Thanks, guys - just needed the right tools for the job!
I now have new tires and am having trouble with the speedometer since reinstalling the front tire. I cannot figure out where to put the nubs on the speedometer in relation to the nubs on the forks. I put the nubs from the speedo in between the nubs on the fork and everything went back together smooth - except now I have no idea how fast I'm going.
Maybe I should make a new post - Help?
(Edit: I followed this guide as best as I could understand it -
https://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Reinst...he_front_wheel)