No-Mar Classic Motorcycle Tire Changer and Wheel Balancer

How many thousands of tires has the CW staff changed on the Coats 220? You remember that machine, right? Every motorcycle shop had one and the red manual machines made their way into more than one staffer's private garage. The Coats 220 is still for sale at a retail price of $1,295, but our 25-year-old unit has finally staggered into retirement after scratching one too many rims.

Our Coats’ retirement was finalized when we saw the No-Mar Classic manual motorcycle tire changer demonstrated at the International Motorcycle Shows. We stood and watched, noticing that there was no swearing or sweating.

But the significant difference is the mounting of the rim on the machine. Rather than metal clamps, the No-Mar holds the rim with plastic. More specifically, it’s Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene, a super light and strong material used on the space shuttle and in bulletproof vests. These pieces clamp the rim securely with a unique cam that takes only moments to tighten. These black clamps are replaceable, impervious to chemicals, and they match the replaceable polyethylene tips on the tire lever. No metal touches your rim. Where the Coats tire iron was steel with plastic coverings (that popped off at inappropriate times and eventually cracked), the No-Mar has UHMWPE pieces that are light, strong, replaceable, and non-scratching.

The tolerances of the rim clamps are tight and it takes a bit longer to fasten the wheel in place than it did on our Coats; the operator has to be sure the rim is pushed all the way into the two receiving clamps or it won’t fit down into the plastic cam clamp. The first few rims were a struggle and then we mastered the important initial placement in the two rim holders.

Our No-Mar came with an instructional DVD that helped us with everything from mounting the rim on the machine to managing the leverage issues of tire changing. The instructor shows how to use your hip against the long tire iron and use your free hands to help keep the tire in the rim valley. This was a great tip and went a long way toward allowing us to swap tires, but we haven't yet been able to do it as easily as they do at the shows.

Our Classic came with tire-mounting lube, a spray bottle and an extra hand in the form of No-Mar’s bead-keeper. The plastic-covered bead-keeper clamps on the rim and helps the changing process by not allowing the tire to rotate around the rim while leverage is applied. No-Mar told us that many customers opt for a second $26 bead-keeper to help hold the tire.

We also sprung for the No-Mark balancing stand, a $120 item that replaces our well-worn home-made balancer. This new stand comes with two pairs of chromed-steel cones to fit most wheels and is a straightforward design that appears built to last. We’ve balanced two sets of racetrack tires and are impressed with the ability to get the weight exactly right. No-Mar has additional cones for single-sided swingarm wheels and any other application, thanks to their full research and development facility next to MototireUSA.

The Classic came in a giant box, and we put the machine together in about 30 minutes. In practice, the No-Mar tire-changing and balancing equipment makes tire changes doable at home. Two friends learned it quickly with just a little coaching, mostly about getting the tire into the rim valley efficiently. Our time on the phone with a No-Mar support tech helped us adjust our machine’s components to maximize geometry and leverage, and realize the importance of using the included mounting lube. Having spent 25 years working our Coats 220, we were understandably slower on the No-Mar, but each change became easier. The biggest challenge was putting 190 Dunlop slicks on a 5.5-inch-wide Yamaha rim, but the instructions helped and the job was done. We only swore twice.

We mounted our changer on a heavy wooden pallet, which allows us to slide the changer into a corner when not in use. No-Mar offers a trailer-hitch mount if space is a concern. Larger shops can simply bolt it to the floor.

We can’t speak to the durability of the No-Mar changer because we haven’t changed hundreds of tires yet, but after a half-dozen jobs the machine and tools show zero wear. The system adjusts to wheel sizes of 10 to 21 inches, and includes a bead-breaker that works with the wheel sitting on top of the changer, giving the user adequate leverage to pop the bead into the rim valley. The instructional video helps, but we struggled a bit with a low-profile 190, just gaining purchase on the sidewall.

The $545 price may seem high if you have a motorcycle shop that will flip tires onto your rims inexpensively, but you must also consider the time taken to get to the shop, the hours the shop is open and more importantly, the care the shop takes with your precious wheels. For us, the No-Mar is a great replacement for our tired and worn Coats 220, and it comes in at less than half price of a new manual Coats.