Static Tire Balancer--Is this one any good?

http://www.cyclegear.com/eng/product/bikemaster_wheel_balancer_truing_stand/web1010635

Im kind of done dealing with dealers and shops. This balancer would pay for itself the first tire change with the rapings they charge you for in the Nashville area...

save your money if you dont care for the truing stand.. I use the harbor frieght one and it works just fine..

http://www.harborfreight.com/motorcycle-wheel-balancing-stand-98488.html

I just read all the reviews for that balancer, it seems all of the shafts are bent from the box...no good. I want to like the $39.99 thing..but..yeah. :/

"marc parnes" balancer

sometimes they pop up used

I like it...but how important is it to get the shaft perfectly level? I mean jackstands only get so close....

+1 on the HF trueing stand. Worth $40 for sure.

Do the search for balancing stands on this site. You can build yourself a 'dead on rails' balancer for about $10. It works so good that it is scary. Original article can be found some years back in Motorcycle Consumer News under DYI Motorcycle Wheel Balancer. Visit http://board.mcnews.com/ and look at the article index till you find it. Annoys me no end that the info isn't on the 'free' section of the site.

I built one very similar to this but did not want thumbscrews. So I simply made the cones "stepped" to fit my Husky and KTM wheels. I also simplified the mounts. I used 1/2" drill rod and 1/2" shielded bearings. It's very accurate. If you don't have a lathe, you'd have to have a machine shop turn up the cones. I tried it once with sealed bearings and they have too much resistance. Shielded works great.

Here's a pic I found of the dead on rails.



I drop mine down on jack stands, takes seconds to set up. Mine is pictured with the KTM cones on it which are 20 & 26mm I think. The Husky ones are setting next to it. I also made some housings for the bearings but they serve no purpose.

Total cost was maybe $20.

Here's what I used, Mcmaster catalog stinks for linking parts, but I listed the part numbers.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/118/3673/=k6iwi2

Tool steel 0.5000" ±0.001" 8893K451 $5.06

1/2" ID 1 1/8" OD double shielded ball bearings 6384K61 $7.98

I don't get it... what's wrong with the stock axle and two lawnchairs ?

no, really.

The friction of the seals in the bearings is enough for it not to be accurate.

I tried mine with brand new precision sealed bearings and it was not accurate. Asking old wheel bearings to do this work not happening.

With the shielded bearings, it's much more accurate. I will let it settle, and move the wheel maybe 1-2 degrees and it will go right back to settled after clocking back and forth.

With open bearings it would be even more accurate but they are really hard to keep clean.

I notice a huge difference on the road with my dirt bike tires, especially since I am running rimlocks. My KTM has the valve core and rimlock in the same 30 degrees so it's really out of whack the Husky at least offsets them.

I have a Harbor Freight one, it is within about 1/2 ounce. How do I know. I balance as perfect as I can. Then take wheel off and remount. Then I re-balance, taping the weights in place. Doing this several times, I never have needed over about 1/4 oz to rebalance.

I have tested the tires to 120 and no vibration. Beemer likes that, ran a LOT smoother for a while. Good enough for me.

Rod

I use one, works great! Works better if you use bearings off a skateboard wheel.

I also have the Harbor Freight balancer. Take the bearings out, peel out the bearing shields and toss 'em. Then flush out the grease and lube with very light oil. You'll be able to balance to a 1/4 ounce or less no problem.

This sounds like good advice!

Not all the shafts are bent. I can attest to that. Genreally the bent ones are the few that speak up about them (that thing about the 'greasy wheel', you know?) You may have to true up the uprights, but that is easy. And the bearings work exceptionally smoothly.

then when your bearings get dirt in then they will work much worse.

You can pop a shield, wash out the grease, oil and put the shield back in. But really, it is plenty close with them in. I never feel a shake

Rod

psh make your own. I made this out of wood lying around.

Or picnic table, chunk of 4X4 just right and stock axle.... Really cheap.

I use 1/2" round stock with a magnetic torpedo level hung from it, pretty simple. No point in over thinking this shit eh? I have my favorite tires like everyone and when chainging like for like it pretty much never changes.

Seriously does not matter a hell of a lot. First time you hit a BFR it changes anyway! Only the Starbucks crowd agonizes over wheel balancing. They don't ride over BFRs.....