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Rabacanda Street Bike Tire Changer

gbw

gbw

Forum Mentor
Past Site Supporter
I love being able to change my own tires. I've used tire irons to change them on the ground, I've used alke46's homemade tire changer setup and it's better, I've used Joe Nardy's NoMar and it's better yet, Then I bought this the other day and it beats them all. Can't wait to change more tires.

First Rabacanda Tire Change - YouTube​

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That's nice Greg, but at that cost, I think I will stick with my home made changer.
 
alke46 said:
That's nice Greg, but at that cost, I think I will stick with my home made changer.
Click to expand...

Understand 100%. For me, this saves me time, space, and aggravation. Now that I've used it, I'll say worth every penny. But that's just me.
 
Hey, if you have the money, I think it's laid out very nicely. I made one out of a Lolly Column. Notching and welding three arms 120 degrees, I used the larger tube to slip over the smaller diameter and drilled holes for clevis pins. i was able to do my Lawn tractor tires, and take the wheels off of my motorhome rims. Two arms were adjustable., the 3rd arm was an old Mercedes Benz Jack, that I made a moveable clamping p[in on. I just shoved a rod down the center, put my tire iron under the rim, and walked them around tile they popped off. It cost me nothing to make, as I had all the pieces around. Yours will last you for years, and to be honest, if you got a balancing set up, you could make your money back on this jig in no time, not even trying!

;)
 
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Now we know the real reason he didn't make it to Farmington, he's trying to become internet famous!:p

Looks like a nice set-up!
 
Yep, it's a very nice setup. Cheaper than a no mar, I think, and from what I can see much easier and faster than farting around with the no mar wheel clamps, and much easier to store out of the way.

It took me a very long time and a lot of sweat and strain to get my tire changing skills to the point where I can quickly do it the old-fashioned way with tire irons and an old car wheel for a stand. It's a super steep learning curve, and this machine is a fantastic shortcut.

I know this is a terminally cheap crowd, but if you're paying to have motorcycle tires mounted, this will pay for itself pretty quickly, not to mention the time and gas saved, and the satisfaction and safety of knowing it was done right.
 
Changed my latest tire with zip ties.
it blew my mind......
dollar store zip ties.....
may buy upscale ties for the next job.
 
Got to imagine how much quicker and easier this would have been if this wasn't the first time he'd used or even seen this thing, and with a couple of parts still not there.... Be interesting to see a video of someone who had used it maybe 10 times before, thinking waaaay different.... Would be different if I were 30 yr. old, but being ni on 70, $600, & changes @ appx. $50 per pop w/balance that'd be 12 changes... probably wouldn't pay out for me, plus I don't got to do the work. Does look good.
 
I can say that when I first used the tire changer I made, I instantly thought of improvements, but it got done. Now, removing car and motorcycles tires are a breeze. Only thing is I can't find it. My wife had a guy come and take metal away, and he through away raw stock. I was furious. She didn't tell me she had put that stuff in there. She may have tossed my tire changer, I could easily make another one, but my local shop charges $75 bucks to mount the tire onto the rim (rim off bike), and balance it. He does it within 24 hrs. Longer if you make them buy the tire, much longer. At the price, and with my bad back, I'd rather have them do it. I have to do 6 tires for my motorhome, and that will add up, so I may make another one, easy enough to make.

The service manager told me that unless people just want the stock tire back on, they tell them to select a tire, and pay for it up front. This prevents customers from saying "I don't like this tire". This is why you get better service bringing in your own tire. ;)
 
Cipher said:
Changed my latest tire with zip ties.
it blew my mind......
dollar store zip ties.....
may buy upscale ties for the next job.
Click to expand...

Agreed! I've been using the BIG heavy ones for the rear, 10 for $2 at Harbor Freight. The smaller ones just don't have enough strength for the rear, at least in my case. Now I can get the old tire off and new one on in under 30 minutes with tire irons, not bad for a 61 yr old.
 
1978GS750E said:
Now we know the real reason he didn't make it to Farmington, he's trying to become internet famous!:p

Looks like a nice set-up!
Click to expand...

Ron figured it out! My ultimate goal is to be a YouTube millionaire. Look out now, I'm well on my way to 2 subscribers. I expect the checks to start rolling in at any time.
 
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Probably will not be too long before we see ya' driving off into the sunset, in a classic convertible with Taylor Swift!:p
 
How do you think it will do with stiffer Bias ply and/or Tubed tired Greg?
For me (I have a harbor freight setup with those blocks & tool from some guy on the internet) the hardest bit is always dealing with a tube... Sport tyre tubeless radials always seem to be a degree easier. :)
 
salty_monk said:
How do you think it will do with stiffer Bias ply and/or Tubed tired Greg?
For me (I have a harbor freight setup with those blocks & tool from some guy on the internet) the hardest bit is always dealing with a tube... Sport tyre tubeless radials always seem to be a degree easier. :)
Click to expand...
they are a whole lot easier almost like butter compared to bias ply.
I wonder if rabaconda can defeat a twenty year old dead wished on tire?
 
gbw said:
Ron figured it out! My ultimate goal is to be a YouTube millionaire. Look out now, I'm well on my way to 2 subscribers. I expect the checks to start rolling in at any time.
Click to expand...

You are now at 2!!! :)
Seriously, that was a good video. I've been looking at one of those, so a real-world, first time using it video is very helpful.
 
I'd be very interested in one of those machines. The price is not offputting in exchange for not having to go somewhere and wait for someone else to do it-especially since I now work in the automotive wheel and tire industry.
 
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