I've had my Rabaconda for only a month and changed six tires already, it will pay for itself after I do a few more tires. This way you can get the tires shipped to your house, saves time and money. I have nine bikes so it was a no brainer for me.
Cheers Rembo, My cousin, a master m/c mechanic, has always "hammered" new tyres on manually. I offered to buy him a tyre changing machine (when he owned his own shop) but he said it's safer to belt them onto a rim with a rubber mallet. He is if course a silverback gorilla vs weak little old me 😆. It was amazing watching him change tyres using tyre levers, rim protectors, soapy water and a big rubber mallot.....straddling an old tyre on the ground so as not to damage brake rotors etc....he said it was too easy to bend a rim using a machine if the operator wasn't super careful or the TC was defective or not on the right settings. I think this is why your local store is afraid of your rims. Use your local Ducati shop. Support them so they are there when u need them. They have all the tools and besides, do you have enough room in your garage for a good TC machine? Static balancing is easy...buy the hub tool and set up an axle in a race stand. The rear is not as critical as the front for balance. 👍
I had the same problem with cycle gear here in California when I needed tires for my 1198 superbike. My dealership was gonna take a full week to change both tires, yes with me bringing in the wheels, and I needed them sooner for a trackday. I befriended a cycle gear worker who I met at the track and he ended up installed the tires for me at cycle gear. Since then I’ve have had my tires install by the track day vendor. I call at ahead at his tire store and order what ever tires I need and he installs them while I wait, at the track and for an average of $100 cheaper than the dealership!
balancing thing is a 15 euro adapter and if they worry about the costs of a rim they have amateurs mounting them , a normal mechanic can change tires all day every day and f up 1 rim in his whole life . i got the hand thingy to change my tires , very good idea to get that as tires online vs tires in dealership is 100% difference in price .
I ran into this issue with CG myself. I bought OZ forged aluminum wheels for the Multi 1260 I had. The manager at the location I used would install tires on those wheels without an issue but when he moved to another store, the new manager wouldn’t do it citing company policy. Despite other shops not being able to balance a SSSA wheel due to the size of the hub, I never had that issue at a CG. They would’ve happily balanced my SSSA wheel if it was an OEM cast wheel. This is actually one of the benefits to me of a dual sided swing arm wheel. A great local shop can now do tire changes for me without having to use CG 30 minutes away. I have, nevertheless considered getting a Nomar tire changer and balancer and I just have 1 bike.
Haha. I feel your pain. I got stuck w/ my v4 Streetfighter on a Saturday off of okeechobee. Same news from cyclegear. Same news from the Honda/Kawi dealer. On a whim I called the MV Agusta dealer Powersports of Palm Beach. They did a great job on NO notice and pricing was more than fair.
I am lucky that the Las Vegas Ducati dealer changes tires without a labor charge when you buy the tires there. Their prices are very competetive. I was on my way home from Oregon on a Monday and needed a rear tire. I got close to Reno and called a motorcycle shop. They said they would change the tire (all other shops were closed on Monday). They had a good selection in the correct size but not the exact tire I wanted. They were so nice when I arrived at 3PM that I bought a matching front tire. I did have to pay a $160 labor charge that I would have forgone if I could have driven another 400+ mi to Las Vegas. I was so happy with the shop that I didn't mind paying the labor charge.
Wow, that cone shaped mounting system has been used by Ducati for years on their single sided swing arm bikes. My 2010 MTS 1200S used the same setup. Even my little local independent shop could mount and balance a tire on those rims. And they are never concerned about damaging anyones rims, regardless of the rim’s value, because they know what they are doing. Makes you wonder what you would be up against if you had to replace a tire on a long road trip. Sheesh!
The main problem is people and lawsuits most places don’t even want to touch it bc of snobby owners who give them a hard time. I go to regular tire shops and bring 3 rags with me so they don’t scratch my rim I tell them he extra careful not to scratch the rim and I’ll give you 15 dollars on top
I’m considering getting a bike with spoked rims and I asked the Cycle Gear WPB if they mount tires on them and they said no. They’ve been ok in the past for tire changes and the price is right but I might have to shop around the area for someone that handles spoked rims.
I hate to tell you this but when you buy unobtainium, you get unobtainable service! Maybe at a track day you could get it mounted but you would need to wait.
