Rabaconda street tire changer: initial review

[pdedse]

DIY or take them to a shop?

My mechanical skills are only as good as youtube videos, service manuals and forum input. I've probably changed tires 5-6 tires on dual purpose bikes. Tried one street bike tire change and gave up after 10 minutes of trying to break the bead. And I didn't want to mess up the rims with tire irons.

But with all three motorcycles needing tire changes and two of them street bikes, local shops wanting $100 per wheel if on the bike / $75 off, I decided to try out the Rabaconda Stree Tire Changer.

[url=https://us.rabaconda.com/]https://us.rabaconda.com/

Not making a video as there are plenty, a few:

Street bike with tubes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0_FTR8nk0I
Goldwing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_NqbdvRRKQ
Harley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKLhvaZNHgg

It's pricey at $650. But my justification was $150-200 per bike, that's $300-400 for my street bikes. Next time around, the machine pays for itself and I can loan it out to friends or have it available for long-distance travellers who want to visit.

HUGE selling point: it's very portable, comes with a carrying case and weighs 36lbs.

Nice all the videos, but would I be able to do it? Would I be able to get the wheels off the bike, new tires mounted / balanced, and back on and not fudge things up?

I watched about 7 videos, read online comments and read the manual. Last night, got the W800 rear wheel off and I was done. Tonight, got all my notes together and went at it.

Took my time, got the stand set-up, looked things over, rewatched videos...and started. Took me a few minutes to realize just how to go about it, but broke the bead and had the tire off in just a few minutes of actual work time.

Getting the old one off


Literally, just minutes


And then on with the new. This took more time as the mechanism that does the heavy work slipped off a few times and I had to start over, but still...less than 20 minutes and it was on:


This is what moves the beads over the rim as you ratchet with the long lever


Zero scratched rims.

The W800 has tubes and it wasn't really that difficult to work with. I guess we'll see tomorrow if it holds air. Still need to balance the tire and get it back on the bike, but the Rabaconda works...very well! The W's front tire still has some life, but next up will be the Honda CB1100 rear.

In short, it works as advertised. If you read the manual, watch some videos and take your time, it's totally do-able w/out much frustration.

[Frulk_imp]

I can see one of these in my future…currently have 4 bikes in the garage. Would quickly pay for itself.

[misterprofessionality]

As somebody who's been defeated by attempts at tire changing over and over again, even with machines and other heavy duty tools, this is pretty encouraging.

[misterprofessionality]

I think Rabaconda offers their own wheel balancer don't they? either way, you can buy those at harbor freight, but i'm not sure where you get those little wheel weights.

[pdedse]

my wheels get dynamically balanced in that cost(admittedly a bit less but not much). what's your plan for that?

Not trying to be flippant, but--not to get them dynamically balanced.

I bought a [url=https://www.amazon.com/Orion-Motor-Tech-Motorcycle-Adjustable/dp/B0BQLQFPVT/ref=asc_df_B0BQLQFPVT/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693401379483&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3596395218827929313&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1013596&hvtargid=pla-2200292794755&psc=1&mcid=41780bfbfe203feb929544e8d3d7c8a3]tire balancer off Amazon a number of years ago and it seems to do just that. Is there a great deal of difference between what a machine balanced tire does and what one can do with a tire balancer?

For some, the answer might be a definitive yes--smoother and more stable ride-- and they ride in such a way that they can feel the difference. I likely do not ride that way.

I am told that I'll notice a good deal of handling improvement largely because many W800 owners claim any tire is better than the stock ones. I'll find out soon enough.

I think Rabaconda offers their own wheel balancer don't they? either way, you can buy those at harbor freight, but i'm not sure where you get those little wheel weights.

They do, but I didn't look into it as I already have one.

Wheel weights...[url=https://www.amazon.com/Motion-Pro-08-0454-Silver-Weight/dp/B0023080RU/ref=asc_df_B0023080RU/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693366125504&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14167947883547334735&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1013596&hvtargid=pla-468879631368&psc=1&mcid=42cb9037cb843259a28e56fdd2cbe676]I bought these by Motionpro, recommended by some dual-sport riding friends.

[michael1954]

I think Rabaconda offers their own wheel balancer don't they? either way, you can buy those at harbor freight, but i'm not sure where you get those little wheel weights.

You can buy them off ebay.

[Gone in 60]

Wow, thank you for the detailed review of the Rabaconda. After my last tire change on the Bonneville, it's definitely something I'm considering. Glad to hear the rim didn't get scratched. That would be my biggest fear, and the chrome wheels on the Bonnie were a good choice to cut my teeth on using levers and rim protectors, no paint to scratch. But, not fun at all!

[Nachodaddy]

The last time I had a tire mounted, the shop used the beads. Seemed to work fine.

[pdedse]

Wow, thank you for the detailed review of the Rabaconda. After my last tire change on the Bonneville, it's definitely something I'm considering. Glad to hear the rim didn't get scratched. That would be my biggest fear, and the chrome wheels on the Bonnie were a good choice to cut my teeth on using levers and rim protectors, no paint to scratch. But, not fun at all!

Full disclosure...I did mess up a little the very lip of the rim when I made my first attempt at getting the old tire off. But it was because I wasn't doing it right.

The opening to the "duck head" (black part) on the left goes over the rim.


Instructions say to use supplied tire iron and grab the bead and then pull it over the "duck head". I misunderstood that to mean start with tire iron to the side of the duck's bill, when in fact, the tire iron is inserted on top of the head, thus the tire iron doesn't make any contact with the rim. I re-read instructions and realized my error.

These are aluminum rims, so I was able to sand out the rought spot to smooth, important because rough spots on the rim can wear on the underside of the duck and damage it...which I guess can then leave a mark on rims in the future. The idea is start with smooth, clean surfaces for both rim and "duck head".

What I described above is the only less-than-clear step as the photos in the manual and online videos don't clearly show what's going on. It's obvious once you see it, a "well, duh" moment.

[the Ferret]

I pay to have my wheels done. Don't have or have room in my garage for a lift and tire changer, not going to kneel or bend for that long (I'm too old) and for me it's just a pain to do. For most people it's not even a once a year thing. For me it's probably 3 times a year between the two bikes. I make an appt, ride them in, wait an hour and both wheels are done, mounted and balanced (spun balanced at that) and reinstalled. Plus you get a free chain adjustment out of the deal.

One time I got a bad front tire, took the bike back in, test rode it and agreed, mounted a new tire out of their stock and balanced it for nothing.

I'd rather pay someone to do it, honestly.