Best home motorcycle tyre changing kit

Yes, there are cheaper tyre levers and most tyre levers need to be little more than a metal bar with a hooked end to get under the bead of the tyre. But if you're going to be doing it a lot, you might as well get a good one.

Ask any experienced or professional motorcycle tyre fitter about the tricky aspects of their job and they'll often say 'breaking the bead' of the old tyre which is to be removed, or breaking it away from the rim, can be one of the most difficult to do without damaging the wheel.

Good tyre levers may be a vital investment if planning on changing your tyres at home, but most will tell you it's even more important to have two levers, to be used together.

Yes, that's right, they're under five quid for a set and are little more than bits of shaped rubber, but wheel-rim protectors can be invaluable when it comes to changing your bike's tyres, just ask anyone who's ham-fistedly scarred their bike's alloy rims when trying to change their tyres without them.

When fitting a new tyre (after removing the old), one of the biggest inhibitors to getting the new tyre smoothly on the rim is the natural grip of the tyre rubber on the dry metal rim making it reluctant to easily 'slide' into position.

There's no point fitting a tyre if you can't pump it up afterwards and although there are plenty of options out there, including more basic pumps or electric or even petrol compressors, this robust foot pump with built-in gauge from reputable tool brand Draper is one of the best options.

The final, but vital, task whenever fitting new motorcycle tyres is balancing the wheel (and newly-fitted) tyre so doesn't vibrate when riding. This is done by counter-balancing any natural imbalances with wheel weights on the rim opposite any heavy spots and for this you need a variety of wheel weights, usually made of lead.

While balancing the wheel with its new tyre fitted relies on stick-on weights to ensure there are no heavy spots, finding the right location to add those weights is essential and this portable balancer will help to do that.

If money's no object, you plan on doing lots of tyres regularly, for your biking mates perhaps, or simply want the ultimate in-home tyre-changing kit, then how about getting a proper, semi-pro standard tyre changing stand?