Tough job: Installing Dunlop Trailmax tire with basic hand tools. 

Thanks for the really good explanation of the coloured dot on the tyre- makes total sense.

Just a tip on the yellow dot ... yes, it is the heaviest point on the circumference of the tire, but not necessarily to be set opposite the valve always. I say this because often motorcycle wheels will already have balancing weights positioned, so unless you are going to remove all the weights and start from scratch, try to find the heaviest point on the wheel once the tire is off and then position the yellow dot opposite that. You might find it balances out, or you may just need to add a little weight to the wheel where the dot is or where the weights are opposite. A great DIY idea to create a wheel balancer ... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XK8d6AZHWjQ.html

@jay26cee The yellow dot is the 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 point on the tire and this should be aligned with the heaviest point on the rim assembly. If I'm changing or patching a tube in the field (when the dot is likely worn off) I'll mark the tire at the valve stem and re-install in the same location. If I'm mounting a new tire in the shop, I'll install with the dot at the stem, then check the balance. If the balance is off, which is likely, I'll remove all weights and start from scratch, just as I would expect from a repair shop. If a tire also has a red dot, that's the tire's high point and it should be aligned with the wheel's low point, often marked with a dimple on the rim (for cast wheels). If both red and yellow dots are present, the red dot takes precedence.

@@timrlang159 sorry, I meant lightest and to locate at wheel weights. I had the red dot in mind in terms of opposite. Good point on marking when being out in the field.

@@timrlang159 100% Correct!

but then your tire will get cancer...just sayin

Talcum powder should always be added inside the tire before fitting the tube.

You are welcome! i hope my videos help people :) or at least entertain them lol.

@@atombawm It was very informative as well as entertaining. I could help the chuckle at the F-bomb once you got the tire on. I suspected the muted audio just prior had so many expletives that you simply had to leave the whole lot out or it would have ended up a 18-restricted video! Job well done though!

Good luck man! Its a beast of a tire to mount.

Thank you for the kind words, I appreciate it.

I appreciate your input!

Id recommend using some windex/ window cleaner to help, its a great lubricant and dries without residue . This was the hardest tire ive ever installed by hand, ive done many supermoto and motocross tires and none were even close to this difficult. If you have new tire irons make sure the tips are filed smooth so its less scratches and less punctures. And have a C-Clamp handy to squeeze the tire together lol this sucker is very tough.

@@atombawm I think I'll have a gallon of Windex on hand. Maybe that will help. Your front tire video seems like it is a job that I might want to tackle first to get some experience then onto the rear. I've change many tires on mountain and street bicycles and some of them were tough as the diameter of the tire seems way smaller than the rims and it was a challenge to get them on without pinching the tubes. So I have experience with the tough jobs but my new rear Trailmax Mission tire seem beyond stiff. It seems solid like a rock. If it was easy anyone could do it. lol

@@trekOCLVone best of luck to you! Id like to hear how it turns out and what you think of the process.

@@atombawm Well - I kind of bailed on the tire swap. I listened to you at: 16:30 where you said take them to a shop. My tires were skinnier and you couldn't get fingers into the rim to get the valve stem into the rims. It was crazy. We used your "C" clamp trick or I don't think we would have been able to get these tires on the rims. By the end of it all they were balanced and on the bike. It is a good thing they last a long time because I do not want to go through this again any time soon. lol There is a lot of reasons that these tires are what I chose (mid priced, true 50/50 tires, great grip off road, quiet and grip on road, longevity well exceeds most other tire options, etc.) It was a tough install. I was going to do it myself and even bought the tire changing hand tools. After watching many other RU-vid videos on the Trailmax Mission swap I got cold feet. I contacted a mobile tire service race shop and came over and we spent the better part of 3 hours beating the snot out of ourselves using a manual tire changer (clamps onto the rim) which helped and we had 4 hands free to get these tires on the X300 rims. The back was very difficult and without the use of 2 large "C" clamps to squeeze the beads together on one side and spoon the other onto the rim we never would have made it happen. These Trailmax Mission tires are so stiff you cannot squeeze the two beads together by hand to keep the tire in the center drop part of the rims. The manual tire changer was the No Mar brand and aided only in holding the rim and could not be used to get the beads onto the rear rim. The tire was too stiff. What we could have used was what is called a valve stem puller which I didn't know existed until after the job was done. Another thing that would have helped was heating up the tires as the day we did the swap it only got into the 60s degrees. Well - the job got done - swollen hands and fingers. The X300 has one of the smallest (narrowest) rear tires with the 130 size which appears to be a issue with how narrow the rim is and the rock solid tire with the free air beads only a couple of inches apart. The RU-vid videos that show the tires going on easier are the big bikes with much wider rims and tire sizes like 150 which gives you a lot more room to work with. So, if you're thinking about putting the Trailmax Mission tires on the X300 get help, heat up the tire to near the melting point (just kidding), buy the valve stem puller tool, use 2 large "C" clamps and don't use anything less than a mounted manual tire changer to hold the rim because two of you will be maxing out the tire levers with both hands. My video LINK: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-N2P0k_iPCuc.html

