Changing Rear Tire

[Anonymous]

hey all -

- been watching this site for a while...great info here!

- anyway, my dad gave me his '81 gs650l last year. he didn't take very good care of it. my brother and i have got it running pretty good and cleaned up the best we can...for a bike kept outside of a garage for the past 5+ years. not much to look at, but it's fun to ride around town on nice days.

- now to the problem at hand. the rear tire has dry rot and is cracking...obviously needs to be replaced. tires seem easy enough to purchase, however how to get it on is the problem. to be honest, i might feel a bit embarrased bringing this in to the local suzuki dealer and thought that i might be able to change it myself with the help of my brother who is an auto mechanic.

- is changing the rear tire a job that can be done at home without too much trouble? or would it be better to just suck it up and pay someone to bring the ugly duckling into the dealer and get it changed?

- any advice is much appreciated....thanks!

[Billy Ricks]

Here's a thread on changing tires. http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...=tire&start=15
Basically lots of soapy water and work your way around the tire a little at a time. Keep applying soapy water as you get the bead pushed down.

[Rico]

Well takeing the rear wheel off is a do-able thing for most.

Then just take that and the new tire to your local shop for a mount and balance. (around $30 US with tube)

And while the wheel is off you can clean is those hard to reach areas!


Rico

[SqDancerLynn1]

When you remove the rear wheel Put a 2x6 under the centerstand, helps for additional clearance. (the orig tool kit will have a strap to compress the front forks) Other wise it is straight forward removal. The wheel just slides out of the differencial after you remove the axel. You will see a gear on the wheel that engages the dif, - make sure to grease it when you put it back together