When removing the rear axel nut you might find things a wee bit tight for maneuvering a proper box end wrench around.  This is where that factory flat wrench really comes in handy, as it is made specifically to fit into that tight space.  It’s a flat thing with a 12 point star shaped hole in it that goes over the nut.  What seems to work best is to take the wrench and place it over the nut, (after removing the cotter pin) and then using a screwdriver, drift pin or L shaped allen wrench, place it through the hole on the other end of the axel and turn the axel counter clockwise.    It’s important that you do not lose the spacer which is located between the axel nut and the seal, and put the spacer into your container of bits.  

   I find that on old coffee can is a great container for this sort of purpose.  It usually comes with a handy snap on lid to keep dirt and things out while I’m working, and when I remember to put it back on, when it gets knocked over or kicked out of the way, all the bits inside stay there.  Not only that, when I am ready to clean and re-assemble everything, I can just pour a bit of solvent in there, put the lid back in place and shake.  Voila, a mini parts cleaning tank.  Afterwards I simply dispose of the solvent, (put it into the parts cleaner, or dispose of it in an environmentally safe method) and re-use the can for storage or whatever.

Tires are best initially inspected removed from the rim.  Once you know what you actually do have in the way of rubber, a visual inspection every once in a while should be sufficient.  If you were lucky, in addition to your tool roll there was another similar roll that had a jack, and a set of tire spoons.  If you weren’t that fortunate, then you need to head back to the old auto parts store and get some.  Buy yourself a set of three tire spoons about 8” – 10” long.  Longer ones just take up more room in your tool roll, and really are not necessary.  In a pinch you can remove your tire with a couple of big screwdrivers, but unless you’re really careful and really lucky your going to find that the only pinch you get is on the tube, and that will result in a guaranteed puncture.  The first thing that you are going to want to do is let the air out of your tire, assuming that you have any in there in the first place.  Unscrew the valve cap, and remove the inner valve mechanism from the valve stem.  If you have a valve cap with a slotted thingy on the top you can turn it over and use that to remove the inner valve.  If you only have one of those old fashioned rubber coated round tops on your valve stem you will need to either get an inner valve stem remover, or a valve cap that has a remover built right in.

   I found this handy little item at the local Auto Parts store, and immediately added it into my roadside repair bag.  The same company also made a Tire Tread Gage that I also grabbed for my kit.  Total cost; UNDER $10.00 for both.

   In a real pinch, you can press the little stick thing in the middle of the stem down with a ballpoint per or a small Phillips (pointy) screwdriver and that will let the air escape.  You will have to remember that if you do it this way, all of the air will not escape, and as soon as you let the stick thing come back up whatever air that is left inside is trapped there, and will cause a little extra resistance. 

   Once the air is removed from the tube you should be able to push the whole valve stem up inside the hole in the rim where it will sit between the rim and the tire.  Remove the brake assembly from the brake drum if it is still together.  Place the brake assembly on a clean surface.  Now place the wheel flat on its side making sure that the brake drum is facing downward.  If you have an aerosol can of silicone spray, take it and spray both tire beads all the way around.  If you don’t have silicone spray, soapy water or even baby powder will work in a pinch.  Press the tire down making sure that it separates from the rim all the way around.  You might need to use some force, or even stand on the tire to separate it from the rim.  Now take a rag with some soapy water and wipe down the rim and tire wall.  (This will not be necessary if you use the silicone spray, as this stuff is virtually mess free.)  A little dish soap works really well, and it’s not a bad idea to have a plant mister (spray bottle) full of soapy water around just for the purpose of mounting and dismounting tires. 

   Beginning about 1/4^th of the way around from the tube valve take your tire spoons, (those flat bars with the flattened out ends from your tool kit, or those round things with sort of spoon ends if you got them at the auto parts store) and insert them between the tire and the rim being careful not to pinch the tube while you’re at it.  You will insert all three of the spoons from the hub side, about 4-6” apart.  Next you flip the spoons so that the handles are outside the rim, keeping the spoon ends between the tire and the rim, which should lift the tire up and away from the rim.  I suggest that you flip the center spoon first, so if it should slip out, you have the other two still in place, and that will make it much easier to re-insert the center spoon.  Remove one of the spoons and move it 4-6” to the other side of the remaining spoon and repeat the flipping motion.  I usually leave the first spoon in place and just use the second and third ones for the flipping.  Continue repeating this until you are at least ½ the distance around the rim.  You should then be able to take the tire with your hand and pull the rest of the tire free from the rim.  If you are unable to separate the tube from the rim with your hand, continue using the spoons as described until you are able to pull the rest of the tire free.  When using the spoons try to refrain from using excessive force or spacing the spoons too far apart, as this could result in damage to the tire side walls.  Lift the tire up all the way around so that the bottom side of the tire fits into the deep gutter at the center of the rim, being careful not to get the tube caught between the tire and the gutter of the rim.  If you have not already done so, you may remove the tire spoons and place them safely out of the way. 

   With the tire broken free from the rim on both sides, and the top side now fully outside the rim, reach into the tire in the area where the valve stem hole is located, and take a hold of the inner tube where the valve stem is located.  Gently remove the tube by pulling on it, and gradually working the entire tube free from the rim and tire. 

