No-Mar Tire Machine

[allwx]

I'm wondering if anybody has any experience with these No-Mar tire changing machines.

 

I've gotten too old to do my tires on the floor anymore, and am looking at getting a floor mount tire changer. I started by looking at the Harbor Freight changer but they apparently don't import that anymore.

 

Then, I found this company No-Mar. their stuff is pricier, but U.S. made, and looks to be much better quality.

 

Just looking for any opinions before I borrow money to buy this machine.

[Freebird]

I'm got a Harbor Freight tire changer and it does the job but though I've never personally used the No-Mar changer, from what I've seen, it is a couple of steps about the Harbor Freight unti. Webbike word did a good write-up on it a while back. Here is the link.

 

http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-tires/motorcycle-tire-changer/

[Freebird]

I tell you what though. If I were going to spend that much money, I think I would have to consider something like this too.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-Motorcycle-Tire-Changer-ATV-Tire-Changers-Free-Frt-/320745659956?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item4aadee5e34

[allwx]

Wow you're right. The price for the powered unit is right in the same ballpark. Matter of fact, it is cheaper by about $300 than the pro No-Mar, and that is a manual machine.

 

The Weaver is bound to be Chinese made, at that price.

 

This will take some study.

[V7Goose]

No-Mar machines are very nice, but the price is just stupidly ridiculous.

 

They have recently introduced a cheaper version called the Cycle Hill Tire Machine for $465. Looks like a good product if you don't mind dumping $500 on it!

Goose

[FuzzyRSTD]

I tell you what though. If I were going to spend that much money, I think I would have to consider something like this too.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-Motorcycle-Tire-Changer-ATV-Tire-Changers-Free-Frt-/320745659956?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item4aadee5e34

I agree with you Freebird. That is a nice machine there. Does this fit our tire/wheel sizes though ? Just wanted to make sure. I also wanted to add, that I found the same machine you have Freebird on E-bay a while back and posted it here some where. They where very affordable ......

 

Fuzzy

[uechi kid]

I've also been looking for a tire changer. I'm sick of replacing perfectly good tires because of a nail. I'd definitely buy the one by Harbor Freight if I could find one. I really like the Cycle Hill unit but I don't want to drop 5 bills. A power unit would be great if you have the floor space, I don't.

[bilko1]

Since I'm to cheep to spend that much $$, I took a 35 gal oil drum, cut the top off, slit a pice of heater hose lenght wise and tie raped it to the open side rim. I have changed a lot of tires in the past 15 years with this set up.

The drum sits at a good hight for working with the tire spoons to remove and replace tires.

[Venture n Dixie]

$50 less if you bypass ebay & go direct to their website. Also have package deals with lifts & balancers.

[Gearhead]

Dad and I have been doing our tires ourselves for years with irons, on an old car wheel mounted to a bench (sized so that it supports the mag spokes). Works, but a major pain, and prone to dinging up the rim. We decided a couple years ago to improve the process, and we bought a HF tire changer and MC attachment. Since then HF has discontinued one or both of these products. But really, all you need is a way to hold the tire down.

 

Anyway, the stand allowed us to walk around the tire while working it (no bench in the way), but using the irons still sucks. We'd been eyeing the No Mar bar for a couple years but it's spendy. After one final fight with the irons, we succumbed to the fancy bar. Well, almost. We did a websearch and found that there are a couple competitors to No Mar in the biz now. The thing about an MC tire bar is it has to have plastic surfaces to contact the wheel or you'll gouge it. I suppose that applies to alum car rims as well.

 

Enter the No Scuff Tire Tool, http://www.no-scufftiretool.com/. Same principle, slightly different design, $87 shipped. I'd tell you about it, but you can learn all you need to know on the web site. Watch the vids. I can tell you, it made the MC tire change job MONUMENTALLY easier. I'm not as fast as the vids, after doing only 4 tires, once everything is lubed and ready to go, I can get a tire off in a couple minutes and another on in less than 5 minutes. The irons were a wrestling match. The bar is much easier.

 

The vids on this site show the seller, Dave, doing the job on a car-wheel-type holder like I used to use, mounted on a picnic table. All you need to do is hold it down securely and have a center post to lever around.

