What is the difference between Posi-Clamps® and the locking Cam & Dog Block wheel clamping systems?
Can your tire changers change car/truck/trailer tires?
I bent/broke the Demount tip on the Mount/Demount bar the first time I used it!
Do you have a dealer/distributor in my country?
How can I become a No-Mar dealer/distributor?
Do you offer a military/veteran/first responder/teacher/bike shop/etc. discount?
When will (insert item name here) be on sale?
What is the Handling Charge I see on my invoice/shopping cart?
How much will it cost to ship my order?
Why does shipping seem so expensive?
Why don't you offer "Free" Shipping?
Is the coating on my YellowThing tool defective?
Replacement Demount tips don't seem to last as long as they did when I first bought my bar/changer several years ago, has the design changed?




What is the difference between Posi-Clamps® and the locking Cam & Dog Block wheel clamping systems?

Posi-Clamps® will clamp just about any wheel and tire combination, and have a relief area at the rear of each clamp that allows more manipulation of the tire to keep the bead in the drop center of the wheel while mounting and demounting the tire. Each of the three Posi-Clamps® is tightened individually to maintain a secure grip on the wheel, and are never to be used for bead breaking as doing so can severely damage both the wheel and the Posi-Clamps®.

The locking Cam & Dog Blocks are primarily designed for Sport Bike/Sport Touring tires that compress easily and don't require the additional clearance of stiffer tires. The two dog blocks are positioned in the tire changer frame based on wheel size, and the locking cam quickly locks the wheel into place. The Cam & Dog Blocks also serve as the press plates for waist-high bead breaking.

Which wheel clamps are included with each model?

The Classic HD® model comes standard with the locking Cam & Dog Blocks and features waist-high bead breaking.

The Cycle Hill® CH100HD and CH100HD-Plus models come standard with Posi-Clamps® and feature ground-level bead breaking.

The Classic HD® "Works Package" includes BOTH wheel clamping systems.

Finally, the HD MAX® model includes BOTH wheel clamping systems, and features both waist-high and ground-level bead breaking.

Ground-level bead breaking requires more care and attention to avoid damaging you wheels. Waist-high bead breaking is safer and faster, but may not be ideal for some ATV, SxS, and automotive tires.

Helping you choose:

  • If you will be working exclusively on Sport bikes and/or Sport Touring bikes, the Classic HD® is the perfect fit right out of the box, but on a budget the Cycle Hill® HD and HD Plus models will also work just fine for you.
  • If you will be working on Cruisers, dirt bikes, ATVs, Adventure bikes, etc. you will require Posi-Clamps® which can be added to a Classic HD®, or come standard with Cycle Hill® HD and HD Plus models.
  • The most popular combination a majority of our customers choose is a Classic HD® with the addition of Posi-Clamps (available at a discount if purchased with the tire changer). This combination covers pretty much any wheel and tire combination you could ever come across except for tires that might require tire irons or our non-marring SpoonBars® (like Gold Wing rear tires!).

The most frequent considerations as to which tire changer and clamping system(s) will be best for you come down to if you would prefer waist-high bead breaking over ground-level bead breaking, how often you will be changing tires, and if your wheels & tires will require Posi-Clamps®.

 




Can your tire changers change car/truck/trailer tires?

Yes, BUT, car, light truck and trailer tires are generally of much stiffer construction and are much wider than most motorcycle tires and can be difficult and require more physical exertion to change. There are some examples of automotive tire changes in our Video Library that you may find helpful. Remember that our tire changers are designed primarily for motorcycle tires, but we do regularly change car, light truck, and trailer tires with them. We do not guarantee the ability to change automotive tires with our machines, but will try to offer technical support when possible.

There are some additional limitations to consider which are detailed below:

  • The best machine for changing automotive tires is our HD MAX® model, however our Classic® HD and Cycle Hill® HD-Plus models can also do the job. Our base Cycle Hill® HD model is not recommended for changing automotive tires.
  • The practical wheel size limit for changing automotive tires on our machines in 18"
  • We recommend only attempting to change "standard" passenger car and light truck/trailer tires with our machines. Extreme low-profile, run-flat, and tires over 8" wide are generally beyond the capability to change manually.
  • Posi-Clamps® are going to be necessary for many automotive tires due to sidewall stiffness, and we also recommend having two pairs of our non-marring SpoonBars® as well.

 




I bent/broke the Demount tip on the Mount/Demount bar the first time I used it!

You didn’t follow the printed instructions or watch our videos, did you???

The demount tip is going to bend and break if you use the mount/demount bar like a prybar (incorrectly). It is designed to LIFT the bead of the tire to the top lip of the wheel. Trying to pry the bead over the lip will result in the tip bending or breaking every time. For the top bead, you need to PUSH DOWN on the sidewall of the tire opposite the bar to keep the bead in the drop center, and for the lower bead you need to PULL UP on the sidewall of the tire opposite the bar to keep the bead in the drop center of the wheel. You must maintain this pushing or pulling on the opposite side of the tire during the entire demounting process! While holding the opposite side bead in the drop center, you will then begin LIFTING/PULLING the bar straight up until the notch of the tip reaches the lip of the wheel. On some tires this will me more difficult and you may need to “wiggle” or “rock” the bar a bit while lifting, while with other tires you may need to lift at a slight angle away from the center of the wheel (10 or 11 o’clock if 12 o’clock is straight up). More spray lube can also help quite a bit. The most important thing is to NEVER PRY!

Once the notch of the tip is at the lip of the wheel you can lay the bar over the wheel without damaging the tip. If you feel a lot of resistance as if the tip is trying to pry while laying the bar over, then it either has not been lifted to the correct position or you let go of the opposite side of the tire and it is no longer in the drop center. If you feel resistance STOP and make sure the notch of the tip is in the correct position and the bead opposite the bar is in the drop center of the wheel before laying the bar over.

 

We also have a helpful YouTube video demonstrating How NOT to use our Mount/Demount Bar

Typically, demount tips should last for 100 tire changes or more using the correct technique. Certain tires (most Gold Wing rear, car/truck and trailer tires) will wear tips out faster (some Gold Wing rear tires can wear out tips in 10-15 tire changes). Mount tips should almost never require replacement when used correctly. We provide a replacement demount tip with every Mount/Demount Bar because we have found that people fail to follow the instructions and watch our videos. Further they often don’t quite understand that tires are not stretched on and off the wheel, but instead are shifted sideways by manipulating the bead into the drop center of the wheel allowing the shape of the tire to be altered into a slight oval to pass over the round wheel.

Additional replacement demount tips are available in packs of 3: Replacement Demount Tips [3/pk]

Below is a list of a few problem tires and wheels that can often be made easier by a. heating up the tire, b. using tire spoons, c. using more tire lube:

  • BMW- F650 Front 21"
  • Triumph Rocket III
  • All Carrozzeria wheels
  • Suzuki Burgman Scooter
  • Dunlop Elite 3 250 wide
  • Aftermarket rims with self sealing band around spokes
  • Aftermarket rims with no distinct drop center especially wide 250-300
  • Monster 30" thru 33" diameter
  • Dirtbike and very knobby adventure tires usually require tire spoons and not the Mount/Demount bar.
  • GL1800 Rear requires using our non-marring SpoonBars for installation.



Do you have a dealer/distributor in my country?

Sorry, no we do not. We ship all orders factory-direct from St. Louis, Missouri, USA and no longer have any international dealers/distributors (we withdrew from our Australia warehouse in 2018). We ship worldwide daily. If you add the items to your shopping cart, there is a "Calculate Shipping" button which will give you exact shipping costs to your address. Please understand that international shipping rates have increased substantially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately that means the shipping costs to some countries has doubled or tripled what it cost pre-pandemic. We're sorry that we have no control over those prices -- we only charge the price we pay for shipping.

Some countries have legal restrictions regarding tire changing equipment that may prevent you from ordering our products.

We do offer a limited selection of our products through the Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties network of dealers which may have distributors in your country -- please contact them directly for assistance.




How can I become a No-Mar dealer/distributor?

Please review the following list of basic requirements and if you believe you would be a good fit as a dealer partner, please contact us at 888-986-6627 and select "Dealer/Vendor Support" from the voice menu.

  • Dealer pricing is subject to both a minimum initial buy and quarterly purchase commitments
  • Dealer relationships are limited to a specific selection of No-Mar products - we no longer engage in "full line" dealer arrangements
  • We do not enter dealer relationships with dealers located outside the U.S. or Canada at this time
  • We are very selective regarding our dealer partners - dealers must be well-established and have an impressively positive reputation in the powersports world

 

 




Do you offer a military/veteran/first responder/teacher/bike shop/etc. discount?

In fairness to the many specialty groups who enjoy our products, instead of offering group-specific discounts we instead try to maintain the lowest possible prices for our Made in the USA products. Even as prices for raw materials (metals, plastics, etc. -- also Made in the USA) fluctuate, we work hard to keep our prices low for everyone!




When will (insert item name here) be on sale?

We run various sales and discounts periodically and can't predict when any specific item might be on sale. Our Daily Deals page usually has our most current sales and is updated regularly.




What is the Handling Charge I see on my invoice/shopping cart?

We only charge actual shipping costs based on the weight, dimensions, and number of packages for each order. The handling charge is how we account for packing materials and other related order-processing costs rather than inflating our prices or over-charging for shipping like other vendors.




How much will it cost to ship my order?

You can calculate shipping charges in your shopping cart by clicking on the "Calculate Shipping" drop-down on the bottom right corner of the screen. Simply select your Country, State/Province, and ZIP/Post Code and click "Calculate". If you call us for shipping quotes, we are going to quote the rate exactly the same way.




Why does shipping seem so expensive?

Shipping rates are calculated in real time by our shopping cart and account for the weight, dimensions, and number of packages required to ship your order.

The shipping price you see is the shipping price we pay; we don't mark up shipping charges like other vendors.

Most carriers now include a "Fuel Surcharge" in their pricing, so you may get different shipping quotes at different times as these surcharges fluctuate regularly. Because some packages are rated by dimensions instead of weight, those packages will often cost more to ship than a smaller package of the same weight (please Google "Dimensional Weight" for more information).

All orders are shipped from our factory in St. Louis, MO. The further away you are from St. Louis, the more expensive shipping will be. Shipments to coastal states (especially on the west coast) often cost even more due to additional surcharges those state impose on the shipping companies.

Sorry, but we do not ship "bill recipient" or "freight collect".

In-store pickup at our St. Louis factory is always available as a free option.




Why don't you offer "Free" Shipping?

Free shipping isn't really free. Every time we negotiate rates with FedEx, they never offer a "Free" shipping rate. Sadly. we're not Amazon and don't have the luxury of a worldwide network of warehouses with our own fleet of delivery vehicles and underpaid labor to ship our packages. Other companies build the "Free" shipping into the price of their items. If you can convince FedEx or the USPS to ship your order for free, please provide us with the contact information for the representative agreeing to ship your order for free and once we confirm with that person that they will waive all shipping and insurance charges we will be happy to honor their commitment!

 




My YellowThing tool appears to have holes or other issues with the coating, is it defective?

Because the YellowThing tool is 100% coated with our heavy-duty rubberized PVC coating, there will always be certain features that appear different from other coated tools like pliers or wrenches where only a portion of the tool is coated (such as handles) and the rest of the tool is left un-coated. (You may notice that some imported copies of our YellowThing tool have an uncoated section on the handle; we prefer to coat the tool completely to avoid any possibility of bare steel coming into contact with the wheel!)

Every YellowThing tool will have two ~1/32" holes on the top edges at the widest part of the tool. This is caused by the disposable spring wire hanger used to hold the tool in place during the dipping process. Once the coating has been cured and cooled, the hangers are removed and the excess coating trimmed. Depending on the ambient air temperature during cooling, these holes can have a variety of looks, including what is best described as a "mini-volcano" appearance. These holes are completely normal and do not in any way compromise the effectiveness of the tool.

In addition, due to the shape of the YellowThing tool there will sometimes be minor "runs" or "drips" in the coating which again do not impact the effectiveness of the tool, but are caused by the varying thicknesses of the steel core cooling at different rates during the dipping process.

Please remember that the coating on all YellowThing tools made by No-Mar is guaranteed for life so if the coating does eventually wear or tear from use, you can send it back for re-coating and only pay a small shipping/handling charge. Please see Rubber Re-coating for more information.

 

 




Replacement Demount tips don't seem to last as long as they did when I first bought my bar/changer several years ago, has the design changed?

The design and construction of the demount tips has not changed since we first patented them. Even the CNC machines we use to make them are still the same. What has changed is tire design and construction -- modern tires have become far more rigid over the past 20 years as tire technology continues to evolve. At our tire shop here in Saint Louis we service hundreds of tires a week with the exact same tips we sell. While we have experimented with modifying the design of the tips to wear better with modern tires, we really haven't been able to improve on the existing design in terms of functionality and avoiding damage to the wheel.