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Thinking about a tire changing machine

400 Views 11 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Shotround, 8 d ago

AlanRides

Discussion Starter · 19 d ago

I've been paying the local Honda shop around $40 a pop to dismount and mount my tires after I remove them from the bike. Since buying the SVTC in November 2019 I've paid them $386.32 total. If I figure in the tire swaps on my Nomad from 2008 to 2019 (another $216.33 and I'm sure I didn't account for all of those tire swaps) I'm up to $602.65. It could have been worse, but I managed to get 4 tire changes for no charge when my son worked at a Power Sports dealer some years ago and his boss let us use the machine (well, I mostly watched).

Anyway, I've looked at everything from an el cheapo Harbor Freight to a $1500 machine as one would find at your local tire shop and I'm starting to think this RabaConda manual machine will work best for the SVTC. I'm quite sure I could not muscle a 200/55-16 stiff sidewall street tire off and on without some mechanical help.

STARTER Kit - Street Bike Tire Changer

Regularly switching between street tires and slicks? Fed up with regular trips to the dealership? Rabaconda Street Bike Tire Changer (Patent Pending) is the answer to your prayers: with this nifty tool, you’ll be able to throw on a fresh set of tires faster than it takes to get to the nearest...

us.rabaconda.com

The reason for the post is see if anyone has any experience with this RabaConda "Street Bike Tire Changer" or may have heard anything pro or con. It ain't cheap, but it would be nice to be able to pop a tire off to replace the valve stem without paying somebody $40 for the privilege. If I live long enough approximately 16 tire swaps will pay for it. Or I could charge the neighbors $$ to do their tires......LOL

Here's a video of a Rabaconda guy using it to mount a Dunlop Elite rear tire.

And this civilian is using it for a Bridgestone Exedra for his Goldwing:

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Shotround

· #2 · 19 d ago

yamaha charges $80 per tire with it off the bike. found a local mom and pop shop that charged $40 per tire off the bike. id keep going to them but our times dont always match up.

i tried to break the bead on the scooter front tire with a set of the motion pro bead breaker. i didnt have enough arse to get it to budge. probably could have done it with a c clamp other folks mentioned. im at that point that the right tool for the job makes things easier. its just a matter of whether to get the tool for myself or pay someone. that stance varies as i age.

i looked into rabaconda since a reseller is a vendor/sponsor on another forum i visit. turns out theyre just a few minutes up the road from me and an online reseller. so i didnt get to see one in action. but i did order one yesterday after watching the videos over the last few weeks. itll come in the next couple of days but the spindle that i need to do the scooter tire is backordered. back tire on both bikes are just over 10000 miles and probably have another 1000 or so left. i hear they wear out faster towards the end.

now that it's on the way. im in need of a bike lift to do the road star tires. the forks need servicing also. im liking that the scooter has a center stand. maybe ill just get a third bike so the tire change interval is longer.

neighbor a few houses down has a nice harley. saw a couple of crotch rockets in the other direction. another guy with loud pipes leaves for work around 6 in the morning. maybe get something going for beer or steaks....

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Brad_G

· #3 · 19 d ago

@Shotround let us know what you think of that device. I worked at a few service stations as a teen and in my early 20's so I've changed hundreds (if not more) tires and have access to an antique manual tire machine and spoons to do most my own tire work. But motorcycle tires are a bit different with the narrow rims and stiff sidewalls of the Road Star. So breaking them down and spooning them off without scratching the rims can be a challenge. I'd consider investing in a better solution.

I think you and @AlanRides are on to something. Seems when you have tools like this you'll find you have more "friends" than you realized. So whether it's beer, steaks, or something else that tire machine will eventually pay for itself.

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AlanRides

Discussion Starter · #4 · 19 d ago

I like that the Rabaconda doesn't need to be bolted to the floor and breaks down into a relatively small package. Most others are always in the way and you only need it once every couple of months (or less) and in my garage something like that would end up covered up in who knows what all flotsam and it would take 20 minutes to clear it off in order to use it. Still trying to get used to the $600+ price tag.....but I know I will forget all about how much it cost in a few months, especially if it works as well as the videos make it seem. But I've seen all sorts of videos of bike tires being spooned on in 5 minutes so I am always leery. Noticeably those spooners seem to always use dirt bike tires or tiny street tires to show off their abilities.....but not a short, stiff sidewall fat tire like we have to deal with.