Lol these are a beast to install. Good on ya for stopping and getting help, my biggest fear at the end was a pinched tube but i got away with only doing it the one time. This is a one time thing, if i ever have to do these tires again im getting some machinery. Thank you for the update! Im glad you got the job done.

Its good to know what its like incase youre forced into doing it.

The C-Clamp was a life saver in getting the last bit of bead pulled over the rim lip. Hardest tire ive ever installed.

I feel your pain.

Thank you very much!

Never hurts to try first, id like to hear some testimonials lol.

@@atombawm so this is my year to learn tyre changes and you just want a laugh if I try this as my first one :). I do like a challenge though!! Noticed you didn't use rim protectors- is there a reason for that?

@@advnoobie6061 this definitely wouldnt be a good tire for a first time attempt. Especially when theres a tube. Ive never used rim protectors, i smooth my tooling and remove hard edges to avoid scratches on the rim, this was probably my 30th tire change and it sucked big time. As far as using the bucket to elevate it, i wasnt pushing the wheel into the bucket that hard, i used my knee on one side to keep the wheel from tilting while prying the bead on. If you do it on the ground, never put the brake rotor on the ground, it will warp. Use sprocket side down. Dirt bike rims are skinny so valve stem location matters where you start/stop during install. Street bike rims are wider and allow the bead to drop into the barrel well so the valve stem isnt that much of a factor. I will be doing another video sometime for regular tires, i have supermoto wheels and mx wheels which have similarities but are vastly different. Mistakes are a part of learning, ive poked tubes and had to rework before, i even poked a hole in a KTM 690 supermoto rim band that makes it a tubeless rim and had to order parts and rework the whole tire. Dont be afraid of making mistakes. Nobody here has done a tire change perfect every time and if someone claims they never screwed one up is a liar. Oh and make sure your directional arrows on the sidewall are rolling in the right direction, dont use tread pattern to decide.

@@atombawm brilliant advice- thank you. Think I’ll leave these tyres to the pros and practice with the TKC 80s on the 890.

@@advnoobie6061 good plan, if theres anything youd like to see a video on lemme know and ill try to get something out there. Might not be the most perfect way to do it but if it didnt work i wouldn't put it out there lol.

Thank you :)

They are a beast to mount! Between fitting and filming i was in it for about 3 hours total. Only complaint i have on them is wet road traction can be sketchy at times. Other than that i like them.

At 11:50 & 12:36 i took air out of the tube but didnt narrate it. On mx tires i do follow the valve stem indexing method due to the rims being so skinny. Dunlop trailmax is an absolute unit to install. I'm getting better at narrating and editing so key points are not getting cut out, working on improving the content i put out there.

@@atombawm Look forward to seeing more video's from you.

Ill try my best :)

Zip tie method would definitely make it easier! Removing it from the rim is definitely going to make me consider cutting it off when the time comes lol..but ill probably just windex it up and pry it off..hopefully wearing most of its rubber away will make it more malleable.

Nice! Yeah these are a total bear to install and im glad to hear someone else tackled this. Took me two hours total for front and rear tires plus brake pads. 10/10 on that comment lol!

I do it like this more or less for ease of reinstallation, more control of wheel during the chain removal and theyll have to be un-torqued to tension chain towards the end. I see how its quicker to pull axle, hold wheel with a hand and pull chain off with free hand. But im a stickler for adjustment and do it each time anyways. Next time i take it off ill give it a try and see if i can keep the recommended chain adjustment in spec without disturbing those fasteners.

