Suzuki GSX650F Forum - www.GSX650F.biz

So the last time i took my wheels in i thought i would be saving a decent amount of money by only having the dealer mount and balance.What a joke! Going price is about $40 a wheel to mount and balance only.

Heres how i cut the dealer out,and saved money.

1.Motorcycle stand:$150

2.three tire spoons:$22

3.Dyno beads:$31 ( just pour bag into valve stem after you set the bead of the tire.) The bike rides smoother than it did when i had the dealer do it.It actually shook worse after they did it than before i changed the tires,they didn't put any weights on the rear wheel.What are the odds of the wheel being perfectly balanced?
4.I also have a $700 snap-on torque wrench,but i use it on my cars all the time.
I already have a compressor so you might have to figure that in,or use someone elses.

I struggled for a long time getting the new tire on.But as soon as i looked it up i saw my mistake and i got them on like a breeze using three 7'' long tire spoons.

I can easily carry them with me on the bike with the right size wrench and be able to make the change anywhere.

I saved money,and time.By the time you take your tires in to the mechanic and go pick them up you will have wasted fuel and time.I also acquired a sense of achievment,and i learned a valuable skill.

Yep, tires aren't too bad at all. I change my own as well but I balance them with stick-on weights rather than dyna-beads. They're a bit of a mess when it comes time to swapping tires again LOL. But damn dude, a $700 torque wrench? That bad boy must be made with solid gold... or it's that crazy electronic ultra-sensitive one. I have a $90 1/2" drive 24" long torque wrench that does the job well enough for me haha.

I agree though, fixing your own stuff is part of owning a motorcycle, and most things are pretty simple and straighforward. The only time I go to a shop is when I have to head to the dealership for warranty/recall work. And even then I don't really trust the techs and wind up double checking everything after they're finished.

Hey Chris, what Renthal handlebar did you put on your GSX F? Their catalog does not list one.

I'm actually not sure haha, previous owner put them on. I think they're the Renthal Streetfighter bars though, the Renthal logo and a bunch of adjustment marks/numbers are on the bars in white and looking through product pics I can't find any other style bar that has the same layout. They might also be medium rise street bars, I'll try to see if there's any serial # or something I can use to ID them. I think they fit the bike well and it's really easy to throw the motorcycle around with them, can't compare to stock but I can say it's easier/smoother than a stock SV650, and the SV is smaller and lighter.

So where can the spoon levers be purchased at? Thanks!

I purchased mine at Competition Accessories: www.compacc.com.

When removing tires, did you guys have to remove the disc brake?

No, I have never removed a rotor to replace a tire.

Just use a carpet square or a thick towel folded in half to avoid scratching or gouging the rotors.

Use scrap 2 by 4s to keep rotors (discs) off ground while struggling with spoons n tires. Go to Harbor Freight to get 1/2 in drive torque wrench for $24, on sale cheaper. Also need 27 or 29? mm socket to break rear axle. Need a tool for the front axle too (hex allen wrench (large), forgot size). Cheater bar will help break axles loose. Lots of youtube vids for ideas on how to break bead on tires. Harbor Freight has a bead breaker tool for $29.

All tools for tire swapping can be had from Harbor Frieght:
Bead breaker, (made my own from scrap wood)
3 spoons, (biggie tire spoons for car tires but can be cut to use with cycle tires)
Bike Stands if you don't have them
Stick on wheel weights, cheaper here then autozone or oriellys
Wheel balancer stand
Big sockets for rear axle, large allen wrench for front axle (may need cheater bar)
torque wrench
air compressor, (went to gas station for .25 cent air)
tire pressure guages

Just swapped both my tires. It's cheaper to do it yourself even if you have to buy all tools. Most people have some or most of the tools needed.

EZ to break beads, get 1 lip of tire off. Getting 2nd lip off was much harder, (did it myself) easier with 2nd person. Putting new tires on is ez, 15-20 mins each. Rear tire turned out to be balanced, no weights necessary in my case. Front wheel was way off though, ended up putting 1 and 1/4 oz on it to balance out.

Advice, don't balance tire while mounted on bike. To much resistance. Get balance stand or rig something up with no break or bearing friction.

I changed both of mine. A buddy and I bought a Harbor freight portable tire changer with the motorcycle attachment like this.



We have changed out about 10 tires with it now, works good after I made a tire changing tool like the "no scuff tire tool" here. This tool is worth its weight in gold it works so well.
http://no-scufftiretool.com/Pictures.html
We can change out a tire and put dyna beads in it in around 20 minutes or less now.