Hey Brother! I’ve thought about it, but I’m reticent to spend the money, then have to move it all prior to retiring and moving to AZ. I’ve thought about using CG for my tires, as they do give discounts to MSF RC’s. I didn’t want some inexperienced kid working on something as expensive and critical as my wheels/tires. In addition, I’m spoiled by paying for expensive on-bike tire changes at my mechanic’s shop or the dealer. I got tired of taking the wheels on/off, humping the tires and wheels to a dealer, etc. like I did in the ‘80’s. Unfortunately, both my mechanics bailed, and I have my new tires sitting in the garage since ‘21 with no one to do the work. I Imagine that I’ll end up buying a machine and balancer once in AZ as there are a lot less places to get the work done in AZ, but tine will tell. You certainly have to do a bunch of tire changes just to break even on the expense, never mind all the time you’ll spend doing the work yourself. Assuming that nothing breaks, at least you’ll know the job was done right when doing it yourself.
So...why didn't you go with a set of Michy R5/6? *Great* tires, and much longer life. I can understand a tire shop not wantng to change forged Al wheels, unless a waiver is signed, due to how expensive and light they are. As mentioned below, static balancing can be easily done. Too bad that a tire shop is so spooked by the threat of liability, that they limit their services to that extent. And as mentinoed below, maybe carrying a balancing adapter/spacer on tour might be a good idea.
My front tire is in really good shape and practically brand new with only 4000 miles on it. I have a road trip coming up in April so I know that I’m going to burn through this rear tire before April this way when I leave for my cross country, I will have fresh rubber front and rear get the Michelin Road six.
Are there any motorcycle wheels that are so cheap that they can afford to damage them? I think not. If your dealer has one in stock maybe go with that and keep this one in hand for emergencies
Ok, that's bull. The Cycle Gear in Orlando changed the tires on my 2008 Ducati Hypermotard with the Marchesini forged rims with no questions asked, balancing was thrown in for a total of $50.00 out the door. I got tired of the run around of going some place to get tires changed and bought a Rabaconda. I also have a very good tire balancer that you can see in this video I made using both the tire changer and balancer. Here is a link to the video and changing tires is a breeze with the Rabaconda, highly recomend it. th-cam.com/video/p74fHlTs5gA/w-d-xo.html
Dude that is BS I have been going to the WPB store for years and only taking Marchesini rims, now if you go down to Broward just go to Competition cycle on old Dixie Hwy 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️
Cycle Gear won’t touch any rim that isn’t cast or forged. They also won’t touch any GS 1200 rims. CG is garbage lmao Employees think they know everything just because they work at a bike shop. Been to 5 locations and they’re all the same.
A shop will rather not install a tire then pay for a damaged wheel that cost 10x more then the tire itself. Just take to a Ducati dealer and save yourself the drama. The Pirelli Scorpion tire will last 7k miles easy (no track day).
@@ferociousfrankie Not until you have a special wheel that needs balance adapters that the small town shop does not have them. Most shops I called in the past wont even dare to do an oil change on a Ducati. They stay away from them like its the devil lol
@@RemboUSMC hopefully this gets sorted and people come to their senses. A tyre place machine scratched my old Ducati rim. A 1982 model alloy… not the profile a new machine perhaps could handle… the owner buffed & painted the exact gold colour of that year. It was not a drama for me & him because he felt so bad it happened.
Is it worth it to have your own tire changing machine and balancer if you have several motorcycles?
Sounds like a perfect way to save money on tire changes - buy more motorcycles to justify the tire changing equipment. 😂
I've had my Rabaconda for only a month and changed six tires already, it will pay for itself after I do a few more tires. This way you can get the tires shipped to your house, saves time and money. I have nine bikes so it was a no brainer for me.
@@TRocksGarage777 Nine bikes? Whoooa!
I would suggest that you join a motorcycle club that has a machine or convince your club to buy one.
@@michaeldobson8859 A bunch of us were going to buy one but then 2 of the guys backed out at the last minute.
Cheers Rembo,
My cousin, a master m/c mechanic, has always "hammered" new tyres on manually. I offered to buy him a tyre changing machine (when he owned his own shop) but he said it's safer to belt them onto a rim with a rubber mallet. He is if course a silverback gorilla vs weak little old me 😆.
It was amazing watching him change tyres using tyre levers, rim protectors, soapy water and a big rubber mallot.....straddling an old tyre on the ground so as not to damage brake rotors etc....he said it was too easy to bend a rim using a machine if the operator wasn't super careful or the TC was defective or not on the right settings.
I think this is why your local store is afraid of your rims. Use your local Ducati shop. Support them so they are there when u need them. They have all the tools and besides, do you have enough room in your garage for a good TC machine?
