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Getting a tire changed in Mexico Getting a tire changed in Mexico
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  #1  
Old 17 Dec 2015
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Getting a tire changed in Mexico
We will likely need to change out a tire sometime during our travels in Mexico. We will take the tire with us. We are on a Victory Cross Country. I was just wondering how easy we can expect it to be to find someone to change the tire?
mary
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Old 17 Dec 2015
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Since you are bringing the tire you will have a very easy time of it . Simply find any motorcycle repair shop or dealership and go in and ask when they can remove the wheel and install AND BALANCE the new tire.
Bike shops are the better bet for this because they will be more apt to have the proper tools for bike wheel installation and balancing .Big cities are most likely to have modern bike dealerships with repair and tire services . Many do Not have the electronic balancing machines , but if you bring your own bunch of assorted stick - on weights you can show them how it's done by simply putting the wheel in a suspending stand and slowly spinning , finding the heavy spot and adding the necessary weight on opposite side to make it neutral. If your wheel has spokes simply bring a spool of lead solder wire and weight the spokes with that to achieve balance .
They will charge only a few dollars for their service , not like US where it costs $50 U.S. or more.
Failing that any LLANTERA or VULCANIZADORA ( VULKA For short) will give it a go , but they may use a bit more crude tools , they get their business from cars and heavy trucks mostly.
lol
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Old 19 Dec 2015
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Thanks, Sjoerd. Just got our new tire from the shop yesterday. They also gave us the glass beads and a dispenser to use for tire balancing. Guess it is the latest thing. Who knew?!
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Old 19 Dec 2015
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I didn't know !!!!

Glass beads ? Dispenser?? Wha .... ?

How do they work ? Get all smashed and balance the wheel like the liquid goop ? What is its brand name ?
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Old 19 Dec 2015
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Since most in Mexico won't have seen a Victory, I'd either remove wheel myself or supervise closely. This especially at a Llantera shop. A bike shop will have more experience but Llanteria do mostly Car/Truck tire repairs.

I always remove my wheel and let the Llanteros take it from there. Then I put it back on. I assume bike has a center stand? So not too hard to do?

If you find a shop that does big bikes (rare) they'll do fine getting wheel off/on without screwing up ... but most won't have worked on a Victory.

The good news is if you get a flat chances are all you need do is put in a Tire Plug, which can be done on side of the road ... if you know how. (EASY!)
I once used a fancy Michelin Tire dealer to change a tire on my V-Strom. They did great and were able to adapt a high end car tire machine to work perfectly on my 150/17 cast wheel. Perfect.
Last edited by mollydog; 21 Dec 2015 at 05:02.
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Old 19 Dec 2015
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Sjoerd, my knowledge base is limited but the way our service guy described it the beads are somehow made to not stick together so they continually circle the wheel to keep it balanced. Pretty much just sounded like "magic beads" to me!

mollydog, no center stand. We are talking big touring bike. We did not even see another Victory on our trip down Baja last year. You actually see very few of them here in the states. Our service guy seemed to think that a motorcycle shop, especially Harley, should be able to handle the job. We have a list of Harley authorized service places in Mexico. There are a surprising number of them. I'm sure my husband will supervise closely.

Thanks for the tips, you two!
mary
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Old 21 Dec 2015
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If you take it off, you can go to a car tire shop to change it. I'm about to change the front tire on my Victory in Costa Rica and I have a rear which will need to be changed in Colombia or Ecuador. If you know how it's done, just guide the mechanic step by step.

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Old 21 Dec 2015
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Thanks All! Gorgeous photo vicmitch! Are you posting your travels anywhere I can follow them? Ron and I toured Ecuador via bus for 2 1/2 months about five years ago. Loved it. We talk about going back but haven't made it yet.
mary
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Old 21 Dec 2015
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A few points. Few bike shops balance wheels. It is the exception and not the rule. 50% of Harley shops are overpriced and staffed by real clowns. Victory was sold and scarcely supported in Mexico. Your glass beads will be gone if you need your tire to be vulcanised with an internal patch, yes, I know it is tubeless but if you internal patch it rather than plug it, bye bye beads. If the tire was a common touring size, you could probably source one here rather than carry it with you but tires are more expensive
and it might take a couple of days.
Funny nobody mentioned rim savers.
Buy a set and bring them, most shops will use cardboard or flooring pieces like linoleum and they will damage your rim. The little shops rarely change bigger bike tires, they do pizza and pharmacy and postal bikes. Supervise the change and make sure they dont lose a spacer. Dont let anyone try anything on your bike without you first understanding exactly what they are doing. You can also easily carry a PDF file of your manual on your smartphone.
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Old 21 Dec 2015
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Good point about internal Mushroom patch. If you get a flat and put in a Plug to stop leak, be sure to stop at a good tire shop/bike shop later to have them remove tire and do a real internal patch. Vulcanized patch is BEST (Illegal in USA) TIP: Do not breath smoke from Vulcanizing. If done well will be safe for LIFE OF TIRE!

Absolutely NO REASON to replace tire just because it's been plugged or patched.
I've done this dozens of times and always run tire till bald (or close). Vulcanized patch is permanent.

Bike shop guys should know about protecting rims ... but supervising is best ... just point to rim and say "Cuidado". They'll get the idea. Guys I've used have been quite good. They used old pieces of tire as rim protectors.
Balancing is over rated unless you plan cruising at over 100 mph. A static balance is adequate.
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Old 22 Dec 2015
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Good info and ideas! Thanks All!
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