Tom, post a pic of your balancer. I'de like to check it out.

 

This is the one I linked to

www.marcparnes.com

[IMG]local://upfiles/3641/EC830E78AC434F259DDAC4D97A4339B2.jpg[/IMG]

 

And in use

[IMG]local://upfiles/3641/421056A196164C1FBA3E7724ACC16EFF.jpg[/IMG]

 

MAC, i was told that is true for Dunlops if there are no weights on the wheels already. Other brands i am not sure about. It came from a reputable source....but you know hiow that goes.

 

hey there just wanted to throw my 2 pennies in. if you can just pull the wheels off yourself, have the place put the tires on and you can balance them yourself. thats what i did and it seems to have worked. my wheels dont bounce,shake or wobble, and ive had the bike up to 110!
the way i balanced them was to attatch the new wheel and tire to the bike, minus the brake rotor(s). assuming you already have some weights, just install the axle on the bike, tighten it down till the bearings are just loose enough that the wheel turns pretty freely. now spin the wheel. notice where and if it comes to a stop. when the wheel has stopped, the bottom is the heaviest, so add weight to the other side. keep spinnin and addin weight untill the wheel seems to stop coming to the heaviest spot. then rotate it 1/4 turns to see if any heavy spots remain. just remember heavy stops on the bottom, so add weight opposite side. if you get that balancing tool the job should be a breeze. another solution: make your own rig by using 2x4's notched on end to accept the axle. ok, ill stop yabbin

 

troglodyte, If you're still set on going the cheap, here's a site with pics and directions for the homemade balancer that 83ironhead was talking about.

http://www.clarity.net/~adam/tire-changing.html

 

2x4s are even cheaper. I think I will give it a try. What do I have to lose? If I can't do a good enough job, I can still take them in to get balanced.

Mike

 

My local independent shop mounts and balances for 20.00 per tire off the bike. Tires from American Motorcycle Tire are very reasonable, and the service is good.

I just did the wife's Heritage front and rear with Wide White Walls for about 265.00 removing and re-installing the tires myself.

Regards,

BIll

 

I have used the Marc Parnes balancerand jack stands on about 10 tire changes. It is a quality product, very easy to use, and I am extremely happy with it. It is small enough to easily store in a toolbox as well.

I have also seen a reasonably priced balancer that includes a stand from No Mar: http://www.nomartirechanger.com/06Balancer.html

The No Mar site has an excellent video on how to balance a tire with a static balancer:
http://www.nomartirechanger.com/V2/Balancer.html

Balancing tires using one of these products is easy and quick enough that there is no good reason not to do it.

 

Trog, you are a man after my own heart. But why bother with 2x4s? I've always used two kitchen chairs to support the axle, with newspapers placed over them to keep my wife pacified. Spin the tire a few times and each time place a chalk mark at the top when it comes to rest. After a few spins, if the marks are randomly distributed, then the tire is close enough to balanced with no further weights needed. If the marks are all coming up at the top, then there is a heavy spot on the bottom of the tire. Add a weight to the top and repeat the procedure until you get random markings.