Norton ES2 tyre replacement on an alloy rim

Hi Anthony. take thewheel indoorsfor 1/2 into a warm room. Rubber becomes much softer when warm and this helps a great deal. You could try running boiling water over the tyres to also soften them too.

Take out the valve of the inner tube and make sure all the air is out.

The real secret is making sure you have the tyre right into the rim well. This allows the tyre to be lifted higher off the rim at the levering position. I have sometimes used a couple or three wood workers G clamps to squash the tyreat the opposite position to where you are levering. When you have the tyre really deeply seated in the well you will feel the extra height available to lever up.

Lubricate the tyre bead edge with lubricant. Swarfega is very good. Use for removal and fitting.

Buy and use the NYLON rim protectors, they come as a pair. You should use the shortest levers that you can just manage to slip the tyre dead over the rim edge to start with and then work around the rim.. You may need them for the last inch or two when fitting the new tyre.

When you have the new tyre on, it is sometimes difficult to get the valve in first on the inner tube as you cannot get your fingers to reach under the tyre edge.

It occured to me one day you can fit and secure a wire to a valve cap and then fit the valve cap. Then the end of the wire can be threaded down into the valve rim hole and then the wire pulled to pull in the tube!. The rest of the tube should be positioned in and inflated very slightly to remove kinks.

With a warm new tyre plenty of lubricant, and theG clamps allowing the tyre to sit deeply in the rim well, you should be able to get the new tyre nearly all the way with just wrist work and maybe only the last couple of inches will require levers.

Good luck

Les H

Soory not sure if you are Anthony or Peter.

CORRECTION:Take thewheel indoorsfor 1/2 ADAY!

OOOOOPS and cringe!!! Forget that little idea about pulling the valve through using a wire on the valve cap....yes you all spotted it...the valve cap won't pull through the rim hole!

I thought of the idea a year ago but had forgotten thatit wouldn't work for the reason I have just said.

You could though screw something shortINTO the valvethread but I don't know what thread size it isso forget it. I'll get my coat.

BTW. the G clamps are for squashing the width of the tyre to enable them to sink into the wheel well, not to force them directly into the well.

CU

Les

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MOTORCYCLE-MOTORBIKE-TYRE-CAR-ALLOY-WHEEL-RIM-PROTECTOR-/220749627254?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item3365b3ff76

Never really understood what the chord is for!

Les

Just noticed peter the previous Ebay link was for ONLY ONE!!!!...please don't buy this. you can get them as a pair at many places. M&P etc.

try this one also;

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MOTORCYCLE-TYRE-CHANGING-WHEEL-RIM-PROTECTORS-1-PAIR-/120572421585?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item1c12ad25d1

Les

Previously wrote:

Dear Les,

Bought the protectors, followed your advice to the letter and the tyre came off without my marking the rim. The tyre might arrive tomorrow so in the meantime I've been removing some of the aluminium oxide exposed in the inner rim under the rim tape (which has been scrapped).

I might not have such an easy time of it in the next few days because as you said the tyre has to really sit down in the rim to enable correct fitting of the tube.

So far so good though...

Regards,

Peter

Just a point to think about. Don't be tempted to use washing up liquid to lubricate the tyres, particularly on alloy rims. It contains a high level of salt and will sit there inside your wheel eating it's way out. Try and fit the tyre without any lube, or proper tyre lube as used by the professionals. I'm not sure about swarfega.

Dave Evans

When one has worn one's fingers out pressing on the tyre nearly all the way round and needs to lever the last few inches, it is possible when fitting the rim protector to drop it inside the tyre. Particularly with valanced rims, it can be hard to retrieve without undoing some the previous hard work - unless there is a bit of string attached!

Previously wrote:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MOTORCYCLE-MOTORBIKE-TYRE-CAR-ALLOY-WHEEL-RIM-PROTECTOR-/220749627254?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item3365b3ff76

Never really understood what the chord is for!

Les