ducatipaso.org

hi everybody!

i've been following this site since i bought my '89 750 paso in 2003 but i haven't done more than 5 miles on it yet.
the buy was an impulse one and i might have been so stupid because the bike was a total wreck (on the inside) and
didn't discovered it until i got it home in romania (i bought it for a dodgy dealer in belgium).
so, for the next following year i have abandoned in brother's courtyard and went ridding kawis (zr7, gpz500s) and triumphs.
the street triple is fantastic bike and i think it will stay in my possession until its wheels will fall off.

last month i decided to give it a go and resurrect the paso from the dead.

i done a lot of things on it already and there is still a lot to do. i have sourced parts from all over europe as you can imagine
that here in romania there are only 2-3 pasos all models combined (mine included). i'm missing some tools to do the engine
overhauling but i think i found a guy that was a ducati dealer in my hometown and his business went south (no surprise given
economical meltdown, the local buying power and the ducati pricing). so, i might get some help with the tools.

ok, back to second part of the title: fitting the avon azaro st tyres.

the front was fitted ok, no problem whatsoever. i haven't raised the fender as bike is still allover my garage.

fitting the rear was a big issue because the tyre is designed for a much narrow rim and side walls did not touch the rim at all.
i struggled for 3 hours to find a way to expand the sidewalls to touch rim and inflate it to no avail.
in the end i found a garage that was fitting truck tyres and they manage to fit it using an "air bomb"

basically, it is a handheld compressed air reservoir that can blow its entire content in one big shot though a flattened pipe inserted
between the tyre and the rim.

so, if you think getting these tyres, keep that in mind and try to find a someone who has a similar tool or something else to expand the tyre to touch the rim.
i heard there are some collars that can plug the gap until you can get some pressure in and expand the tyre.

i'll probably i'll post some updates about my restauration or some questions if i'll get stuck during the process.

felix

I expect to have a new Azaro fitted soon but two weeks before I do this I will visit my local tyre fitter and place an inner tube into the empty tyre and inflate it till it spreads the bead to the right width, and leave it like that for the two weeks. By then it should have hardened so that when the inner tube is taken out it will stay that shape for placement onto the wheel. I'm sure this will work.

Soup cans,my personal favorite Beer cans, blocks of wood even rolled up old newspaper will do the trick.
Like Felix stated,some shops have a device called a one shot which can blast a one time shot of air into the tire to expand the beads to the point they will seal and hold air. They are very popular in high end auto shops but not in motorbike shops. One trick I have used on occasion is a tube on top between the rim and tire and take the valve core out so you can get more flow. Way back in the day before all these devices it was not uncommon to use something flammable like lysol or ether even windex to do the trick. Not recommended for the novice, hell not recommended for the experienced for that matter. You can also use your tie downs around the circumference of the tire for those of you that trailer to your track day.
jfyi

I'll bet my brothers of a different mother from down under can suggest a few more options

like this ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7owrxqMF ... re=related

Pussy's use sticks

Several years ago in Portland, Oregon an acquaintance of mine was using a come-along (wire & steel) wrapped around a large Ford truck tire attempting to seal the bead and inflate the tire. While I was in the house, he decided to use some starter fluid in conjunction with the come-along and basically turned the come-along into a projectile almost severing his leg at the knee -

Brilliant work

On the other hand, the tire was inflated . . .