Tire repair and tire changing are huge in adventure motorcycle riding. We ride long distances over rough terrain in remote places. Getting a flat tire in the middle of your trip not only halts progress and puts a damper on the day but if you cannot fix the problem then you could be in serious trouble.

Best Rest Products makes nearly everything you could need for your motorcycle tires and more. They make products that work well (as long as you know how to use them) and get you out of undesirable situations quickly.

Initially I wanted to change my own tires to save myself the time of getting the bike into the shop. Later I wanted to be good at this process so that I could confidently repair or change tires in the backcountry under any circumstance.

I purchased the BeadBrakR kit along with the Cycle Pump before riding the Oregon Backcountry Discovery Route this past summer. I had done some research and decided that the BeadBrakR kit seemed like the right thing to put my mind at ease for the trip incase we had tire problems.

Thankfully we did not have to use it, because I don’t think I even removed the tools from the pouch before the trip. We did however use the Cycle Pump almost daily to add air to our motorcycle and Jeep tires.

It worked well whether we were using the SAE connection off a motorcycle or the jumper cable connections from a car battery. Not the fastest air compressor in the world but I don’t think you could find another in it’s size that would reliably inflate truck tires!

Having recently purchased a set of Heidenau K60 Scout’s for my KTM 690 I decided it would be a good opportunity to actually put my BeadBrakR  kit to use. I opted to watch the optional Tire Changes and Repairs DVD before getting started to try and save myself some frustration later.

The video content may not have been the most exciting but it was terribly informative. I highly suggest picking up a copy and watching before attempting a tire change or repair with one of Best Rest’s products.

The kit itself comes with almost everything you will need to complete the tire changing process short of the tools to get the wheels off and some optional aids. The mat works really well for keeping everything out of the dirt while you are working and in my case keeping my knees dry while I worked on wet grass.

Armed with the knowledge from the Tire Changes and Repairs DVD I made pretty quick work of the front tire, right up until I pinched the tube during installation. So I got the chance to repeat my steps again and get some extra practice on the front tire.

I took this opportunity to replace the stock tubes with a set of extra heavy-duty tubes from Moose Racing. Using only the tools provided in the kit it was difficult to stretch the fresh K60 over the rim but it was possible.  

I checked the tire for leaks and then used another useful product Best Rest offers: Dyna Beads; they continually balance the tire from within instead of using weights. Then I used my Cycle Pump to fully inflate the tire before installing.

Moving on to the rear required the use of the actual bead breaking tool and I was immediately impressed with how well it worked. Considering how many pieces collectively make up the tool I did not think it could possibly work as well as advertised but even with the force required to break the bead it did not seem unsteady.

It was pretty anti-climatic actually, which I guess is the way you want it to be. It took me a few times assembling and disassembling the tool before I could do it without referencing the instruction sheet but now it is more natural.

I am glad that I had some experience with the front tire before I stretched on the rear K60. Again using only the tools provided this was difficult but not impossible. Probably the more experience you have the easier this process will get.

The key I think to me being able to do this by myself on my first attempt was the tips and tricks shared by owner/inventor David Petersen in the Tire Changes and Repairs video. After inflating and mounting the rear tire I felt a great sense of accomplishment. I also felt confident that I could change or repair a tire on a trip if or when it was needed.

If I had not stopped in the middle of the tire change to go get another tube the whole process would have taken me just under four hours. Considering that with practice I think this time could easily be cut in half I don’t think that it is too time consuming at all. Chances are in the field you would just be working on one tire anyway so you could be back on the trail or the road in no time.

I think this is a great kit to have and it will be a permanent fixture in my gear setup. It is a bit of an investment but they are all well-built and thought out products. Also if you consider how expensive it is to have a shop change out your tires Best Rest’s Products can pay for themselves within a short period of time.

Ultimately I think it is worth investing in and carrying these products for the convenience and piece of mind they can offer. MSRP: BeadBrakR Kit-$215.00, Cycle Pump-$100.00, Dyna Beads-$20.00 BestRestProducts.com

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