Scooterotica

Any suggestions for a tyre fitter with a proven success rate for Colchester or Ipswich ?

DNot really near you Martin but in case you travel, Dirt Bike Centre Dunstable.

ghia speed tubeless tyre fitting tool highly recommended 250 euro

Saw a video on SULK about it, they made a real meal out of it to be quite honest, think it was that sticky geezer who did it, why the f@@k do you want to give yourself all that hastle? And what for?
Then there was the one with the dude with the cable ties and ratchet strap around the tyre, give me strength ffs.

Any tyre shop that fits car tyres should be able to fit them (as long as their machine will fit 10" wheels)
I just go to my mates place and fit them myself, just the same as fitting any car tyre. Now AF or scoot rs tubeless are a whole different ball game !

I found a supplier to fit them. The charge was too much, but they did it without a scratch to my polished and painted wheels, and on the same day, so I won't complain.

In my search for someone who will do it, I did learn a fair bit about the issues with fitting tyres to SIP tubelss rims. One problem is eluded to above, and that is holding them, as they are only 10". The jaws also have to be rubberised so they don't slip and/or scratch the wheel.

The "shoe" that is used to ease the lip of the tyre over the rim is often a bit big for such a small diameter tyre, and if you need to stretch the lip to get it over the rim, then you get less stretch on a small tyre than you do on a large tyre (percentage-wise).

One guy I saw, who declined the work, was so helpful that I might work with him to solve the problems so that he can fit my tyres in future and develop that side of his business.

Thanks for your suggestions and post.

Ive had a few vespa sip rims fitted with new tyre locally , £10 a tyre , the guy manages to hold the rim in the machine then uses tyre levers ......no problem..
BUT i had a scoot rs one done recently and buckled the rim slightly !!!
the scoot rs rims dont have a deep enough channel causing problems stretching the tyre over the rim, the sp rims have more of a channel/deeper making it easier!!
GP performance in oxfordshire ....

I made a holding jig and put Michelin S1's on to a couple of Scootrs rims. I got them on by heating to tyres in an oven and long motorcycle tyre levers. I did slightly bend them. They are a very soft rim though. They have been fine for several years now. With the SIP ones being cast aluminium I'd imagine they are stronger than the Scootrs ones? I'd like to think I could fit tyres to them by hand especially as they have the deeper channels.

225worb wrote:The scoot rs rims dont have a deep enough channel causing problems stretching the tyre over the rim, the sp rims have more of a channel/deeper making it easier...

This exactly the issue that my inquisitive tyre fitter stated as a problem with the SIP rims. Perhaps this is an inevitable feature of all tubeless rims.

MB invented a home tyre machine to bolt or clamp to something hefty. That was a year or two back.

How did we ever cope fitting 10" mini tyres back when any garage, including main dealers, were likely to be asked to do it. Early 1960's on.
I'm sure the well is shallower, being alloy and all, but even so.