Originally Posted By: CCI
If it's tubeless, this is really a pretty easy job. Two tricks --
1) If you can't find commercial tire lube, use diluted Murphy's Oil Soap. It works great. This is fairly important. Murphy's Oil Soap is recommended by major tire manufacturers as being chemically compatible, that is, it won't hurt the rubber on your tires.
Some number of people are sure to point out that they have used dish soap, mechanic's hand cleaner, KY Jelly, spit, and everything else in the world that is slippery and it has never hurt their tire. They think. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
I've been working on bikes over 40 years, have run service departments in motorcycle shops, and changed more tires than I can count. On today's high performance bikes it's good to take the extra measure of care.
2) If you fit the tire bead into the well of the rim, lube everything up carefully, keep both beads in the well as you work the last bead over the far side, this is not difficult. I have removed [censored] bike tires with no tire irons at all and fitted tires back on to the rim with one iron and no damage to the rim. It's just care, practice, and repetition. Keeping the bead in the well on most tires gives you plenty to work with except for Harley Davidson style bead retention rims.
One more tip -- clean the inside of the rim where the tire seats very gently, carefully, and thoroughly. Lube it well, be careful inflating to set the bead. Don't over-inflate, if it doesn't set at 45 pounds or less, something is wrong, don't force it. If you have trouble getting the tire to "grab" when you are trying to inflate it, wrap a ratchet-type motorcycle tie down around the circumference of the tire, snug it up just enough to force the bead out to the rim, get it started with just a few pounds of air, take the strap off, and finish inflating.
Don't let anyone talk you into using ether.
Thanks very much CCI, I appreciate all of your valuable input. Yes, it's a tubeless tire and for a sportbike.
Few questions, can I use furniture polish since don't have Murphy's oil soap handy? I have read that many people have used it as a tire lubricant
Also, should a valve stem be replaced? Current valve stem has no cracks and looks to be in excellent condition.
Thanks