Discount Ramps Black Widow Motorcycle Wheel Balancer - Tool Time

Changing your own tires these days, are ya, Sparky? Well, you might as well balance them yourself, too. And if that sounds like a swell idea, Discount Ramps' (www.discountramps.com) Black Widow Motorcycle Wheel Balancer (part #BW-WB-03; $49.99) is an economical tool that can help you get the job done quite nicely. The steel stand has two-position-adjustable uprights, each topped with a pair of sealed, low-friction ball bearings. Beautifully machined aluminum centering cones ride on a 7/16-inch axle, fit into just about any wheel bearings and lock in place with small Allen set screws. The four nylon-tipped feet are adjustable, so you can level the stand on just about any reasonably flat surface. In their widest position, the uprights will accept up to a 240mm rear tire, and they're tall enough to allow a tire with as much as a 14-inch radius to clear the base. The stand even ships with 30 grams of peel-and-stick balance weights.

Really, there’s nothing new or revolutionary about this stand; in principle and basic design, it’s very much like many others on the market, some of which have been around for decades. But for the money, you’d be hard pressed to find another one as functional and well-built.