First off let me say I had very quick shipping from Jakewilson.com. I ordered my e'3s from them on sunday evening and they were sitting at my door tues at 3:00 pm. I have no ties to Jakewilson.com other than my order.

I wanted to do a write up on the HF tire changer with the M/C adaptor.
1st you must mount the changer to something, either a concrete floor or a thick sheet of plywood to hold it still. I drilled my floor and used lags to hold it

Removal of old tires was a snap, the bead breaker worked easy. You have to lay the wheel on the floor and the bead breaker pushes the bead down using the tire tool bar as a lever. I did put two 4x4's under the wheel so it didn't touch the concrete and didn't touch the brake rotors and IDS. I had to move the tire only once to get it to break the bead, turn it over and the other side was the same. At this point you must adjust the changer to the wheel size and then tighten it down with the screw clamp on the changer.

The tool bar included with the changer grabs the bead lifts it up and you just swing it around the center post on the changer and the tires peel right off. I used rim protectors and made no marks on the wheels. My big concern was I would scuff the wheels but didn't. I was extra careful though and took my time. Someone could mark the wheels if you just grabbed the bar and spun it around without putting something between the wheel and the tool.

Next step was giving the wheels a good polish without the tires on them. It is MUCH easier to shine the wheels when the tires are off.

Mounting:
The front was almost as easy as removal. It went right on without any real struggle or marking of the wheel. Again I did take my time and used rim protectors that worked OK, but required moving them and watching close so the tool stayed away from the rim. I saw on the forum someone suggested pieces of leather instead of the plastic protectors. That may be a good idea.

The rear was a bit more of a challenge. The first bead went on pretty easy, after I got it started. I had to keep the top bead off the tool not a big deal but a bit of a hassel. Now the last bead was a different story. I got it about half way on and could not keep the rim protectors between the wheel and the tool. I struggled with it for about 15-20 min and the protector kept slipping away. At this point the 2nd bead was about half way on and I was worried that the rim protector would slip away and I would put a big scrape on the wheel so I stopped, looked at it, and decided to spoon it on the rest of the way. That really went well because the machine held the rim tight and the protectors were MADE for spoons and not the bar that spins on the rim.

All said and done the change went good. I got both changed without scuffing, scratching or scraping the wheel. Getting the bead to seat was the next minor challenge. My compressor is kinda small and I had to finese the bead to the rim a bit to get it to hold air. I'm sure if I had a big tank compressor with some volume that challenge would be nonexistant.

I have about 2 hrs total in removal and mounting. Another 2-3 hrs in cleaning and polish of the wheels without the tires on them. (mothers mag polish is awsome stuff) I'm happy looking at my completed job, as the rims look better than new, and nice new E3's mounted on them.

I was extra careful and took alot of time with the rim protectors keeping them between the tool and the rim. If the plastic protectors would have worked better I would have saved a lot of time, a big portion of my time was keeping the protectors in place, because they weren't really made for a rotating tire mounting bar, they were made for spoons.
E3 sidewalls are extra stiff and that added to the workload.

I'm gald I got the machine and would do it again. It was 80.00 after the 20% discount and I think I have already recouped 40.00 or so, savings from doing it my self. Having the tires off helped in the cleaning mode. I could remove the tires one day, work on the rims, and then mount the tires when I was happy with condition of the wheels. It also saved a few hours of travel time and waiting for someone else to do the work.

Sorry for the long post but wanted to give as much info as I could about this machine and the change. It may not be for everyone, but I like to do as much myself as I can. It is therpy to me.
Now I unbolt the changer from the floor and store it until I need it next time.

 

 

What pics do you want to see? Stock wheels and new E3 tires. They all look the same, I guess I could have made a video of the bar spinning around the rim? Go to the HF website to see the machine

 

Awesome post, thanks! My dealer charges 45 bucks to mount and balance a tire (off the bike)....one tire. So this method sounds much cheaper.

Before all the comments about being a cheap *** start..I like to work on my bike. I do it as kinda like therapy (riding is better therapy though ).

lp

 

Thanks for the update! Glad you had no major issues.

Question: I use E3's also but mounted by my indy for $35 a pop. Do you think all the work you put into the mounting is worth the expence of the equipment?

Ya know sweat, blood - tears??

I don't put on a hell of lot miles, so I may change tires every two years. You think it worth it to try your set-up?

 

Did you balance the tires?
If so, how?
Bubble balancer?

 

Thanks for the write up. I want the HF tire changer but wanted to make sure it would handle the heavier ply E3's. Looks like soos might be making another road trip!

 

I do think that I will get the mojo lever.

 

Actually, I wanted to see pics of the monkey screwing a football since it took HOURS to change "stock tires on stock wheels" with this new fandangled harbor freight tire changer.....LOL.

Thanks for the writeup but it seems like to many potentials for scratches. No thanks.

 

No blood or tears a bit of sweat on the 2nd bead of the rear, but I will have a different type of rim protectors next change.

It is for me, I go thru 1 or 2 rear per year and a front every other year and I like doing as much myself as I can. I know I have more concern for my bike than anyone else.

I also use it as therpy during the winter months. Being able to remove the tires one day and work on the rims another day and then mount tires later without making two trips to the indy or dealer is a big plus for me also.

I already have a buddy that needs a new front calling me, so I will get a couple beers out of it when I change his.