I never loosen the adjuster when I remove the rear wheel

Agreed

The Trailmax is a brute, not sure about the others in comparison, i will say its a harder compound than standard street tires so wet traction on pavement can be on the slick side, if you end up trying to mount them id like to hear about your experience! I think around the 12min mark i took more air out of the tube but it could have been cut in editing. Thanks for the tips

What did you pick for tire and did you do the trip? Fellow Canadian here 😊

@TheZakkmylde oh hahaha well I just got the new 800de this week, and yeah the trip, idk it's just in the dreaming stage to be honest 😅 Crossing from Panama to Columbia and back seems to be a big obstacle

At 11:50 i reduced the air pressure in the tube prior to install then at 12:36 i released more air out of it using the yellow handle tool but didnt narrate it, the inner tube didnt provide much if any resistance while installing this tire. The dunlop trailmax mission is just a thick beast. I didnt have any talc on hand, i had windex lol so i made due with what i had.

Id rather do some supermoto tires or mx tires over the dunlop trailmax any day. These were a pain.

Good advice, ill have to try that out. It was a very hot day during recording 110F/ 43C but i didnt let the tire sit in the sun. Total time to get both tires done was about 2 hours and i can't say im looking forward to doing it again haha but we all know im gonna do it again. Thanks for the recommendation.

Thanks !

Its a total beast of a tire isnt it?! Honestly after challenging myself to do this with basic hand tools i wont be doing it again. Theres tooling and services out there that make a job like this easier. Ill stick to mx and supermoto tires if using limited tools lol. Way easier.

If it ever goes flat im just gonna ride on it until it falls off on its own or i get to a good spot to deal with it.

@@atombawm I converted the rear on my 2018 AT adventure sports to tubeless using the 3M tape and it held up well, I never could get the front to seal just not enough flat area for the tape up front. The Wife bought be a set of VMX tubeless wheels for Fathers Day / Anniversary gift this year and I finally got them swapped out this weekend. So I battled removing and reinstalling front and rear Missions this weekend.

Having a thing layer of grease on the axle is highly recommended and thats a great point! Thanks for adding that Vic! Keep the rubber side down and stay safe.

I would ask the dealer but if the individual cushions are intact and not crushed or ripped and fit nice then i dont see why not. The only thing i can assume the strap is for is to hold them in place for installation of the sprocket hub.

Its been a great tire so far, it does not have the best wet traction though but thats to be expected with such a hard tire. With that being said it doesnt seem to be taking on any noticeable indications of wear after 3,500 miles. Id recommend them unless the rider plans on a lot of wet surface riding..especially wet grass.

Thanks man! Appreciate the kind words. Lol what did i call them in the video?

I wouldn't even attempt to fix it on the trail and probably just ride on it until i got to civilization..tire is so rigid id be surprized to even notice if it was flat. No baby powder applied, tube shouldnt be shifting around once inflated, if it was id install a beadlock or go to a tubeless mod. Either way, tube never went flat since install. No grease applied on aluminum axle, its a static part with no dynamic seals.

I polished the tips and sides of the spoons/ tire irons and filed hard edges before using them. Basically any part of the tool that touches tube, rim and tire. If theres any texture, sharpness or casting marks they will cause pressure points and scratch rims. I did scratch a black excel rim on my YZF in 2013 but it was a combination of working too fast and the leading edge of the spoon had a burr on it. I havent had any anodized coating flake off or chip yet but id start with smoothing out the tools, no edge or corner should touch the rim, just flat parts.

Thanks, really appreciate the reply!

No problem, happy to help!

Yep, was able to squeeze 10k out of them but they were getting thin. I sure did make a video of the front tire: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fbz-qPXC8sc.html

I got 14,000 km on original tires

Using that tool to mount this tire would definitely be a great durability test for that tool.

@@atombawm no issues, very durable tool, have done it myself.

On the dunlop trailmax mission tire?

@@atombawm Yes

Nice

Youre not wrong, i use it on my dirtbike tubes but on the africa twin/street bikes i dont bother with it. Hasnt made a difference, no punctures or flats but then again im not flogging the daylights out of it in the woods. There's a LOT of methods and work practices surrounding tires & tubes. I say do what's best for you and what you think you'll need for the circumstances and environment you'll be using your bike in. In my case on the Africa twin, its never going to see the baja 1000 or the iron giant endurance race so i just groom the rim smooth, inspect or replace the rim band and keep on going. Im still on the oem tube that came with the bike when i bought it from the dealer.

@@atombawm I run natural rubber or butyl tube , when I didn't use tire talc the tube got gouages , I run a motor cycle tire and tube on my street bicycle .No more flats ! I always use a new tube with a tire change , that helps not getting flats .

