Pro Lev'r
I've read about people in other areas of the country who have a local dealer that will mount their mail-ordered tires for as little as $10 a wheel. I guess there's too little competition in my area because my local dealer charges $25 a wheel if you buy the tires off them, $35 if you bring in your own tire. Their tire prices are almost $50 more a tire than I can mail order them so this means I'd end up paying close to $370 for two tires including mounting and balancing. I guess if you're one of those average bikers who rides 3,000 miles a year, shelling out $370 every 3 years is no big deal. But I'm going through 2 to 4 sets of tire a year between my two bikes. As you can imagine, it begins to add up. Add in the fact that the dealers often mount the tires backwards, scratch the rims, or need your wheels for several days, and DIY mounting begins to look like a real good deal.
My first foray into DIY mounting necessitated the purchase of a bead breaker and some tire irons. Stop-N-Go sells a bead breaker that looks like a giant C clamp. You wrap the clamp around the tire and crank the nut until the bead separates from the rim. You then need to repeat this for the bead on the other side. You then use a set of tire irons to remove the tire from the rim. Motion Pro sells a 3 piece tire iron set that works well. You'll also need some rim protectors from Iron Horse distributors.
The combination of those tools does work, but it is time consuming and somewhat aggravating. I've changed quite a few tires using these tools, but I was looking for something easier and quicker. I kept seeing this ad for the Pro Lev'r in the back of the motorcycle magazines and I finally broke down and bought one hoping it would make my life easer.
For $70 or $80, depending on the range of tire sizes you are working on, you get a collection of metal pieces that at first glance remind you of those metal brain-teaser puzzles you did as a kid. "How do I put this together? Do they really go together?" You will need to study the directions carefully during the first couple of changes to get the hang of how to use the tool properly. The various pieces fit together in different ways to handle different wheel diameters and whether you are forcing the tire off or on to the rim.
The first couple of times I used the Lev'r I thought it was a superior bead breaker. It was much easier and quicker to remove a tire with the Lev'r vs the giant C-clamp method. Cranking that nut on a stubborn tire seemed to take forever with the C-clamp. That alone almost made it worth buying. It took a couple of more changes before I got the hang of how to use it when trying to put the new tire on. I now find it fairly easy to get the new tire in place.
The metal parts are also suppose to double as tire irons, but I feel they're a poor substitute for real irons because their tips are too thick to get easily under a tire. So get the 3 iron set from Motion Pro no matter what. Pro Lev'r will also sell you a 3 pack of plastic rim protectors for $12, I think Iron Horse sells them via motorcycle dealers at 2 for $5. I've also heard they are a standard item from the Yamaha parts catalog. No matter where you get them, get them.
Bottom line is that it does work and is worth dough. If your dealer is charging $25-$35 per tire change you'll recoup your investment after 2 or 3 changes.
Now I have to get a static balancing rig.
Some links to tire changing tips: