New Product Announcement: Mojoblocks, Types 2 & 3

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Hey folks –

 

Got a new product to offer, so this will be my one-time announcement for it.

 

Some background:

Since 2008, I have been selling Mojoblocks to fit Harbor Freight's motorcycle tire changing accessory. HF discontinued that motorcycle tire-changing accessory a few years ago. For the past few years, a similar changer was offered by some other vendors, but the jaw design was different, and my Mojoblocks were not easily compatible. When Harbor Freight resumed sales of their changer earlier this fall, the design of the jaw changed. Frustratingly, it’s now very similar to what those other vendors were offering, meaning my original-style Mojoblocks don't fit it.

 

Good news:

I am now offering a new shape for the Mojoblocks that fits the new jaw design. Along the way, I have also made a third version to fit the changer that was being sold by other vendors of the past few years. This chart shows you what’s what:

 

 

“Type 1” is what Harbor Freight used to sell, dating back to at least 2003. I still have these available for people who have an old HF stand moldering away in a corner of their basement.

 

“Type 2” is what Harbor Freight has been selling for the past few months.

 

“Type 3” is what other vendors have been selling for the past few years.

 

Two important notes about the new HF motorcycle tire changing accessory:

• In addition to the motorcycle tire changer attachment, you will also need to buy the base it attaches to, i.e. their portable tire changer.
   
  
• The motorcycle tire changer attachment comes with an inexplicably large centerpost. It’s about 1 inch in diameter, bigger than some motorcycle axles – which means it won’t fit through many motorcycle wheel bearings. What were they thinking??!?!?!? The good news is that you can set that fat centerpost aside and buy a solid steel rod instead and just drop it into the receiving socket at the center of the changer. This 9/16” post from McMaster (select the 2-foot length) will work for just about every motorcycle out there, including the cast rear wheels from the 1150 oilheads (2002-2004). This also gives you some wiggle room for lining up the receiver, your wheel bearings, and the overhead support arm.

As before, my basic price for the Mojoblocks (any type) is $30. For complete purchase info, you can visit my Mojoblocks web page. Thanks!

 

[rdwalker]

Thanks for continuing with the great product!

 

For those who lurk: an endorsement. I have been using Mojoblocks and Mojolever for many years, with great results. Swapping a tire is no longer a major hassle of coordinating with a bike shop.

 

Robert.

[mrsoup]

Having not seen the actual HF changer I am not sure I visualize how it functions.

 

Question- Will it work with almost all MC rims, including the wire spoke 1200GS wheels?

 

Thanks Mitch for providing another great product for our community!

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Having not seen the actual HF changer I am not sure I visualize how it functions.

 

Check out Harbor Freight's page for the motorcycle tire changer attachment. It shows that attachment affixed to their basic portable tire changer (you need both items). It's equipped with a bead breaker for unseating the bead from its seat; once that's done, you secure the rim in the three jaws on top of the machine, drop in the centerpost, and then you can lever the tire on/off.

 

Lots of videos of the changer in action here.

 

The problem all along has been that the jaws are just red-powdercoated steel. They don't grip the rim very well, and can scratch/chip them where they make contact and/or slip during tire changes. The old style jaws (see Type 1 in the diagram in my first post) had the added problem of being unable to grip the fat lips of BMW's wire-spoke GS rims, so I made the Type 1 Mojoblocks with a wide groove specifically to accommodate those rims.

 

The new style of jaw (Type 2 in the diagram) grips all types of rims equally poorly. Again, the Type 2 Mojoblock solves this problem: your rim may still slip if excessive force is used when changing tires, or if the clamps aren't snugged enough - but the Mojoblocks won't chip or scratch your rims.

 

Question- Will it work with almost all MC rims, including the wire spoke 1200GS wheels?

 

As with the original/Type 1 Mojoblocks, the Type 2/3 blocks have a groove wide enough to accommodate BMW's tubeless wire-spoked GS rims.

[rdwalker]

... Question- Will it work with almost all MC rims, including the wire spoke 1200GS wheels?...

 

I found that the Type-1 blocks that I have fit well onto cast wheels on my LT and RT bikes and on a friend's Kawi Concours (even though its old tire was very, very stiff), as well as the tubeless spoked R12GS rims. However, as I apply rotational force with the Mojolever, the wheel will turn: the whole idea of the slippery blocks is to avoid them biting into the wheel.

 

My solution is to weave a tiedown strap through the spokes to the crossmember of the tire machine. I do up and down in 3 places around the wheel; this produces enough resistance to turning the wheel and does not stress the spokes.

 

Works for me, YMMV. Robert.