Harbor Freight Motorcycle tire adapter changes.

[bwv]

Yes you will need the adapter. Follow the instructions in post #14 item 4 for a good deal.You will also need a 5/8 rod and mojoblocks (when new style are ready) and an improved tire lever. (post #33)

Saved another $2.70 ... Went with this rod (clicky) instead. Same size.. but Zinc plated, so it wont rust.. I dont know why it would be less($8.27 vs $10.97)

Probably going to cut this down a bit.. dont need 3 feet.

 

[Chuck35]

Is it zinc plated like a chain link fence post? (rough surface)

 

[bwv]

More like a bolt... It's pretty smooth.. not like a galvanized nail or fence part.

Definetly good for what we want. I had both the CRS plain rod and this in my hands.. went with this cause it was coated and 2 bucks less...figured it was win win.

Flexed both items.. they are equally rigid.

 

[Fred W]

I actually bought the zinc plated steel rod as well. It has been working fine. And I did cut it down to 22". That much height is plenty for both front and rear wheels.

 

[Old Guy]

Hey FredW, what kind of lube do you use?

I'm using NoMar paste that came with my CycleHill. That stuff is great. Almost too slippery.

I spun a rear on the FJR yesterday, and it was the first time I'd used the NoMar paste, and you're right. That stuff is good. I also used their Yellow Thing for the first time, and it made life much easier.

 

[bwv]

Well now I feel even better

THANKS FRED!!!

 

[Chuck35]

I've spent some time this evening researching mount / demount bars. The general consensus among various forum posters that have used several is as follows.

Listed in order of preference / success. Shipping to lower 48

#1 Noscuff $89 shipped

#2 Mojolever $99 shipped

#3 Nomar $125 (+ shipping?)

 

[escapefjrtist]

I've spent some time this evening researching mount / demount bars. The general consensus among various forum posters that have used several is as follows.Listed in order of preference / success. Shipping to lower 48

#1 Noscuff $89 shipped

#2 Mojolever $99 shipped

#3 Nomar $125 (+ shipping?)

I'd go with one of the first two. Leave the Nomar lever for the Nomar changer. Have it, tired it with my HF set-up and it doesn't work all that well...

YMMV

--G

 

[Fred W]

Agree. The tire mounting end of the first two seems to be a better design. I've had better success with the NoSCuff than the two big knobs on the NoMar that came with my Cycle Hill.

One thing about the NoScuff, it does come unpainted. You'll probably want to do a quick cleanup and shoot some rattle can paint on it or it will rust over quickly in the garage and make a mess of your hands when you go to use it. DAMHIKT

Not sure why the seller doesn't put something on the bare metal, but I guess that would add expense to him and maybe he doesn't have that painting facilities.

 

[bwv]

Yup, he states it right in his page.

Quote:

"The tire tool comes unpainted. If I painted them it would add ~$10 to $15 to the cost of the bar. Some people just coat it with a light film of oil to prevent any rust from forming. I painted mine with a can of Rust-oleum Hammered rattle can paint that I picked up at Lowe's. Note that this stuff can be applied over rust"

He actually has licensed, and uses the dismount end from the NoMar Folks. I thouhgt that was pretty wild for what i see as a "cottage" business... very forward thinking...

I'm gonna see how my melted rain gutter works on the ends of the HF bar... or... maybe Santa will bring me the NoScuff... but wait.. I was hoping Santa would bring me the MV bar riser... So I dunno

 

[Chuck35]

The "eye's" have it! I'll be getting the no-scufftiretool. I didn't find a buy now link on his page...email sent.

Now I just need some delrin blocks and perhaps 1/2 a sheet of 3/4 plywood. I may even try a softer (cheaper) tire so I can get that new rubber bliss more often

Update: To order the no-scuff send Paypal to the email addy on his page. David told me he is selling these about as fast as he can make them. The next batch will ship out Monday. 1 less is now available.

 

[Dunk43]

It is likely I will wind up with Mojo blocks and a Mojo bar.. but I am frugal and this was to be an inexpensive project so...Here's what i did today using some scrap stuff.

The brown plastic is leftover vinyl lattice... it is perfect for taking up the play in the rim clamps. I then had to drill the pin holes out as only one side fits after the shim is installed..

Because i am lazy, I did not take the lead screw drivien rim clamp off... I simply forced it into the space using the lead screw and a block.

The clamps are now very stable and stay at 90 degrees.

The white plastic I used for the rim blocks is leftover 1"x4" PVC Trimboard... I think it will hold up... if it doesnt I will by some higher density plastic. (onlinemetals.com has great selection)

The vinyl downspout I melted over the ends of the HFT tire bar with my heat gun, then trimmed where i think it will work then zip tied... we will see...

Now i gotta try and wear that rear tire out faster...

If those PVC blocks don't hold up get some delrin that's what I used it will never wear out.

 

[Chuck35]

Delrin source

1 inch thick $19.03

1 1/2 inch thick $26.64

also available in black for more $

I'm thinking after i have the blocks in place I can bend a small piece of copper tube to the same radius as my wheel and heat it. Then use this to melt a valley into the center of the grip area so it makes full wheel contact rather than just biting in the center...

 

[RaYzerman19]

I was at Harbor Fright a week ago and looked at the new one... noticeably more slop in the clamps, I see now why bwv added shims. Bottom mounting plate is round and smaller in size than the original U channels welded to the bottom.....

Observations only.......... carry on.

 

[Chuck35]

I finally had a chance to use my new machine last week to install my front tire.
Everything worked fairly well, but I did Have a couple of issues.
First problem was that the wheel wanted to slip in my delrin blocks. A ratchet strap around one support arm and spoke solved that issue.
Mojoblocks are now available for the later style wheel adapters HERE
My next issue was with the bar. I didn't lift the tire enough when prying over the rim and stressed the demount tip.
After completing the tire work I though it would be a good idea to contact MojoLever and get a new tip on the shelf for next time.
Mitch wouldn't let me pay for the tip, even though I told him it was poor technique on my part
The tip came in today and did not fit my bar.

Notice the new tip is a much smaller diameter and has a large bolt in it.
As it turns out I have a no-scuff bar which uses a no-mar demount tip. Even with the proper technique it is a tight squeeze and stressful on the tip.
It appears to me that the MojoLever is worth an extra $10 and I have one on order.
This tip is not going to bend or break easily and Mitch's customer service is top notch.

 

[Fred W]

The No Mar demount tip works wonderfully. You are right, it is all about the technique, which is fully explained both in the No-Mar videos and the No-Scuff web site. You absolutely do have to get the opposite side tire bead down into the valley of the wheel and you absolutely do want to hook the bead you are working on with the tip of the lever and pull it up to the rim edge before levering the bead over the rim edge.

You'll still need to do exactly the same thing with the Mojo lever tip or else the thinner plastic (Delrin or whatever it is made from) will still crack and you'll bend the bolt.

Practice makes perfect.

 

[flagstaff]

Just a couple of things to add to the discussion. I've had the old style Harbor Freight for several years and have made adjustments along the way to improve the changer and my techniques. One of the best changes was to move beyond just having it mounted to a piece of plywood, and make provisions to have it bolted down during use. I'm on the light side so I didn't have the advantage of heft to help keep the changer in place. I definitely did not want it permanently mounted and I didn't want studs sticking up on the driveway or garage floor. I opted for recessed threaded inserts. I did not have a heavy duty hammer drill to make the 5/8 inch holes so I rented one which was a smart move. The industrial strength hammer drill came with the bit I need and only cost me $35. I spent way more time driving over to pick it up and drop it off than I did drilling. Those puppies have serious power and speed. They also make a nice clean hole.

I left the changer mounted to the plywood board to spread out the forces when mounting and dismounting. Four 5/8 holes on my parking area make a rock solid platform. I plug the inserts with soft ear protectors to keep out the dirt and water.

As anyone who has used it, or tried to use it knows, the bead breaker on the HF changer is a pain in the ***, and likely to damage your rims. I was ready to buy a free standing one of some sort when I came up with the idea of utilizing my truck's hitch and the breaker from the HF.

Here is the new setup. The wooden frame can easily be raised if needed. Breaking the beads has never been easier. I plan to add some rubber or thin hard foam to the wooden frame to keep things from slipping and provide further protection.

Even with the mounted changer, certain tires are a pain to mount using a bar. I have the Mojo bar which is close to useless, and the No Mar bar, which is better, but still can be a pain for that final part of the top bead. I've pretty much just gone over to levers on the top bead. I bought some nice long ones, and I also use small wood blocks that I slip between the tire and the rim as I'm working to pop the bead over. The blocks keep the tire bead down in the center section of the rim making the job much easier.

Finally, the No Mar tire mounting paste is great. It does not evaporate like the water and dish soap solution I used for years. Follow their instructional videos on where to apply the tire mounting lube. It really makes the job much easier.

 

[Old Guy]

I cover the bead breaker on the tire machine with several layers of duct tape and that seems to protect the rim pretty well. I also made a wooden device like you did, but mine doesn't look at nice

 

[flagstaff]

I cover the bead breaker on the tire machine with several layers of duct tape and that seems to protect the rim pretty well. I also made a wooden device like you did, but mine doesn't look at nice

I tried all kinds of things to protect the rims, but since I'd used carriage bolts I was dealing with the threaded end and nut very close to the rim. My other problem was that on really stuck beads I was just lifting up the whole platform when I put on too much weight on my pry bar..

 

[Old Guy]

I cover the bead breaker on the tire machine with several layers of duct tape and that seems to protect the rim pretty well. I also made a wooden device like you did, but mine doesn't look at nice

I tried all kinds of things to protect the rims, but since I'd used carriage bolts I was dealing with the threaded end and nut very close to the rim. My other problem was that on really stuck beads I was just lifting up the whole platform when I put on too much weight on my pry bar..

I drilled a hole in mine that sits over the bolt to keep it away from the rim. But you're right. Sometimes it's sort of hard to keep the whole shebang on the ground when trying the really hard one.