For years, changing tires on my street bikes was a task that I willingly chose to delegate to local shops along with other regular maintenance requirements. Yes, it was often a hassle – not mention increasingly expensive – as shops became busier and busier, but somehow, I always managed to justify the logistical challenges and costs.
This all changed a few years ago when an introduction to track days was accompanied by the reality that the life span of consumables such as tires and fluids are dramatically reduced when pushing your bike beyond the street. Where a set of tires would last up to 5,000 kilometres riding on the street, the need to change them after just a few days on the track is a major financial commitment. Over and above the cost of tires themselves, paying $65 per wheel to change the tire – this is for loose wheels as my bike is no longer street legal and can’t just be ridden to the shop – drew me to the conclusion that it was time to start changing my own tires.
Back in 2012, startup company Rabaconda introduced their Dirt Bike Tire Changer, which quickly became a fixture in the garages of off-road riders. Having seen this original Rabaconda in use, the company’s introduction of a Street Bike Tire Changer captured my attention as I was in search of a solution for my tire changing dilemma.
The arrival of this new Rabaconda product on my doorstep earlier this year coincided with a planned winter trip for some track time in sunny California, which highlighted the first feature of this tire changer. Disassembled, the Rabaconda is surprisingly compact, fitting easily in the supplied carrying bag that makes it easy to bring to the track or over to a friend’s garage.
While storage and portability were an obvious goal of the designers behind this product, stability and sturdiness of the assembled product has in no way been compromised. The use of high-quality durable materials combine with a wide base to provide a solid feeling setup. After following the instructions in the owner’s manual for the initial assembly, subsequent setups take less than three minutes to go from packed in the bag to fully operational tire changer.
Solid construction and design apart, the biggest concern, if you are a seasoned mechanic or are just learning as you go, is whether this product can accomplish the goal of efficiently changing the tires on your street bike without damaging expensive rims. After using the Rabaconda for the last several months, the fact that it has earned a permanent place in my garage, confirms that this unique tire change delivers as advertised.
With the wheel resting safely on the changer’s spindle and supported by two protective plastic-coated mounts that can be adjusted to accommodate different sized rims, a multi-purpose arm employs simple leverage to break the bead of the old tire – again, all components coming into contact with the rim are coated in protective plastic – and prepare it for removal. Thanks to the included spindle adapter the Rabaconda accommodates a wide range of wheels, with additional adapters available as accessories for unique rims including those from single-sided swingarm setups.
With the bead broken on both sides of the rim, the rachet-driven mounting head proved to be very effective removing the old tire and installing the new one. The mounting process is further assisted by the two included drop centre tools which are especially helpful when mounting the wider rear tires.
While the first couple of tire changes took as long as 20 minutes while I learnt the process, very soon after receiving the Rabaconda my total time to change and mount a tire was down to less than 10 minutes. Given that I have spent my career photographing and writing about motorcycles as opposed to wrenching on them, this result reflects highly on the Rabaconda Street Bike Tire Changer.
Available for purchase online from www.us.rabaconda.com, the base model retails for $649 USD, with the upgraded $659 USD Starter Kit adding a tub of bead grease and application brush. Rabaconda also offers the Ultimate Kit, which includes the street tire changer as well as all of the available accessories for $799 USD. While these prices may initially give consumers reason to pause, with the cost of changing tires running at $130 for a set of loose wheels, the return on this investment is worthy of consideration. Add in the freedom to change your tires – and your friends’ – whenever and wherever is best for your schedule, and Rabaconda Street Bike Tire Changer is likely to become the next must-have tool for your garage.
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