Static balancing is easy...buy the hub tool and set up an axle in a race stand. The rear is not as critical as the front for balance.
👍
Great information. Thank you for sharing with our group.
I had the same problem with cycle gear here in California when I needed tires for my 1198 superbike. My dealership was gonna take a full week to change both tires, yes with me bringing in the wheels, and I needed them sooner for a trackday. I befriended a cycle gear worker who I met at the track and he ended up installed the tires for me at cycle gear. Since then I’ve have had my tires install by the track day vendor. I call at ahead at his tire store and order what ever tires I need and he installs them while I wait, at the track and for an average of $100 cheaper than the dealership!
Yep, it is a corporate thing.
I also called other local moto shops and they also said the similar thing about not touching Marchesini wheels ..
balancing thing is a 15 euro adapter and if they worry about the costs of a rim they have amateurs mounting them , a normal mechanic can change tires all day every day and f up 1 rim in his whole life . i got the hand thingy to change my tires , very good idea to get that as tires online vs tires in dealership is 100% difference in price .
Should look up No-Mar TIrechangers DIY will work on Carbon Fiber wheels.
Semper Fi! I have the same rims on my 916. changed it myself. lots of Marine Corps words but got it.
My local dirt bike shop changed mounted and balanced on my 2016 PP sold me the tire also. Keep looking….
Good to know!
I ran into this issue with CG myself. I bought OZ forged aluminum wheels for the Multi 1260 I had. The manager at the location I used would install tires on those wheels without an issue but when he moved to another store, the new manager wouldn’t do it citing company policy.
Despite other shops not being able to balance a SSSA wheel due to the size of the hub, I never had that issue at a CG. They would’ve happily balanced my SSSA wheel if it was an OEM cast wheel.
This is actually one of the benefits to me of a dual sided swing arm wheel. A great local shop can now do tire changes for me without having to use CG 30 minutes away.
I have, nevertheless considered getting a Nomar tire changer and balancer and I just have 1 bike.
Haha. I feel your pain. I got stuck w/ my v4 Streetfighter on a Saturday off of okeechobee. Same news from cyclegear. Same news from the Honda/Kawi dealer. On a whim I called the MV Agusta dealer Powersports of Palm Beach. They did a great job on NO notice and pricing was more than fair.
I am lucky that the Las Vegas Ducati dealer changes tires without a labor charge when you buy the tires there. Their prices are very competetive. I was on my way home from Oregon on a Monday and needed a rear tire. I got close to Reno and called a motorcycle shop. They said they would change the tire (all other shops were closed on Monday). They had a good selection in the correct size but not the exact tire I wanted. They were so nice when I arrived at 3PM that I bought a matching front tire. I did have to pay a $160 labor charge that I would have forgone if I could have driven another 400+ mi to Las Vegas. I was so happy with the shop that I didn't mind paying the labor charge.
Wow, that cone shaped mounting system has been used by Ducati for years on their single sided swing arm bikes. My 2010 MTS 1200S used the same setup. Even my little local independent shop could mount and balance a tire on those rims. And they are never concerned about damaging anyones rims, regardless of the rim’s value, because they know what they are doing. Makes you wonder what you would be up against if you had to replace a tire on a long road trip. Sheesh!
The main problem is people and lawsuits most places don’t even want to touch it bc of snobby owners who give them a hard time. I go to regular tire shops and bring 3 rags with me so they don’t scratch my rim I tell them he extra careful not to scratch the rim and I’ll give you 15 dollars on top
I’m considering getting a bike with spoked rims and I asked the Cycle Gear WPB if they mount tires on them and they said no. They’ve been ok in the past for tire changes and the price is right but I might have to shop around the area for someone that handles spoked rims.
What is going on here?? Every time I stop there they 3+ Dirt bike tires replaced and all of them with spoked wheels 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️
@@ricardoanez6436 now that you mention it I have seen dirt bike wheels there on several occasions. Might have just been the guy I talked to that day.
I never balanced my tires, but i told them to put dynabeads.. and sign waver.
Next time change the set to Pirelli Diablo Roso RORSA 4. Its so much better !! The grip is unbelievable
I often wonder why they did not put them on this bike
@@RemboUSMC I often wonder why they didn't put the street engine on the pikes... 😁
As you said CG wasn't the only one that said no.
I hate to tell you this but when you buy unobtainium, you get unobtainable service! Maybe at a track day you could get it mounted but you would need to wait.
