Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffs99vulcan
That's the point right there... whether you feel you got a good deal, whether you think the prices are retarded... the REAL unfortunate bottom line is, as nice as it is to have beautiful new rubber on the bike, they are just going to start wearing out that very first day, and you'll have to do it all over again. Three things I HATE spending money on:
1-Something I lost
2- Something I broke, especially if I could have gotten something better & cheaped out
3-TIRES
I've been researching the hell out of ways to replace and rebalance effectively... there's a local guy that will do it for $15 per, and that seems to be the best solution. A tire changer at Harbor Freight is about $50, and the only real effective balancer I can find is about $100... I can get this guy to change both tires 5 times before that pays for itself...
Anyone out there do their own with home-equipment?
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I bought the tools to do mine myself, mostly because I couldn't find anyone who would mount the car tire for me.
For my V2k, a rear is anywhere from $200-$300 online vs. local. The cheapest local guy will install for $45 if you just bring the rim. But he won't do car tires at all, and the car shops won't touch the MC rim.
Plus, last time I had tires put on my Mean Streak, I got to sit and wait for 5 miserable hours when the shop had made an appointment and quoted me 1 hour. Needless to say, I was grouchy.
So, as I do with almost everything, I decided to do it myself.
I only did the rear so far, but it wasn't "too" bad.
The changer from Harbor Freight is really more than you think, the base setup is $42.99 and the motorcylcle attachment is $52.99. The mounting bar that comes with this changer sucks, so you need to get the No-Mar bar, which is another $100.
The changer absolutely has to be mounted down to the floor, preferable in concrete, so that is more work.
I bought a static balancer off Ebay for $60. It works ok, but I sort of wish I had paid more for a better unit. Using it can be a real chore, and seriously frustrating.
So, for about $280 (with shipping and whatnot) I have all the tools I need. I have other stuff, like my trailer, where I will likely use this stuff as well, plus I have a tool fetish, so I'm ok with that....LOL.
I did a write up on the install a while ago, but if i remember correctly, I put probably 4 hours in, including removing and re-installing the wheel.
It is hard work to get the tires off and on. There is definitely a technique to doing tires manually, and I obviously am less than a master. I did manage to job ok, but it took a lot of brute force. A helper would have made things so much easier, but I was by myself.
I will do it gain when I need to change a tire. I figure I need to use this thing about 5 more times to break even.
Given my way with unlimited cash available, I would still do the tires myself, I would just go for better equipment from No-Mar.