did some thinking and decided to do it myself $60 is just way to much to put on a tire and balance it. so i got me two tire irons, rim protectors and did the tire in less than an hour..as for balancing, i tried the www.innovativebalancing.com method and it is smooth as can be. I will do them myself from now on. Just sharing some info to help my peeps out if you have not already did it...

the back is easy, the front is a little tougher but still doable

low10s>. Can you elaborate on parts/suppliers and perhaps even a video or something you saw that helped you?

Good one!Glad you could do that yourself.I'm gonna go that route as well up ahead.As for balancing...at least in MY case...stock factory rims....I've not had to add ANY weight on front OR back when changing tires.My tire guy...he used to put em on...I'd pull em right back off.Never had any smoothness issues...with mine.IDK.And that's WITHOUT factory weights on there either.Think he finally got the message..."I don't need those weights"...strange as it may sound.That's with Pirelli tires however...so....that may not work on another brand?(or another zx14 for that matter)

* Last updated by: blue07 on 1/25/2011 @ 12:48 AM *

www.jakewilson.com is where i got the idea from

I'm a lucky fella then......know a local bike repair business ( 1 guy operation ) when I need tires swapped out.
He's been charging me $20 a wheel for mount / balance / new stems for the last 5 years - he's got the machinery and a static balancer, so all I do is pull the wheels off the bike and he does the hard work.
He's also a great source for cheap parts as he doesn't add ANY markup from his suppliers, he'd rather make his money on the hourly rate instead - told him he's losing money doing so, but he feels it keeps his business up.....great guy.

Been changing my own for a few years now. Great time to really go over and clean the bike up. I just have the Harbor Freight changer and it works ok, but if I were to buy again I'd spring for the one pictured above. I have to use cut denim on the clamps and bead breaker, and cut up oil bottles on the tire bar to protect my wheels. Been using the Dyna Beads a few years also, and only complaint is they can be kind of a pain to collect and reuse.

* Last updated by: DogoZX on 1/26/2011 @ 11:52 AM *

I've been changing my own tires for about9 yrs now and just took them in for balancing and have been thinking of buying a balancer for a few years now. The reasons are the same as ErikR the dealers are trying to make too much money. One dealer told me it was $320 for just the rear tire then mount and balance, and again they don't want to mount other tires, so I do it myself. I figure with a balancer and no-mar changer and word of mouth there is some money to be made and the convenience of having the equipment at home.

I have the NoMar changer and it is simple. I also spent 800 but there has beem lots of tires go thru it. The sportbike guys go thru some tires

yeah my wife is like ..another tire lol

+1 on not needing to balance. I have the NoMar set up it has paid for itself two times over and even putting new front tires on a ton of hi performance bikes never had an issue with a front wheel being "out of balance". A rear wheel would have to extremely defective to cause a shake, so bad i doubt balancing it would even help

I'm so jealous of you guys owning the tire changers... Maybe one day when cash isn't so tight.

I've always changed my own. As many tires as I go through on street and dirt bikes I would be spending a small fortune taking them to a shop. Plus, I just like doing things myself if I can. And it's a good time to check out brakes, wheel bearings and do a little detail cleaning.

IDK, I've had my share of tire changes, but to feel a tire on that balance stand, spin it and then grab the tire, it moves your hand, it keeps going out of balance. But when you get the right weight and the static says so as you move the wheel at any position it does not drop to either side showing IDK, and out of balance tire.

And when you gab a balanced tire, IDK, the wheel stops and slow does your hand. But no, I did that for fun and blue the fucking weights off, IDK, who the fuck invented balance? The WeeLinda Bros'?

Fuck the balance beam, I'm sticking my hands out fuck it, I DO De SPLAT!

Is there a reason why you can't do the balance test with the tires on the bike? Always seemed silly to me to use a stand that simulates the axle you have on the bike... granted there is no sideways friction going on (loose axle).

The tire won't spin freely enough on the bike. Those light weight bearings on the static balancer will let it spin forever if you give it a good whirl. I have one so I use it. But if mine ever came up missing, I wouldn't replace it. Just put 'em on and ride. I don't think I could ever tell the difference. I changed mine for years before I had the balancer and never noticed the difference.