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Im looking for white wall tires "wide" for the Nightster, i keep reading sites and get confused about the sizes. i want to be able to use the stock rims.
 
Glider gave me the link to American Motorcycle Tire --
- American Motorcycle Tire
If your thinking of getting your tires off the net , I was
pleased with them ( got wide whitewalls for my Heritage ).
Gotta get them put on now and that's the rub :11:
I've checked 4 dealers within 2 hour ride and they're all
going to charge around $180.00 - $200.00 to install the
suckers. That'll make it about $475.00 for two tires. I know ,
I know - you gotta do what you gotta do - but I guess I'm
just too old not to grump a little:52:
Unk
 
Didn't mean to steal TatoodITGuy's thread but thanks for the advice.
IF I can get someone local to walk me through it the first time , then
I would like to follow the instructions in Glider's link . BUT, I simply don't
trust myself to go it alone the first time without hands on help. Will check
with some folks in the local CMA for suggestions on an Indy. Seems like
proper tire installation would sorta be important :)
Thanks again.
Unk
 
Here's what you can do to save some money...
I've used this many times and it works well mounting tires.

I use a 30 gallon metal oil drum or a plastic garbage can of this size will work well too, it's just not as heavy to stay in place as well when you are mounting the tire. This size drum will also allow the pulley/rotor to drop inside and hold the wheel in place while working on it.
Pick up 2 tire spoons 12"-15" long and get some of the 3/4" flexible PVC piping that is used in under ground lawn sprinklers. Cut some lengths of the PVC about 4" long, slit one side lengthwise and use these as rim protectors so the tire spoons don't scratch the wheels.
Remove the valve core from the tire to deflate it, take an old blanket folded in quarters and lay it across the can that will hold the tire for dismounting which will protect the wheel.
Break the bead with some large "C" clamps and once broken on both sides, work it to the indented area in the middle of the rim. From here you get the tire spoon under one sidewall of the tire at a time and pry it over the rim in small bites working with both tire spoons. Once you get it almost half way off the rest comes off easy. Do the same to the other side wall of the tire over the same side of the rim and the tire is off.

Going back on , some soapy water will help you here to make the tire bead slip onto the rim easier. New tires are a bit more flexible than the older ones and go on pretty well. Always check the rim for any rust where the tire bead will seal or you will have a leaker if it's tubeless.
Work the first bead over the rim and use the indent in the center of the rim on the opposite side you are working on to help with more room by seating the bead of the tire already on the rim down into the recess. Work both beads onto the rim and center the tire placing the dot on the sidewall next to the valve stem and the arrow on the side wall in the proper direction of rotation on the wheel.
From here you can air it up as long as it's a tubeless tire making sure that both beads pop out onto the seating area of the rim and keeping your fingers clear of the bead when you are airing it up.Don't use excessive pressure to seat the beads. If you have a problem with seating the bead, deflate it again and use a bit of the soapy water to lube the rim, works wonders here.
If you have a tube type tire, I inflate the tube just a little bit so it will take a little shape and slip it into the new tire before mounting taking care not to pinch it with the tire iron when mounting the tire.

Inflate to the proper pressure and remount the wheel again. It sounds complicated at first but it is not difficult to do and works best with a friend helping. Four hands are better than two.

Just thing of the money you saved here. The tire spoons shouldn't even cost $20 and the PVC is very cheap too.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

PS...Don't forget to balance that new tire.
 
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I once put a car tire on a steel rim . It took a lot of force to get the final few inches of the bead over the rim. Because it was a steel rim I was not to concerned.

Now I have an ALUMINUM BIKE RIM . Even with good spoons and protection, is there any possibilty of doing damage to that ALUMINUM RIM during those last few inches of mounting the tire.
 
Now I have an ALUMINUM BIKE RIM . Even with good spoons and protection, is there any possibilty of doing damage to that ALUMINUM RIM during those last few inches of mounting the tire.

There's always a possibility of a slip of the spoon, but if care is taken to do this job, it is possible to complete it without a hitch.
 
not worried about thread jacking, i get to see all the types of problems other people have. the more info i see the better off i am.

I thank you.
 
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