How to Changing the Rear Tube or Tire

How to Changing the Rear Tube or Tire.

Steps.

Part 1: Removing the Wheel Assembly.

1. Place your motorbike on a secure stand. A proper motorcycle tire change stand makes this job easier and reduces the risk of bike damage and personal injury. Place the stand on solid concrete, never dirt or grass.

If you're using a built-in center stand, place a large block under the motor just in case.

2. Remove the cotter pin. If your model uses a cotter pin (split pin), remove it from the rear axle with needle-nose pliers. The cotter pin is a fastener attached to the axle nut and bolt, with two tines bent apart to keep the nut in place.

3. Remove the axle nut. The required socket size varies with the make and model, but typically falls between 18 and 27 mm.

4. Examine the brakes. Identify the brakes with the help of the advice below or your owner's manual. Adjust them depending on the type of brake mechanism:

If your rear wheel has drum brakes, they are enclosed inside a container ("drum") on the wheel. Find the nut attached to the adjustment bolt on the drum lever, then loosen and remove it. This will allow you to push the rear wheel slightly forward for the next step.

If your rear wheel has disc brakes, they are housed in a caliper mechanism. In most cases, the discs will slide out without a problem when you remove the wheel. Check your owner's manual if you think adjustment may be necessary.

5. Loosen and remove the chain or belt adjustment nut. This nut is usually on the right hand side of the rear wheel, attached to a stationary rod. Remove this nut and set it aside until the end of this process.

6. Remove the chain or belt. Now that the nut is off, you can push the rear wheel forward a short distance. Stop pushing when the chain or belt is hanging loose enough to remove easily. Lift the upper side of the chain or belt and pull slightly back and upward. It should now be clear of the sprocket or pulley; move it left to detach it completely.

7. Remove the rear axle. Tap the axle bolt with a rubber mallet to push the axle slightly inward, just to loosen its position in the rear frame. Ask an assistant to help you lift the tire out of the rear frame and hold it steady. Tap the axle bolt until it is flush with the frame on the right side. You should be able to use your hand to wiggle the bolt from the bolt head on the left side. Wiggle with a twisting back and forth motion while pulling towards you, until the axle bolt is removed.

8. Place the wheel flat on a clear, hard surface. Place the wheel brake-side-down, on a flat, concrete floor or other clear surface. Do not place it on dirt, grass, or any surface that might dirty the greased area where the axle bolt slides in.

Part 2: Removing the Tire and Inner Tube.

1. Remove the valve stem core. Find the valve stem core (inflating valve) on the rear tire. Unscrew it with a valve stem core removal tool to let out all the air in the inner tube. Any air remaining in the inner tube will make be quite difficult to remove.

2. Break the tire bead seal on one side. Insert one long tire iron or flathead screwdriver into the small crease where the edge of the rubber tire meets the metal wheel rim. Once you've worked the wide tip into this gap, push the long handle back down toward the wheel center to pop the tire out above the metal rim. Leave this tool in place to hold it there while you use a second tool to work your way around the tire. Continue levering the tire out until this entire side is above the metal rim.

3. Break the tire bead seal on the other side. Flip the entire wheel over — if your bike has disc brakes, they will now be face up. You should be able to loosen this side of the tire just by pressing down firmly on the tire edge with your palm. Work around the tire until it is completely loose.

Unlike the first side, this side of the tire does not need to be over the rim. As long as you can freely rotate the tire around the rim, you are ready to continue.

4. Remove the valve stem retaining nuts. Find the stem where you inflate the tire, and remove the nut or nuts holding it in place. You may need an adjustable wrench, or several small wrenches of different sizes.

5. Push the stem back into the wheel. Grab the valve stem and push it back into the inside of the wheel. Make sure it won't catch onto anything as you remove the inner tube.

6. Pull out the inner tube. Reach into the tire and grab hold of the inner tube. Pull it out of the tire.

If you are having trouble pulling it out, confirm that the tire is completely loose.

Part 3: Installing the New Inner Tube and/or Tire.

1. Position the new inner tube in line with the valve stem hole. Make sure the new tube is perfectly flat, with no kinks, pinches, or twists. Align the valve stem with the matching hole in the wheel assembly, then carefully push part of the inner tube into this area of the tire. At the same time, push the valve stem back inside the wheel and in through the valve stem hole.

2. Loosely install one of the valve stem retaining nuts. You only need one nut, rotated about five times, to make sure the stem does not fall out of the hole. Do not tighten this nut further.

