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Today, we’re going to do a complete rear tire change on a Yamaha Tracer, also known as the Yamaha FJ-09. This guide will also apply if you have an MT09 or XSR900. The process is pretty much the same. We’ll go through all five key steps:
- Removing the chain and wheel from the motorcycle.
- Removing the old tire from the wheel.
- Mounting a new tire on the wheel.
- Balancing the tire and wheel.
- Putting everything back together.
I’ll try to make this as succinct yet complete as possible. Let’s dive in!
Below you can find a text based breakdown of all of the steps, but I recommend watching the video above to really get to see how it’s done.
Step 1: Removing Your Rear Wheel
The first step is to get everything out of the way so that you can remove your rear wheel safely and without causing any damage.
Remove rear axle nut and washer: It may be torqued as high as 108 ft-lbs, so grab a 27 mm bit and something to act as a breaker bar to loosen and remove the axle nut and washer.
Remove the axle: From the right side, poke the axle through the wheel an inch or so. Then from the left side, support the wheel from underneath, and pull the axle out.
Handle the chain: Lift the chain up, and rest it on the swing arm so it’s out of the way. You can use a rag to avoid making a mess.
Remove the ABS sensor: Use a 4 mm hex key to loosen the nut that holds the ABS sensor in place. Remove the nut, then pull the ABS sensor straight out to avoid it being damaged during the tire change.
Slide out the rear rear brake caliper: You may need to support or wiggle the wheel around to get it out of the way. You should use a zip tie or something else to support the brake caliper, don’t let it hang by the brake hose.
Remove the rear wheel: Roll it out backwards. Some spacers may fall out along the way.
Keep organized: Reinstall everything but the wheel in the correct order to remember how everything goes and to avoid losing any small pieces.
Step 2: Removing the Old Tire
At this point, many people just take their wheel to a local motorcycle shop, along with their new tire, and have the shop do the work. Your average motorcycle shop usually has a hydraulic tire machine and an electronic wheel balancer, so it’s fast and easy work for them, and they typically don’t charge very much for this.
However, if you want to do the full tire change yourself, here’s how I do it with my Rabaconda tire changer and Black Widow Pro Balancer:
Warm up the sidewall: Use sunshine or a blow dryer to warm up the sidewall of the old tire. This will make it easier to remove.
Remove the valve stem: Use a valve stem tool to remove the valve stem. This will release the air pressure inside the wheel, making it easier to break the bead.
Break the bead: Use a bead breaker, like the one on my Rabaconda, to break the bead all around the tire. Flip the wheel over and do the same on the other side.
Lubricate the tire: Use bead grease or soapy water, or both, to lubricate the tire at the bead.
Place the Rabaconda duckhead at 6:00 position: Install the wheel rotation block, place the tire iron over the nose of the duckhead, lift the tire bead over the nose of the duckhead.
Dismount the first side of the tire: Start ratcheting the Rabaconda until one side of the tire comes off the wheel.
Dismount the second side of the tire: Bring the duckhead back to the 6:00 position, place the tire iron under the second bead, slip the bead over the duckhead, and ratchet to remove the tire from the rim.
Step 3: Mounting a New Tire
The three most important things to pay attention to when mounting the new tire are lubrication, orientation, and weight.
Apply bead grease or soapy water: Apply all over the bead on both sides of the tire. This will make mounting easier.
Mount the duck head: Position the Rabaconda duckhead at around 6 o’clock and install the wheel rotation block to stop the wheel from spinning.
Pay attention to orientation: Make sure the tire rotation arrow aligns with the wheel’s direction when the wheel will be installed on the motorcycle.
Pay attention to weight: Make sure the yellow circle is in line with the valve stem.
Put the first bead over duckhead’s tail: Ratchet the Rabaconda to mount the first side of the tire.
Setup to mount the other side: Place the duckhead at 12:00, hold the tire behind the duck’s head but covering his back side, install a wheel drop center tool to hold the tire in place.
Mount the tire: Ratchet the Rabaconda to mount the tire. You may need to hold your hand down over the duckhead to get it started.
