[Skootz Kabootz]

This is great stuff Broke. Thanks so much for taking the time

[Vic]

Thanks for all your work on these boards LMC. I really appreciate your advice and work on the FAQ.

-v

[WovenHands]

I've been needing to replace my front tire as it is flat flat flat.

I posted a thread and didn't get much help, and this was the post in the general maintenance bit of the site.

It seems from reading this thread there were pictures up at some point. As the price for labor in changing a tire here in Portland are kind of crazy (I called around and got everywhere between $75-85), I figured I could do it myself.

I've read and seen the easy way to get the bad tire off of the rim (hello fine tooth saw!), but would love some help on the removal and putting back on of the tire itself. Pictures tend to help me a lot, but alas, they seem to be done off this tread!

So I do hope someone on this thread can help me up a bit. Cheers!

[jasondavis48108]

next time I need tires I'm gonna try it this way

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=299597

You could also do the work to remove the front and back wheels and then take them into the shop to have the new ones put on. Most of the cost of labor is getting the wheels off the scooter. I'd call and ask the shop how much they would charge if you brought the wheels in off the scooter.

[bigbropgo]

Wovenhands; that is a messed up avatar. Bless America for letting you have it. And before I forget, welcome to modernbuddy.

Broke; nice write up. Beer and crayons made me laugh out loud. Oh, and the other stuff was good to.

[Tocsik]

Wovenhands; that is a messed up avatar. Bless America for letting you have it. And before I forget, welcome to modernbuddy.

Broke; nice write up. Beer and crayons made me laugh out loud. Oh, and the other stuff was good to.

Wow bigbropgo, get out of my head! That is basically what I was gonna say!
Heh, beer and crayons . Luv it!

Also, I too am considering the mutli-strap method next time I need a new tire. Someone let me know if it works OK on these 10" tires.
Also Also, it sounds like the bead was not on the rim correctly Broke. I wonder if just letting out the air and re-inflating (maybe more than once) would have helped.

[PIStaker]

next time I need tires I'm gonna try it this way

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=299597

You could also do the work to remove the front and back wheels and then take them into the shop to have the new ones put on. Most of the cost of labor is getting the wheels off the scooter. I'd call and ask the shop how much they would charge if you brought the wheels in off the scooter.

JD,
Good luck with this technique. I tried it, but it was all for naught. The 10 inch diameter is a b!tch to work with. If you have time to take them to someone to simply mount them for you, I suggest you do so. It took my big a$$ and a couple of Harbor freight tire irons, ...and the help of a buddy with some M/C repair knowledge, AND a can of WD 40 to mount these suckers.
I also hear that baby powder or soapy water does the trick. In any event, it was a celebrated victory after I gnarled up my fresh paint job on the rims.
Live and learn.
At least I have a cool story I guess.
-MG

[jasondavis48108]

next time I need tires I'm gonna try it this way

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=299597

You could also do the work to remove the front and back wheels and then take them into the shop to have the new ones put on. Most of the cost of labor is getting the wheels off the scooter. I'd call and ask the shop how much they would charge if you brought the wheels in off the scooter.

JD,
Good luck with this technique. I tried it, but it was all for naught. The 10 inch diameter is a b!tch to work with. If you have time to take them to someone to simply mount them for you, I suggest you do so. It took my big a$$ and a couple of Harbor freight tire irons, ...and the help of a buddy with some M/C repair knowledge, AND a can of WD 40 to mount these suckers.
I also hear that baby powder or soapy water does the trick. In any event, it was a celebrated victory after I gnarled up my fresh paint job on the rims.
Live and learn.
At least I have a cool story I guess.
-MG

Thats sucks, so the strap method doesn't work for these little tires Guess we're back to the take off the wheels and bring them into the shop method

[WovenHands]

Wovenhands; that is a messed up avatar. Bless America for letting you have it. And before I forget, welcome to modernbuddy.

Thanks!

And Bless America, indeed. It's actually a picture of my face. And yes, it was a photoshoot with lots of makeup.

I'm going to give the changing of a tire a whirl today. Wish me luck!