Nice write up and review. I've had a NoMar for right at two years and really like it a lot. I've probably done close to 25 sets of tires, mostly sportbike tires, but have done them for my ST1300 also. I've never had to use a spoon or spoons to finish the mount. One thing that I've found on the really stiff tires is to make sure that you've used plenty of the lube and to keep the part of the tire that is already over the lip of the rim, pushed down into the center or "well" of the wheel........even if you have to stop, once you start the mounting of the tire by rotating the mounting bar. I did have a little bit of a learning curve when I first got it, but just go back and watch the videos that are included. Like Steve (owner of NoMar says), if you are having to muscle it, you probably aren't doing it correctly.