Inflate to seal the bead on both sides: Inflate the tire until you hear two pops. This means the bead has seated on both sides.
Install the valve core: Grab a new valve core and your valve core tool and re-install the valve core.
Inflate the tire to specification: With the valve core installed, inflate the rear tire to specification. Usually 42 psi, but varies by model and load.
Step 4: Balancing the Tire and Wheel
Balancing the wheel is crucial for a good handling, safety, and to avoid uneven tire wear. You do not want to install an unbalanced motorcycle wheel. I use a Black Widow Pro Balancer to do the job myself.
Remove rear sprocket and cush drives: Lay the wheel on the disk brake side on something soft and flat. Pull up on the rear sprocket to remove it and pull the rear wheel rubber cush drives out too.
Remove any old wheel weights: Ensure the wheel is clean and ready for balancing.
Set up the balancer: Make sure it’s on a surface that’s level from front to back and side to side.
Identify the heaviest part: Spin the wheel slowly and let it settle. Eventually the heaviest part will stop at the bottom.
Add weights: Add some wheel weights on the lightest part of the wheel to try to balance the wheel evenly.
Test: Bring the wheel weights you added to the 3:00 or 9:00 position and let go. If the wheel weights go up, that part is still lighter and you need to add more weight there. If the wheel weights go down, that part is heavier and you need to remove some weights.
You can drive yourself crazy spending all day chasing weights trying to get it perfect. The truth is that you’ll almost never get it completely perfect. Just get it as close as you can. If you’re equally between too heavy with one weight more, or too light with one weight less, go with too light.
In my case, I’m probably a hair a too heavy, but it’s so close to perfectly even that I’m going to leave it like this. Let’s go install everything again.
Step 5: Reassembling Everything
Let’s put it all back together!
Reinstall spacers and wheel: Place the spacers back into the tires with the greasy side in and put the rear wheel back into the position.
Line up the chain: Support the tire from underneath and use a piece of 2×4 or something to rest the chain on if needed.
Reinstall the brake caliper: Remove the zip tie or whatever you used to support the brake caliper and put it back in place.
Insert the axle: Support it from underneath to line everything up and push the axle through.
Torque the axle nut: Put the axle washer and nut into position. Use a torque wrench set to 108 ft-lbs. Tighten until you hear a click. See notes below:
- Note 1: A torque wrench allows you to set how tight you’ll be installing a nut, so that it isn’t too loose that it risks falling off, or too tight that you risk stripping the bolt. Most mechanics won’t use one, but if it’s your first time wrenching on your motorcycle it might be a good idea.
- Note 2: Many users say Yamaha’s 108 ft-lbs torque rating is too high, and to set your torque wrench to 85 ft-lbs instead.
- Note 3: You may want to lubricate the threads of the axle nut to avoid them seizing to your axle or damaging the threads of your axle.
Reinstall the ABS sensor: Put the ABS sensor and the 4 mm nut back in place.
Final Thoughts
Do I recommend everyone replace the rear tire on their Yamaha Tracer / MT-09 / XSR 900 motorcycles themselves? Not really. For a lot of riders buying a Rabaconda and a Black Widow Pro Balancer is a big investment that they might not go through enough tires to justify.
However, you can save a lot of money by at least knowing how to remove and reinstall your rear wheel yourself, and letting a motorcycle shop do the tire change and balancing for you. That’s a great middle of the road option.
Or, if you’re the type who does go through a lot of tires on your motorcycles, the Rabaconda and the Black Widow Pro Balancer can be a great option. By being able to do everything yourself you can save yourself time, save yourself money, and work on your motorcycle whenever it’s convenient for you, and not just when your local shop is open. For me, investing in these purchases has made a lot of sense.
If you found my Yamaha Tracer / MT-09 / XSR 900 tire change guide helpful, please check out the video on YouTube and hit that like button for me. It helps me a lot!
I’m going to be doing an oil and filter change, clutch cable change, and brake fluid flush on my Yamaha soon so be sure to subscribe to YouMotorcycle if you’d like to see how that’s done.
Thank you so much for watching. Ride safe, but have fun!
Adrian
