Tire prices are retarded...

[Occitiger]

So I bought a new set of meats for the V2K today.

I couldn't find much of a deal on the rear (I got a ME 880 front for $91 + $25 install). I was about to break down and purchase the ME 880 for the rear (the 200) for 204. I could find it cheaper online, but once you add shipping and take away the install discount it would be more expensive. So I called to schedule the appointment, right at the end I asked the guy to look up the price for the 240/50/16 for S&G. It's $209... So for 5 bucks more I upgraded my tire size. I would have rather gotten the 200 for around $150, but it didn't seem that was going to be possible on my timeline (I need new tires now). So $323.41 out the door for the tires and then $25/each for the install. It's about $100 more than I wanted to spend, but at least I'm getting the bigger tire. I considered the 'darkside', but I am in no way shape or form interested in hunting a place that can do it. If there was a local shop that was willing and able I would probably have at least given it a shot, but I don't have time to fuss with it.

[trikebubble]

I just bought a ME880 200 for $190 online, and compared to the prices I have to pay up here, I'm feeling pretty good about the deal.

[petegtsv10]

I can make you feel better....be glad you aren't putting tires on my car. My rears (OEM) are over $400 per tire and they get me at least 50 each to install because they're such a problem. If I drive easily, they last 8K and if I don't, they can be gone in 3K!!

[psufreak100]

what kind of quarter mile times can you get with Z06? Think the Vulcan could beat it??

[Occitiger]

Originally Posted by petegtsv10

I can make you feel better....be glad you aren't putting tires on my car. My rears (OEM) are over $400 per tire and they get me at least 50 each to install because they're such a problem. If I drive easily, they last 8K and if I don't, they can be gone in 3K!!

I just bought 4 new tires for my truck, they ran about $550/each. Of course they are 40" tall.

[wild_deuce03]

I agree. I think tire prices for bikes is just retarded!

[Occitiger]

Originally Posted by wild_deuce03

I agree. I think tire prices for bikes is just retarded!

Yeah, I foolishly thought (when I bought the bike) that a new set of tires would cost all of 200 bucks, and would last a bit longer...

Life experience... ain't it grand.

[petegtsv10]

Originally Posted by psufreak100

what kind of quarter mile times can you get with Z06? Think the Vulcan could beat it??

Dead Stock guys have run 10.9 at 130!! With drag radials, 10.7 at 130. The V2k is not even close. The car from 80-150 is shocking (I have about 60 more hp than stock, too)

[jeffs99vulcan]

Originally Posted by Occitiger

Yeah, I foolishly thought (when I bought the bike) that a new set of tires would cost all of 200 bucks, and would last a bit longer...

Life experience... ain't it grand.

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?

[BOURBON BOY]

Just put new tires on my Nomad, after internet shopping AND finding a dealer that would mount someone elses tires I finally got my EIII'S. One dealer had FREE mounting if you bought the tires there------only $299.00 for the rear! I paid $170 for mine--Do these dealers really think we are that stupid? BB

[The Menace]

After spending $250 to have a new Metzler ME880 installed on the rear of my V2K, and it becoming flat in the middle after 1700 miles, I've got to move on.

I will visit the darkside. Might stay awhile.

I bought the bike to ride. Now I have to second guess myself everytime I press start. Do I really want to use up my tire, or wait for a better opportunity.

I can buy a $100 car tire and ride for a year, or spend close to $1000 for MC tires in the same year.

Yes, I am a tightwad bastich.

Dennis

[Occitiger]

Originally Posted by BOURBON BOY

Just put new tires on my Nomad, after internet shopping AND finding a dealer that would mount someone elses tires I finally got my EIII'S. One dealer had FREE mounting if you bought the tires there------only $299.00 for the rear! I paid $170 for mine--Do these dealers really think we are that stupid? BB

For every one of you, I'd bet that there are at least 10 that would pay the $299.00.

[Occitiger]

Originally Posted by The Menace

After spending $250 to have a new Metzler ME880 installed on the rear of my V2K, and it becoming flat in the middle after 1700 miles, I've got to move on.

I will visit the darkside. Might stay awhile.

I bought the bike to ride. Now I have to second guess myself everytime I press start. Do I really want to use up my tire, or wait for a better opportunity.

