Local shop refusing to mount tires,,,,

[nhbubba]

That makes perfect sense Degs. Not saying I like the $40 fee. (Then again, not saying I don't.) But it makes perfect sense.

[daviid]

I once traded a truck because it needed tires. Seems like a rational reason to trade a bike too.

thats how i got my Civic back in 2003

[gmdboston]

They are lying

Maybe not. I've heard of that too from reliable sources. It's a very smart move for the ins. co and repair shop.

[Awesome]

Motorace at the track has refused to mount any tires that weren't Michelins, claiming 'our insurance doesn't cover'.

KB and I then used a pickup truck and ramp to break the bead and changed front and rear with spoons in the bed before he got a single front switched.

No other tire vendor has ever fed me that line.

[me109g4]

I agree with Degs, a sensible approach., I got the front changed out today,, cost $40, and no drama included,,, lol.

[csmutty]

a professional bike lift/table , frees your hands up and makes it easy to line an axle up, doh!

Hmm. How do they balance the bike on that? Most sportbikes have a belly pan so you couldn't lift from the bottom. And you would have to have the height of the stand just right to get the wheels to go back on easily.

[Kurlon]

You roll the bike onto the lift, put the bike on stands on said lift, and then raise the assembly to whatever level is easiest for you to work on it at.

[csmutty]

You roll the bike onto the lift, put the bike on stands on said lift, and then raise the assembly to whatever level is easiest for you to work on it at.

Doesn't seem any easier to me personally. All you are doing is changing the height of the operation. I'd rather have it on the ground.

[TheIglu]

If you put a 2x4 under the rear tire, you can get the rear tire aligned with the axle holes without having to hold it.

[Kurlon]

Doesn't seem any easier to me personally. All you are doing is changing the height of the operation. I'd rather have it on the ground.

Generally speaking I'm quicker swapping wheels when the axle is chest high than with the bike on the ground, but that's just me.

[csmutty]

Generally speaking I'm quicker swapping wheels when the axle is chest high than with the bike on the ground, but that's just me.

I just think it's easier to lift the wheel up when you are above the wheel.

[RandyO]

You roll the bike onto the lift, put the bike on stands on said lift, and then raise the assembly to whatever level is easiest for you to work on it at.

most professional tables I've seen at dealers do not use bike stands, they lift to height, have retractable stands, wheel clamps, etc. what do you think the difference is between a real lift table and a $499 Harbor Freight special

[Kurlon]

most professional tables I've seen at dealers do not use bike stands, they lift to height, have retractable stands, wheel clamps, etc. what do you think the difference is between a real lift table and a $499 Harbor Freight special

The ones I've seen have a front clamp and a rear wheel drop out. Still need a stand to hoist the target end of the bike in the air off the table. Depending on the bike it's been just as easy to toss a front clamp pin stand and rear stand on than to clamp, stand the rear, drop the bike, turn around, repeat.

If I can spare the cash and time I'll have a plywood stand for the track, sans clamp for the same purpose.

[stoinkythepig]

I have to agree with this, particularly a rear wheel on a GSXR (my GSXR). It fekkin kills me. Just when I get the spacers, cush, chain, etc. all lined up - all I have to do is lift it into place and put the axle in, right? WRONG. I'll bump the caliper, drop a spacer and crush my fingers because my arms let go from fatigue. This goes on for about 5 times before I give up or smash it all with a ratchet.

I have the perfect solution to that. Really simple too. Cut an 18"-24" scrap of 4x4 in half diagonally along it's length. This will give you two 18"-24" long shallow angle ramps. Use one of them between the floor and the rear tire and slide it fore and aft to make small adjustments to the height of the wheel. It's amazingly simple and effective.

Off topic, but the ramps are also awesome for leveling a ladder. You'll wonder how you ever got along without them. No more stacking blocks of scrap wood and stuff. You just put it down and kick it into position.

I have plenty of scrap rough cut pine 4x4 and a band saw with a re-saw blade in it. If anyone wants a pair of these ramps, I'm happy to make a set. Just have to pick them up at my house in Raymond, NH. PM me.

[nhbubba]

Man, that sounds fancy. I just put a 2x4 scrap wedged under the tire. I have been known to prop the 2x4 with whatever is handy.. occasionally something like say my ratchet. 5 minutes later I spend 10 minutes walking around the garage swearing because I can't find my GD ratchet.

Your plan sounds like it would result in less profanity.

[Tunertype]

I don't see a point in complaining about shop prices. It's all driven by market conditions and if the shop can't get business they will go out of business. If they charge less than it costs to mount the tire(including labor and overhead) they will also go out of business.

Refusing a customer is a bad practice, he could have just quoted you $85 each tire to put them on. And if every other shop in the area charges the same you would have to pay it.

I paid $35 ea tire for mounting my tires that I got for roughly half of brick stores cost. I had to shop around for that rate lots were $45 a tire. $20-25 would be great, but I paid what I had to.

[Rambunctous]

Why don't you do what I did? I PMed someone who has a thread in this NESR forum. He changed them in minutes. He gave me a way below shop dealership price. It was a win win. Done and everybody is happy except people who took tires to a overpriced dealer who wouldn't do the work anyway.

[BluGixxer]

For those of you who looked at the manual tire machines like the "no-mar" on u-tube and think you can run to Harbor frieght and buy their version and get the same results. , you are sadly mistaken.
Harbor frieght tire machine is about $50.oo and the mtorcycle adapter is maybe another $40.oo Or so. You get what you pay for.
It also requires some mechanical coridination above th the skill level that you needed to put your lego set together yrs back.
Ueing a c-clamp to break a bead ? Ouch
I'm sure if it was that easy it would be more popular by now. I think it is the easiest way to scratch the hell out of your rim and rip your knuckles.
Back to the HF special tire machine , I have used tire machines since I was about 14 .
I have had a HF special for about 3 or 4 yrs now , plenty of tire changes on it. Older tires arnt so bad , new perellies with stiff sidewalls or touring bike tires that are stiff. Require more effort than you think.
I have welded and reenforced this tire machine to the point that it has more replacement steel , than it originaly came with. Its weak and flimsy , that makes tire changes that much more dificult. I didn't say impossible, but you will be cursing.
If you do decide to get friends together to purchase a tire machine ,and you have nice stuff , and you want to keep it nice. Buy a quality machine , like a nomar, its the cheapest quality machine I have found so far

[TheIglu]

For those of you who looked at the manual tire machines like the "no-mar" on u-tube and think you can run to Harbor frieght and buy their version and get the same results. , you are sadly mistaken.
Harbor frieght tire machine is about $50.oo and the mtorcycle adapter is maybe another $40.oo Or so. You get what you pay for.
It also requires some mechanical coridination above th the skill level that you needed to put your lego set together yrs back.
Ueing a c-clamp to break a bead ? Ouch
I'm sure if it was that easy it would be more popular by now. I think it is the easiest way to scratch the hell out of your rim and rip your knuckles.
Back to the HF special tire machine , I have used tire machines since I was about 14 .
I have had a HF special for about 3 or 4 yrs now , plenty of tire changes on it. Older tires arnt so bad , new perellies with stiff sidewalls or touring bike tires that are stiff. Require more effort than you think.
I have welded and reenforced this tire machine to the point that it has more replacement steel , than it originaly came with. Its weak and flimsy , that makes tire changes that much more dificult. I didn't say impossible, but you will be cursing.
If you do decide to get friends together to purchase a tire machine ,and you have nice stuff , and you want to keep it nice. Buy a quality machine , like a nomar, its the cheapest quality machine I have found so far

Worked fine for me. Guess I'm able to put together Lego's without an issue. It's not a No-Mar machine, but also doesn't cost the $$ for one.

[KnuckleBallz]

WTF

I just brought in tires to my local shop & paid like 70 a piece to have them mounted.

I guess don't go to Motorbikes Plus in Portsmouth.

[stoinkythepig]

I use my HF tire changer and MC wheel adapter as a clamp to hold the rim while I use tire irons to put the tire on. It works well for that and I've changed around 80 MC tires with it over the years (48 of them were on my ZX9R alone). I don't bother with the arm that goes over the tire or the center post that's used as a fulcrum. I also use the tire changer for garden tractor, truck, and trailer tires. It works great for them too.

The bead breaker works great for all tires I've tried, except low profile car tires. It's almost useless for those.

I did need to re-weld the column to the base after a few years of use. I paid about 60 bucks for the whole package, more than a decade ago. I'd love a no-mar, but not for $600 more money and the space they absorb. My HF takes up a tiny amount of garage space.

[Garandman]

Why don't you do what I did? I PMed someone who has a thread in this NESR forum. He changed them in minutes. He gave me a way below shop dealership price. It was a win win. Done and everybody is happy except people who took tires to a overpriced dealer who wouldn't do the work anyway.

I'll hazard a guess: because your profile doesn't say where you are located and you don't mention who you used?

This may be NESR but there are frequent fliers here from all over the country, it appears.

[Rambunctous]

I am in Worcester and went to Cory in Lancaster. It would be worth the time and gas from Boston to see Cory aka hondarider102.
http://www.nestreetriders.com/forum/...caster-ma.html

[Awesome]

Back to the original issue? Did they refuse because the tires were black? That's racist.

[hawk]

Call Domenic at Revolution cycles in Salem, NH, he will help you out. Not sure what he'll charge you but he'll do them.