Sticker shock........

[henzilla]

I am the alternative to the dealers for lot's of friends and friends of friends. Not too busy to get you in/out, and no day long wait unless UPS is running late and you came the day your tires were scheduled to be delivered. I started just for friends and the fact we both rode all our bikes all year long and go thru tires quickly. Only have bought two rear tires from a dealer on our way back from Canada two years ago...and that BMW shop in Sturgis was as competitive as I am...a nice surprise! I know what most others in our state charge for tires and mounting...it's their business and that's that. Some people pay for convenience, some pay for peace of mind, some just have no choice. No wrong or right, just what works for you.

I recently had to figure in the disposal fee for friends and others tires. That and the cost of lube,weights and stems add up for the $20 off and $25 on fee I was charging. Most landfills do not take tires anymore and a tire dealer charges $2-$3 a tire to take mine. My last trip had 80 tires in it for a few months worth of changes,you do the math on that. My rate when I retired for my time was $90ish an hour, I don't use that skill set unless I am letting you try to do the work as I watch, so it's less for most. I laugh WITH my lawyer and doctor friends about hourly rates...they understand and do not mind paying me for my time. I wouldn't expect them to do any different for their time.

I used to do it for a six pack when I rarely did them...but I had a shop fridge full of beer I didn't ever drink Now I do some weekly and have to account for my time & materials...it is what it is. Most bikes can be done in less than an hour, some LT's with hitches, Goldwings, and caliper mounted lights add some time.

As far as tires, most of my folks have them drop shipped to my place or I order them from one of 2 or 3 places depending on the price of the week. I don't mark them up as some say I should...I try to keep it simple for all of us. I keep a few standard sizes for those that need them the same day.

CycleGear is fine, I buy other stuff from them at times and swing by to look for deals on tires, very rarely do they even come close to online sales in my experience in three major TX cities I frequent on the tires of choice for my friends. They make their money on the tire & lubes mark up, I have had to buy from them in a pinch, they are not the cheapest game in town.

[marchyman]

I recently had to figure in the disposal fee for friends and others tires.

So how much does it cost to dispose of friends?

As for tires... Find someone with friends who are enamored with doing burnouts. I did. My friend took my tires so his friends could have some cheap fun. Worked for me.

[AndresS]

A few weeks back I had a flat in France. Took the tire to the dealer who did not have a new tire in stock. The long and short of it, they patched the tire with some super good stuff. Cost, 57 EUROS, times call it 1.4 = 78.80 American slotys, for dismounting from the wheel, patching, remounting, balancing and handing me the tire. It is a good dealership, has three mecanichs, no "assistant" (the wondersof the French system, that sort of job just does not exist). To add insult to injury, they left the old valve stem in and it went bad for me 300 miles down the road in Germany.
Next time I will tell you how much it cost me to put on a new set of Pirelli V rated rubber, also in Germany....
Cheers
Andres

[greenwald]

I like my dealer (Nicks BMW - De Pere, WI)

I roll in on the R1200RT with a tire strapped atop my trunk rack - $30 to mount and balance.

$20 if I bought the tire from him.

Either way, good service!

[RoboRider]

I was seeing $50 per wheel if you took the wheel in (off the bike). My No Mar tire changer has paid for itself now. I also use it for may cars since I can get tires for them much cheaper on line as well. I've done buddies tires for a fee of a good lunch. I'm way ahead and I've only had it 3 years. I like the No Mar balancer but the Marc Parnes looks sweet, too.

So, yeah, that price is 'fair'. But, if you own multiple bikes like I do, it pays to do your own.

There are two other advantages, too. One is that you can really clean the wheel much more thoroughly than anyone else will. Also, you can run your tire to the bone and not worry about making an appointment to change it. And I'm open Sunday nights till 1 AM!

[henzilla]

So how much does it cost to dispose of friends?

As for tires... Find someone with friends who are enamored with doing burnouts. I did. My friend took my tires so his friends could have some cheap fun. Worked for me.

My English teacher cringes somewhere...

sadly the tires will not fit my burnout lovin' friends bikes.

I was gonna build one of those earth shelters out of tires like the ones outside of Taos...no time since I am retired

[ANDYVH]

Since I have personally changed some tires on the tire machine at Nick's BMW, I can say that $25 to $30 to demount/mount a tire, make sure the tire valve is good, balance the tire properly, and dispose of the old tire, that $25 to $30 is pretty damn cheap. Even with the fancy powered tire changer there is still some work to it, and to avoid marking up a rim.

Now, if you bring in a bike and want the wheel removed and mounted, and all that done within an hours time, you are getting the full shop rate worth of work.

[RSPENNACHIO]

I was seeing $50 per wheel if you took the wheel in (off the bike). My No Mar tire changer has paid for itself now. I also use it for may cars since I can get tires for them much cheaper on line as well. I've done buddies tires for a fee of a good lunch. I'm way ahead and I've only had it 3 years. I like the No Mar balancer but the Marc Parnes looks sweet, too.

So, yeah, that price is 'fair'. But, if you own multiple bikes like I do, it pays to do your own.

There are two other advantages, too. One is that you can really clean the wheel much more thoroughly than anyone else will. Also, you can run your tire to the bone and not worry about making an appointment to change it. And I'm open Sunday nights till 1 AM!

BMW quoted $40 per uninstalled wheel and the other all-brands dealer charged $30 per wheel.

I'm thinking like RoboRider here too. I have considered buying a no-mar also. Between my two cars I need 6 tires changed. That will cost me about $180-$200 because I like to shop for tires online also.

Hmmmm thinking here....

[osbornk]

I guess I'm showing my poor mountain upbringing and general cheapness. When I was growing up in the late 50s and early 60s, we didn't have tire changers back in the mountains. On cars and trucks, we ran over the tire with a vehicle to break the bead loose and dismounted the tire with tire irons. I have continued that method with variations with motorcycle tires. I break the bead with a large C clamp and two little blocks of wood and remove the tire with the tire tools that were in the tool kit of my first K bike. Before I had BMWs, I used different tools that I felt were appropriate for the job. I then mount the tire with the same tools and put the dot at the valve stem. I have installed tires on BMW K100RT, K75RT, R80RT as well as Honda Magna, Kawasaki GPZ550 and several others since the mid 70s.

Ken

[RoboRider]

Well, you certainly can change tires that way, but for me, it's like loosening and tightening bolts with pliers. I like having the right tool. The No Mar makes tire work a pleasure. But you do PAY for the pleasure!

And with my luck, I'd likely RUN OVER my RT wheel and that costs more to replace than a No Mar to buy!

[TED]

Honestly the best solution if you don't want to pay the dealer is to find a friend near by with all the right tools, then drop by with the new tires and a six-pack

[alanrd]

We HAD a great small independent shop that changed tires for $20. He went out of business.
My son and I bought a no-mar, it was worth the money

[valvman1]

+1 on the No-Mar changer....I've been quite happy w/ it and have surely paid for it in the 1-1/2 yr I've owned it. I'm on my 8 th set of tires on my R1200rt. I not only save on Mnt/Bal charges but save quite a bit on tire purchases. I've been getting a set of PR2's for $246 w/ free shipping from Southwest Moto ( I usually order two sets at a time ). I'm not particularly happy w/ the No-Mar balancer mostly because of the cone devise they sell for the rear wheel ( I machined my own precision wheel mount for that ).

Dave
'08 R1200rt