[boz]

Couple of weeks ago, I realized it was about time to change the tires on my '94 Intruder 800.
First thing I did was, of course, to go to the local bike shop and check their prices. I got their prices, which seemed very high by the way, and then I went back home, got online and bought the same tires for 40% cheaper than what the store wanted to charge me.
Now that i have the tires, i gotta put them on. The same bike-shop, which pretty much has the monopoly on this kinda stuff where i live, wants to charge 59.99$/tire to put them on and charge me an extra 15$/tire to balance them. 15$/tire is because i didnt buy the tires from them... the tire-changing fee ends up being higher than what i actually paid for the two tires.
They're saying i can take the wheels off and bring in just the wheels instead of the whole bike, and the price would be 29.99$/tire. I don't have a bike-jack or even a center-stand, so i'm gonna have to go with the 59.99/tire option.
is this price too high? is the bike-shop ripping me off? (i have a feeling they are)
...

 

[Hunter]

They are!!!! That is just wrong!!!!!!!!

 

[Louis]

When I changed the tires on the old GPz I ordered the tires from one place and had them installed at another. Ended paying more because of the installation fee.

 

[DrBob]

I pay more like $45 labor to have the tires changed, $25 if they are off the bike. Just about all shops charge you more if you don't get the tires from them. But you have already answered you own question: They pretty much have a monopoly, so they can charge whatever they want. But you could probably find a better price if you can locate a couple other shops.
I do have some questions though: what does the $60 include? Just the mounting? Or does it include the rubber wheel bands? If it does, then it is not a bad price. If not, you should add another $10 per tire for a new wheel band, as there is a decent chance that at least one of them will need replacement. I always do both, just for peace of mind. Oh yeah, you DID order tubes, didn't you? They will be $10-15 each also, and NEED to be replaced when you change the tires.
Here is a thought: Northern Frieght and Craftsman both sell bike lifts for $75- $100. If you buy one and take the wheels off yourself, you are going to save $60 the first time you use it. Next time you need tires or brakes you come out ahead.

 

[stp1971]

I bought a nice aluminum bike lift that has tie down points and all. The saddle is adjustable and there is a locking bar that holds the lift and keeps the cylinder from bleeding back down.

I paid $75.00 for it at a Sam's club. Check into it,, I love it and it picks my 1500LC up like there is no tomorrow. Dr. Bob made a good point,, if you have the know how,, save yourself the money and do it yourself. Buy the jack with the savings, and in the process you will have a lift in case you ever need it for any type of future service you may want to perform,, chain maintenace, oil changes, spokes, or just bringing the bike up high enough to sit comfortably and polish it.

 

[JLM3rd]

Sorry to hijack thread - but I have looked at Sam's Club and Costco because I heard that had bike lifts. Neither one of my local stores carry them. Sears had one on sale for $88 last week instead of $99, but I missed out on it. Ordered some Cobra Highway bars and a jacket instead, so no money left.

 

[stp1971]

Yeah the one near my house had about seven left when I bought mine a month ago,,Sam's that is,, I live west of Atlanta. Don't know if it was one of those "Special Purchases" or not.. worth a shot though,, Pep Boys carries them also,, but made from steel versus aluminum,, heavier to carry.

 

[Pinhy]

i think pep boys or something had a deal going here recently for a stand for 39.99. my friends dad bought one and he said he was going to get one too. theres 4 of us in my group of biker friends, and that would be 2 stands to borrow from...so im not going to get one myself! haha

 

[prekarious1]

stands work just fine and pay for themselves very quickly. Occasionally you can take your motorcycle wheels to a car tire place and have the tires changed out for less but then you have to worry a bit more about them scratching your wheels. Another option is that there are tire changing kits out there that are not that expensive and if something does go wrong the only person you can blame is yourself. Seen some machines for around $150 and up. Tires are one of the very few things I don't do myself but that is mainly because I can get them done for about $10 per tire by a friend that owns a shop. He also meets internet prices on tires for me so I can get them that day if he has them in stock. Sometimes its good to know the right people

 

[jjinok]

Just FYI, Sam's Clubs are basically a trial outlet for new products, provided by the vendors. If the product sells well, they may decide to carry it in their Wal-Mart outlets. So, other than the basic grocery items, if you find a great product like the bike lift let everyone know. Once they're gone, they usually don't get more.

 

[stp1971]

Oh well,,, I posted the name of the lift in a previous thread,,, maybe they will direct ship it if someone really wants it,,,there a re places around here also called "Northern Tools" and one called "Harbour Freight",, they have good deals on tools, jacks, and the like,, maybe they will have one there,, worth a shot.

 

[TM50]

All the bike dealers around here simply charge their normal labor rate to mount and install tires, the last time i had tires mounted and balanced the labor time on 2 tires was 20 mins with the cost of $27 at the labor rate of $55, was no charge for balance.