if thats the worse spot on the entire tire, you could run it for another 100miles. but when the tire starts to crack up off of the threads its mostly ideal to replace them before then. other than that idk shit about taking tires off i just imagine seting chain tension and making sure its inline is something you need experince to deal with
in my book, it's time to call your local dealer, the one that you have a good relationship with, and see if you can schedule a tire mount/balance. be up front with him as to your tire condition; i'd ride the bike over, but that's your call. if you're worried, have heard of people circumference duct taping the tire when the cord is showing in the center ... no personal experience though knowingly running the tire down to cord, using take offs - all speaks to saving $20. less than a tankfull of gas. shoot, next time buy some new, longer life tires. look at sport touring tires, maybe. $.02
thanks for the posts guys. i'm just looking for someone to help me take the wheels off the bike, not install the new tires. i'll be taking them to someone else to get the tires mounted!
taking the wheels off is the easy part... getting them on can cause problems. If I was in your area I would stop by. You will need front and rear stands or some way to get both wheels off the ground and stabilized. good luck!
invest in a rear stand! it's no more complex than taking your bicycle wheel off, just heavier. but you need a rear stand (or a bike with a center stand)
Got a engine hoist? Done that before, works in a pinch. You will also need some kind of nylon strap- tow strap is best, but two good wratchet tie downs will work. Attach to swing arm in an area where it wont bind on the tail section (use of an engine hoist spreader bar is ideal). Remove cotter key on rear nut, take nut off. You will need a big ass crescent wrench, but in a pinch a pipe wrench will work- will slightly damage nut though, no big deal just cosmetic (which makes it a big deal for most lol). Remove brake caliper, then lift bike. Get it JUST high enough to remove wheel, pull the axle out once weight is off tire. lift chain off and hang over swingarm and you're done. If you also want to do the front at same time, set swingarm onto a milk crate or other STRONG suitable square object (your head will work.... running your tire that threadbare- WTF?). Once rear is suitably safe, take straps and run one to each clip-on ~ Make SURE no matter if it swings it will not hit the upper fairing! ~ then lift bike up until it is just barely touching ground. loosen the two small bolts on the side of the front axle that have a nut. Then losen the nut maybe one turn (Most front axles are a two piece design, which each piece nearly the entire length of the combined axle). Remove the 2ea. bolts holding the calipers on and set calipers aside or ziptie them up. Lift bike at least 4 or 5" and finish unscrewing the axle and pull that side out. Then loosen the other sides 2 crimp bolts, support the tire with your foot and remove that axle half. Never leave your bike hanging from a hoist, they are notorious for bleeding down. Set your fork ends on a piece of cardboard or something cushiony. Edit: make sure you use the engine hoist on its middle or farther out setting on the main bar. If not, you will not be able to get the front tire out once you have it off. Trust me...
Lol thanks for all the comments people. Maybe I should have clarified.... I have both front and rear stands. I just wanted someone to hold my hand while I did this so I don't fck anything up! If I do screw this up... I'll be making another thread :mrgreen:
If you do screw that up, then you should look into buying a moped. It's not much more difficult than changing your oil! lol
You can get those wheels off! Get that sicle on those stands. Then use your eyeballs to observe how it all works together. Take pictures with your digital camera if you have to. The threads are right hand. You CAN do it!! Go slow, dont make any moves till you know how and why you're doing it. Use the correct tool for the job. Make sure you wear gloves and safety glasses. Dont get your hair hung up in the chain. Take a big ole breath nerve up and just do it. Its scary the first time. While you have it apart clean and polish everything you can reach. To reassemble just do everything in reverse order. Except the cleaning of course. The feeling of accomplishment will enrichen your life for many years to come. You'll not have any problem tackling any new unfamiliar task. The rewards are worth it, all you need to do is get that first set of wheels off. Now get out there and do it! :mrgreen: Man, that was some strong coffee I had there. :evil4: Joe.
lmao... wow thanks for all that Joe. you should become a motivational speaker:mrgreen: I'm gunna give this a shot in a couple of hours. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to manage... it's not like this is my first time messing around with my bike. just don't wanna screw it up cause i've got a good month of riding left (i hope8)) btw, i live close to wwu, since i'm attending the school and also in summer school :tard::evil4: