I have the HF changer, built my own base. Mojo lever and blocks are nice. I use my floor press with some wooden blocks to break the bead!

 

well i do have some time before i need one. do you have any pics? especially of the floor press set up.

thanks

 

Here is the changer, balancer and floor press. Its a standard 30 ton shop press and I use soft 2x4 blocks to protect the rims. Have been thinking about making some out of UHMW but haven't gotten around to it yet. It is a 2 person operation when breaking the bead. I hold the tire/rim and have my daughter pump the jack, works like a charm. Mojo Lever to mount/dismount!

 

My experiences closely follow Nerider2. You will need the tire changer and MC-wheel adapter, as well as rubber lube (e.g., RuGlide), some cut-up plastic containers (milk, soda, etc.) and/or rim protectors to protect the rims, tire irons for MC's, and stick-on weights. The HF MC adapter is usually $60 but goes on sale periodically for about $40, so if you aren't in a hurry keep watching the sale catalogs. The tire changer also goes on sale fairly frequently.

We also bought the Marc Parnes balancer and Mitch Patrie's Mojolever. The latter isn't essential but with its nylon tips makes the job easier by not requiring you to use the cut-up plastic sections as much.

Here is a good tutorial on changing MC tires.

We got four guys together and bought this stuff collectively, which means you'll pay for your share after the first tire change. Buy the tire from Ron Ayers or some other discount on-line outfit and you won't go back to the dealer for tires.

 

Beat me to it Marc! I've been usin' the Harbor Freight rig for years along with your balancer. I've had a Mojobar for about a year now. It was the final piece in makin' tire changes easy. 'Course you have me thinkin' about a set of blocks now. I just cut some strips from an old inner tube to protect the rim from the steel blocks on the H.F. rig.

I tried a Nomar bar before the Mojobar. Not too successful. Probably should try to sell it......<shrug>

Anyway, Harbor Freight to break the bead/hold the wheel, Mojobar to mount/demount, & your balancer! What more could you need?......

 

We use rim protectors. Ours came from Dennis Kirk and you'll need three, so order two packs of two. You might be able to find these locally at a shop that caters to dirt bikes.

Yes, they've worked fine for us.

We bought the Mojolever, described in my last post, but haven't had a chance to use it yet. In the past we generally just used tire irons, which isn't difficult if you have a helper and RuGlide. Don't even try to mount a tire without lubricant! To protect the rim we use the cut-up plastic pieces between the rim and the tire irons.

There is a learning curve to doing this and the first time will be full of rough going, but in time you'll get into a groove on it. For any serious biker who changes a tire at least once per year should invest in his/her own tire-changing equipment, and going in with a group of guys is the best option, IMO. This way you do it more often and remain fresh on the procedure, as otherwise you'll forget a lot of the details. Working with tires is sort of like wrestling, as you're dealing with an object that doesn't want to be mounted on the rim and you must persuade it to do otherwise. It's kind of fun, actually, as you feel like you've accomplished something.

Before investing in the equipment we attended a tire-changing "party" at a friend's house. He is located in another town nearby, but not close enough to use his stuff routinely, so we attended a session and took photos. That helped a lot when we first got started. The tutorial link I posted earlier is good and I can send the photos to anyone who's interested.

 

Jinks, help me here. I haven't mounted a front tire in a while, so is it necessary to remove both brake rotors? I can't remember and I'll need to change my front tire in the next six months or so. The last front tire we changed was on a WG which only had one rotor and nobody can remember if we removed that single rotor.

 

thanks everyone,
i already have 2 rim protectors that i purchased with the axle torque tool. figures that i should have ordered another pair. lol i will get another pair when i order tires. iclick, i already had that link book marked, but i thank you for it , lots of info there.
in my warm garage i do not have studs available but the pic using the press has given me several ideas.

thanks to everyone. thats why i love this place. all you have to do is ask.

 

Yes & no. Mostly no if you can hold the wheel without putting side pressure on a rotor. Most wheels will fit in the Harbor Freight changer without removing either rotor, but if yours won't then you'll have to remove at least one of them. It looks like the blocks Marc Parnes mentioned will add a little clearance so they may be worth lookin' into.

Before I bought the Harbor Freight rig I did 'em on the floor with a square frame made from lumber. Made it wide enough to support the wheel at the rim & tall enough to keep rotors & pulleys off the floor. Covered it with old carpet to keep from scratchin' the rims (chrome). Did the tire removal with tire irons, rim protectors, & sweat. Put the new tire back on with a big rubber mallet.

As long as you don't put any serious side pressure on the rotors you'll be ok. If you can't get it in your changer, or have to put a lot of pressure on a rotor, take it off.

 

I don't have to remove either front rotors but do have to remove the rear pulley. The rotors will clear but have to remove the pulley to use the mojo lever. I tried with spoons but found it was still easier to remove the pulley anyway.