A method for manufacturing a motorcycle tire, the motorcycle tire being configured to have a carcass extending from the tread section through a sidewall to reach the bead core of a bead section, and a belt layer positioned on the radially outer side of the carcass and on the inner side of the tread section, where the belt layer is formed with a belt ply made of a plurality of belt cords, comprising: a raw-tire-body forming process to form a cylindrical raw tire body that contains a cylindrical carcass body in which a sheet-type carcass ply of the carcass is wound to be cylindrical, and bead cores (5, 5) are provided on both edges of the carcass ply; and a belt-ply forming process to form a cylindrical belt ply that is wound in a cylindrical shape, wherein the belt-ply forming process includes a bell-ring closing step to move a pair of cylindrical bell rings (14, 14), which are supported to be movable for a short distance toward both sides of the tire in axial directions with the tire equatorial plane set as the center of movement and are positioned on the outside of the raw tire body to be concentric with the tire, from a standby position on the axially outer side toward the axially inner side of the tire leaving a gap in between; a first expansion step to expand the raw tire body in a toroidal shape by filling the raw tire body at a first inflation pressure, while reducing the distance between the bead cores (5, 5) to a first distance so that the apex of the raw tire body protrudes in the radially outward direction through the gap left between the paired bell rings (14, 14); a winding step to wind a sheet-type belt ply by extending it on the pair of bell rings (14, 14) so as to form a cylindrical belt ply with its inner circumferential surface bonded to the apex of the raw tire body; after the paired bell rings (14, 14) are returned to the standby positions, a second expansion step to expand the apex of the raw tire body along with the cylindrical belt ply from the first expanded phase to a second expanded phase by filling the raw tire body at a second inflation pressure that is higher than the first inflation pressure, while reducing the distance between the bead cores (5, 5) to a second distance that is smaller than the first distance; a third expansion step to expand the apex of the raw tire body along with the cylindrical belt ply from the second expanded phase to a third expanded phase by increasing the diameter of an expandable profile deck from a standby position on the radially inner side to the radially outer expanded position of the raw tire body, while reducing the distance between the bead cores (5, 5) to a third distance that is smaller than the second distance; and a belt bonding step to bond the belt ply to the raw tire body by winding down both edges of the cylindrical belt ply. a raw-tire-body forming process to form a cylindrical raw tire body that contains a cylindrical carcass body in which a sheet-type carcass ply of the carcass is wound to be cylindrical, and bead cores (5, 5) are provided on both edges of the carcass ply; and a belt-ply forming process to form a cylindrical belt ply that is wound in a cylindrical shape, wherein the belt-ply forming process includes a bell-ring closing step to move a pair of cylindrical bell rings (14, 14), which are supported to be movable for a short distance toward both sides of the tire in axial directions with the tire equatorial plane set as the center of movement and are positioned on the outside of the raw tire body to be concentric with the tire, from a standby position on the axially outer side toward the axially inner side of the tire leaving a gap in between; a first expansion step to expand the raw tire body in a toroidal shape by filling the raw tire body at a first inflation pressure, while reducing the distance between the bead cores (5, 5) to a first distance so that the apex of the raw tire body protrudes in the radially outward direction through the gap left between the paired bell rings (14, 14); a winding step to wind a sheet-type belt ply by extending it on the pair of bell rings (14, 14) so as to form a cylindrical belt ply with its inner circumferential surface bonded to the apex of the raw tire body; after the paired bell rings (14, 14) are returned to the standby positions, a second expansion step to expand the apex of the raw tire body along with the cylindrical belt ply from the first expanded phase to a second expanded phase by filling the raw tire body at a second inflation pressure that is higher than the first inflation pressure, while reducing the distance between the bead cores (5, 5) to a second distance that is smaller than the first distance; a third expansion step to expand the apex of the raw tire body along with the cylindrical belt ply from the second expanded phase to a third expanded phase by increasing the diameter of an expandable profile deck from a standby position on the radially inner side to the radially outer expanded position of the raw tire body, while reducing the distance between the bead cores (5, 5) to a third distance that is smaller than the second distance; and a belt bonding step to bond the belt ply to the raw tire body by winding down both edges of the cylindrical belt ply.