Now that I’m 65 and retired, I’ve finally performed my own tire change and balance. I’ve had this airhead for over 40 years, and I do all my own maintenance and repairs, but I’ve always taken it to a shop for tires. Now we live far, far away from any kind of BMW shop, so I decided it’s time to tackle the job myself. I will admit, first time through was a bit of a wrestling match. Next time will be much less so, I’m sure. 

I equipped myself with some suitable tire levers and rim protectors from Motion Pro. A BikeMaster bead breaker. Some RU-GLYDE tire lube from NAPA. A can of tire talc to slick up the inner tubes.  And, a balancer from Marc Parnes. I built a thingy to lay the wheel on during procedures, and another thingy to hold the balancer and wheel. I figured that the first tire change would not save me money, just the hassle of going somewhere far away.  But now that I’m equipped, I’ll save quite a bit each time.

The results were excellent!  Extra smooth!  When I purchased the balancer I spoke with Marc Parnes over the phone. He told me, and I quote, “you will be very pleased when you do it yourself”.  He is correct. The balance is spot on, and it sure makes a difference!  PS: I installed Dunlop D404’s. I’ve had several sets of these in the past.  Really liked them just fine, and they come at an a very reasonable price.