Hey Brother! I’ve thought about it, but I’m reticent to spend the money, then have to move it all prior to retiring and moving to AZ. I’ve thought about using CG for my tires, as they do give discounts to MSF RC’s. I didn’t want some inexperienced kid working on something as expensive and critical as my wheels/tires. In addition, I’m spoiled by paying for expensive on-bike tire changes at my mechanic’s shop or the dealer. I got tired of taking the wheels on/off, humping the tires and wheels to a dealer, etc. like I did in the ‘80’s. Unfortunately, both my mechanics bailed, and I have my new tires sitting in the garage since ‘21 with no one to do the work. I Imagine that I’ll end up buying a machine and balancer once in AZ as there are a lot less places to get the work done in AZ, but tine will tell. You certainly have to do a bunch of tire changes just to break even on the expense, never mind all the time you’ll spend doing the work yourself. Assuming that nothing breaks, at least you’ll know the job was done right when doing it yourself.
I have to agree Kevin. The best QA you will have will be doing the tire change and balance yourself.
My local CG won't do any forged wheels. Crazy, but it's their policy.
Researching buying a PP. this video made me nervous as would tour it and may ran into a issue on the road.
I understand your concern. It can be as issue. The riding experience, however, is unmatched.
I would have waited till next day from get go , any how I understand your frustration
So...why didn't you go with a set of Michy R5/6? *Great* tires, and much longer life. I can understand a tire shop not wantng to change forged Al wheels, unless a waiver is signed, due to how expensive and light they are. As mentioned below, static balancing can be easily done. Too bad that a tire shop is so spooked by the threat of liability, that they limit their services to that extent. And as mentinoed below, maybe carrying a balancing adapter/spacer on tour might be a good idea.
My front tire is in really good shape and practically brand new with only 4000 miles on it. I have a road trip coming up in April so I know that I’m going to burn through this rear tire before April this way when I leave for my cross country, I will have fresh rubber front and rear get the Michelin Road six.
Are there any motorcycle wheels that are so cheap that they can afford to damage them? I think not. If your dealer has one in stock maybe go with that and keep this one in hand for emergencies
Ok, that's bull. The Cycle Gear in Orlando changed the tires on my 2008 Ducati Hypermotard with the Marchesini forged rims with no questions asked, balancing was thrown in for a total of $50.00 out the door. I got tired of the run around of going some place to get tires changed and bought a Rabaconda. I also have a very good tire balancer that you can see in this video I made using both the tire changer and balancer. Here is a link to the video and changing tires is a breeze with the Rabaconda, highly recomend it. th-cam.com/video/p74fHlTs5gA/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for the link and recommendation.
They couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery could they?
Thank you for the comment. I learned a new funny one today thanks to you.
Dude that is BS I have been going to the WPB store for years and only taking Marchesini rims, now if you go down to Broward just go to Competition cycle on old Dixie Hwy 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️
A bunch of us are going in on a tire machine so this won't be an inconvenience anymore.
Cycle Gear won’t touch any rim that isn’t cast or forged. They also won’t touch any GS 1200 rims. CG is garbage lmao Employees think they know everything just because they work at a bike shop. Been to 5 locations and they’re all the same.
Get a No-Mar tire changer
why I don't buy Ducati's...
You know that Ducati is not the only brand that makes high quality, lightweight wheels
A shop will rather not install a tire then pay for a damaged wheel that cost 10x more then the tire itself. Just take to a Ducati dealer and save yourself the drama. The Pirelli Scorpion tire will last 7k miles easy (no track day).
There is no need to go to a dealership when there are a multitude of small private shops that will do it correctly at a fraction of the price.
@@ferociousfrankie Not until you have a special wheel that needs balance adapters that the small town shop does not have them. Most shops I called in the past wont even dare to do an oil change on a Ducati. They stay away from them like its the devil lol
@Jorah G Well yeah... I meant that they would have experience with ducatis. Not Billy Bob.
$90 to change a tyre off the bike that’s ridiculous
Yep. Not sure how Broward Motorsports is still in business. I never heard anyone say anything good about them.
I see you have verified my suspicion that Cycle Gear’s reliability ends at helmet related products.
Rabaconda
Typical America… don’t & wont for fear of being sued. Good luck. $ paying at your dealership.
I agree. A litigious society creates an inconvenient and expensive society.
@@RemboUSMC hopefully this gets sorted and people come to their senses. A tyre place machine scratched my old Ducati rim. A 1982 model alloy… not the profile a new machine perhaps could handle… the owner buffed & painted the exact gold colour of that year. It was not a drama for me & him because he felt so bad it happened.