Understood Uncle Scrooge.
It really can take a toll on you when it's just you, a manual bead breaker, some tire irons and a new rear tire!

Spent more than enough time with tired, scuffed up hands gettin' it the bike ready for a new season. Now I go to my buddies car tire shop and sneak them on the tire machine.

 

NICE, I do all my own as well, and all of my buddies too. with spoons. I should make one of those. Or get the Harbor Freight unit that on sale

 

Dude are you a machinist? I see that lathe in the background

 

I took a votech course for general shop machinist years ago. Just 8 hours shy of mechanical drafting degree. Dozens of other courses throughout the years... Ain't no professional, but I can get it done!

Most of the tools are Harbor Freight chinese knock offs, but they work well enough...

 

At 55 the testosterone fairy came in my sleep and robbed me of most of my strength...too old to manage tire change alone

 

LOL...that's what happened!!

I take pride in that I work on my own scoot for everything except......tires. I don't change them often enough (sadly) so it is the one fight I leave to the shop with the tools. Hat's off to all of you who struggle through it yourself!

 

After having some warranty work done by a Dealer and finding my drive belt left loose, I'm trying to do most of my service now. I know some of you are as old, but I'm pushing 68 yrs young. I changed both front and rear tires on my UC with two tire spoons and rim protector's. Two pieces of 4X4 12 long with a towel covering them to protect my rims. The only problem I had was after changing, I had to take them to a Service station to get them pumped up. I only have a small nail gun compressor. I couldn't get enough air volume to set the beads. I broke the beads with one of the 4X4's and a 8 Ft 4X4 under the edge of my back deck.

 

Hats off to you Ron. You've got 3 years on me. I break the beads with 3 6" C-clamps, remove and reinstall on the wheel with 3 spoons, and go to the service station to air it up. I've never had a problem getting Dunlop beads to seat with a genuine station compressor (not one of those dinky coin operated jobs). Check the balance by resting the wheel between two kitchen chairs and marking several spins with chalk.

 

Replaced my air temp gauge with a testosterometer. Damned thing hasn't moved off zero for several years now.

 

I use Dynabeads for balancing. I've never felt the bike so smooth as now. I'll try the C-clamps next change...thanks!