​So, our first moto-camping trip of the season was a huge success!  We took a quick trip across the Long Island Sound for the 4th of July weekend to escape the Hamptons tourists here on the East End.  We rode a few of the gorgeous roads we discovered last year, as well as some new gems.  All were so beautiful; it was almost impossible to trim our video montage any shorter.  

B​After thousands of miles of twisties the past couple of months, our tires were shot!  It was time for four new tires.  Both bikes run fairly sticky Pirelli Diablo Corsa Rosso’s. At $150 for a front and close to $200 for a rear just for the tires and then $125/hour shop rate, this adds up quickly.  Our local shop is great, and they get us in super-fast on very little notice, but I couldn’t ignore the chance to do something myself and save a little money at the same time.  My thoughts were - if I spend the money on tools rather than what I’d normally pay for labor, I can brake even after replacing tires on just one bike.

So off to my favorite online MC retailer I go!    I bought a set of Motion Pro Bead Breaker FS tire spoons, two sets of rim protectors, a generic set of long handle tire spoons, some wheel weights, a valve core removal tool and a gravity tire balancer from Marc Parnes.  Don’t waste money on a Harbor Freight option here. Marc’s product is far superior and simple.  http://www.marcparnes.com/ This guy machines these things very precisely and has the oldest website you’ve ever seen (think 1997) BUT he actually keeps this thing up to date.  Anyway…. my set up is simple as is the process.