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The Marc Parnes balancer was unanimously held aloft as 'the balancer'
I looked at the Marc Parnes site and saw a balancer and adapters for pre 85 Dinosaurs machines, but I'd like some opinion from youse guys

Which balancer is correct for pre 85's ?

Gotta get one before the dollar slips away further.

Duane, should I wait a few months and pay half?

Haveing any wheel balancer is a good thing even if you make it your self

with mine a harbor fright item I built a 18" rear wheel for my Harley


chased a yellow dot round the wheel balanceing the wheel for static got it to 1/4 oz then took the wheel to the speed balancer and they added 1/2 more 3 spokes away the exrta work seemed worth it

that Bridgestone S-11 is lasting a long time....................


1973 beemer

Email him and ask for your type bike. I love my Marc Parnes balancer.

I also have a Marc Parnes balancer with a number of adapters. The first set I have works on my '75 and '77 bikes. They slip inside the bearings and are the same size as the axle. The shaft the assembly rotates on is smaller. I also have the "paralever" adapters for my '94 Mystic, which work both front and rear. I also have one additional cone-shaped adapter for my Suzuki, which I was also able to use on my Ducati rear wheel. The only wheel I was not able to balance was from a Hexhead BMW with the large wheel wheel hole. Another set of adapters are needed for that.

With this balancer, you are easily able to get within about 1/8 oz. After some experience, you get a feeling how much to start with based upon how fast the wheel rotates after pulling it off-center. I'll mostly use stick-on weights and will lightly attach them. If you're using more than 1 segment (1/4oz), there's enough difference between the straight-line weight and the curved rim to only attach by the edges. If it's too heavy, you can remove 1 edge from the rim and snip off 1/8 or 1/4 oz and try again. Once you're happy with the balance, press hard to curve the weight and get full contact.

As per Marc Parnes site regarding pre-84 BMWs:

1984 and older with 17mm ID tapered roller bearings on both wheels. Kit BM17
If you're not sure about your axle size please ask with year and model.

1984 and older with 20mm ID tapered roller bearings on both wheels. Kit BM20
If you're not sure about your axle size please ask with year and model.


The correct kit for a twin-shocked pre-84 is easily identified by the axle diameter.

Thanks guys, I'm away from home and only have an iPhone which can make research difficult.
Asking you guys questions provides valuable information. Thanks.
BM17 would be the one, thanks Vanzen.

I'll probably get shouted down, but I've balanced a dozen or more wheels using just four rollerskate bearings holding up the axle stuck through the wheel...all supported by some 2x4s. Never used any kind of adapter. Works just fine. I'm never near 90-100 mph, so maybe that's why it works. Dunno...YMMV...

Kurt in S.A.

There's one for sale on IBMWR.org w/ a few different adapters for $85 usd...

Kurt in S.A. wrote:I'll probably get shouted down, but I've balanced a dozen or more wheels using just four rollerskate bearings holding up the axle stuck through the wheel...all supported by some 2x4s. Never used any kind of adapter. Works just fine. I'm never near 90-100 mph, so maybe that's why it works. Dunno...YMMV...

Kurt in S.A.

Kurt, those don't work well and I highly recommend against trusting them. I wish that we could play with a wheel and try each one to see the erorrs and accuracy.

I am very glad that you have had no trouble, but it is just a matter of time until you have an out of balance wheel.

Duane Ausherman wrote:

Kurt in S.A. wrote:I'll probably get shouted down, but I've balanced a dozen or more wheels using just four rollerskate bearings holding up the axle stuck through the wheel...all supported by some 2x4s. Never used any kind of adapter. Works just fine. I'm never near 90-100 mph, so maybe that's why it works. Dunno...YMMV...

Kurt in S.A.

Kurt, those don't work well and I highly recommend against trusting them. I wish that we could play with a wheel and try each one to see the erorrs and accuracy.

I am very glad that you have had no trouble, but it is just a matter of time until you have an out of balance wheel.

If you get your axle smooth enough, that should work ok with a ball-bearing wheel, but a taper-bearing wheel needs the bearings to be held in tight. Likewise, it doesn't work with the modern bolt-on rear wheels. The Parnes works with all of them.