Darn tires!

I was going to drop my heat shields off to get powder coated (well, it's actually something else, but similar final product), and I was going to a friend's garage to do my lifters. Then yesterday I was checking my tires and found a bulge in the front tire. Rear tire is nearing the end of its useful life, so I pulled both wheels and took them to the local shop. So much for taking the bike anywhere today or spending money on the heat shields. On the bright side, I'm alive to complain about it. :roflmao:

Dang good point, doesn't matter how good the bike looks iffn its on its side

Good thing you found it before you found the highway - asphalt's a mighty hard acquaintance to meet!

Dad always said "it only takes 1 hp to get the thing moving but it takes brakes and tires to stop it".

Yesterday 3/23/12 at EMPIRE CITY HD I replaced front & rear tires on my '07 HD Road king Classic after 9268 miles at a cost of $639.30.

In your opinion was it a fair price?

The "special" labor cost at $20 per tire is what sold me.

Is 9300 miles the average amount of time to replace the two tires? I had some life left in the tires but I thought it was best to start the season off with lots of tread. My wife rides 90% of the time with me thus I assume the tire wears faster with the extra weight, as little as the extra weight is.

1) 1 DUNLOP D402 MT90-16 wide white wall (www) front $225.95
2) 1 DUNLOP D402 MT90-16 wide white wall (www) rear $256.95
3) 2 Tube MT/MU90-16 SIDE META @ 29.95ea $ 59.90
4) 2 Rim Band Fits 16" SIDE VA @2.95ea $ 5.90
5) Labor 2.5 hours (Special) $ 40.00
6) Shop supplies $ 1.20
7) Sales Tax $ 49.40

8) Total $ 639.30

DennisKirk.com Dunlop d402 w/w frt.$ 134,Dunlop d402 w/w rr. $ 165,Drag Specialties tire bands(2) $ 6, 2 Dunlop 16" tubes(2) $ 54. Free shipping(3days) Total=$354. Indy here charges $30 per tire to mount and ballance..Grand total = $419. Shoulda asked us first.

WOW...Today is my first day on this forum..I should have inquired before and not after. (Reminds me of the candy when I was a child called "NOW or LATER")

I guess I was charged typical NY prices...I don't know if I could have found a better installation price ($20 per tire) at the present time and another dealer I inquired with had no sale ongoing and wanted the exact same $ (HD MSRP) for the tires "AND" two hours labor at regular cost.

Having had "some life" left in the tire I probably should have waited for the Laconia rally and found the tire vendor. Tire prices at rally's appear to be a bargain and that is all they do...swap out tires...Thanks for the reply...I am sure you won't be the last one to suggest l was taken for a ride...

After reading additional posts on tires I have since determined my rear tire was manufactured in week 37 in 2011 (Approx September 11 ) and my front tire was manufactured in week 34 in 2011 (August 2011 ) making the tires approximately six-months old.....six-months doesn't seem that bad as the post said the life expectancy of a tire begins to break down after 5 years. The tires I swapped out yesterday were 5 years old....Paying what I paid the tires should have been manufactured last week..LOL..

Thanks again...stay safe...Paddy O

Don't feel too bad Paddy, I had a 402 16x150 mounted on the rear of my fatboy and they slid in a pair of rear brake pads and the indy charged me $500! I dam near blew his store up. (NY prices?!?!?) Dealers were less. To top it off, he had my drive belt so tight I dam near didn't get the bike home. :fight:

Ouch...It can be hit & miss...especially when one has as few mechanical skills as I do I can be taken advantage of.


Fortunately my independent wrench is great. He is not only a skillful mechanic but he is also trust worthy and a riding buddy, but when he was changing my fluids last week I asked him if he would do the tire change and his response was, "yeh I can do it for you". The response was less then energetic. At the time he was questioning me why I wanted to waste my $ on a complete synthetic fluid exchange because he changed the fluids in September of last year and I had less then 500 miles on the fluids so it was his opinion I was wasting my $, that the most recent fluid exchange was unnecessary and the tire exchange was not an immediate concern as the tire had life to it.

His is an auto mechanic (car & trucks - diesel) by trade and he only mingles with bikes for friends as he is also authorized to do state MC inspections. Regardless at the end of the day I thought I would be doing myself a favor if I left the headache to a mechanic at the HD shop.

As you can see by this thread he is NOT a hungry mechanic. Most mechanics would love a customer like me but he doesn't try to sell anyone anything they do not need. Aside from that he would have charged me greater then $20 a tire.

Is the tire machine that changes car & truck tires capable of changing mc tires? I was concerned about my rims, and he having to fight with the tubes, etc, etc.

Would the HD shop necessarily have a better balancing machine?

I thought the 07s had a MU85 rear. Make sure they put on the right tire. The MU85 is much better than the MT90. The other thing is the front tire should easily outlast the rear tire 2 to 1. I usually get over 20 thou on the front. I replace it every other time I replace the rear. And find an indy to buy tires from, dealers are about $100 a tire tooooo much.

"2 to 1"....I have been told the same thing. My concern was the tire itself was the original so it was manufactured sometime in 06 or 07. Prior to the tire swap I was unfamiliar with the meaning of DOT numbers. Having read some forums I now know how to decipher the manufacture date.

"I thought the 07s had a MU85 rear. Make sure they put on the right tire."......Maybe the dealer sold me / suggested what they had in stock? If the original rear was an MU85 am I in harms way or will the current tire suffice as a rear tire?

I found the following ad at "direct harley parts"...mind you the are selling the tire for $86 less then what I paid for it...Thanks for your input....Paddy O

*****************************************************************

Part #: 31-4942

Manufacturer: Dunlop

Sug. Retail: $256.95

Our Price: $170.95
You Save: $86.00

Dunlop #301991

The D402 is the approved Harley-Davidson touring tire.

Built with a three-ply polyester casing with two fiberglass belts, the D402 offers greater load-carrying capacity and stability.

Computer-optimized tread profile with offset center groove improves rider confidence over rain grooves and steel-grated bridges, while reducing cupping for even wear.

The D402 is available in front and rear black, slim white-bar and wide-white sidewall.

*************************************************

Dealers on Long Island are notorious for selling what's in stock. My father-in-law showed up at my house one day with his Deluxe and said he just got his rear tire replaced from a "reputable" HD dealer. I walked up to the bike and immediately saw that his rear tire was narrower than his front!!!
We rode to the dealer and the service manager tried to convince us by making a display of looking in the book that it was the right tire. We stood our ground and eventually he made a big display of an Oh c__p he was looking at the wrong year. Bottom line; he had to ORDER the right tire in and did replace it. Last time about 6 of us will go to that dealer. :cussing:

Check your manual. If it says use the MU85, as I think it came with, then take it back. The MU85 is a 143mm wide and the MT90 is 130mm. The MU85 has deeper tread giving it more life and it has a 30 or 50 lb heavier weight rating.

Your Dealer not only f__ked you they did it without any lube or the courtesy of a reach around.

Take it back!

I have yet to find a dealer I would trust with my bike. The're either over charging you or,and don't do the work right. Research your bike parts needs and service requirements and find an Indy who will back up his work. Do as much as you can yourself.

$20 per tire, with the wheels on or off the bike, is a good deal. But if you're paying more than you should for the tires, then it's not such a great deal. I took my wheels in, and it was about $300 for the tires (21" front and 150mmX16" rear) and $50 installation for both. I could have gotten a better deal on the tires, but I was in a rush. He could have ordered them cheaper, but since I needed them the next day, he had to go to a dealership to get them.

And if Laconia is convenient for you, consider the swap meet in Keene, NH. They have it in the spring and fall.