I saw this for the first time at Barber last year, at the US distributor's both. He demonstrated removing and installing tires several times for me. I was impressed! Very slick tool. And, IF I changed tires weekly it would be a must have item. However, even owning 15 motorcycles, I don't change tire all THAT often. And damn! It ain't cheap. And after all these years, I honestly don't normally find most tires all that hard with my spoons, In fact, with some bike/tire combos, I can have the tires swapped, using three spoons, and some Ru-Glyde, in about the time it takes to get the Rabaconda out of the bag and set up. Admittedly, I do have trouble getting tires off sometimes, but spooning them back on isn't that difficult if you take SMALL bites at a time and use good lube. Most people get too "greedy" with the spoons! Go slow and take small bites and most tires slide on with little effort. Not knocking the Rabaconda, as it is a nice unit. But with multiple bikes, of different types, buying the base unit, and then all the extras, gets costly. Guess I'll stick with my spoons.. Just depends on your budget and how often you actually change tires, I suppose... For a racer that changes tires all the time, then hell yeah!
Thanks for the feedback, and for the kind words, Mike. I don't think we'll even try putting it in back in the duffel bag...HA! 😂 I hope you'll subscribe and stick around for more fun and informative videos...
The real benefit of this is for those of use that like to do long cross country road trips with mixed in off-road trips during the same year. I like to pull my off-road bias tires when I spend the 4 weeks a year diving to Florida from PA or to the west coast from PA. When I hit the local BDR’s on the east coast, I throw on those dirt babies. This also spreads out my tire wear and allowed 2 riding seasons from each set. That being said, I’ve had to get new tires while on the road and far from home.
The thing that bugs me is they have the “street” version for an adv bike. Unfortunately, most of the crowd has both dual sport (let’s call adv) and dirt bikes. Buying one is hard to swallow, two will never happen in this lifetime.
Hmmm...I can see the concern. Have you checked to see if the street version can "also" change your dirt bike tires? I don't see why it couldn't. The only restriction I've seen with ours is you can't use it for tires with mousse.
Funny you mention uber tire changers! I actually did a survey on who would pay for a mobile tire change service at your door. Seemed like some interest!
Very Intersting gentlemen. I look forward to the tire change video! I have seen Kyle's videos, but he has changed so many tires that it's not exactly the experience a new buyer would have. - Frank
Rabaconda works well, read the manual, maybe watch the tutorial videos, maybe save you some time and a few dollars on inner tube! By the third tire, it’s easy! Some of the best Moto $$$ I have spent!
I want one so I can change tirer more offend depending on my riding plans . Example I going todo road trip so I put road tirers on later doing a BDR I want dirt tirers back on. You did not bring up balancing which is an additional cost .
That's another huge advantage to owning one! I briefly mention that some riders use it for that. And balancing a tire is a relatively simple step you can do yourself with nothing more than a bar through the wheel. Yes there are more precise ways of doing it. But we'll show you some options in the next few videos! Thanks for watching!!!
Changing a tire after the wheel is off the bike is less than half the job! Getting the wheels off a bike, without laying the bike on its side, is the bigger half of the job. When you do the tire change video, be sure to check and grease the bearings, check or change the schrader valve, of course the drive train should be examined, cleaned, lubed and etc. Also, keep in mind, many high mileage riders are on heavy bikes! (Without center stands) And lest I forget, true the wheels, tighten all the spokes and please balance the tires. I've only been riding about 20 years and had 22 tire changes. Most of these changes done by shops, and most done WRONG! I always re-check any work done on my bike, even if I did it myself. It's just too easy to skip a step or leave a part off. Or get a job started, only to find out you need a piece of unobtanium or a third hand, or that you need to remove the center stand while the bike is on the stand! P.S. Good luck with the new changer! Everyone should have a friend with a well equipped bike shop. And I've got you!
