I use a press to break the bead, and prybars to get the tires on and off. One trick I learned when building and wrenching on racing motorcycles is to polish your tyre irons. I use two motion pro short bead buddy, one 17 in spoon, 12 inch spoon, and a curved spoon. Hmmmm. https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/parts/motion-pro-extra-long-steel-tire-iron-p. . They can be useful for cylinder head removal also. I use windex as lube. I have this thing which I bought on sale for 30 bucks and it's sturdy enough that I'm confident it won't crumple. When I paid, the checkout clerk asked if I wanted my free multi-tester. They are for at home D.I.Y.ers. When I changed the tires on my Buell, I wouldn't have been able to do it if my tire irons hadn't been almost 30" long. I have that spool stand. They stopped making it in 2010 and I can't even find a used one. I fabricated myself a stand so now I need all the tools. I'm not that guy, don't kill me. But, you'll get it. I've had my bike up on it for the last week while I've been mucking around with lots of things. Quick dry and doesnt leave residue. Powered by vBulletin I've used the bejesus out of those working on bikes. Saw blades, for example. Bought a bead buddy but it doesnt seem to do anything unless im using it wrong. https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/parts/tusk-tire-iron-kit-p, https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/parts/motion-pro-spoon-type-tire-iron-p, https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/parts/motion-pro-extra-long-steel-tire-iron-p, https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/parts/motion-pro-bead-buddy-ii-motorcycle-tire-tool-p. For what it's worth, I paid really good money for a pitbull spooled/standard rear stand and I'm really pleased about it. A few days ago I finally broke down and bought one of these: http://www.harborfreight.com/motorcycle-bead-breaker-98875.html. I actually have a few tools from them I'm quite happy with. They worked, but without much leverage they required a lot of effort! ( or any tools come to think of it) I was dismounting a tractor tire when the tire iron snapped and came back and cracked me in the head and knocked my ass out for like an hour!!!! , If you have a Hi Lift Jack (farm jack) they work great as a bead breaker. Still do. Probably about a $15 value if sold at most places. I also bought a pair of these to stop scratching my wheels up: http://www.harborfreight.com/24-inch-general-purpose-tire-iron-93230.html. July 31, 2019 in General Dirt Bike Discussion. If you're in LA and went to the harbor freight on Lomita, there's a cycle gear walking distance from it. i have the same setup. Also, I've bought a fair number of tools from these guys and apart from one multimeter I've had no bother with them. Copyright 2000-2009 Jelsoft Enterprises Limited. I strongly, strongly suggest getting something smaller. I WILL NEVER USE A SET OF TIRE IRONS FROM HARBOR FREIGHT EVER AGAIN!! I'm not understanding how it works. He's saved hundreds of dollars so far. I replaced all 6 of my tires and used a plastic garbage for lubricant along with an old tire iron. That harbor freight thing looks like it'll crumple like a tin can [it's made of aluminium!] Again, if you are pinching the tube, there is something wrong with your technique. I could not for the life of me brake the bead on the Washougal II rear. Man I wish I had bought one of those years and years ago. Its less flimsy (1 piece versus 3) than my girlfriend name brand stand. Running relatively stiff carcass tires, UHD tubes and dual rim locksin bothmy CRF250X wheels. So, yeah, I think they are fine on the whole. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. These are probably the same ones tire shops use when changing truck tires. They work much better if you take the time to polish them up with fine emery cloth. The black nitrile glove are really nice too. I use two spoons and a longer curved lever. The bead breaking lever/plateon many tire changers can alsoeffectively be used the same way a Bead Buddy would. No problems at all. I don't use it often, and it works fine. Generally I really like their consumables. By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of data and cookies. 24in motorcycle tire irons from Harbor Freight. Most of their items are made in China. I've been meaning to buy a couple of hand clamps and cutting of the excess bar and might neighbor heard me cursing and stuck his head over the fence and asked whats going on. Now, to the meat of the post.I have always changed my own tires. https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/parts/motion-pro-spoon-type-tire-iron-pIf you need any more leverage than that, even for the gnarliest stiffest desert tires, there is something wrong with your technique. You won't bend these and I don't remember them costing very much. I was taught "way back when" to use old spring leaves for tire irons. I am going to buy the Baja no pinch tool. https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/parts/motion-pro-bead-buddy-ii-motorcycle-tire-tool-p. Two spoons and a valve stem puller througher. It's not expensive. But that is reflected in the price. I don't know what other nations have