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Motorcycle Forum / General / Sportbikes / September 2004Harbor Freight Tire Changer, any good?
A Harbor Freight store just opened near me and I went to check it out today. They had the tire changer along with the motorcycle tire accessory in stock. $100 total for both. Couldn't find much info on Google but I do know a few people own it. Does this thing actually remove the tire or does it just break the bead and act as a fancy overpriced stand to hold the wheel in place while you use tire irons? And if by chance someone owns or has used one, would you trust it to remove a tire from an anodized wheel without scratching? Thanks! George CX500 TURBO CX650 TURBO '04 Hayabusa > A Harbor Freight store just opened near me and I went to check it out > today. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > CX650 TURBO > '04 Hayabusa I have one with the bike adapter kit. Works like it orta!  SignatureMark Johnson, Ft Worth; IBA#288; CM#1; EOB, DoD#2021; LPR#50 2003 FJR1300 "E²"; http://www.bikes-n-spikes.org I use one about twice a week, works great . Just mount it to the floor and go. I also use the ATV attachment for atv tires, it works great also. Have also used it bare, as a manual tire changer also. Iowa883 > A Harbor Freight store just opened near me and I went to check it out > today. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > CX650 TURBO > '04 Hayabusa > A Harbor Freight store just opened near me and I went to check it out > today. > They had the tire changer along with the motorcycle tire accessory in > stock. $100 total for both. I got the set for about $55 -$60 on sale. Wait for it to go on sale if you can. > Couldn't find much info on Google but I do know a few people own it. > Does this thing actually remove the tire or does it just break the > bead and act as a fancy overpriced stand to hold the wheel in place > while you use tire irons? That's exactly how it works. The bar is just painted metal and will gouge your rims if you try to use it like the tire shop does your cage's tires. I bought three irons and use the changer as a bead breaker & rim holder stand thingy. Still, I bolted it to my garage floor and it holds the rim well. If the bar was plastic coated or if I made one out of some other material it might work as intended. For the price I paid it was worth it, but I don't know about $100. > And if by chance someone owns or has used one, would you trust it to > remove a tire from an anodized wheel without scratching? Nope. > Thanks! > > George > CX500 TURBO > CX650 TURBO > '04 Hayabusa >That's exactly how it works. The bar is just painted metal and will gouge >your rims if you try to use it like the tire shop does your cage's tires. I [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >might work as intended. For the price I paid it was worth it, but I don't >know about $100. Thanks Gary, that's the info I was looking for. I wasn't sure how well that bar would work without destroying the delicate finish on my CXT's wheels. For what's left of the riding season there's enough rubber left on the tires so I'll take your advice and pick it up when they go on sale along with some good tire irons. Thanks! George CX500 TURBO CX650 TURBO '04 Hayabusa >>That's exactly how it works. The bar is just painted metal and will gouge >>your rims if you try to use it like the tire shop does your cage's tires. I [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > well that bar would work without destroying the delicate finish on my > CXT's wheels. I couldn't get the bar to work on my 'busa wheels, and I ended up torching a front wheel bearing from the lever pressure against the axle post on the M/C attachment. Fortunately, using the thing as a waist-high workstand, it makes the chore with four 14" tire irons (curved at one end, straight at the other) a breeze. Some tips: 1) Pieces of an old inner tube and duct tape can be used as padding on the rim clamps so that they don't scratch your wheel. 2) You can get by with three long tire irons, but four is better. 3) A five-foot length of clear vinyl tubing, slit lengthwise, makes a great rim protector. 4) Save an old tire or a couple of pieces of wood to lift your wheel off the floor when using the bead breaker, so that you don't screw up a brake rotor. 5) Silicone spray lubricant works *great* with the vinyl tubing rim protector to help the tires slide on and off, and won't cause any corrosion when using traditional chrome/steel laced wheels. Plus, it's cheap enough to use liberally and is a rubber preservative, too. 6) Remove the valve stem core before breaking the bead. It'll make the job *MUCH* easier. 