Honda CBR 600RR Forum banner

Anybody changing their own tires?

1.5K views 14 replies 11 participants last post by  CNI Dawg  
#1 · (Edited)
Hey guys, My neighbor and I are getting addicted to track days and one thing that comes along with that is lots of tire changes. I've called around and the dealers or private motorcycle shops are charging crazy amounts to mount the tire to the rim. I was wondering if anyone was using manual tire tools to mount their own tires. If so, does it take forever? Does it damage the rims? How are you guys balancing the tires? Better yet, has anyone had any experience with the Harbor Freight portable tire changer with the motorcycle tire attachement?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=42927

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=34542
 
#3 ·
yep, I change mine all the time. I save a bunch of $$$$$ too. I made my own tire changer that protects the rotors and holds the wheel so I can use spoons and just do it manually. It scratches the crap out of the wheel, but its a track bike. I use a coats balancer but you could also use a static balancer. I only do it for trackdays, at the races the dunlop guy mounts em for free. Even then, if you have to switch back and forth too rains they charge for it.
 
#4 ·
I have the Harbor Freight tire changer setup in my garage. Nice unit for the money. You have to get rim savers and even then, there is a good chance you will scratch your rims. The mount bar that comes with the HF setup sucks ass. I spent another $100 or so for a NoMar bar. Much better and I rarely scratch a rim from mounting/demounting a tire. I can demount, mount and balance a tire in about 20 minutes.

If you got the cash, get the NoMar setup at http://www.nomartirechanger.com/ ... Expensive but it will save you money in the long run.

Remember you also need wheel weights and a tire balancer. Get ready to be really popular. Everyone will call you for tire changes, even if you scratch their rims.
 
#5 ·
+1 on the Harbor Freight deal. My buddy got one and it was easily the best investment he has made so far.To keep from scratching the rims we just cut a piece of plastic from a milk jug and tape it to the bar. We use jack stands to balance the tires but I just made a balancer using some scrap lumber and some old skate bearings (can't wait to try it in a few weeks).
 
#7 ·
Mayhem said:
It also helps to secure it directly to the concrete floor in your garage rather than the sheet of plywood.
Definitely. I have mine secured to 4 anchor bolts in my garage. I remove the changer when not in use.

This is the wheel balancer I built. I can balance up to a 200 series tire. Can go wider if I mod it up some more.
Image
 
#8 ·
maoisn said:
I have the Harbor Freight tire changer setup in my garage. Nice unit for the money. You have to get rim savers and even then, there is a good chance you will scratch your rims. The mount bar that comes with the HF setup sucks ass. I spent another $100 or so for a NoMar bar. Much better and I rarely scratch a rim from mounting/demounting a tire. I can demount, mount and balance a tire in about 20 minutes.

If you got the cash, get the NoMar setup at http://www.nomartirechanger.com/ ... Expensive but it will save you money in the long run.

Remember you also need wheel weights and a tire balancer. Get ready to be really popular. Everyone will call you for tire changes, even if you scratch their rims.
Does the Harbor Freight work like the Nomar setup?
 
#10 ·
This one is a bit spendy but well worth the money if you need it now in a hurry.

http://www.nomartirechanger.com/

This is the one I use,takes about 1 hour to remove them from the bike,tale off and install new tires and put them back on the bike.

http://www.tireqwik.com/

EDIT
I should read every post. :dancing2:
 
#15 ·
I use the Harbor Freight one.
Works fine
Duct taped the cleats that hold the rim (gotta change the tape fairly often)
Rim savers to help avoid scratching the rim with standard M/C tire levers.
The NO-Mar tire levers look interesting.....might try some