How To Change a Tire with Zip Ties

ADV riders and how-to junkies take note, the following is a video on how to MacGyver a motorcycle tire on and off a wheel, while using only zip ties — it might be the most impressive thing we’ve seen in a long while.

If you already own a set of tire irons, or even better a full-blown tire-changing machine, you can feel comfortable in your purchase-making decision, because they are by far the easier solution.

But for our readers who are on a budget or do a bit of touring, the following could keep you from being stuck on the side of the road, all for the tidy sum of $1 at your local hardware store.

If you are already familiar on how to deflate and break the beads on a tire, skip to the 6:00 mark for the zip tie instruction. And no, nothing is new under the sun, and the aforementioned technique is really not that different from the “strap method” some riders might already be familiar with.

However, it is a cheap and more compact version of that thought, and we think knowing how to use God’s greatest invention for motorcyclists, the zip tie, is an invaluable piece of knowledge to have between your ears, while also being an important item for your motorcycle touring kit. Be sure to stock on some zip ties before your next long ride.

Taking off the tire with zip ties: