[r80rt]

I've had a couple of flats on the rear in the last year so I got serious about being able to fix them. First you need real automotive patches and glue, not scabs or bicycle stuff, And learn how to properly use them. I also carry a small 2oz bottle of real tire lube, Ru-Glyde, not soapy water, it just works better. A small bottle of baby powder to put on the tube to keep it from folding in the tire when airing up. A rear tire can be broken down by using just three levers, I practiced on my spare rear wheel, and the spare tire on my truck. It can be done, it's not as difficult as you might think. It only took about 10 minutes to break the bead with this method.

http://www.dualsportbc.com/forums/showthread.php?7761-Bead-breaking-with-just-tire-levers



http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=458452



http://www.motorcycle.com/how-to/the-right-stuff-3424.html



You also need to prop the bike up to work on it. Get the axle nut loose before you start, if you are raising the rear use a zip tie to hold the front brake, and a tie down strap from the front tire back to the kick stand, to keep the bike from rolling off the stand. This jack is made from a piece of Re-bar, the straight rod is 14 1/2 inches long. The little tail on top goes in a hole I drilled in the bash plate and the "cup" goes under the frame cross member behind the foot peg. I carry it out of the way on the handlebars, and one of my saddlebags is devoted to flat fixing tools. A flat tire is a fact of life that no solo explorer can ignore. Take the time to learn how to repair a puncture, and the nightmare becomes a 45 minute inconvenience. You WILL have a flat in a desolate place, you WON'T have phone service, be prepaired for it.

Kinda hard to see, but here it is on the bars.

Tie back the front brake to keep the wheel from rolling.

A strap from the front wheel to the kick stand to lock it in place.

 

[joeband]

three points makes a stool.... very clever!

 

[Tirebiter]

Thank you for the tire changing links. I like the jack and will probably copy it if that's ok. I'm thinking about making one very similar to yours out of two shorter pieces of threaded rod joined with a coupling nut so I can break it down and stow in a tool tube if possible.

 

[r80rt]

Copy away, the idea isn't new, I stole it myself. I will take credit for drilling a hole in the bash plate for lifting the front though. I thought about making it two piece, but figured I lose half of it.

 

[rm_hm]

Took me awhile to remember where I saw something like this before.... http://tw200forum.co...594-the-crutch/ & http://tw200forum.co...ce-crutch-jack/

I think I have an old crutch set in the attic......

 

[r80rt]

Yeah, I've seen several versions of a trail jack, and those crutches are great designs, they helped inspire me to make one. I looked at a lot of different one's trying to decide what I needed. I wanted mine to be as simple as possible with no moving parts, nothing to lose, and one length that would raise either end. I also didn't want it close to the axles, so it wouldn't be in the way while working.

 

[vuldub]

A rear tire can be broken down by using just three levers,

Dang, I've only been using two these years!



A tip to offer that isn't shown in the links: to break the bead, insert the tire iron between the tire and the rim and twist the tire iron. Use the second iron the same way. Kneeling on the tire will assist in breaking the bead. It the bead is welded on by years of oxidation and you aren't out in the boonies, take a 4' length of 2x4, wedge one end under the tire of your car, put a small scrap 2x4 between the bottom of the longer 2x4 and the on top the tire near the rim (wheel laying flat on ground) and leverage the longer 2x4 down. The fulcrum point should press the bead down.



Last tip. Be sure to slightly inflate the tube before reinstalling it as this will prevent pinching.

 

[vuldub]

--------

That's Gerry's (Mr Gizmow) invention!!

I have one and it works great on several of my bikes.

 

[vuldub]

I do like your rebar support - its more trail sized.

 

[Vagabond]

Something seems to have happened to the original photos in the first post- they aren't there. Any ideas why? It's time I built a jack!!

 

[TW-Brian]

Here's a link to the jack that I made using r80rt's idea.

http://tw200forum.com/forum/technical-help/7099-eat-your-heart-out-mrbracket-i-made-stick.html

Brian