   If you are only removing the tube to repair it, run your hand around the inside of the tire to ensure that there are no protrusions or sharp objects sticking through the tire which will continue to cause punctures.  You can then proceed to repair the tube as described in the following paragraphs.  If however you are going to remove the tire from the rim you must proceed to the next step.

Depending on the style of tire you are running there should be sufficient tread for the proposed use.  If you are planning on being one of the few riders whose main use is putting around town, going back and forth to work, doing a little grocery shopping and cruising around the neighborhood with the wife and kids in tow, then a street tire is what you need.  A good street tire should have a minimum of 2mm of tread to be considered safe.  New tires generally have somewhere in the vicinity of 6mm to 7.5mm tread and anything less than 1mm is just plain not safe.  There are those that claim that the stock Russian rubber can be safely driven until the cord begins to show, but I sure wouldn’t want to be out there on a highway in a fresh summer rain with a tire like that.

   Now here is where one of those assorted gadgets that we were saying should be lurking in your tool box comes in handy.  It’s a Tire Tread Gauge which is used specifically for measuring the amount of tread you have left on your tire.  You use it to measure how much rubber there is left from the bottom of the tread to the top of the tread.  If the tread is worn out, or the tire has cord showing or cracks in the rubber then you need to replace the tire.  You can throw the old one away, (remember to recycle your old rubber) or you can use it to play tug of war with your best friend and garage companion, the family dog.  You could also use it for a backyard swing if you have a tree, but only if the kids are not too big. 

   When you look inside the tire, check to see if the cord is broken, or if the side cable is damaged.  If you answer yes to either of these, then you need to replace the tire.  While you are looking inside the tire, check for and sharp objects that may have penetrated the rubber or otherwise found itself between the tire and the tube.  Just because it hasn’t punctured the tube yet, doesn’t mean that it might not in the future.  Remember Ivan’s Law.  (That’s Murphy’s Law to everyone else.)  “If anything can go wrong, it will as soon as you get it put back together”.

   Next you should check the tube.  That’s the rubber thingy that holds the air inside the tire.  These bikes are not like modern cars and motorcycles, they don’t have tubeless tires.  If your tube has patches on it, you’re probably best off to replace it.  That means that it has had a hole in it before, and as soon as you put it back in, Ivan’s Law will take effect.  The best way to check your tube is to fill it up with air.  Be sure you don’t over fill it with air or it will blow up, and you will have to go and buy yourself another tube.  If it has a slow leak in it the best way to find the leak is to find a suitable container, fill it up with water, and stick the inflated tube under the surface of the water.  If you see bubbles coming up to the surface, you have a leak.  If you find a leak, you have two options.  First you can go and buy yourself a new tube, or second you can use a tire patch.  Not one of those plug thingy’s that you use on your car tire, but a vulcanized tire patch like you use on the kids bicycle tires.  These are readily available at any Auto Parts store, and are considered to be mandatory in all tool boxes and in your spares kit that you will carry about with you wherever you go.  (More about the spares kit later).

   I found a great little inner tube repair kit that had 5 patches, a grader thingy, glue and a pair of tire spoons in the bicycle department of the local hardware store for just under $5.00.  It came in a little plastic case that kept everything together while bouncing around in the spares kit.  Of course the tire spoons were useless for motorcycle tires, but I kept them anyhow as there is no doubt in my mind that someday I will need a little pry bar thingy, and these will be just perfect.

   If you have to use a tube patch, remember that as in all repairs cleanliness is next to Godliness.  Clean the rubber thoroughly all around the area where the leak is.  When you found the leak you should have drawn a little circle with one of those yellow (or whatever color you have) wax pencils that mark just about everything.  Don’t have one?  Get a couple and throw them in the gadget drawer along with the tread measuring thingy, and your handy little tire pressure gauge.  If the leak is directly on, or even near to a seam, then don’t even waste your time.  Throw the tube away and get a new one.  However if you are broke down on the side of the road and find yourself doing this, don’t throw the tube away unless you have a spare.  This is the only time that it is safe to use a tube that has a leak on the seam, and only until you get it home to replace it.  On the top of your tube repair kit you will notice that the lid has a cheese grater sort of surface.  It’s not for grating cheese though; it’s for roughing up the rubber of the tube.  Don’t go crazy with it, but gently rough up an area slightly larger than the patch you are going to use.  Next you take the glue tube and squeeze out a small amount of glue and using your finger spread out a thin layer of glue roughly the size of the area that you just roughed up.  Now take the patch that you have selected and on the bottom there is a shiny plastic coating which you must remove before using the patch.  You will notice that the patch has a sticky surface where the shiny plastic used to be.  Now you flatten out the tube with the hole facing up, and place the patch with the center directly over the hole, and press it down firmly.  Give the whole thing a few minutes to set up, continuing to put a little pressure on it if you can.  Now your tube is patched, and you should fill it back up with air and check it for leaks one more time.  If your still getting little air bubbles you messed up and need to do the whole operation over again.

   JUST A QUICK NOTE OF CAUTION:  When using one of those cans of flat tire repair gunk that you can buy at the auto parts store.  They will probably work in a pinch, but they are definitely not to be considered a long tem fix.  CAUTION: if you have used one of these as a quick repair to get you home DO NOT try to change the tube or fix the tire with a cigarette in your mouth as the fumes from many of these products are extremely flammable and may blow up in your face.  If the cigarette is not lit, disregard this caution.