Pirelli SL26 Worn Out
It’s tire changing time. I’m not really gonna change a tire since I don’t need any changed and it’s hot, and tire changin’ does amount to some work. I do have old tires around, and a bum set of rims, and I have a blown tire that has been cut up for a mysterious ‘yard art’ project.
Over on the right are a couple of pics of the rear tire I blew at speed. Not a fun day, exciting as hell, but no fun. It happened cause I did not give the tires a regular inspection. If I had, then I would have seen the ‘chord’ was exposed and swapped in a new tire. Yes, I had a full set of new tires in the shed. Maintenance includes inspection. A stupid mistake cost me $150 or so, and I was so damn swelled up that I could not fit in my jeans for a week.
Blown Pirelli
Check your tires when you see they are getting worn. I only get about 3K miles out of a rear tire. I do not rotate tires front to rear. Makes no sense to me, I probably can get 10K out of a front tire. 75% of the weight of the scoot is sitting on the rear.
They are round when new, you will wear them and they will flatten out as they get thinner. You ride in the summer, it’s hot, the road is hotter, the tires work hard, heat builds, oxygen expands, something gives and you get a blowout. No nails or road debris required.
Changing tires is not really hard, but old tires are a lot stiffer than new ones. They go on much easier than they come off. Before you start, take all the air out of the tire/tube. If you don’t you will bend the rims and give birth to a cat. Trust me. Get some dish washing liquid and a little water and brush it on where the tires meet the “bead” of the rim. Let’em soak a few minutes, then soak ‘em again, and then do the tire dance to “break the bead loose”. Then you can remove the nuts from the rims and start pulling things apart.
When you got everything apart, clean the rims with a wire brush or ScotchBrite. Paint inside if you want, cause they will rust in there. There should be a mark on the tire which you want to line up with the notch in the rim where the inflation nipple sticks out. Line things up and push the tire onto the thick rim, install the tube (empty of air) and rotate it to the notch, set the thin rim with the notch aligned and push them together. Tire dancing may be involved here too.
I put axle grease on the tire beads to help them slip on. I tire dance enough so I can get the first nut on a rim bolt, then work around til I can install all the nuts. Then you tighten the nuts, equally around in a circle, until the is just enough room between them to insert a credit card. ???? Yep, put a credit card in between the two rims to make sure the tube is not going to be pinched when you do the final tightening of the two rims together. Make sure you tighten the rims together before going on.
Then air up the tire, 40 lbs. or so. The beads may ‘pop’ into place. Then inspect them. There is a thin little bead line on every tire in the world so you can check your tire install. Trust me. If it looks really wanker, remove the rim, lubricate the tire bead and rim and reinstall. When it all looks good, set the tire pressure to the correct PSI and install.
Ok, to start is Tire & Tube Talk, then later today I’ll post up the “Dancing With Tires” video. 
And now your can ‘Dance With Tires’.
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