Mounting a Motorcycle Tire

Using the Harbor Freight tire changer with motorcycle attachment to mount a tire.

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25 Responses to “Mounting a Motorcycle Tire”

1. BEEPERHAWK says:

   September 13, 2007 at 7:44 am

   just what i needed and will do. i dont see the m/c attachment. not that i want to buy it. do u ever use it ?
2. BEEPERHAWK says:

   September 13, 2007 at 7:55 am

   got a vid on unmountin. and how did u mount it to your floor ? thanks .
3. ntmatr says:

   October 6, 2007 at 1:56 am

   I did tape a thing on the set-up and how it attaches to the floor, but it sucked (this is my first time doing a how-to video) and I didn’t post it. I bought some anchor bolts from my local hardware store, drilled holes in my basement floor and bolted the machine down.

   Hope that helps!
4. ntmatr says:

   November 23, 2007 at 3:40 pm

   Actually, the MC attachment is the thing with the clamps holding the tire rim in place. It mounts on top of the Harbor Freight car tire changer.
5. Lorilye says:

   January 27, 2008 at 3:25 am

   Great vid, thanks a ton for the lesson!
6. justgoonline says:

   February 11, 2008 at 4:31 am

   nice vid..Thank you best i have see……
7. JLUDE01 says:

   July 28, 2008 at 6:03 pm

   That looks so easy. I’m purchasing my HF tools asap…shops want $35/tire just to mount them if I bring the wheels and tires into the shop! It can’t take them more than 10 min using real tire mounting machines.
8. ginolevino says:

   October 1, 2008 at 12:09 pm

   what about the balance dot. He used the spoon to get the new tire over the bar and did not use a rim protector. You don’t need a clamp to hold the bead, hold it with one hand and pull the bar around with the other.
   __________________
9. ginolevino says:

   October 1, 2008 at 12:10 pm

   Every rim has an arrow on it marking the direction of the spin. older wheels have a speedo cable telling you which way the wheel mounts on the bike. a bit of liquid soap in a spray bottle filled with water does the trick and is very inexpensive. I bet I can change tires faster and with less scratches using clamp type bead breaker and tire spoons with rim protectors….
10. ntmatr says:

    October 2, 2008 at 12:54 am

    Well, my ZX-6R rim doesn’t have either a direction arrow or a speedo hub. But I did mention that about the BMW wheel when I talked about the ABS mechanism.

    Post of vid of your technique. It’d give folks looking to do their own tire change more infomation.

    BTW, I can change a wheel much faster too. I was going slow so I could show what I was doing on the video
11. ginolevino says:

    October 2, 2008 at 2:02 pm

    No directional markers on the rim? That’s why I ride a Honda… But seriously, you did a nice job, just missed a couple of what I thought were very important points. I have a Coats 220 in my garage, so my technique will not do much good for the most people out there.
12. Live2RideFast says:

    November 3, 2008 at 9:33 pm

    thanks alot for this vid. i got the HF changer a while back and just wore my front out. you make it look super easy
13. kitkat224 says:

    March 9, 2009 at 1:08 am

    I bought one and mounted to the floor, did everything properly, it is IMPOSSIBLE not to scratch your wheels with the cave-man tools that you are provided with when you buy this device.

    the camps that hold your wheel in place don’t have any rubber grommets.

    there maybe be tire changing solutions out there, but this isnt one of them.
14. ntmatr says:

    March 9, 2009 at 2:55 am

    I wrap mine in electrical tape, but if you’d prefer a more permanent solution do a Google Search for ‘Mojo Blocks’. They’re a set of plastic block that can be attached to the tops of the clamps and are shaped to accept a tire rim.

    Best of luck. I hope you find a tire changing solution that works for you.
15. rdseals1 says:

    March 21, 2009 at 4:46 pm

    I wish you had the first video of taking the tire off.
16. ntmatr says:

    March 22, 2009 at 5:51 am

    I did, but it was part of the set-up video that was so horrible. The big part is breaking the bead of the old tire, but once you’ve done that getting the tire off is just the reverse of putting the new one on. As long as you get the opposite side down in the well of the rim, you can slip the tire off the rim.
17. tdman77 says:

    March 29, 2009 at 3:12 pm

    What about the balance dot? Every rin has a heay and a light side. You are suppose to line the balance dot on the tire with the valve stem.
18. twowheeltravel2 says:

    April 9, 2009 at 5:42 pm

    Thanks for posting this video. I was struggling with changing my first tire, but your vid answered my questions. Two key things I learned: using the clamp to keep the bead from moving around the rim and popping the bead UP on the install tool with the tire iron. The instructions with the machine are vague, at best, but for $100 it’s a decent setup.

    For those who are complaining about the machine, go spend $700 on a no-mar setup.
19. benfirst says:

    April 19, 2009 at 11:19 pm

    “Don’t be afraid to use a lot of lube.” That’s what she said..
20. anothermarky86 says:

    May 9, 2009 at 3:34 am

    What did you use on the spots that hold the rim, to keep it from scratching them? Also how does the screw rim holder work? I can only get mine to screw out and not in, so it will never hold them rim sturdy.
21. ntmatr says:

    May 10, 2009 at 4:15 am

    I initially used plasti-dip on the clamps, but that wore off and no I just wrap them in electrical tape. That lasts two or three tire changes, then needs to be replaced. But electrical tape is cheap. On the rim clamps, some of the MC attachments arrive with the clamps facing outward (away from the center). This is incorrect. The clamps should face inward so they grap the rim of the tire on the outside. If I’m reading your question correctly, try flipping the rim clamps around 180 degrees.
22. ntmatr says:

    May 10, 2009 at 4:16 am

    Like I said, you don’t want to get stuck half way.
23. anothermarky86 says:

    May 10, 2009 at 3:58 pm

    Yeah, mine is facing the rim, but for some reason it will not screw in and hold the rim. So whenever I try to start using the demount bar the rim spins on the rim clamps. All three rim clamps are facing inwards to grab the lip of the rim.
24. rdseals1 says:

    June 10, 2009 at 1:25 pm

    Do you balance your own tires also? I also bought a static balancer from Harbor Freight. I am going to replace mine this weekend for the first time.
25. ntmatr says:

    June 15, 2009 at 2:49 am

    Yes, I do balance tires that I’m going to take to track, but I don’t bother with street tires. FYI, I ride like a grandma on the street (no need to go fast – that’s what the track is for). I use a Marc Parnes set-up and highly recommend his balancer.