Recommend a tire changer?

river251

Joined
Jun 18, 2019
Messages
23
Age
69
Location
New Mexico
I've been out of riding for a few years. My local shop charges $95 to install a tire, plus tax. There was a tire changer that was most popular years ago but I don't recall the name. What are people currently buying if they want to change their own tires? Do you bubble balance?

Thanks
JIm
 
I use a Harbor Fright and the No-Mar bar. Balancing is done with one of those shaft and bearing things that hold the wheel vertical - the heavy side drifts down slowly. This is about as exciting as watching paint dry - and as quick.
 
Highly recommend Coats 220 changer. I found mine on Craigslist and have seen a couple since then. They were the standard in motorcycle shops before all the powered ones came out.
 
This

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com

With this

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com

This


Along with these


This helps if you are going dark side

www.nomartirechanger.com

Change Your Own Tires!

www.nomartirechanger.com

Finally this to balance the tires - Well I made my own since I have a metal lathe and I was bored one day.

Motorcycle Wheel Balancer

Motorcycle wheel balancer products by Marc Parnes - learn how to balance your own motorcycle wheels and tires, complete parts list and prices included.
www.marcparnes.com

That is my complete set up.

Quick math on this set up is $385. Plus some tax and shipping on some stuff. You might catch the HF stuff on sale or have a super coupon. So plan on about $400 if going this route. In addition to this there are some additional things I have. A couple tire spoons. I use Murphy Oil Soap for a lube, then you need some wheel weights and a good air compressor. Also one of those tools for valve stem cores. You need to be able to send a quick volume of air to set the bead. Do that with the core removed from the stem. It is a good time to upgrade to aluminum stems as well. Most shops will replace the rubber ones with every tire change.

No-Mar works as well. Plan on spending a little more but less screwing around gathering all the bits. They have the packages starting at $399 so that is the same price but that doesn't come with the tire balancer. To add that it is another $220. Or you can go with the Marc Parnes one I mentioned above for a little over $100.
 
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Or you can look at one of these -

Tire Changers: Electric & Pneumatic | ToolTopia.com

Tooltopia.com The Mechanic's Shop, your home for Tire Changers: Electric, Pneumatic & Manual. Check out our comprehensive list of tools and get free shipping on qualified items!
www.gregsmithequipment.com www.gregsmithequipment.com

I bought the TC221 and got a discount for picking it up at one of their stores.
I used a Harbor Freight changer for years with a MoJo Bar and blocks and some big c-clamps.
But I decided one year to buy myself a birthday present!
The TC221 will do motorcycle tires (with the adapters), car tires and lawnmower tires which is a nice feature to have.
 
Uncle Phil said:
Or you can look at one of these -
Click to expand...

Yeah, I got one of the powered units as well to celebrate my descension into geezerhood. I used a Harbor Freight and then a NoMar for many years. The NoMar solidly mounted really is all a "normal" person really needs, but when it comes to motorcycles I can never do "normal" with any consistency. I searched for a couple of years for a good economical Coats 220 rim clamp machine like @Skunkape was fortunate to find, but I came up empty. The Chicom copycat powered units like @Uncle Phil and I have get close to the Coats (many will argue that isn't so) for not much more than a full-house all options in NoMar setup. I waffled between Atlas and Weaver for quite a while before picking the Weaver based on their stocking of every part in the machine as spares. A few months later I blew the budget and added the W-PL230 powered assist arm.

I'm liking it. I added the powered assist arm later and should have bought it with the unit the first time. At this level of spending it is not so much about saving money as it is convenience and hassle reduction. It will be a breakeven investment at about 30 sets of tires, or about 240,000 miles of driving assuming $30 per change. Uncle Phil will hit that, but I never will. The best economics if you are in my area or traveling through is to come use my machine for nuttin'.

IMG_1901-M.jpg


Available here...

Weaver W-M807 combo
 
Last edited:
river251 said:
I've been out of riding for a few years. My local shop charges $95 to install a tire, plus tax. There was a tire changer that was most popular years ago but I don't recall the name. What are people currently buying if they want to change their own tires? Do you bubble balance?

Thanks
JIm
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum Jim.
As you can see by the above posts, there is a wealth of information to be had on this site.
 
