http://www.marcparnes.com/Kawasaki_Motorcycle_Wheel_Balancer.htm
Don't mess around; get this. I use two cinder blocks for stands.
+3 on Marc Parnes including the balancer and the visual alert. Top notch quality and service.+4
+4
I'm thinking that this must be the kind of "piling on" that V'Jim can tolerate?
..anyway..Another advantage of the Marc Parnes balancer is that it is so low friction, that I can get the wheel really spinning fast on the balancer out in the garage
and then go in and brew a cup o jo and then go back out and check to see if the battery replacement on the TPMS was effective (registers on the dash display)
before I go to the trouble of balancing a wheel that I might need to take apart again to fix my soldering job on the new battery.
DUH moment! Why didn't I think of that? I tried spinning the TPMS in a sling. Didn't work. Should have used my balancer.
Swinging a C-14 tire pressure sensor from a string absolutely does and will work- I have done it at least 10 times, all with different sensors. And if you wear a pin striped suit and chew gum while doing it, you look really cool like a 1930's gangster. And if you do it at a 'tech. day', you will hit at least two people with the sensor every-time you test one, no matter how loudly you yell 'stand back, I am swinging a sensor in a circle'.
On the tire balancer- I like and use the one from Harbor Freight. Four bearings, very sensitive, robust axle and cones (not plastic!) and it does not need anything else to be used such as cement blocks, etc. I have used one that had plastic cones that I did not care for at all as the cones were distorted from use and the threads for the locking screw were stripped out; I do not remember the brand but I would suggest staying away from any type with plastic cones.
Brian
The harbor freight will go well with all the other red in the garage.
On the tire balancer- I like and use the one from Harbor Freight. Four bearings, very sensitive, robust axle and cones (not plastic!) and it does not need anything else to be used such as cement blocks, etc. I have used one that had plastic cones that I did not care for at all as the cones were distorted from use and the threads for the locking screw were stripped out; I do not remember the brand but I would suggest staying away from any type with plastic cones.
Brian
On what do you set your pointy HF balancer? A rainbow?The harbor freight has a built in stand, Can be used on your workbench or floor. The other one needs to be put on blocks or jack stands
The harbor freight has a built in stand, Can be used on your workbench or floor. The other one needs to be put on blocks or jack stands
for all the bally hoo'd precision, and cost over the Parnes tool, I just have to laugh about the monster sized thumbscrews... yeh, that balances well... and the fact you set $100+ tool on 2 cement blocks to use it.... precision at its finast..... bwaaahaaahaaaaaaaa... whatever...
h/f rocks....
Right or wrong I have been balancing my bike tires on there own axles forever and seem to have gotten good results.I have thought of doing a DIY one that lets the axle also rotate on skateboard bearings but HF sounds easier. Thanks for the input all.
Wayne
On what do you set your pointy HF balancer? A rainbow?