Need Tire Infos

I understand how tires are put on from the posts and videos given, but what I still do not understand is the tubless and tube tires. I have wheels with spokes. I take it that I am suppose to have tires with innertubes. From what I can see, the tires on it now says tubeless on the sidewall. Is this ok? And no, it is not leaking.

Also when I buy tires, who will I know if they come with tubes or not? Or will the shop know what to order for me? I know I will not be putting the tires on, but I would still like to know how someone could put on the back wheels. What I mean is, wouldn't it be hard because there is the chain to deal with and how to tighten it, and get the wheel spinning straight.

Should I trust a Kawasaki dealer shop to work on my tires or is a private mechanic good enough for the installation work? What is a good site for tires or should I also just ask the Kawasaki dealer for help?

With spoked wheels, yes, your bike uses tubes.
You can put tubeless tires w tubes on your bike.
It shouldn't be a problem for the dealer to install new tires & tubes & rim strips.
Tubes don't come with the tires (or rim strips - they fit around the rim to protect the tube from the spoke nipples) - those things are typically purchased separately.

You probably have a tube in your tire even though it is marked tubeless. It's hard to find tires that are made strictly for tubes, but there's no problem putting a tube inside most tubeless tires.

When you buy tires if you need tubes you will have to order them separately along with new rim strips.

Dealer or private mechanic is up to you, but make sure that you trust whoever is doing the work because they are going to be messing with some seriously important stuff (obviously tires, but brakes as well).

Talk to the shop that you will be having do the work first, some places won't install tires unless they sold them to you. Tires can often be cheaper online, but it doesn't help you much if you can't get them on your bike!

Thanks guys. That helps. I was confused when I noticed "tubeless" on the side wall of the tires.

KZ1000CSRman wrote:

I understand how tires are put on from the posts and videos given, but what I still do not understand is the tubless and tube tires. I have wheels with spokes. I take it that I am suppose to have tires with innertubes. From what I can see, the tires on it now says tubeless on the sidewall. Is this ok? And no, it is not leaking.

You can always mount a "tubeless" type tire on a spoked rim as long as you use a tube with it. You always buy the tube separately. I reuse tubes for a long time because they are sealed inside the tire protected from exposure to air or light so the rubber lasts a long time. Or, you can buy a new tube if you want.

JakeB wrote:

Talk to the shop that you will be having do the work first, some places won't install tires unless they sold them to you. Tires can often be cheaper online, but it doesn't help you much if you can't get them on your bike!

Here is wisdom: you can usually find a local bike shop that sells tires and will throw in the mount+balance for free if you buy the tire from them, and that actually makes it cheaper to buy locally. At least, it is around here. The shop prices now are not that far above internet prices and when you figure in shipping cost and the $25 for mount+balance, you can do better locally than ordering offline.

I shall have to ask around then. Another good advice.

JakeWilson.com seems to have good prices w free shipping.
If you buy on-line, ask them to send tires that're dated within the past year or so.
Tires have a date code after the DOT lettering - example:
DOT [other letters] [3208] would be a tire made in the 32nd week of 2008.

Some folks here on KZR state that cycle shops in their area mount tires for $20 or so. Around here it's not that cheap.

JMKZHI wrote:

Some folks here on KZR state that cycle shops in their area mount tires for $20 or so. Around here it's not that cheap.

Same here, cheapest I could find was $35 per wheel, if you bought the tires from them, and if you brought them the unmounted wheels.

That's when I decided to give mounting another try myself. :laugh:

OKay, let's say that after I get the tires back on the rims and inflated, what do I do next? Do I assemble the wheel and make sure the chain has the right tension and thats it? Will the wheel be correctly aligned? Same with the front, will the front wheel also be automatically aligned?

You simply must buy a Kawasaki Factory Service Manual (FSM). It describes everything you need to know about this and other maintenance tasks along with tons of other highly useful information. Don't start monkeying with the bike without the manual or you will end up creating safety and other problems that may kill you or at least cost you more than a the cost of a stack of FSM's. Be sure to get the correct one for your model/year. They're available on eBay and are truly worth every penny. Ed

x2 on an FSM. But if you can't find one a Clymer or Haynes will do the job for a beginner. My Clymer worked fine for me until I lost it and then happened across an FSM on eBay.

As it goes for the installation of the tires and stuff, find out from other riders where they go. Mechanics are a mixed bag. I take my wheels to the local Honda dealer because the Customer Service people and the mechanics at the Kawi dealer are all a bunch of twats. Tire changes are the only thing I don't do myself, but I'll take it to those guys every time, just because I trust them.