BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

Of the do-it-yourselfer's here, how many of you mount and balance your own tires?  I have been working with friends in my own garage, and we regularly change 8-10 tires in a season between us, sometimes more.  Its not hard, but I'm wondering about the methodology that you use to change and balance those tires. 


Our tire changes are a bit old-school.  I don't have any special tools other than a valve core remover, 3 tire spoons, and some long 2x4's for breaking the bead on tires.  We also picked up some rim guards that ensure no rim scratches are you are spooning the old tire off.  I did just build a tool to make breaking the bead easier in the future (I don't have photos yet, but I can snap a few if anyone is interested).  We split the cost of a static tire balancing stand (although a pair of jack stands works just as well), and a series of stick-on weights for balancing, but we have found once the wheel is balanced, Michelin pilot road 4's are so uniform in their thickness and excellent in their construction, rarely are any weights needed. 


Marlen.

Don't know if you have pressure sensors on your bike.  They are a big lump inside the rim and easily damaged during tyre changing.

I do have TPMS sensors, and so I will need to be very careful changing the tires.  I have done many tire changes, but none on this bike (with TPMS) yet.  Tires are on order.  Any advice you might have, or a photo of the TPMS would also help. 

Sorry no photos but the rims should be clearly marked as they sit off centre to the valve stem.  They are very expensive to replace.

I change my own tyres. Done mine and my mates for the last 5 years or so. Got quite good at it now with practise. I bought a bead breaker and static balancer from Abba Tools. Lube and yellow thingy from No-Mar Tires from the States. Tyre levers are short thin spoon type. I'm a great believer in investing in proper tools. Have saved a fortune over the past few years. As RTMan10 says you have to be very careful if you have TPMS sensors. To successfully change tyres use the correct tyre lube and with the right technique very little force is required. Some tyres are easier than others. Tyres with stiffer side walls are harder. Michelin PR tyres are my favourite. Warm rubber is easier than freezing cold, so if fitting in winter keep your new tyres in the house to warm them before fitting. Makes them much easier to fit. The easiest tyre to fit was a Michelin front tyre on a GS 19 inch front wheel. Went on without the use of tyre levers we were gob smacked.

Also need an air compressor to seat the tyre onto the wheel. When doing this keep fingers well away from the wheel rim. When the tyre seats it does so with such force that I wouldn't like to think what would be left of a finger if it got in the way. Using a little bit of No-Mar tyre paste on the bead of the wheel makes seating the tyre much easier without using excessive air pressure. If you not familiar with No-Mar Tires have a look at their web site. They make great manual tyre changers. I don't have one I do mine by hand. Have a look at their videos very informative even if you are doing changes the old fashioned way. Shows the drop zone on wheels and the importance on keeping the tyre in the drop zone while levering the opposite side of the tyre so reducing the wheels diameter and thus making it easier to get the tyre either on or off. All good fun.

I did a bit of googling.  The BMW TPMS sensor in the rim is removable, and the batteries can also be changed (although they are sealed, and not intended to be replaced - I would take a crack at it anyways).  A little extra caution with the TPMS in the rim, but otherwise, same procedure... 

Are Wheels (with or without Discs) plus Tyres better off being balanced Statically, Dynamically, both or doesn't it matter.
(Physics suggests that Dynamically is best, but how about in practice).

This Video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX4NpFNjpsY, shows a Motorcycle Wheel Balancer being used.
The Wheel is first balanced Statically, with the weight being put in the centre of the rim.
When the Wheel is balanced Dynamically, the weights are put on both sides of the rim towards the outside edge.

New Tyres do come marked to identify the lightest spot, my understanding is that this is generally fitted at the Wheel Valve.



I don't fit my own Tyres & have them Dynamically balanced by the Tyre Fitter.

Any comments.

mbro wrote:A photo of the TPMS would also help.

Although these are not BMW TPMS, the photos do show how they are attached to BMW Wheel Rims.

The front mount uses a pre-threaded hole inside the hollow spoke the tire valve is screwed into. The kit comes complete with a hollow bolt to use for this mounting.





The back rim was even more straightforward.. since it uses a normal (slightly offset to one side) rubber valve stem.

That stem is removed and replaced with a high-quality metal stem, that also has a hollow threaded stud that protrudes into the rim inside so the clip for the sensing module can be fastened there.

Example of BMW Front TPMS.



Example of BMW Rear TPMS.

mbro wrote:The BMW TPMS sensor in the rim is removable, and the batteries can also be changed (although they are sealed, and not intended to be replaced - I would take a crack at it anyways).

BMW R1200RT Tire Pressure Monitor Battery Replacement, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mpjz0cDjnK4

I've never thought about my tyre pressure sensors til now,  never tried to imagine what they look like but looking at the pictures came as quite a shock.
They look big and fragile,  But they must be very robust to take the Gforces and vibrations
Learn something new every day,  I've gotta ask.... How much are they to replace?

Of the pictures posted and lord knows where  David finds them all the first ones look like they canm out of a Chinese container.  Seem to recall BMW ones are a bit over £100 each but they seem to go on forever. Compared to the types you find in a lot if cars these days which just tell you the pressure is down,  they are very sophisticated.  .