Essential tools to remove/fit tyres and tubes

[XP@]

Depending on your rims, one of the hardest parts can be to break the bead (getting the tyre off the rim) (especially if you only weigh 75kg's).
Tyre levers don't work, jumping on it don't work, swearing at it helps you feel better but does nothing to help.

The best way I have found is to use the heaviest thing available... your bike!
Preferably you need a friend to help if things go wrong.

what you do is take the wheel off.
put the wheel under the side stand
rock the bike on to it, yup you end up with a pretty dubious balancing act.
When the bead has broken carefully put the bike back on to the centre stand.
If you have another bike still with 2 wheels then use it's sidestand.

Yup, there is a chance you will drop the bike. I have used this about 50 or 60 times and only dropped it once, and then managed to pick up my f650 again.

Another way is to get a car to CAREFULLY drive over it...

[hondav2]

Best tyre lube is "Skid" . In aerosol can, we buy it for work from TWL. For bead breaking use Med size G clamp. Cheers Toddy

[erik]

I weight 90-something kg's and I couldn't break the beads of my tyres by standing on them. I ended up using a block of wood on the tyre, and then another long bit of 4 x 2 as a lever with one end under the car to break the beads.

Or was that just the car tyre bead that I couldn't break by standing on...?

Anyway, that's another way you can do it, by using a couple of bits of wood etc.

[XP@]

well basically if you are in the middle of nowhere without g-clamps and handy bits of 2*4 then use your friends bikes side stand. If you don't have a friend then you should perhaps shower more often.