Ok, this is the last straw.I like to do ALL of my own maintenance, and about the only thing I still (reluctantly) have to depend on the dealership for is tire changes. It was time to change tires on one of my bikes, so I call up several local dealers to get quotes, which range from $30-$50!! PER WHEEL to change the tire, and this is with me bringing them the wheels ALREADY OFF THE BIKE! Am I the only one that thinks this is highway robbery? Some would even flat out refuse to mount the tires, no matter what you paid them, unless the tires were bought from that particular dealer.

So anyway, the thought came to my mind, "Why do I even continue to pay for this service and have this headache?" So with that in mind, i've officially decided to buy my own Coats tire changer and a nice balancer setup. F*ck all of the ripoff dealers. I ride with quite a few guys, so they always need tire changes. The machine would pay for itselfeventually i'm sure, especially if I was a bastard and charged my friends to change their tires. [sm=lildevil.gif]

So, has anyone else resorted to this and juststarted changingtheir own tires? What type of setup do you have?

Okay, I feel better now with that off my chest.

 

Changing a tyre here costs around $5 US and if you buy the tyre at the stealership, fitting and balancing is free !
I hate rip offs - good for you on the tyre changer !

 

im getting mine mounted tomorrow on the bike $40 a wheel..its $20 off the bike..i would definitely do that and put it on my self but i have to ride back to so cal tomorrow, so i dont really have the time..

 

And make no mistake guys, I FULLY realize that for a business to survive, it has to account for consumables, paying its employees, utilities/rent on the building, etc. etc. But I think what i'm being quoted is waay out of the ordinary.
I mean, Jiffy Lube can change the oil in a vehicle (a comparable amount of time and skill to changing 2 tires already off the bike) for around $25, AND they're including 4 quarts of oil and a filter in addition to their labor!
And look at it this way, if a motorcycle shop is charging $80/hr flat rate for labor, it would take 20 mins max to do this job with the wheels off the bike already. So what would that be? $25-$30 to throw on 2 tires? I really wouldn't mind giving the dealership my money for a reasonable rate.

 

40 to 50 bucks to mount a tire you bring in is about average.

 

yeah, its 30 bucks a tire here if you bring it in. And on top of that, there is only one dealership within 100 miles out of the 12 or so that has a tire changer...... Seriously.... how the heck is that?

Luckily, a friend of mine that I ride with bought a no mar tire changer. I hooks to a reese hitch and works awesome. I cant believe how easy it is to opererate.. He got a good deal on used. I think he only paid 100 bucks for. So far, about 15 tires changed on it and no scratches and no problems. less than 5 minutes to change the tire out. Thats air down and air up.. its really fast... He made his own ballaner too. works great.

this link is basically what he has. I made the hitch mount for his as he didnt have the pedistal. this would also be good for anyone doing track days.

http://www.nomartirechanger.com/product/show/2

 

Cheapest around here is $50 for both tires, and that's with tires on the bike.

 

down here, the only bike shop in town, 80 bucks for labor to replace the rear tire,

 

I take my wheels off and take them to Buckley Tyres in Mold near me, they have a specialist bike tyre replacement service ... they supply, fit and balance the tyre for the cost of the tyre ..I think my last pair came to £185 or thereabouts for two BT021s ...

http://www.buckleytyre.co.uk/bike.html

Jules