Tyre does not seat in the bed :( !! How high can I go with the pressure ?

[thecoon]

Hi guys,

.... my new rear tyre, for a KLR, does not seat well into the bed of the rim.
The Tyre has a max. pressure rating of 41 PSI. How much can I fill it up without exploding the tyre ?
I have used alot of soap... but still does not work. The tyre is 3,5 years old.... maybe it is to hard ?
Had the tyre in the Sun for about 4-5 hours.... did got really warm. I am on 4 Bars now !

Please help..

[AndyT]

KLR's are notorious for difficulty breaking and seat tire beads on the rear. I polish the hump on the rim that the tire has to pop over, with a scotchbrite wheel on a drill, before I mount a new tire. I like to stop at 60 psi (4 bar) like you, but I have seen people go to 90 psi (6 bar), with no apparent ill effects. Good luck.

[Threewheelbonnie]

No experience of tyre burst testing but a rubber hose with a wall that thick would stand 16 bar.


Andy

[thecoon]

Hi guys,

.. thanks for the replys. Yesterday I tried it again. All air out.... alot of soap !! and then started filling the tyre. Did several 10 min. stops so the air-pump doesnt overheat.
After 4 Bars of pressure I was quite scared the tyre would explode....
So I took some distance and went on, up to 5,2 bars when it "plopped" !! Juhuu
Never was that high on a tyre. I think it will be a strungle to take it of ....

I always scotch-brite the rim when I have the Tyre off. Sadly the KLR steel rim does rust alot!

[mollydog]

Andy's advice is good. Polish things up. Also, see if you can carry some real
tire lube with you. It's like a gel. (auto parts store should sell it) it's better than soap.

Also ... make certain your tube is not folded or twisted in the tire ... this can prevent bead seating. Also ... if tire bead is damaged or BENT ... bead may not want to seat.

A good fresh tube is good to have when ramping up to 90 PSI. Highest I've gone is 80 psi ... I did explode a tube one time. Going over 50 PSI is common.
You'll need some good bead breaking tools for travel. If you think getting the bead to seat is tough ... wait till you try to break that bead when your tire is flat and you're in the middle of nowhere.

Remember ... if bead won't seat you can still ride the bike. You'll get a hop or judder, ignore it. Also, it's very tough to get 50 PSI from a hand pump, elec. compressor or CO-2 cartridges. Sometimes, riding the bike ... the bead will get hot and seat. If not, ride until you get somewhere with a good compressor.

But bead breaking on a flat is BY FAR the more PITA problem. I've run into certain tires that are really really impossible. Lots of solutions. Mine is a BIG C clamp which I hate carrying but it works. Never ignore a Car tire shop ... they will often help and can break that bead in seconds. Other shops won't help. Always worth a try however. I once rode flat to a shop and had the thing fixed in ten minutes.

[thecoon]

.... I hoe I will never get a flat on this tyre !
I normally break the bed with the sidestand of my partners bike. It only works if you are travelling with 2 bikes .
But it did work until now !
I will try and get tyre lube tomorow in La Paz. Got the Baby-Powder allready.... things you carry just for the tyres

Sadly my Airman only gets to 1.5 bar. Used it on 2 flat tyres until now.... piece of shit !!

[mollydog]

Like I said, no real need to fully seat the bead. 1.5 Bar is about 21 PSI, plenty safe to ride on. I've ridden miles and miles with just 15 PSI (maybe 1 bar?)
All good. Find a good compressor in a town or City. Then you can fully seat the bead ... and get it to "POP"!!

Take care of your tubes too!

Saludos!

[*Touring Ted*]

Lots of soap.. Make sure you put soap on the rim too...

And yeah, helps it it's all clean and smooth.

If you're at home, then I would just pump that tyre up until it seats. Wear safety glasses

You can also try bouncing the wheel on the floor. You bounce it hard OPPOSITE the part that won't seat.

If it makes you feel better, it can take 90 PSI to seat a GSA tyre..

[Paulharris]

I've has some success with bouncing the wheel on the floor, handy if you dont have a compressor

[Crazy Dave]

Does it have to pop to seat?
How can you tell if is seated if it don't pop!

[*Touring Ted*]

No, doesnt have to 'pop'. They just tend to when you use a high pressure air line. You will know its seated as it will be uniform all the way around. There is usually a line on the tyre that you can judge it from..

[Crazy Dave]

that's a relief!