Raptor coming my way !!

[brently]

I just ordered my 225 55 16 Riken Raptor, 6000 miles on the metz and showing cordes. need some feedback. are most of you running beads or regular wheel weights? beads seem alittle pricey is it worth all of that? and if so how mutch beads should i get? will the tire dealer put the tire on or will i need a bike shop for that? i have a buddy that has a old automotive tire changer can we use it or not? i also read that i need to grease splines or shaft wich iam good at lol... is there a post or some great tutorial on hear for that? any advice is welcome except the bullcrap anti darkside , as i am trying this for the first time.thanks in advance.

 

[Cjard]

My mate with a bike workshop uses a normal car tyre machine to mount all motorcycle wheels.. He has some extenders to make it suitable for 21 inch offroad wheels, mind

 

[brently]

i was hoping i could use a regular car tire changer i can do it myself then

 

[Lester532]

i was hoping i could use a regular car tire changer i can do it myself then

I use and recommend dyna beads. But buy them from their website.

Dyna Beads and Accessories

I use 4 oz in the darkside and 3 oz in front. 8 oz cost 16.90 plus shipping.

 

[brently]

thanks lester i orderd dynabeads last night the tire is here now

 

[Lester532]

No problem , the fun part is installing them. Use something that vibrates like an electric engraver.

 

[brently]

just gona throw them in when i put tire on.

 

[HansO]

i was hoping i could use a regular car tire changer i can do it myself then

yeah It can be done on some but you got to watch it clears the Disk etc some car tyre dealers do also mont bike tyres and they will have the extenders

 

[xhdskip]

Brently,
I have NO weights on mine either front or back,
no problems so far with over 25,000 miles on the raptor.
A regular tire machine will work,
the only hard part is getting the old metz off,
after that, it's gravy.
I don't know your body weight, but I weigh 175 in summer 185 in winter,
I run 28 in mine.
The wife is a little heavier and runs 30 in hers.
You can't make a good comparison till you find the "sweet spot" for your weight.
I was a novice when I started out on it,and started out at 32 PSI,
it rode like a wheel barrow on steroids,
I hated it and was sure I screwed up.
Dropped it down to 30 and it was a lot better,
dropped it on back to 28 and she rode like a Cadillac .
After you put it on, and find the sweet spot,
give yourself about 50-100 miles to get use to it
cause it does take a little getting use to,
but once you're use to it, you'll see how good that Raptor handles on the road
in all kinds of weather, surfaces, and circumstances.
Good luck and Congrats.
Your cookie is in the mail.
skip

 

[brently]

thanks for the replys guys . i weigh 280 at this moment due to quitting smoking and 6 foot 1 tall. I'm figuring somewhere around 32-33 lbs. of air. I'll let you know my sweet spot (that sounds kinda kinky, ) but I don't have my dyna beads yet so I don't know if it will happen this weekend or not. I'll keep you posted. What can you tell me about greasing my shaft?