Has anybody found a changing tool that actually works on VLX 600 tires without modification?
The neighbor that lent me the BIG C-clamps to break the bead is out of town.
Harbor Freight wants $49. for a bead breaker and $39 for a tire changer plus $39 for bike adapter. Seems like a no brainer. One tire changed pays for the set.
But all I read is that the adapter doesn't fit smaller diameter axle wheels. WTF, apparently if doesn't even fit the changer.
Motion Pro 08-0536 combination bead breaker and tire iron set along with Motion Pro Bead Buddy pads 08-0471 are my personal choice to avoid bending or scuffing rims. It's always a bit of work to change tires with irons as opposed to machine but this stuff is quite portable and can bail you out if you are the adventurous sort on any trip where you might be dragging along a spare tire for a wilderness roadside emergency. Available on Amazon and eBay.
If your talking about the center guide bar being too large a diameter, an easy fix is to just buy a piece of steel rod the size you need. I've got the H-F changer and it works well. I made some rim protectors from some 1" UHMW for the three rim clamps and heat formed some sheet poly around the tips of the mounting bar and it works very well to protect the rims.
My adapter doesn't thread onto the machine. It actually sits on the lug hole peg and is secured with a lock screw. I didn't get the vertical rod that extends through the wheel bearing and ended up fabbing one out of 3/4" iron pipe and a piece of steel rod. NoMar makes several nice changers, but get ready to pay considerably more money for them.
Changer with adapter $73.69
Pallet at Lowe's FREE
Bolts to attach to Pallet $4.80
Steel rod that fits axle $7.58
Tie Down Strap to keep tire from spinning - had it.
Plastic milk jug cut into pieces as rim protectors and over tip of removal tool - had it.
Tire mounting grease - had it.
$86.07
So, darn. I WON'T pay for it with the first tire change. Shops here only charge $60.00. But the second one has it covered.
Assembled, mounted on pallet, three trips to Lowe's (don't ask), removed rear tire from my 600 Shadow. All in an afternoon.
NOTE TO SELF AND ALL NOOBIES - Listen to the experienced people on here. I hesitated for months because this thing got really bad reviews on Amazon and other sites. Apparently from people who didn't know how to use it. And I would have been one of those people who didn't know how to use it if it weren't for the great people on HondaShadow.net !!
Great! Glad it did the trick for you! It sure beats the hell out of rolling around on the floor cussing with a couple tire irons in hand. Now that I've got the machine cleared off, I guess I should put on my new front tire I've had since Jan., eh?