Question on labor cost to change back tire.

Sounds a little spendy to me. I bought my last tire for about $75 online and paid $25 to have it mounted while I waited. There is no reason to not pull the wheel and take it in.

 

$75 for a tire? Was that pre-turn-of-the-century? And for a moped? :courage:

 

Nope. Motorcycle Superstore had them on sale with free shipping. Maybe I just got a good deal?

Opps! I forgot it was a front tire. The back tire was $125.00

 

I just called 4 places around here, 2 independent, kawi dealer and Honda dealer. Price to mount and balance a front tire on a loose wheel I bring in with a tire I bring in. 3 of them identical price $42, Honda dealer $84. No break for buying the tire from them. Now that's some BS. I wish I could make $84 for 20 minutes of work.

 

Used the Harbor freight and a couple Motion Pro irons to change both tires 2 days ago, under 2 hours for sure, maybe 90 min. With practice it is quick and easy, I couldn't see paying those shop rates anymore.

 

I've got the HF stand but tossed their demount/mount bar and use one from No Mar. The bar is WAY quicker than bothering with spoons and rim protectors etc.. Has paid for itself probably 4x over by now. Never had a problem with just doing the static balance and cheap wheel weights from HF. No vibration in front wheel at VFR's top speed, no problem with cupping of tires either. Honestly, unless you're Marc Marquez the dynamic balance is overkill

 

So, which model No-Mar do you have? I see prices from $395 to $795.

 

All the advice aside, did the OP buy the tire from this dealer and get shafted for a fee on top of that? Did the OP have to leave the bike because everyone had gone home except the parts dude.?

Sounds like one of those screw the customer Honda dealers that should be made public.

IMO we should send SOW there to straighten this dealer oot!

 

How the hell did you find oot I was Marc Marquez?

 

He can test ride their bikes until they agree to lower their prices.

When I was on my return trip home from Nashville, I stopped in Albuquerque to get a new rear and there were a couple of places that were actually charging more, even though I told them that my rear tire unbolts just like a car tire and there was no pulling the wheel off like a lot of other bikes. They didn't care and they didn't get my business. One place had cheap tires, but wanted $94 to install. I laughed at them over the phone and told them they were nuts and then went somewhere else.

 

[video=youtube;4-PD48uGl4o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-PD48uGl4o[/video]

You're kidding me? Does this really work? You will notice a gouge in the wheel at 6:10, he did that using a prybar getting the tire off in the removal video. Used the same method for removal. He should have bought some rim shields and tire spoons for that part huh?


If you read the comments for the video people say stuff like "why" just pay $10-$20 to have it done. Well, I have called every motorcycle shop around here and they all want $42 min to change the front tire. That's if I bring in the wheel already off the bike. One shop said they will give me a discount if I buy the tire from them, then it's only $36 to change the tire. WOW!!! A $6 discount! Then they quoted me for two different tires, a Dunlop and a Michelin, $160 for one, $180 for the other....plus the $36 tire change fee. They can shove it. I'll pry that damn tire off and on with my bare hands before I pay them that much.

I changed a dirt bike tire by hand once, I don't remember exactly how I did it but I do remember I cut the old tire in half to get it off. I doubt I cared about gouging the rim on that bike, I probably just used a bunch of screw drivers. Lol. This one will be different.

I'm planning to go with a Shinko 712, $56 from the superstore. The PO of my KZ1000 had just installed them when I bought the bike. I was skeptical, being that they are about the cheapest tire you can buy. But I have 2,500 miles on them and love them!

 

If you were to buy a good tire changer like a cycle hill and pay about 550 with shipping for it. Used it to do your own and that also means no inconvenient trips back and forth to the dealer. It would soon pay for itself. But if really concerned on the price do your friends and riding pals and charge them say 20 bucks a tire for your time and soon it will be not just free but a money maker. I bought a changer and it goes into the hitch of my truck. By charging 20 a tire it paid for itself in hardly any time. And i do my own on my schedule in my driveway And best of all for free.

 

Bike places around here wanted $65 a wheel to install and balance, $45 if I bought the tires there.

I ended up doing it myself without the proper tools, scratched my rims up pretty bad because I was careless. I'd suggest at least buying a no-mar or harbour freight tire changing stand if you're going to do it at home.

I can, however, state that dynabeads (or airsoft pellets, as I used) work great, even at high speeds (R1 speeds), the only time you'll remember you used them is when you're pushing the bike around your shop and hear them moving around inside the tire

 

Local bike shop near me quoted me $110 to remove wheels and change tyres.My mate at the local car tyre depot charges me $0. I ride there, remove wheels with his tools, he changes tyres, job done. Have to buy him a beer though, no hardship.

 

Cycle Gear here charged me $40 per wheel with my tires. If I bought them there $20. Not sure If I really saved anything, what I saved in taxes, I paid in labor. Will get quotes next time.

 

Iamzombie, i could not agree nore about the dyna beads. I use them in all my current bikes, and have in many others in the past. Even at 280 kms hr on my gixxer its smooth as silk.

 

The reason the prices are so high is due to the dealers wanting to get even with you for purchasing tires online and bringing them in to get mounted. They actually expect you to pay more to keep their shitty business model afloat. It is basically extortion. Pay $350 for a set of tires and pay $50 to get them mounted, or, pay $250 for a set online and then pay $150 to get them mounted locally. They are all in collusion, so fighting with them isn't worth it. Bottom line, bypass the bullshit, buy the tires online and change your own tires.

 

No need to balance them either. Just dump in some of those DynaBeads and crank up the Salsa music. Motorcycle maracas..

 

Put an ad on your local craigslist or kijiji maybe advertising that you want a tire changed and how much your willing to spend. Or call an independant shop not just dealers. Dealers all too often think they can charge twice as much as they should because they also have a show room with a few shiny new bikes in it.