Tire Changing Policy?

[L-]

JBarrettB,

You make sense, matter of fact a lot of it.  I live 40 miles from dealer. 100 miles from better dealer.  I have extra front and rear rim and used to drop them off at the shops with the tires I bought from Ron Ayers.   Then they quit and I dropped them off at the foreign bike shops and then they quit.  There is a brand new "Bike Shop" 20 miles away now.  But he is closed at odd times and you drive down there and find notes on the door that he will be off today or out until blah, blah time.  So, on a gut feeling I went to an automotive tire place 300 feet away and asked if they mounted motorcycle tires.  "Yep".  So I let them have my mounted front tire and wheel to break down and remount. They did it for $7.00 dollars and it is not leaking anymore.  He will do all motorcycle tires for $25.00 but no balancing.  Sweeeet.........   Oh, I may stop in the other shop if he is ever open.

L-

[Snuff™]

Craig,

How do you balance your wheels? or what piece of equipment do you use to balance you wheels?

-Snuff

[lasmittys1]

I'm an indy. I'll mount tires purchased from outside sources as long as they are 'correct' for the application. I'll also have the customer initial the repair order where it states, 'We are not responsible for parts purchased form outside sources. This includes tires.'.
Generally, wheels only are mounted for $30.00 front or rear. On the bike, rear $60.00, front $45.00.
I am one of very few in our area that will mount tires not purchased in house.

JB

 I'm with you JB, if it's correct for application, front and rear tire match, I install them on the rim or on the bike. Every wheel gets wheelbearings greased and new seals. If I don't buy the tire I don't pay the taxes on that product. And if they pay in cash, more better.

[lonegoosehonking]

 This is an age old discussion. For those who stress liability issues I completely understand. It always puzzles me how we as individuals expect to be paid a fair wage. Then when we want to contract someone to do a job for us we try to low ball it. Compound that by expecting a first rate job no less. What happens if by some chance a wheel gets nicked or scratched. Things like that can happen. I have changed hundreds of tires . Had a clamp on a buddys wheel miss the rim and scratch it the other night. Had to sand paper it out and polish it. Crap happens even to the best of us. My point is pay a fair price for the job, its the respectful thing to do for someone who is treating the job with care. Own a business and learn the value of someones sweat and tears. Just my opinion but what the hell do I know.

[x52gnr]

My policy is that I don't ask anyone to install any parts I didn't buy from them.  But then I don't ask anyone to install my parts (including tires) anyway.  Sort of like bringing your own meat to your favorite steakhouse and asking them to cook it for a reduced rate.

-Craig

Exactly   

[codyshop]

This is an age old discussion. For those who stress liability issues I completely understand. It always puzzles me how we as individuals expect to be paid a fair wage. Then when we want to contract someone to do a job for us we try to low ball it. Compound that by expecting a first rate job no less. What happens if by some chance a wheel gets nicked or scratched. Things like that can happen. I have changed hundreds of tires . Had a clamp on a buddys wheel miss the rim and scratch it the other night. Had to sand paper it out and polish it. Crap happens even to the best of us. My point is pay a fair price for the job, its the respectful thing to do for someone who is treating the job with care. Own a business and learn the value of someones sweat and tears. Just my opinion but what the hell do I know.

Very well put.   Ray

[JohnnyM]

I buy tires and have them mounted at an independent shop.  This indie is in his 60's and has made his living working on bikes all his adult life.  He has a great reputation.  The HD mechanic that does tires is at least 20 and is the newest guy in the shop.  For me it's not a question of price it's a question of quality work.

[low_rider1979]

Craig, how are you balancing the wheels?

[Hossamania]

Just wondering if you buy car tires on-line then take them to the local Tires Plus for mounting and balancing?

[lonegoosehonking]

Brings up a question re. someone who buys there tires online and brings them to a shop. Should a person that buys tires from you be given special consideration vs. someone who who buys online?  Or how about he guy that comes in and says Joe.....what tires do you like for my Electra Geezer, what works the best? You give him your opinion based upon your customers feedback and he buys from some place online without getting a quote from you? Is that reasonable?

[truck]

Just wondering if you buy car tires on-line then take them to the local Tires Plus for mounting and balancing?

Not Tires Plus, but my local garage allows me to have internet tires sent to him so he can mount and balance them.

[Hossamania]

Interesting Truck. Guess I'd never thought of that. Is the cost savings worth it? What about warranty issues?

[Thorns]

Harbor Freight tire changer with the motorcycle adapter, and a NoMar wheel balancer.  There is so much info how people have modified the tire changer not to scratch the wheels, but I found all you need is to cut a plastic oil bottle in to strips and tie wrap them into where the wheel is clamped in the tire changer, do the same with metal mount/demount bar.  Works great!  Now, I change my tires on my schedule, and it was paid for on the 4th tire change...it's been free sailing for the last year.  I've even moved up to chrome wheel weights...

Thorns

[CraigArizona85248]

Craig, how are you balancing the wheels?

I use Dyna Beads.  I'm on my fourth set of tires reusing the same beads.  They have worked great.  Prior to that, I static balanced using a static balancing stand and the wheel weights that attach to the spokes.

Or how about he guy that comes in and says Joe.....what tires do you like for my Electra Geezer, what works the best? You give him your opinion based upon your customers feedback and he buys from some place online without getting a quote from you? Is that reasonable?

That's just plain wrong and not reasonable in my book.

I'll go on record as saying I believe all you guys who do this for a living deserve to make a fair wage at it.  My reasons for changing my own tires are three fold:

1) I don't have a vehicle to transport my wheels back and forth to the shop to get the tires changed.  So it would mean I have to make an appointment, drive 20 minutes to the closest shop.  Wait for the work to get done.  It's much easier for me to just do the work myself.  I've changes literally thousands of tires (I probably averaged 3 or 4 a day from 1980 until 1984, six days a week) so I've got the technique down and don't have to fight the tires.

2) I enjoy it.  Not because I'm cheating anyone out of a fair wage, but because I get satisfaction from doing my own work.  Even the dirty grimy low-tech work like changing tires.

3) This is probably the best part of all... I'm back on the road and riding faster then if I had someone else do it for me.  I don't have to drive to the shop... I don't have to answer customer questions and phone calls that interrupt me.  I just do the work and then I can ride.

Bottom line... if I didn't enjoy the work, I'd happily pay someone to do it for me.  I pay a guy to take care of my yard and I pay a lady to clean my house.  Why?  So I can spend my free time riding!   

-Craig

[Big Dan]

Local automotive tire and battery shop mounts mine for 8 bucks apiece (I force him to take 10). I asked the owner about buying tires from him, and he said he can't get any decent prices on bike tires and that I oughta just keep buyin' 'em online and they'll mount 'em for me. Needless to say, when one of our cars or trucks needs tires, that's where I buy 'em.

[mkd]

just bought two www dunlops,tubes,and the rim bands for my springer at the local dealer and had both wheel bearings pulled and repacked,the total bill with a 13% discount on parts and labor was $552.00.i thought that was a great plenty to pay!although i do feel better knowing someone knew what they where doing.i understand the change part but how do you balance a mc tire?

[Advntr]

Who are you going to call when you have a problem with the tire you bought on the internet   Ghostbusters???

[f-x-d-w-g]

I've been using a manual bead breaker and balance stand that I bought online about 5 or 6 years ago for $168.  I've since ridden over 75,000 miles so I've recouped my expenses nicely.

Just looking for a link to the tools I found this method to mount tires by hand without tools.  I wonder how well that would work with tubes stuffed into the tires before mounting...

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=299597

[Big Dan]

mkd,
I just started using Dyna Beads for balancing.

Advntr,
I've never had a problem yet. I order 'em when I'm close to needin' 'em. If I ever got one that was obviously bad (or very old), I'd have time to send it back for replacement before I absolutely had to have it. If I ever get one that is found to be problematic at install, I guess I'll just take the rim down to my local dealer and then I'll be forced to pay their price for a new one. Then I'll send the bad one back for replacement. If I ever have one go bad on the road, it won't matter who I bought it from; nobody's gonna send a truck 500 miles to come get me nohow.  

[xxxflhrci]

I support my household first....I learned to do it myself. I bought a HF tire changer for the bead breaker and a couple of tire spoons.  Equipment set me back less than 100 bucks....  Not only, do I like to save $$, I like being about the change a tire on my time instead of around somebody else's schedule.

[PoorUB]

Who are you going to call when you have a problem with the tire you bought on the internet   Ghostbusters???

The company I bought it from, of course! Are you trying to say that internet companies do not back what they sell?? (granted some suck, but most will stand behind their product.)
I have bought a few tires on the 'net and not one of them was over six months old. With the money I have saved doing it myself I will not get too bugged if I get a bad tire and have to eat it. Every tire I put on myself is $50-$75 in keep my pocket instead of giving it to the dealer.

[Bigs]

The H with 'em, change your own. I'm going down to Florida and service my boys RK. That includes putting on 2 new Dunlaps, change oil, and lube cables and steering. Harbor Freight has a bead breaker for motorcycle tires ($20 - item # 98875), got some Dyna Beads. and a set of Motion Pro Tire Irons. Never had a problem changing tires in the past and don't expect to now. Only problem - 950 mile run.
   Bigs

[truck]

The H with 'em, change your own. I'm going down to Florida and service my boys RK. That includes putting on 2 new Dunlaps, change oil, and lube cables and steering. Harbor Freight has a bead breaker for motorcycle tires ($20 - item # 98875), got some Dyna Beads. and a set of Motion Pro Tire Irons. Never had a problem changing tires in the past and don't expect to now. Only problem - 950 mile run.
   Bigs

That's not a problem, it's just a real hard one day ride or an easy two day ride.
I suggest two days, those 1,000 mile days are hard on a guy.

[Bigs]

Truck:
I wouldn't mind riding down but having my wife following me might be a problem. I have to take tools down and we will only be there for a few days and then back home. Usually 14 hours with stops.
   Bigs