that would be comparable. http://www.harborfreight.com/2-piece-11-inch-20-offset-45-angle-long-reach-needle-plier-set-33202.html. I don't know if I got a defective one or they are all made of soft steel? Bought as ive needed. The motio pro ones are my least favorite. Tell him I'm on my way to Home Depot to buy some hand clamps and he was just borrow mine. OP, can you post a picture of your bike on the spool stand? The price isn't that great compared to better quality bits, but it was good enough and they do a great job. I think it's worth the money and, never having had a spool stand, I'm glad I got it. I was always struggling, but bought real tire lube and it was transformative. With bobpol1's method and a little baby powder or talc a tire iron isn't even necessary. For mousses I also use a Motion Pro Bead Buddy to make sure the opposite side of the tire stays down in the drop center. I have the "old" style from HF and absolutely love them! I will be using UHD tubes or mousses. Danger, Will Robinson! Then I was putting the old Shinkos on my DRZ (its about 70% street/30% dirt) but I'm doing a dual sport event next week that's mostly dirt and the knobby's on the DRZ were toast. Lastly, since I was indulging in Harbor Freightness, I bought one of these: http://www.harborfreight.com/low-profile-rear-motorcycle-spool-stand-99701.html. A Harbor Freight reciprocating saw ("sawz'all") blade will only last half as long as a Makita or Milwaukee saw blade, but t cost 1/4 as much so you come out ahead. Works good doing tubes or Tubliss, from 2-ply to 6-ply. I bought the Harbor Freight ones and they worked better than the spoon type I had. I used mine on a truck tire and noticed they bent. Not pretty, but works. Harbor freight tools are actually pretty good. Again, I got it on a better sale than advertised, and with another 20% coupon for $27. My swingarm would always slide on the paddle standnever dawned on me that a spool stand was the proper fix for that haha. How many spoons and what size and shape? Would also work holding the bead down for installing and I would use 2 of them. the spoons also work great for putting on and taking off the grate of my charcoal grill when im cooking. Sone I know off hand are the electric impact gun, bike lift and jack and extendable ratchets. How is their stand? nah, im just messing with you. I also have that rear stand. We use cookies to improve your experience on this website and so that ads you see online can be tailored to your online browsing interests. 50 miles from Detroit and 150 from Toronto. But they are unnecessary for tubes since you can just push the tire down with your hand. I got it during a sale (better than advertised) with a 20% coupon for $14. And a little carpet square. Not meant to be used every single day in a mechanics garage. Spoons are nice, but for removal of the first bead I prefer irons. Terms Of Service. On the other hand, my front stand is el-cheapo. Mostly about the tire breaker. Sorry long reply and getting the new Shinko's pre install warmed up , If you have a Hi Lift Jack (farm jack) they work great as a bead breaker. 2 Motion Pro Irons and a spoon work for me with HD/UHD tubes. Great idea, that liquid rubber spray and/or dip product. I have at least a dozen of them and they get used quite often. One is flat and straight on the end and the other is flat and slightly curved. I use two Tusk shorty tire irons and one Stockton long spoon. I'm moving from an apartment to a house in a few months and have been chewing over the idea of getting it. Press J to jump to the feed. The attachment is the part that goes on top of the bead breaker and lets you rotate the tire iron around the pole while you lock the motorcycle tire in place and pop the tire off the rim super easily. I didn't even know this was part of the offer. It's a whole lot better than my paddle stand. Baby Powder or Talc is used to help keep the inner tube from sticking to the tire insides. Tusk stuff is great and for $20 that's not a bad deal.https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/parts/tusk-tire-iron-kit-pI will eventually get a bead buddy though because it helps keep things from shifting around on you.The most effective tool is lube though. I'm not a bodybuilder, but I'm not a scrawny guy either, and the tires fought me pretty hard, especially at the end. If you ignore thegigantic arm you'll see what it really isjust a lever with a ram on it to break tire beads. Use the 17 and 12 the most. If I was changing LOTS of tires I probably get a chaining stand. That impact gun is the best. It's absolutely fine. I think I got them at a parts store or at Sears, been a while. Harbor Freight deals kick butt. