Post by Gary on Aug 20, 2007 17:41:55 GMT -5
I first posted this thread about changing your valve stems on the 250 forum, but thought others might benefit if it was here.
I had to change the valve stems on my Viva 250 because the ones that came with the scoot were weathered and cracked and looked as though they were 30 years old.
This was my first try doing this, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it might be. The description below is for the rear tire, but next day I did the front tire, and the whole process took about 5 minutes.
I read in another post that cycle some shops use a big C-clamp to break the tire bead from the rim. So I went to Sears and bought the biggest mother C-clamp I could find - an 8-incher - at a cost of about $15. I also bought a stem puller at Pep Boys for about $6.00. I also had previously purchased a small compressed air tank at Sears (really cheap, like $20 if I recall). This tank doesn't have a compressor, but you can refill the tank at any gas station. Here are the basic tools:
The first step is to let the air out of the tire. My tire was already flat, so I didn't have to worry about that.
The next step is to apply the C-clamp to the sidewall of the tire to squeeze the bead off the rim. With just the C-clamp I couldn't quite get the bead over the lip of the rim. I tried several positions, but couldn't quite do it. Eventually I enlisted the help of another clamp and was able to coax the bead off the rim.
Next, cut the off the old valve stem with a sharp knife:
Insert the new valve stem and attach the stem puller to the other side (I put some soapy water on the stem as a lubricant):
Now pull on the stem puller to set the valve in the hole. Yeah right - the stem puller doesn't work well with these right angle valves. The first time I did it I pulled the metal part out of the rubber body. Plan B was to use a pry bar in addition to the stem puller. This worked great:
The next step was to re-inflate the tire. I thought this was going to be a real pain because I had a flat on my 150 once and getting the bead to set was a real bitch. But this time as soon as I applied air the bead set right on the rim with no effort at all. So I just filled it with air.
Here's the scoot with the new valve and a fully inflated tire:
As I said above, the next day I did the front tire. Piece of cake. I only had to use one clamp to pop off the bead. And I used a straight valve stem which was easier to install than the angle valve. Whole process took no more than five minutes.
One thing to note: Scooter valve stems are smaller than car valve stems. You can get scooter valve stems at any motorcycle shop.
Cheers,
Gary
I had to change the valve stems on my Viva 250 because the ones that came with the scoot were weathered and cracked and looked as though they were 30 years old.
This was my first try doing this, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it might be. The description below is for the rear tire, but next day I did the front tire, and the whole process took about 5 minutes.
I read in another post that cycle some shops use a big C-clamp to break the tire bead from the rim. So I went to Sears and bought the biggest mother C-clamp I could find - an 8-incher - at a cost of about $15. I also bought a stem puller at Pep Boys for about $6.00. I also had previously purchased a small compressed air tank at Sears (really cheap, like $20 if I recall). This tank doesn't have a compressor, but you can refill the tank at any gas station. Here are the basic tools:
The first step is to let the air out of the tire. My tire was already flat, so I didn't have to worry about that.
The next step is to apply the C-clamp to the sidewall of the tire to squeeze the bead off the rim. With just the C-clamp I couldn't quite get the bead over the lip of the rim. I tried several positions, but couldn't quite do it. Eventually I enlisted the help of another clamp and was able to coax the bead off the rim.
Next, cut the off the old valve stem with a sharp knife:
Insert the new valve stem and attach the stem puller to the other side (I put some soapy water on the stem as a lubricant):
Now pull on the stem puller to set the valve in the hole. Yeah right - the stem puller doesn't work well with these right angle valves. The first time I did it I pulled the metal part out of the rubber body. Plan B was to use a pry bar in addition to the stem puller. This worked great:
The next step was to re-inflate the tire. I thought this was going to be a real pain because I had a flat on my 150 once and getting the bead to set was a real bitch. But this time as soon as I applied air the bead set right on the rim with no effort at all. So I just filled it with air.
Here's the scoot with the new valve and a fully inflated tire:
As I said above, the next day I did the front tire. Piece of cake. I only had to use one clamp to pop off the bead. And I used a straight valve stem which was easier to install than the angle valve. Whole process took no more than five minutes.
One thing to note: Scooter valve stems are smaller than car valve stems. You can get scooter valve stems at any motorcycle shop.
Cheers,
Gary