@Shotround what is your local dealer's website? The only places I've found selling the Rabaconda Street Tire Changer is Amazon and Rabaconda themselves. Interestingly, Rabaconda is a bit cheaper plus I don't think they charge local sales tax, so buying direct is looking like the best option right now.

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Shotround

· #5 · 18 d ago

they got me on tax. amazon would charge tax also. i didnt think to buy it off the rabaconda site. the more i think about it, feels more of a sales rep than a dealer. then again, many bike related stores dont keep things locally either. its linking to their ad on another forum as they didnt have their own site. strike the link if it breaks any rules.

RABACONDA Street Bike Tire Changer & Tools | ADVbikes

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Shotround

· #6 · 13 d ago

what a chore. first time replacing a tire on a wheel. parts of it was at the wear bar and it was rope plugged. 10,000 miles on a michelin scooter tire. didnt want push my luck any further.

i had on hand a matching set of pirellis. a few weeks ago, i noticed the front tire was cupping at 15000 miles. i couldnt get the bead to break at all on the oem dunlop. the only shop open at the time i needed to replace the front was the dealer. considering the cost of that and a couple of recent threads about tire changing....mom and pop shop just cut down their hours.

got home from work. took the rear 14" wheel off the scooter. while waiting for the ups truck, i went and massaged the bead of the tire. about a half hour, they broke loose. this michelin has more give than the oem dunlop. got one lip over the rim as the ups truck pulls up.

unbox the rabaconda and assemble it. took a couple of swags and the tire is off. used the tool to get the first bead on. easy peasy. this pirelli was probaby as stiff as the dunlop. wrestled with the other bead for about an hour. used a block of wood and a deadblow hammer to back the duckhead a few times.

putting the drop center clamps on strategic locations on both sides was the key on this 14" rim. the bead kept getting seated and the thing was too stiff for me to manipulate it. i might order a few more of those or combine it with the ziptie method at one end. thinner clamps would have worked better on the scooter rim also.

got the bead to seat with a ryobi handheld pump. had to bounce it and do some other things until the first bead popped. second came shortly afterwards. mounted the tire back on the bike as the pump cools down. its back together. after work, i have to torque the exhaust bolts and air up the tire. its around 25psi now.

i can see it giving me a hard time on the front road star rim with the commander III. the road star has dunlop elite 4 on the back. the rear being wider might work better with the drop center clamps. the scooter front pirelli wont be fun either.

on another forum, a guy slices the old tire along the circumference. it come right off. im guess that his tires are nylon belted. probably wont work if theyre metal belts.

it worked. probably smoother if i changed tires more often. it feels a bit flimsy with a bit of genius simplicity. i can see a few improvements to make it feel more sturdy considering the price but it might lose its portability. i did take some paint off the rim at one point. but the left side of the bike as some road rash. not a big deal.

if i advertise this to the neighbors, the price has gone up from a six pack to a case of beer. and theyll have to have it off the bike.

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Foc3016

· #7 · 13 d ago

Only way your going to get good at it is doing it yourself

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AlanRides

Discussion Starter · #8 · 13 d ago

Shotround said:
what a chore. first time replacing a tire on a wheel. parts of it was at the wear bar and it was rope plugged. 10,000 miles on a michelin scooter tire. didnt want push my luck any further.

i had on hand a matching set of pirellis. a few weeks ago, i noticed the front tire was cupping at 15000 miles. i couldnt get the bead to break at all on the oem dunlop. the only shop open at the time i needed to replace the front was the dealer. considering the cost of that and a couple of recent threads about tire changing....mom and pop shop just cut down their hours.

got home from work. took the rear 14" wheel off the scooter. while waiting for the ups truck, i went and massaged the bead of the tire. about a half hour, they broke loose. this michelin has more give than the oem dunlop. got one lip over the rim as the ups truck pulls up.

unbox the rabaconda and assemble it. took a couple of swags and the tire is off. used the tool to get the first bead on. easy peasy. this pirelli was probaby as stiff as the dunlop. wrestled with the other bead for about an hour. used a block of wood and a deadblow hammer to back the duckhead a few times.

putting the drop center clamps on strategic locations on both sides was the key on this 14" rim. the bead kept getting seated and the thing was too stiff for me to manipulate it. i might order a few more of those or combine it with the ziptie method at one end. thinner clamps would have worked better on the scooter rim also.

