I need to be doing a change soon and i was wondering is changing a tubeless tire as simple and changing a tubed tire. Ive done em on my dirt bike and its a piece of cake. Well i found a video on youtube of a tubeless tire change and he done the same as you would a tubed tire. So yea i was wondering is that simple to change a tubeless tire on a motorcycle?
In general, tubeless tires are more difficult to change than tubed tires. The tire fits the rim mode closely; it has to in order to retain air. Then there is the bead retention shoulder on a tubeless rim, designed to keep the bead on the rim if the tire deflates at speed. The result is that the bead is a lot more difficult to break down. With a tubed tire, you can almost always break the bead using just tire levers. You may find you need a tire changing fixture to break a tubeless bead. Mounting atubeless tire is also more difficult. You may need a large volume of compressed air to get the bead to seat, where you can use a hand pump with a tubed tire.
I get the feeling that many of the responders have never changed a tubless tire. Unless you have the proper tools for breaking down the tire, forget it because you'll never get the bead broke loose. Nearly all rear tubeless rims have an automotive style safety bead, a small raised ridge set back maybe 3/8 from the wheel shoulder. It's there so that if you have a flat, the tire stays on the wheel rather than coming loose and wallowing around on the rim. Have a flat at speed and it's the rear one that will dump you in a ditch faster than a flat on the front. I once had a sudden blow out from something that cut an inch long hole in the tread. I slowly rode the full dress bike nearly a mile on a field road to get back to my house. While the rear did wallow around some, the tire never came off of the rim. To break the bead on a safety rim, you need a $50 Harbor Freight bead breaker or a hand held one shaped like a very large, dull chisel. The latter is hard to use, the former easy. Tubeless tire dimensions are no different than tube style, it's the rims that are different. Tubeless are easier because you don't have a tube to stuff in there and possibably pinch. However, if the tire has been stored on its side with other tires stored on top, the sidewalls can be mashed together and you'll never get the the beads to mate up to the wheel enough to take air. You then must use the old starting fluid and torch striker to ignite the starting fluid enough to explode, popping the wire onto the rim. You need to be careful because if you go pounding on a mag wheel, you can bust them and then you have junk. You also have to be careful when laying the wheel down or working on it because you can slightly warp the brake disc.
it is alittle easier to do tubless than tubed tires just make sure the rim is made to be tubeless
