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Easy Wheeler II Motorcycle Wheel Roller
wBW
Quick Look
by Rick K. for webBikeWorld.com
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| Owner Comments (Below)
We reviewed the original "Easy Wheeler" a little over
one year ago, back in December of 2006. We found
it to be one of the most scrumptiously outrageous and
over-engineered motorcycle accessories we'd ever
encountered.
After all, a completely CNC-machined rear wheel
roller, of all things, carved completely from billet
aluminum? I mean, you're kidding me, right?
Fantastic! Where do I sign up?
The target audience for the Easy Wheeler is any
motorcycle owner with a yen for the good ol' days or
someone who just appreciates the way stuff used to be
made. Or, come to think of it, anyone who thinks
they'll have a need for a motorcycle wheel roller that
will last long enough to see the Apocalypse.
But forget the Apocalypse -- how about 6 months?
I'll confess that I secretly wished the Easy Wheeler
guys good luck, but I didn't expect to see them around
very long. In today's disposable society, who's
going to pay for something that lasts very long.
"Nice try fellas", I thought, "But somebody in the Third
World will be pumping these things out of pot metal in
no time for, like, $19.95...and with free shipping, no
doubt".
WRONG!
I'm happy to report that Easy Wheeler is not only
still with us, they just came out with a new model!
"Right", you're thinking, "they went off-shore, had
something whipped up and brought in a container load".
Nope. The Easy Wheeler II is just as much of a
work of art (in its own way) as the original, but it's
still entirely made in the good 'ol U.S. of A. Can
you imagine that?
OK, so it may not be the 6061 T6 aluminum museum
piece that the Easy Wheeler was, but it's just as solid.
This baby is 14 lbs. of perfectly welded, powder-coated
steel plate.
It has four double-sealed bearings that use stainless
steel hex screws to hold down removable bearing housing
caps, and they look just like miniature versions of the
same that we used on monster pulp and paper machines
back when I worked in the machine shop.
The 6061 aluminum is still used for the rollers, just
like the original Easy Wheeler, and they're curved so
the wheel naturally rolls towards the center, on to the
knurling.
The ramp AND the back plate of the Easy Wheeler II
aren't just welded on; they fit in a tongue-and-groove
machined into the chassis side plates! Dinosaurs
will be roaming the planet again before this thing comes
apart. And they'll probably trip over one....
It also has full-length rubber strips on the base of
each side plate, to keep it firm as you're wheeling the
motorcycle up and over.
To top it all off, the ramp is covered in a
sandpaper-like piece of traction-grip. The Easy
Wheeler II includes stainless steel, 1/2" hex drive nuts
on either side, reverse threaded to ensure that the rear
tire is turned in the right direction for lubing the
chain, just like its Billet Brother. Also, pulling
the wheel towards the front of the bike ensures that the
roller is pushing the wheel forward under the weight of
the bike, rather than pulling it backward. This
gives the roller better traction.
The rollers turn nice and easy, with either a 1/2"
drive ratchet or in a drill chuck. We don't have a
1/2" battery-powered drill in the garage, but here's a
tip: take a 1/4" drive, 1/2" (or 13 mm) socket and mount
it on a short 1/4" drive extension. You can chuck
the 1/4" extension in a 3/8" drill and it works!
That's what we're using in the video (below).
Easy Wheeler recommends using a piece of wood under
the side stand, if necessary, to keep the bike from
leaning too far over. I always have a hunk of 2x8
laying around in the garage anyway for this purpose and
you can see it in the photos below and in the video.


wBW
Video: Easy Wheeler II Motorcycle Wheel Roller
Conclusion
The Easy Wheeler II is ideal for owners who don't have a
front and rear wheel stand, or for big cruisers or
touring bikes that can't be easily lifted on a stand
anyway. It makes it easy to do wheel cleaning,
maintenance and chain lubrication. The
product carries a limited lifetime warranty, and it
really is built to last, just like the old days!
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wBW Product
Review: Easy Wheeler II Motorcycle Wheel
Roller |
| Available
From: Easy
Wheeler (Midwest Innovative Products, Inc.) |
Suggested
Retail Price: $179.95
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| Color: Black powder-coated steel
plate with billet aluminum rollers. |
Made
in: U.S. A. |
| Product
Comments: Product was provided by
Midwest Innovative Products for this review in accordance with our
product review guidelines (more). Overall diameter is
the same as the original Easy Wheeler at
17" by 10.5" by 3" high. Review Date: March
2008 |
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From "R.B." (3/10): "Based on your review, I bought an
Easy Wheeler II. It's expensive but, in my opinion, worth every penny.
I didn't have to muscle the bike on/ off the stand and I
never remotely felt that I might drop my bike. I did need a piece of
wood to avoid the bike leaning too far over on the kickstand but I expected
that.
The rollers turn smoothly with a near effortless crank of a
ratchet wrench and there is no side-to-side movement of the bike's wheels as
the rollers turn. This is beautifully engineered machine art and I
highly recommend it."
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