Reseating new tires...

I just bought new tires for my '80 XJ650. Pirelli MT66's to be exact. I pryed off the old ones and got the new ones on last and filled them with air to seat them but never heard the "pop" usually associated with reseating new tires. I used WD40 to lube only the rear tire to get it on the rim and didnt use any kind of lube to get the front on so I dont think that is making it not "pop". My buddy who has changed several modern sport bikes tires says he always hears the "pop" but he has also only changed radial tires nd not biasply like mine. Would that make a difference?

 

I have always heard the POP one for each side of the tire then completely deflate and refill to proper Psi. WD-40 and rubber(petrolium based products will break down rubber over time) is not a great idea plain old soapy water is best unless you use some bead sealer.

 

Should I try to clean the tire and get as much of the WD40 off as possible? I checked the tires at lunch today and they seem to be holding air (don't worry, I didn't ride it I have them in the back of my Jeep) but that may change after the weight of bike is on it.

 

it would be a pain but i would clean it off at least externally you don't want anything slick on your tires could be dangerous. an easy way to check the bead is when you deflate the tire all the way put some pressure on the bead area if you can collapse it easily its not seated if you can put decent pressure and the bead is not breaking I wouldn't worry about it.

 

i use soapy water but a little WD shouldn't hurt anything
there is a little ridge that should be visible near the rim make sure it's even all around
you might have to push the bead back off and wet it again, i've gone up to 80psi to seat one once

 

Wow, 80psi? I was only going to about 60 and I thought that was too much. Maybe I'll try again and go a little more and see what happens.

 

Get things good and slippery. You shouldn't need any more than 40psi.

 

I'll politely dissagree. WD-40 is safe on rubber.
http://www.wd40.com/faqs/#q9
Look under what surfaces WD can be used on.
Soapy water is my first choice however, given that soap and water tend to promote corrosion and WD does not, I might change my mind.

 

Robert, from my experiences unless they have changed things I have had wd breakdown my rubber grommets, and rubber straps on snowmobiles of mine I spray down the shock and steering shafts for storage and the rubber bits have not done well. Maybe in moderation it causes no issues and it was just me saturating the parts and getting too much on them the rubber bits I have had affected get kinda mushy and the surface starts to rub off. I still would rather not have a slippery substance on my treads. I have weened myself away from blasting everything and try to kep it off of the rubber goods just for good measure.

 

We had a serviceman years ago using it as a tyre lubricant, the results wouldn't support what WD40 say on their site and would be along the lines of 85MaximXX experience

 

I changed my tires and nver heard a 'POP'.
They just slid on the bead.
No problems after 1000 miles.
Never inflate the tire beyond the recommended PSI!

 

I wiped down the tire best I could to get any WD40 residue off. Then, deflated the tire and pushed on the side wall to check the seal and it seemed good. Filled them up with air and put 150 miles on them. They seem to be holding air just fine; no presure loss.

 

sweet give them a psi check in a week or so if still good I wouldn't worry bout them. For some reason a week after I mounted my most recent set the psi was down in both tires about 5-6psi. they haven't dropped a bit since then I check them at least once a week for safety reasons.

 

Thanks for the reminder. I'll report back in a week or so.

 

Thanks for the follow up fellows. My experience has been contrary to yours so it is obvious to see why I spoke up. I use it on just about everything (including jetski parts) without trouble but I do tend to wipe the surfaces off after application. It may well be that that single action could be responsible for my lack of problems. Something to think about of course. I think it would be safe to say that the formulation of WD may have been changed but that is purely speculative. I am aware of a few products specifically for rubber but they are not near as cheap as WD. The only other consideration I would throw out there is how long do most folks leave their tires on the bike? Now I'm not encouraging the introduction of an usafe condition especially where tires and brakes are concerned. If there is any doubt, use the material that has been time tested and is safe.

 

How 'bout a thin coat of silicone-based grease around the seating surface? Rubber-safe and nice and slippery...

 

I use straight dishwashing liquid and have for years without any adverse effects. Sometimes a pop, sometimes not. I usually inflate to around 50 then to the suggested psi.

 

psi's are like hp's if ya got'em ya use'em, even if ya don't really need'm

 

The popping sound is caused by air entering the tire with a lot of pressure .some compressors have a lower air pressure than others.

 

The popping sound is the tire bead sliding over to meet the rim, often sqirting some rim lube (liquid soap preferred) at bystanders.

 

Well I've got about 250 miles on the new tires and they haven't lost any pressure. I guess thats a good thing. Would have liked to hear them pop when I put them on though. Oh well, maybe next time...