Probably not the first three words that come to mind when you think about motorcycles… but I promise they’re related. More specifically related to motorcycle tires.
I had blast at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days this year, and part of it was zipping around on my SSR Razkull. I hadn’t really touched that bike in a year or so. I even had listed it for sale, after making the Top 30 of Paul Teutul Jr.’s Next Great American Innovator. Vintage Days reminded me why I had originally enjoyed the Razkull, and I decided it was time to give that bike a bit of the completion it deserves. My original plan was to make the Razkull into a mini Terra Mostro, since it’s already a mini Ducati Monster.
One of the last major items, the Razkull needed to fulfill that mini Terra Mostro idea, is tires. The original Terra Mostro had proper knobbies on it, and while the Razkull definitely struggled in the Mid-Ohio campground mud, I didn’t want to lose all of its street manners. Dual sport tires it is, but which ones. I ended up deciding on Dunlop D604s, because I rather like Dunlop and it was one of the few 12 inch dual sport tires with a speed rating higher than a brisk walk.
I called Iron Pony, because they’ve always treated me right so I’ve never had a reason to buy tires anywhere else. They didn’t have D604s and seemed to have no desire to order them. On top of that, their price for tire mounting was up to $40 a wheel. Not the end of the world, but I figured I’d check with a couple other shops before going with the Shinko Mobbers that Iron Pony offered.
I try to avoid Amazon as much as possible, but they had the D604s available and reasonably priced. I quickly found that a set of tire spoons was ~$25-60. I was already planning on using Sahara Moto in the wheel for balance and puncture resistance, so no need for balancing stand. Seemed like I might as well give it a shot, learn a new skill, and have the tire I want.
A few days later, the D604s, tire spoons, valve stems, and Sahara Moto showed up. I had watch several videos (found this one the most helpful: ), read a bunch of forum posts, and decided that I’d use a soap and water mix for bead lubricant. I was ready to change some tires… or so I thought. I started with the rear tire. I got the first bead off the tire, but the second one was fighting me. I stopped and rewatch Ari Henning’s video (see link above), and used my knee as instructed. Out popped the wheel!
Now, I just needed to get the new tire on. The first bead didn’t go on as easy as I thought it was going to, but the second bead was even worse. I was taking small bites with the spoons like all the videos said. I was constantly making sure the rest was still in the drop center, and the bead was just fighting me the whole way. It was kicking my butt, and I was wearing out. Mostly mentally, but a little physically. The humidity was brutal, and I hadn’t sweat that much since high school football conditioning.
I took a break, rewatched some videos, reread some forum posts, and got back to it. More lube and pushing the tire a bit further than I was initially comfortable with were the key. There was more flex to the bead than I thought, and I just didn’t want to tear anything. But I figured if I knew everything else was right, I just needed to push on the spoons a bit more.
Before tackling the front tire, I had a conversation with my Dad. He mentioned using Murphy’s Oil Soap in the past, and a few forum posts had mentioned it as well. That was a game changer, big time! The first bead on the front tire just glided onto the wheel, and the second bead spooned on about a thousand times easier. Threw Sahara in both, and now I just need to mount them back up to the bike.
I’m glad I decided to give it a shot, and I’ll probably do it again in the future. But I also appreciate tire mounting machines more now than I ever have. If you decide you’re going to change your own tires, the biggest take away I can give you is Murphy’s Oil Soap or one of the tire mounting specific lubricants. Soapy water can work, but Murphy’s made it so much easier.
Here’s a list of tools/parts I used:
- Dunlop D604 120/70-12 & 130/70-12
- Sahara Moto
- Tire Spoons
- Murphy’s Oil Soap