 

I've now changed both 87 VR tires, Virago front, and Dad's Voyager rear. Highly recommend the no-scuff tire tool!

 

Jeremy

[allwx]

Good ideas on the homemade tools. I wish I knew how to weld. I'd be making all kinds of groovy tools.

 

However, I went ahead and ordered a No-Mar Jr Pro "plus" off of ebay. The ebay price was cheaper by about $80 because they paid shipping whereas if I'd ordered off their direct web site I'd have had to pay shipping.

 

They shipped the thing out yesterday from St. Louis, and it is arriving in Albuquerque TOMORROW.

 

The "plus" refers to the inclusion of the posi-clamps. I decided to get the posi-clamps because of the size of these wheels. Plus, I can also change out tires on my Miata and even my big truck. Wow. I got the hitch mount instead of the floor.

 

Price out the door was $995. Lotta money, but I think this will be a handy tool to have not only for my own wheels and tires, but for friends as well. First job will be to put a new front on my friend's VTX1800.

 

Thanks for all the input. I'll let you know how the tool works out.

[FuzzyRSTD]

Since I'm to cheep to spend that much $$, I took a 35 gal oil drum, cut the top off, slit a pice of heater hose lenght wise and tie raped it to the open side rim. I have changed a lot of tires in the past 15 years with this set up.

The drum sits at a good hight for working with the tire spoons to remove and replace tires.

 

How about a picture of that please ? I have a plastic 50 gal drum that I might use.

[Rick Butler]

Patrick,

 

For the amount of money you decided to spend, you will not be sorry that you bought the No Mar as it's the best manual changer on the market that really works as advertised. And I hope you went ahead and bought their balancer? Goose is right in that it's a chunk of change if you just need to change bike tires a couple of times a year. But, you now have a tool that you can now help your riding buddies with, and show them how to use it to change their tires?

 

Now, they just came out with a scaled down model in the Cycle Hill that really looks more interesting for $495. Not as cheap as a Harbor Freight that is no longer made which was tough on rims without rim savers. It also looks like it might store better than any of the other No Mar models.

 

So give a report on it after you get it and change a couple of tires,

 

Rick

 

 

Good ideas on the homemade tools. I wish I knew how to weld. I'd be making all kinds of groovy tools.

 

However, I went ahead and ordered a No-Mar Jr Pro "plus" off of ebay. The ebay price was cheaper by about $80 because they paid shipping whereas if I'd ordered off their direct web site I'd have had to pay shipping.

 

They shipped the thing out yesterday from St. Louis, and it is arriving in Albuquerque TOMORROW.

 

The "plus" refers to the inclusion of the posi-clamps. I decided to get the posi-clamps because of the size of these wheels. Plus, I can also change out tires on my Miata and even my big truck. Wow. I got the hitch mount instead of the floor.

 

Price out the door was $995. Lotta money, but I think this will be a handy tool to have not only for my own wheels and tires, but for friends as well. First job will be to put a new front on my friend's VTX1800.

 

Thanks for all the input. I'll let you know how the tool works out.

[Midrsv]

I have a no-mar changer that I bought with two of my riding buddies. So I am only into it for a third of the expense. We have the model that you insert into hithch reciever on a truck since we didn't want to permanently mount it. It works when you follow their video instructions. We don't use the balancer. We just use dynabeads and I now have Centramatics on my goldwing. I seem to go through two sets of tires a year so it has paid for itself.

 

Dennis

[waterbug]

I have a friend that bought the no mar last year and it is a great set up! I have used it once

[allwx]

Here's a report of my experience so far with the No-Mar Jr Pro.

 

First, I have to really rave about the level of customer service from this company. I ordered it last Saturday, online, and received it via FedEx on Tuesday. That is two business days from St. Louis to Albuquerque.

 

Assembly is pretty straightforward. I assembled it in one of my upstairs bedrooms and then carried it alone downstairs and into the garage, so it is not so heavy that a 62 year old can't carry it alone. Maybe about 100 lbs, I think. After the job I pulled the entire thing out of my receiver hitch and carried it to a storage place, without help.