7) You can either use the H-F bubble wheel balancer, or you can use one of the balancing stands such as the Weigl/Telefix stand. These work *great*, and as a bonus, they let you check that your rim is still true and that the bead is evenly seated all the way around. You can also use them to test your wheel bearings--any unusual resistance turning the rod/cone clamps in the wheel and/or any grittiness, and you know it's time for new bearings. SignatureChris BeHanna Software Engineer (Remove "allspammersmustdie" before responding.) chris@allspammersmustdie.behanna.org I was raised by a pack of wild corn dogs. >>>That's exactly how it works. The bar is just painted metal and will gouge >>>your rims if you try to use it like the tire shop does your cage's tires. I [quoted text clipped - 48 lines] > the wheel and/or any grittiness, and you know it's time for new > bearings. Great info! Thanks for taking the time to post that. At the rate the Busa eats tires, that setup should pay off for itself after changing the first set :) George CX500 TURBO CX650 TURBO '04 Hayabusa >>>>That's exactly how it works. The bar is just painted metal and will gouge >>>>your rims if you try to use it like the tire shop does your cage's tires. I [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Busa eats tires, that setup should pay off for itself after changing > the first set :) FWIW, I get about 10,000 miles from a front tire and 5 or 6 thousand from a rear. I do lots of riding on twisty roads, keep the tire pressure up around 38psi, and I don't do burnouts. The 'busa makes a *spectacular* SPORT-tourer with the addition of hard luggage. See, e.g., http://www.behanna.org/chris/Busa_Hardbags/ I got mine from Eurotech Motorsports, http://www.eurotechmotorsports.com . Not cheap, but well worth it, and they kept out the water through fifteen hours of riding through the dregs of Frances a couple of weeks ago. SignatureChris BeHanna Software Engineer (Remove "allspammersmustdie" before responding.) chris@allspammersmustdie.behanna.org I was raised by a pack of wild corn dogs. >A Harbor Freight store just opened near me and I went to check it out >today. >They had the tire changer along with the motorcycle tire accessory in >stock. $100 total for both. $100 sounds high to me. Here's what to do: Go to harborfreight.com and print out the pages with those two items on them. The tire changer is $34.99 and the motorcycle attachment is $42.99. That's less than $100. They will honor the ad price. In fact, I just called my local store and the motorcycle attachment is $29.99, so it must be on sale or something. I already have the tire changer itself, and paid $34.99 for a couple of years ago. KennyH Horsepower is cheaper than therapy. >>A Harbor Freight store just opened near me and I went to check it out >>today. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >and paid $34.99 for a couple of years ago. >KennyH Thanks for that bit of info! I just looked on the web site and that's the same one they had for 69.99 (looks like it may be on sale on the web site). The motorcycle attachment was also $29.99 in the store. For $65 bucks I'll have to swing by there and pick it up. George CX500 TURBO CX650 TURBO '04 Hayabusa I have the tire part, not the MC adapter, in San Jose, CA, that I'll sell to anyone for $30 if they pick it up asap SignatureAssuring you of my best intentions at all times, Charles Statman Rocket Scientist/Wonderboy/Women's Legs Shaven DoD the Un-Numbered One EMAIL: cstatman @ yahoo.com I purchased one a few years ago and have been very happy with it. A few minor modifications will help prevent scratches on the rim. I have some pics of the changer in use on my site at http://www.mcnamee.tzo.net/motorcycle. Carl > A Harbor Freight store just opened near me and I went to check it out > today. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > CX650 TURBO > '04 Hayabusa > > A Harbor Freight store just opened near me and I went to check it out > > today. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > pics of the changer in use on my site at > http://www.mcnamee.tzo.net/motorcycle. On Sunday I bought the HF changer plus motorcycle attachment for a total of $65 plus tax, they matched the internet price for the base unit of $35 and their normal price for the motorcycle attachment was $30. Thanks Carl for the pictures on your site, they should be helpful when I get around to doing my first tire which should be very soon. I just got back from Home Depot where I bought the parts to build the $10 D-I-Y balancer (actual cost $15.91 including a can of PVC cement) featured in the March 2004 issue of Motorcycle Consumer News. SignatureMark '01 SV650S '81 CM400T '99 EX250-F13 |
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