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Copyright ThumperTalk, Inc. - All rights reserved.ThumperTalk is a registered trademark. Ya if I'm seeing them correctly, I'm sure they would work but IMO the adjustable hand clamps are cheaper and would be easier to quickly clamp/unclamp/move/clamp as needed. I'm going to go this Monday for their Memorial Day specials! Want to hear what works best for you guys. Two feet of leverage is enough to trivially bent your rim. As mentioned, much better leverage. By My bike ends up on the rear stand regularly, so I was willing to eat a bit extra for it. For those of you guys outside the USA, it's a store that deals in generic, cheap tools. whitemike, I like using a milk crate cus I can use my knee to hold the bead down but the hand clamp worked perfectly for braking the bead but as I said I would cut off the excess bar about here cus it is dangerous as is and then I could also flip it around. Copyright 1995-2008 Atomic Industry: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. This thing by itself made a 45 minute job into a 10 minute job. The plastic dip is a great idea. The problem is you get professionals trying to use them for every day use. For changing tires with tubes or Tubliss, I use the Motion Pro Spoon type tire iron. I was using original tire "spoons" with duct tape to change tires without damaging the wheels. I have to say though, gearboxes and tyres are two things I have a fear of fucking with on my motorsickle. My cheapskate buddy uses Palmolive and water. Three spoons, a bead buddy, and windex (for lube). They are of the old original design. Only way to go. Location: Michigan / Ontario border, Sarnia, Ontario. I have their other tube stand, it was like $30. You cana lmost always get the multimeter or a little flashlight. I've used the Baja No Pinch tool before, it's a slick little device, but completely unnecessary. Privacy Policy. I buy a lot of shit from HF, just gotta know what's good for the $ and what isn't by doing a little research. The free flashlight has $3 worth of batteries in it and the multimeter is very useful to have around. Haven't ever felt the need for anything extra. I purchased a Bead Buddy a long time ago but it never gets used, realized occasionally usinga 3rd spoon is more effective. The first few times will NOT be easy until you get it figured out. I was using duct tape, but it would have to be changed often. Don't piss around with dishsoap and water, buy tire lube. Watch a few YouTube videos. if you're not careful. I have a pair of tire spoons. Doesnt help hold the bead at all. taking small bites, plenty of lube and the right technique rather than brute force gets the job done remarkably easily. For tire changes with mousses I use the 16" Motion Pro tire irons. A lot of guys on a forum I'm a member of swear by it, and judging by the YouTube videos, it's really easy - a lot easier than tire irons! Seems there are a lot of different options for spoon sizes. It's cool that you made a stand. I wish I could find the damn tire bead breaker motorcycle attachment. I just use a five gallon bucket, sprocket side down. Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements). I use2 curved tire irons like filterx' posted above plus a straight one as the 3rd 'if needed' iron / bead stopper, no spoons. Are you saying, that you can pull tyres off without major inconvenience now? Would recommend. And, it comes in differing colors ! Next time I may try the zip tie method. I've haven't changed tires in quite a while cus haven't been riding as much as I want to but recently finally got around to putting the new Shinkos 21/18 on my CRF no issues breaking the beads. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, Z H2, Shadow w/sidecar, project Nighthawk, '75 TL125, '82 KZ1300A, '84 VF500F, '02 Pampera 250, '05 DRZ400. My friend does his own tire changes with tools he bought from Harbor Freight. Now, people generally do not like Harbor Freight. (The multimeter blew up, possibly my fault.) Good call on the electric impact also, I've definitely gotten my moneys worth out of mine, built like a tank too. http://www.harborfreight.com/24-inchron-93230.html, Send a private message to Mike V. Florida, Send a private message to BILL WILLIAMSON, Send a private message to Fullraceflathead. Anyway, just thought I would share. https://rabaconda.com/product/pro-tyre-lever-set-in-bag-5pc/. I bought the same spool stand for $27 using a coupon I found in Motorcyclist Magazine. It's really light so I'm not sure how much I trust it but it's doing a great job so far. They're self explanatory. I store my bike on a spool stand and a triple tree stand for the winter and I've never had a problem so don't be worried OP. I bought a pair of them and they worked slick on my tire mounting. That's okay. In general, though, I don't buy much in the way of wrenches and sockets and what not. Ended up being a great bonus. On 7/31/2019 at 8:22 PM, filterx said: When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Put a piece of radiator hose on the rim of the bucket, keeps the wheel from moving around and prevents scarring the spokes. We use data about you for a number of purposes explained in the links below. My tyre irons came from NAPA and work for me. What other tools will I need? I bought 3 of them, I do a lot of tire changing in the shop, mine will flex but I have never had one bend. It's too bad they don't sell the motorcycle adapter for their tire changing stand anymore. I would love to do my own tires but I can't justify the hundreds required for virtually every other option that is at least as easy as this. The general rule of thumb is that you buy Harbor Freight tools because they're cheap and you don't expect a lot of repeat use (example: you need a drill to drill one hole).