04-26-2019, 01:53 AM
(04-26-2019, 01:23 AM)Pauley_imp Wrote: I’ve been changing my own motorcycle tires for a while now. All the investment in tools has paid for itself. It takes a few times to get the technique down so it’s not such a chore any more. Still takes some muscle power but nothing like the wrestling match the first time I tried it. Getting the bead down in the rim groove is key. Knees and body weight help. Watch the brake disks so you don’t damage them. A good tire changing lube like Bead Butter or Bead Ease is key not only for getting the tires on and off the rim but to make the bead seat more easily. I have a cheap small compressor with a 1 gallon tank and that seats the beads like a charm with the lube. Never had to resort to the strap technique after starting to use lube.
As it is with so many things we choose to do ourselves, rather than paying someone else to do it for us. Generally speaking, for me working on things like motorcycles is as much a test of patience (and a reminder of the tools I might lack or want) as it is anything else. I'm not the most knowledgable of home mechanics and most of the time spent working in the garage is a learning experience. But working on my vehicles has actually been good for me in many ways and at times I'd even say therapeutic. (I sure can't say the same thing about working on my house.)
At the heart of the matter for many of us is that few are likely to pay as much care and attention to our motorcycles (or whatever else people might choose to work on) than ourselves. But ultimately if the interest isn't there and satisfaction is lacking from working on things ourselves then the effort rarely feels like it is worth the time and inconvenience.