 

The model they sent me is different in two respects from the one shown in the company videos. The upper arm is now a box frame rather than tubular. The beadbreaker is different, using four scratch-proof slugs that appear to be pressed onto the bar. The beadbreaker gave us some trouble in that it wanted to slip down the side of the tire. The breaker has a nice flat area on it that appears designed to give a push point so that you can guide the working end down into the groove. I had to chase the threads on one setscrew hole for the tire holder, no biggie. Everything else is near perfect in terms of build quality and attention to detail.

 

Yesterday, my friend Jeff brought over his VTX1800 front to give my new changer its inaugural event. This is a gleaming chromed front wheel that had a Dunlop D250 150/70-17 on it, which we replaced with a Metz ME880, same size. Not a huge tire, but one with a very tight fit.

 

We struggled with it, and both of us are a bit sore today. However, all of our struggles had to do with this being the first time using an unfamiliar machine. I have changed out dozens of tires on the floor using the monkey-f**king-a-football method, so I am familiar with how tires come off and go on. I will say that, without this knowledge, the job yesterday would have been much more difficult. The videos show all wheels with brake rotors removed. We tried doing Jeff's with the rotors on, but ended up removing the rotor facing us on the tool, as it was in the way. Rotor removal is the best way to go, just to be safe.

 

I got mine with the hitch mount. Although the hitch mount allows a fair amount of side to side wobble, this doesn't seem to interfere with the process. I would prefer the floor mount, and maybe later I'll buy that ($99) but for now the hitch mount will serve my purposes, and give me some mobility as well. Besides, it will be awhile before momma lets me spend any more money on any toys.

 

The tool works as advertised, but one needs to watch and re-watch the videos, because there are several holes to fall in. Positioning of tools, where to put the lube, when to use a spoonbar instead of the MD bar, etc. I had bought one 16" spoonbar but after yesterday I realize I need at least one more, so this morning I ordered another 16" and a 21" too, because these are necessary for the larger wheels like our Ventures and other large cruisers. My Venture also uses 150 tires, with a little higher sidewall, but I know that some tires, like the Dunlop E3, have very stiff sidewalls. The spoonbars will be essential for these.

 

Heck, I wish I'd had these spoonbars for changing out tires on the floor. They are really a fine tool for prying a tire off, and on. No need to use rim protectors. The action end of all these tools is hard enough to pry like hell, but no fear of scratching the rim. Even if I wasn't going to buy the No-Mar changer, I'd like to have three or four of these spoonbars to use instead of the much smaller tire tools I've used for years on the floor. All the no-scratch ends are lifetime guaranteed by No-Mar.

 

The videos on the No-Mar site are very helpful, but they give the impression that the job is easy. I know it gets easier with familiarity, but it is still a pretty heavy job because there will always be a lot of bending, lifting, pushing, etc. There is nothing automatic about this. It takes a lot of muscle, and is probably best to involve two men rather than be something a single person could do, except on smaller wheels.

 

This is a very well-built machine. The company appears to be a very good one that stands solid behind their products, and is constantly upgrading things to make them better. So far I am very happy with the tools.

[allwx]

Patrick,

 

For the amount of money you decided to spend, you will not be sorry that you bought the No Mar as it's the best manual changer on the market that really works as advertised. And I hope you went ahead and bought their balancer? Goose is right in that it's a chunk of change if you just need to change bike tires a couple of times a year. But, you now have a tool that you can now help your riding buddies with, and show them how to use it to change their tires?

 

Rick

 

I haven't looked at the No-Mar balancers yet. I've got one that I bought from Aerostich many years ago, and it still works good. Once, though, I had a rear wheel that was too big for it. No-Mar makes a larger balancer that looks like it could handle just about any size of wheel. Momma's not going to let me spend any more money, though. It's going to take me a year to work off what I just spent!

[Sylvester]

Patrick, try the dyna beads and forget the balancing tool. That is all I use in my tires and anyone that wants me to mount tires for them. Never had a complaint.

 

[allwx]

Thanks, I will look into the dyna beads. Seems like a good idea.

[Sylvester]

By the way, I have the No Mar also. I have the floor mount but I can remove the bolts and put the changer elsewhere. Mine is three years old but I love it. And the bead breaker is a bit of a problem with some times. I removed the bolt and use a safety pin from Tractor Supply so I can change the settings quickly.