3. Install the inner tube. Work your way around the tire, inserting the inner tube until it is inside the tire. Take care to avoid kinks and twists during insertion.

4. Return the tire under the wheel rim. Press down on the tire with your palms while forcing the edge inside the rim with a tire iron or large flathead screwdriver. Repeat around the tire edge until it is completely under the wheel rim.

Take special care to avoid puncturing the inner tube as you do this!

If you are replacing this with a new tire, make sure the treads are pointing in the correct direction.

5. Inflate the inner tube slowly. Listen for a whistle or strange noise that could indicate a kink in the tube, and correct if necessary. If all is well, you will eventually hear a pop as the tire forms an airtight seal against the rim. Continue filling until you reach the pressure recommended by your tire/tube manufacturer.

6. Check for air leaks. Spray soapy water or glass cleaner around the tire perimeter, along the metal rim. Look closely for air bubbles escaping from between the rim and tire. If the bubbles continue forming in the same spot, it is not airtight. Force the tire back under the rim and check for a puncture.

Part 4: Reinstalling the Wheel Assembly.

1. Clean and grease the axle bolt. This is your chance to get your axle bolt debris-free and well greased. Apply parts cleaner-degreaser, then a thick layer of axle grease once clean.

Do not grease the bolt threads or head — you do not want that to slip!

WARNING — Use an abundance of caution to keep the grease away from the brake assembly. Grease will make the brakes nonfunctional.

2. Reattach the brake assembly if necessary. The next few steps are a two-man job. Ask a friend to hold the rear wheel in place between the two rear forks. If you removed the brake assembly earlier, now's the time to reattach it. Just hand tighten the brake adjustment nut for now.

3. Install the chain or belt. Lift this up over the top edge of the sprocket or pulley, until at least three or four links of the chain are resting on the top. Slowly and gently rotate the rear wheel backward (as if it were in reverse). This should guide the chain or belt into position on the sprocket or pulley as it should be.

4. Hand tighten the axle nut. Next, reinstall the axle nut onto the axle, but leave it loose enough to move the wheel backwards in order to tighten the chain or belt.

5. Confirm the axle is installed safely. Examine the bike frame very close to the hole the axle bolt slides through. Some models have hash marks or slash marks to guide the installation, so you can be sure the axle and rear wheel are installed at a perfect 90º angle to the rear frame. If there are no marks, use a tape measure to confirm the axle is exactly the same distance from the front of the rear frame on both the right and left sides.

WARNING — A misaligned axle will cause your rear wheel to wobble. This leads to loss of control or a detached chain or belt. NEVER continue until you are certain you have installed the axle perfectly.

6. Adjust the chain or belt. Refer to your owners' manual for the exact amount of play or slack that should be present in the chain or belt. Reinstall the adjustment nut on the right side of the rear frame and adjust according to manual instructions.

7. Tighten the axle nut firmly with a torque wrench. Tighten this nut to 60-63 lbs. torque or the recommended torque shown in your owner's manual. Do not attempt to estimate the torque without a torque wrench, as a mistake can cause the axle to detach while riding!

If your bike uses a cotter pin (split pin) to fasten this nut, align the holes in the nut with the holes in the axle. After tightening, insert the cotter pin and bend its tines apart to fasten the nut in place. Using a new cotter pin each time is ideal due to loss of strength during removal.

8. Confirm that all nuts are secured appropriately. Return to the brake assembly nut that you tightened by hand, and tighten it properly with a wrench. Examine each item you handled one last time to confirm there are no loose nuts or missing pins, especially if your model had additional fasteners not mentioned in this guide.

The one exception is the valve stem nuts. These are best left off the bike, as they may cause more harm than good by reducing flexibility of the tube during high speed riding.

Tips.

A little dish soap can help the bead slide back on the rim if the fit is tight.

Older models can have rear axle nuts up to 36mm across, but this is rare nowadays.

Warning.

In British English, "cotter pin" refers to a different part. Look for a "split pin" instead if you are in the UK.

Things You'll Need : Assistant.

Motorcycle tire change stand or (last resort) a cinder block and rubber mat.

Metric socket set with extensions (typically 18–24mm for front axle, 18–27mm for rear axle).

Hard rubber mallet, Valve stem core removal tool.

2–3 Tire irons or large, flat head screwdrivers (12–14 inch / 30–36cm handles).

Adjustable wrench or set of small wrenches, Parts cleaner-degreaser

Fresh tube of axle grease, And if axle bolt has a cotter pin: Needle nose pliers, Replacement cotter pin.