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Sportster Motorcycle Tires, Wheels, and Brakes Discuss issues with Sportster motorcycle tires, wheels and brakes.

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jeffcahill (70), jeebus (55), cdepaola (53), RubenAlonzo (53), chida66 (48), schneck0341 (46)
View Poll Results: Do you change your Sportster's tires yourself? Or hire it out?
Yes, I change my own tires (with or without a friend's help). 146 43.71%
No, I have a shop do it. 108 32.34%
I've done both. Depends on my mood/circumstances. 72 21.56%
I change attire every day. How's that a Sportster question? 8 2.40%
Voters: 334. You may not vote on this poll

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  #161  
Old 10th April 2022
Bluto Bluto is offline
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Another use for zip ties is for mounting tube tires...the tube is inflated just enough to round it out and placed in the tire then about 6 zip ties are used to force the beads together. Both beads are mounted at the same time and the valve stem is put through the rim hole and secured with a nut. The zip ties are then removed and there is no need to cut them, the locking tab can be released with a small screwdriver.
This method works great in my experience plus it is dang near impossible to pinch a tube this way.

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  #162  
Old 11th April 2022
andy2175m4 andy2175m4 is offline
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good plan, will try it next time I do a tire
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  #163  
Old 19th September 2022
Sporty1989 Sporty1989 is offline
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I let the shop do it. Change the oil myself though, insanely simple.
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  #164  
Old 28th November 2022
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Nibelungen Nibelungen is offline
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I will... when retired... if still able to ride...
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  #165  
Old 29th November 2022
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nibelungen View Post
I will... when retired... if still able to ride...
I got the wheel balancer, do it sometimes

But usually let my indy, I'm getting lazy in my old age
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  #166  
Old 23rd March 2023
cookiemech cookiemech is offline
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Always do my own mounting and balancing. Have a Coats 220 tire machine with a No-Mar adapter (allows me to do Big Twin Harley wheels without removing sprocket or rotor). I keep track of how many tires I've changed on it. Somewhere above 180 at this point.

Neither the Coats 220 nor the No-Mar adapter for it are available any more, but sometimes the Coats manual tire machine turns up on Craig's List, used of course.

(I do my own car and truck tires as well, on a separate manual Coats machine. And I spin balance those on an old Coats 1001 balancer, which I received for free from a company who picked it up used from a Sears Tire and Auto Center years ago.)

If I do my own work, then it's done right. No scratched rims or tires mounted backwards.
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