Thats an excellent question. I have spoke weights opposite of the schrader valve on this bike and it seems to keep them fairly well balanced. In the event that the wheels are noticeably out of balance or if i plan on traveling at a high speed I'd definitely have them balanced. For instance, the wheels of the Aprilia has stick on weights because it experiences sustained high speeds and needed balancing but my crf450r supermoto has no weights at all because its not really practical to go faster than 70mph and it feels smooth. Typically if i feel wheel hop/ vibration id make sure the beads are evenly seated and explore getting them balanced if it came to that.

I do, forces me to adjust the chain after mounting and i like to slide it forward but i see the quickness benefit of pulling the axle and dropping it out, either way a chain slack adjust should be done.

I agree with using that tool for making things easier. This video was more or less a challenge against the dunlop mission and basic hand tools. It sucked but it can be done.

I ran a rear 7,500 sketchy miles in northwest Washington. Loved it until it rained, didn't trust it at all on wet pavement as it broke loose unexpectedly and often. I haven't tried the front but am considering it. You liked the front on wet paved and gravel?

@@got_to_roll no only going by what other people are saying. I must have watched 100's of reviews on RU-vid. At the moment it's looking really hard to get hold of any tyres.

I use spoke weights and didnt cover balancing in this video. I will make sure to address it in future videos.

Are you sure your front rim size is a 17 and not larger diameter? Typically 17 front and rear rims are used on a supermoto setup. What bike are you getting tires for?

@@atombawm Muchas gracias por responder! Si estoy seguro que mis rines son 17. Tengo una motocicleta scrambler, es una Hornet 250 MB. Me vendría bien su ayuda...

Necesito su consejo, cree usted que se pueda usar la llanta 120/90/17 como delantera? En la llanta trasera iría la 140/80/17. De antemano gracias...

The dunlop trailmax mission front tire does not come in 17 inch rim size, only 19 and 21. i cant recommend putting a rear tire on the front, it is a different tread pattern and compound. Check out heideneu k60 or the shinko 705. If you're doing 100% street riding the continental contiattack sm tires cant be beat.

Yeah it did! any time lol glad to help.

Hopefully they will be worn down to the point they are more pliable and a bit easier to dismount. But i wouldnt bet on it lol.

@@atombawm damn 😂. Maybe I'll just wear mine bald lol

Might take a while to get them that far! They wear pretty slow.

@@atombawm Yeah, my rear has 2800 miles on it and is only half worn. Good tires but it's gonna be sloppy when winter is over

I have faith you can do it!

I thought so too. But it seems to be more of a street wheel than dirt..bright side is a rimlock can be installed if someone has a drill.

With the 100°F temps and how difficult the tire was to get on i threw everything out the window just to get er mounted. I needed the bike the following morning lol the everyday "how to" i intended turned into a personal fight for my life challenge that i wont try again. It turned out fine, rode after the video for a shakedown and never had to look back since. If i ever have to do it again im using a machine and staying comfortable. Thanks for watching, i appreciate it a lot.

6in/ 15cm/ 152mm

It can be done with basic hand tools. But definitely not the preferred way to do it! Didnt help it was 110F/ 44C that day either.

I dont think he would want any part of it lol.

If these are capable of getting punctured id just ride on it until i get to town. Hands down the most difficult tire to install but theres something to be said about the durability. Can't trust them on cold wet roads as much as other tires but they hook up on gravel and dirt. I do believe this is the first video where im raining sweat and cursed under my breath. It was 100F that day and i did both tires in one sitting. I have no plans to do this again on the future. The 701 is a great bike! I put 18,000 miles on a 690 Enduro and have no complaints except having to buy new torx tooling but i never need much of a reason to buy tools. Keep the shiney side up and thanks for commenting! I appreciate it.

@@atombawm I've ridden the Anakee Wild with zero air and it was fine over 20 miles/35 km at 40mph. Those sidewalls belong on a tractor. Here in England, wet tarmac is a big part of our riding. So not ideal for us. Thanks for the reply.

I have found that the key to making the spooning easier is to use LOTS of proper tire lube. Purpose-made lube such as Murphy's works much better than Windex. If you choose to take your tire to the bike shop for mounting, watch how easy it is for the shop when they do the work. That is because they use LOTS of proper lube. The friction coefficient between the metal rim and rubber tire is very high. Your job is to apply lube to make the tire "just slip right on".

@@TubeClift My magic is tyre warmers, get even a twat of a tyre up to 60 degrees Celsius and they slip on with no effort or chewed up rims. You're right though, lube is, ahem, your friend and little bites on the levers really do help. I've learned patience is better than brute force. Vanessa Ruck of Girl On A Bike does a mousse change in about 5 minutes, and she proves technique beats brute force.

