will:
i mount and balence all my my own tires, firast i do it myself because i only trust myself, second it only takes as long as it would if i had to drive somewhere and drop it off and have some knuckle head drop my bike and or bend a rim for a bike where parts are harder and harder to source out..
first this is the rim bead breaker i bought for 20 bucks and works like a charm..
Motorcycle Bead Breaker
they actually have it on sale for 15$
and grab these as well, if your going to balance..
1/4 oz. Wheel Weights
i've actually have done it both ways, balancing and not balancing. and maybe because i dont do track days or have the cops in my neighborhood chasing me around, but i really dont feel the difference between the two, but you can also buy a cheap balancer through harbor freight as well, this is the one i got and works fine..
Motorcycle Wheel Balancer w/ Stand
when i got mine, it was on sale for like 35$
also heres a video from youtube for pulling the tire off the rim, this is a must watch video if your going to bang it out yourself.. there are tons of videos but this kid is using the same tire rim breaker i have..
just dont forget to double check your air after getting the new tire on, you'll most likely over fill the tire to get it back on the rim..
i also didnt use the over sized zip ties he has, i just doubled up on up on like 12" ones i have laying around my shop,

Thanks for the info JC. I just found out we have a Harbor Freight here in town so I can go take a look at what they may have on hand. Also I sent you another PM yesterday.

Will

i just wanted to add one more thing, do the back tire first . its bigger and because its bigger, its actually easier to get off the rim.. the front tire being smaller can be a bitch but by warming up doing the back , you'll have a better idea of how its going to go second time around.. also just like car tires, dont forget to mix up some soap or something in a spray bottle and spray the bead around the tire putting it on and taking it off.. it just literally pops on and pops off, once your in a groove..
i also wanted to mention youtube has videos on using a hand tire balancer and balancing.
like this

Yep all great info!, thanks JC. I have come across both these vids a few times in my search for additional knowledge. I went to my Harbor Freight store and they didn't have the same bead breaker you posted. The one they had is much cheaper in construction and literally looked like it would fold under the pressure. I have in the past used 2x4's and leverage to get the same result and will prob do just that again. Got some quick supplies to make my own balancer setup as H.F. didn't have their kit on hand at my store and it is easily built second hand. I will try to post pic's of my work if I remember to do so at the time (I'm terrible about that) and if I'm really gun-hoe maybe a video ;).

Will

you know willie, i have to say this and its really forum related. i added the last comments knowing you probably have gotten that far..
I like to add as much detail i can.. sometimes i come back and reread some of the stuff i've responded to in the past and say to myself my god, hows anyone supposed to understand that..
i know because though the years i've spent plenty of hours just reading and adding to my own knowledge bank. so i when i start talking about anything. i try to keep simple minded folk like myself from popping a gasket and add as much detail as i can.. especially later..


talk about videos: you know how many i probably have and never get around to posting..
vinny sent me his carbs a couple months back and i literally took the entire carb banks apart. i had taken video from two different phones, but i dont know where people get the time to edit and post there stuff up..
like ambeos, my hat goes off to him.. to be able to document any part of my daily life is incredibly difficult.. and to edit it and tell a story is alot of work..

Well got my new s20's in and put on. Wasn't able to do a video like I wanted as start to finish took a few days because of time and weather.
Here is a few pictures of what I was able to snap though of the paint strip, new mounted and balancing. My balancer is a little crude but it
was all I had around to make it work (took extra time to make sure it was right).

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My new shoes...
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make shift balancer since my local Harbor Freight store didnt have one....
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Got more pictures of other updates as I but will post them to another thread thats more appropriate when I get the time....

Also a huge thank you to my wife for letting me get some of this done in the house!!

By the way, forgot to mention, Bridgestone is giving a $40 rebate this month for all s20 sets purchased so send in your receipts to get a prepaid visa card!


Bridgestone Motorcycle Tires

Ya I missed that by a few days as I bought mine on 28 Aug and the rebate offer didn't start til 1 Sep.

That sucks. im about to buy a set just to take advantage of the deal since I know they don't last long :)

being a carpenter by trade, i totally dig the setup.. i was actually going to build the same thing but bought mine while just moseying through harbor freight one day..

ccrider: honestly , you should check out amazon. i bought my set for just a little over two hundred..
from two different sellers..