I can buy a $100 car tire and ride for a year, or spend close to $1000 for MC tires in the same year.

Yes, I am a tightwad bastich.

Dennis

I might be there, but I figure I'd give this a shot. The tires on the bike lasted about 9,000 miles, but I didn't set them to 40psi till the last 2,000 miles. The front is shelfing or cupping, the back only has a silloette of tread running down the middle. The hard part for me is that I'm in absolutely no way interested in removing the rear tire, so I'd would need to find a shop around here that can do that and install the rear tire. If I find one I might check that. I figure I could spend 150 - 200 bucks to try it out and maybe I like it, maybe I hate it.

[jeffs99vulcan]

Originally Posted by Occitiger

For every one of you, I'd bet that there are at least 10 that would pay the $299.00.

You're right... Sadly. My buddy was due for tires bad, and we started the process because I'll be due soon. I had a bike a little before him and had already done a bit or early searching, and decided that about $100 per seems a rough guess for OEM for my 800 Classic.

So first step, the dealer. Without a word of lie, by the time a single, rear tire was bought, installed, balanced and taxes paid, it would have been just short of $300 all said. ONE TIRE!!! And they would not install tires that they didn't sell. Honestly, there was a moment he was considering it, but after we scraped our jaws up off the floor, we made a pact that we would find a better way...

Ordering and having them shipped to Canada is not a solution - duties and shipping fees would offset any savings. The closest U.S. town to us if we wanted to go get some there is Ogdensburg, but there are no bike shops there... And there's still the problem of installation... And I think the dealers know all this which is why they can get away with charging what they do.

And that right there is why you are so right, occitiger... My buddy puts a number on it: we are the five percenters. The other 95% would just pay the $300 and move on...

The end of the story is we ordered them and had them shipped to the UPS store in Ogdensburg, picked them up and like I said in an earlier post, found a little custom bike shop that will install them for $15 per. In the end, he'll have paid about $250, for BOTH TIRES!!! That's insane... a difference of two for the price one, with just a little effort. I still haven't ruled out buying the tools... we'll see what happens when he has his mounted.

[HemetRider]

So far, I've replaced both tires and got them both online: Dennis Kirk | Metric Bikes Main Page

Had them installed locally for $30 each (rim off the bike), but Cycle Gear will do them for $20 (rim off the bike). Thing is, you have to start looking and order them before you need them. That way shipping is cheaper and you're not stuck with what the dealer has. I would like to go to a CT in the rear next time if I could find one that fits right.

[Dudester]

Originally Posted by jeffs99vulcan

The end of the story is we ordered them and had them shipped to the UPS store in Ogdensburg, picked them up and like I said in an earlier post, found a little custom bike shop that will install them for $15 per. In the end, he'll have paid about $250, for BOTH TIRES!!! That's insane... a difference of two for the price one, with just a little effort. I still haven't ruled out buying the tools... we'll see what happens when he has his mounted.

Hi Jeff
Where did you order them, and where did you have them installed ? Did you have any issues bringing them back across the border after you purchased them in the U.S. My tires are still very good (I only have 15,000 kilometers, or 9,000 miles) but I have a couple of buddies who will be needing new tires for their bikes very soon. I'm hoping to purchase some Avon tires for my bike when the time comes, preferably white walls, so if you know of a place I can get them at a good price I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know. I'm surprised my Bridgestones haven't shown hardly any wear with the kilometers I have, so I guess keeping both my tires at about 40 psi helps a lot. With that said, the only reason I won't purchase Bridgestone again, is because I find the Bridgestones very noisy when leaning in the curves.
Thanks in advance to any info you can share on this.

[Lattimer]

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?

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.

[Lattimer]

Originally Posted by Occitiger

For every one of you, I'd bet that there are at least 10 that would pay the $299.00.

True----but I am not one of the ones that will pay.

[texrider]

I do mine myself, using a piece of carpet on the garage floor as a work mat. A couple of tire irons, and wala! Besides being cheap, I don't trust the bike shop monkeys, especially with tubed tires

I found the metz 200 radial rear online for $175 shipped, and the dunlop radial front for $90. V2K is a heavy gal

[The Menace]

My dealer is a friend of mine, but it took some negotiations before he agreed to mount a car tire for me. I haven't had it done yet, but it will be my next rear tire.

Dennis