Because i set chain tension every time i remove the rear wheel. Its really not that much work and its better to do it now instead of putting it off because you'll have to do it eventually and break torque on the axle nut anyway.

Spoke weights

@@atombawm So they to counter balance the valve stem I guess ? but what about the tyre in general ? I never had a tube so just curious… I have tubles spoked rims on my GS..and I have to balance them same way as car rims after tyre replacement..

@@bartikyan on some of my bikes the wheels get balanced due to the higher speeds, my off road bikes and supermotos dont get balanced unless i can feel wheel hop or vibrations but even then ill break the bead, spin the tire 180 degrees on the rim and try again before getting them balanced. Im not opposed to balancing, i just dont find it necessary in all applications.

I do love a tubeless setup, the wheels would need to be modified and i needed this bike to be ready to go that day. I told myself "next time" and ill have a tubliss kit ready to install. Or just get some fancy wheels :)

Lots of ADV/Enduro/Motocross bikes use tubes. They are still commonly used in spoked rims.

Because i enjoy being miserable lol. Reality is that i did it because ive always performed my own maintenance and although going into this i knew they would be a bit tougher than a normal tire i discovered mid- process how much grief it actually is but i wanted to show it can be done for those that might need to attempt this. In my case, I had to get it done. I needed the bike the following morning. took two hours to do brakes & tires and i was ready for the ride the following morning. Thanks for the comment! Hope the videos help in some fashion. Even if it helps people not bother with it at all lol.

My Honda dealership wanted 400 dollars to install Shinkos. Some shops just more expensive than others I guess.

Shop time is definitely getting more expensive these days. Its important to support local business but theres definitely a line where taking the time to do it yourself is more cost effective. Shops in my area are backed up for several days and are also expensive as well.

Good way to get extra parts money!

Its okay, everything worked out good. Spokes didnt see much side load, knee was there to prevent tilting, not like i was standing on it but i know how it looks lol I buff my tooltips to prevent scratches, nicks and gouging so the rim lips are fine, more damage was caused by gravel and road salts than this tire change lol.

ковш для удобства рабочего положения, больше ничего. если эта шина спустится на дороге, я буду ездить на ней, пока она не отвалится сама, ха-ха

Hardest tire install ever.

The tube wasnt inflated that much, i could collapse it easily. If you havent mounted these tires by hand yet id love to hear your feedback on the experience.

I do it the same as him. Put kind of a lot of air in the tube at first to get everything started. Then, when it starts to get a little tight towards the final side, let some air out. He got the tire on, and didn't get a pinch flat - so, I'd say he did a good job. And really, those Dunlop tires are super stiff and a pain to mount by hand. I actually like taking the wheel off the bucket for the last little bit, and standing on the tire on the ground/grass while pushing on the leavers. Also, it helps to lift the tire in the back sometimes to get the opposite side in the center drop. But, he got it on, with really just some minor swearing ... heh heh!

In my opinion, no matter how you begin or end mounting the dunlop trailmax, its going to suck the entire time.

@@atombawm it may do but that doesn't mean showing incorrect technique is acceptable...

Reminds me of a old saying "theres more than one way to skin a cat". If you ever get around to installing a trailmax mission with hand tools id like to hear about your experience.

Rim is still mint. Dont know where you got that info.

..oh...the old tire was so worn out it didnt take much to remove..just a lot of cussing at it and forcing it lol i had 3 hours of footage to condense down to 30-40min and when i edited this it was one of my first "big" videos to edit so rookie mistake. Im getting better i think lol even though a tire video from two years ago is still my top video on the channel..you guys must really like tires!

@@atombawm these tires are a nightmare with hand tools, i am here looking for any trick i can find to save taking them to a shop. everything's done but i literally can't get the back over the rim. Guess i'll wait til tomorrow and pray for heat!

Right!?? They are such a pain! Im glad someone shares the experience with me but im sorry youre going through it because i know how bad it sucks lol. C-clamps & windex, gotta collapse that best as much as possible on the opposite side that youre spooning on.

@@atombawm You can buy a tire lube from Napa called Ruglide that helps quite a bit but they are still a pain in the ass even with a manual tire changing stand.

@@kidcopernicus You can buy a tire lube from Napa called Ruglide that helps quite a bit but they are still a pain in the ass even with a manual tire changing stand.