got the bead to seat with a ryobi handheld pump. had to bounce it and do some other things until the first bead popped. second came shortly afterwards. mounted the tire back on the bike as the pump cools down. its back together. after work, i have to torque the exhaust bolts and air up the tire. its around 25psi now.

i can see it giving me a hard time on the front road star rim with the commander III. the road star has dunlop elite 4 on the back. the rear being wider might work better with the drop center clamps. the scooter front pirelli wont be fun either.

on another forum, a guy slices the old tire along the circumference. it come right off. im guess that his tires are nylon belted. probably wont work if theyre metal belts.

it worked. probably smoother if i changed tires more often. it feels a bit flimsy with a bit of genius simplicity. i can see a few improvements to make it feel more sturdy considering the price but it might lose its portability. i did take some paint off the rim at one point. but the left side of the bike as some road rash. not a big deal.

if i advertise this to the neighbors, the price has gone up from a six pack to a case of beer. and theyll have to have it off the bike.

Did you use the Rabaconda tire mounting lube? Or soapy water? Both?

Thanks for the write up. Please keep us posted as you do your other tires.

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Shotround

· #9 · 13 d ago

AlanRides said:
Did you use the Rabaconda tire mounting lube? Or soapy water? Both?

Thanks for the write up. Please keep us posted as you do your other tires.

I used windex to break the bead. I used the lube to get new tire on. Keeping the lip in the center really was the key.

I practically watch their videos from a few days before making the decision to order it until it came in. I even watched a few other YouTube presenters about it. If they didn’t struggle in the video, then they either practiced, had a flexible tire or had tire changing experience.

regarding tire flexibility. The Michelin scooter tire I worked the bead loose just using my hands and Windex and bouncing on it. Getting it off required tools. The pirelli had no give compared to that. I knew they were differences in tire stiffness, but this really reinforced that.

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Brad_G

· #10 · 13 d ago

There are a few factors that may come into play. I think a new fresh rubber tire tends to stretch a bit more easily than an older tire (or at least more pliable). Or at least that's been my experience when working on car, truck, trailer type tires. I've only done a few motorcycle tires from the Road Star and they were noticeably stiffer than the car tires. Plus the narrow rim just adds to the pleasures of things.

Last October while at a meet and greet ride one of the participants had cords showing on his rear tire. 😲 I had bought a new Commander II tire for my Road Star as I knew my rear was getting low on life. But since I trailered down to Arkansas instead of ride I didn't change it but threw it in the truck to have "just in case". So in the KOA campground we did a tire swap. Since his tire was toast we used a box cutting knife and slit the tire vertically. Made the job of spooning the tire off much easier and less chance of rim damage the way I do it.

I'm not sure if any of the motorcycle tires have steel belts?

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AlanRides

Discussion Starter · #11 · 8 d ago

@Shotround, I'm curious the tire size(s) you worked on with the Rabaconda. I've got a 200/55/16 that I'm sure is going to be a bear so I"m still a little "on the fence" about plunking down >$600 to find out. Also, after changing those tires (I believe two?) and having a few days to let the process sink in a little I'm wondering if you would replace the Rabaconda if you suddenly found yourself without it? Thanks!

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Shotround

· #12 · 8 d ago

im at a point in life where one knows when to pay someone to do things. but there is satisfaction doing something for yourself such that you know its done right. ive since done about 200 miles with me and the kid. still on the road. must have done something right. im no mechanic. i dont play one on tv. i do use basic hand tools at work.

ive only changed the rear scooter tire. it was a 150/70/14. i think a wider rim helps when using the clamps. i wish they had some for thinner wheels.

from a cost perspective, its $40 at a local shop when they're open with the tire off the bike. they had a powered device. the inside rim paint was nicked up. im hoping that normal tire changing stuff. the dealer charged $80 with it off the bike +tax. so it was around $90.

ive got two bikes. the way ive been riding, its at least one or two tires a year. i paid the dealer for the scooter front tire. i did the rear with the rabaconda. toughest part for me was breaking the bead and getting the second bead on the rim. there's no way im doing that without proper tools. i probably could in a pinch but the rim will be chewed up.

only alternatives im aware of are nomar and harbor freight. i didnt look into them any further than comments on a few forums.

whether to get one again. do you have basic competency with hand tools. do you have most of the tools needed. might be the excuse to get the tools needed. space in the garage for it the 364 days its not being used. im also younger by about 10 years. i think its a simple task but can be a pain to do.

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