I hate changing tires. I changed so many car tires at a garage I worked at in college, I hope to never have to do it again, although car tires with a machine are pretty dead simple. I "tried" changing a tire on my son's WR450 using spoons... I now use plastic...

240914
 
SMSW said:
I use a Harbor Fright and the No-Mar bar. Balancing is done with one of those shaft and bearing things that hold the wheel vertical - the heavy side drifts down slowly. This is about as exciting as watching paint dry - and as quick.
Click to expand...
Sounds exactly like my setup. The No-Mar bar is a vast improvement over the bar included with the HF tire changer. I don't know how much money I've saved changing my own tires, but with several bikes each going through 1-2 sets of tires a season I'm guessing it's in the thousands.
 
I was willing to go the Harbor Freight (or similar) method, but took a low tech approach for my first tire change. I bought the Motion Pro BeadPro Forged Steel Tire Bead Breaker. Breaking the bead was simple. Getting the first bead over the rim wasn't too bad. Getting the second bead over the rim was a little more difficult. Now that I know what is involved, it'll go a lot easier the next time.

240915

Balancing was easy. I used some DynaBeads. They are working great.

Chris
 
We've been using the No-Mar for several years now. Got the No-Mar balancer, as well. Good quality stuff, and good customer service.
 
beemerphile said:
I searched for a couple of years for a good economical Coats 220 rim clamp machine like @Skunkape was fortunate to find, but I came up empty.
Click to expand...
There are two on Craigslist now.....one in Bend, Or; and one sold recently in Bozeman, Montana (that's the second). Regarding your link to the Weaver company, forget the tire machines, I like the idea of a car rotisserie.
 
SMSW said:
There are two on Craigslist now.....one in Bend, Or; and one sold recently in Bozeman, Montana (that's the second). Regarding your link to the Weaver company, forget the tire machines, I like the idea of a car rotisserie.
Click to expand...
I have a friend with one of those. It was quite handy when he turned his 1963 Impala Super Sport on its side to completely re-run the brake lines.
 
SMSW said:
There are two on Craigslist now.....one in Bend, Or; and one sold recently in Bozeman, Montana (that's the second). Regarding your link to the Weaver company, forget the tire machines, I like the idea of a car rotisserie.
Click to expand...
I guess it was the RC100 that I was looking for. I had had enough of the manual changers.

There are some deals here if you live around Colorado Springs...

https://cosprings.craigslist.org/tls/d/colorado-springs-motorcycle-lifts-tire/6915154333.html
 
Last edited:
I've got everything No-Mar sells. I love their stuff. It's turned into Quite a Moneymaker for me. Bring me both wheels and your tires and I'll mount and balance for a 12 Pack of MGD. You have no idea how much that's cut down on my Beer Budget.
 
sennister said:
This

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com

With this

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com

This


Along with these


This helps if you are going dark side

www.nomartirechanger.com

Change Your Own Tires!

www.nomartirechanger.com

Finally this to balance the tires - Well I made my own since I have a metal lathe and I was bored one day.

Motorcycle Wheel Balancer

Motorcycle wheel balancer products by Marc Parnes - learn how to balance your own motorcycle wheels and tires, complete parts list and prices included.
www.marcparnes.com

That is my complete set up.

Quick math on this set up is $385. Plus some tax and shipping on some stuff. You might catch the HF stuff on sale or have a super coupon. So plan on about $400 if going this route. In addition to this there are some additional things I have. A couple tire spoons. I use Murphy Oil Soap for a lube, then you need some wheel weights and a good air compressor. Also one of those tools for valve stem cores. You need to be able to send a quick volume of air to set the bead. Do that with the core removed from the stem. It is a good time to upgrade to aluminum stems as well. Most shops will replace the rubber ones with every tire change.

No-Mar works as well. Plan on spending a little more but less screwing around gathering all the bits. They have the packages starting at $399 so that is the same price but that doesn't come with the tire balancer. To add that it is another $220. Or you can go with the Marc Parnes one I mentioned above for a little over $100.
Click to expand...

Dang, sennister, that's what I call a complete answer. Can you wash and wax her too, and maybe give my Oleanders a little watering?

Thanks very much sir. Where are you seeing No-Mar kits for $399? I have not found a deal like that.

Thanks
Jim
 
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