Buying new tires

[buickyouth]

Since things are starting to come together and it looks like I'll actually be able to start riding the XS750SE I picked up last fall, I figured it'd be a good time to replace it's cracking dry rotted tires. Here's what I was looking for:

Front: 3.25-19 or 100/90-19
Rear: 4.0-18 or 120/90-18

I had some dunlops in the past that I liked a lot. And after reading some forums I settled on the D404s.

I called my local shop and asked them about getting tires shipped to them and getting them put on the wheels, balanced, etc. They were happy to take delivery and even offered me half rate for installation if I was able to bring in the wheels on their own.

Asked them if they had any preferred vendors and they steered me to parts-unlimited. The prices weren't horrible, but I thought I might be able to do better. Much to my surprise, I found the best deal on Amazon (vendor: motorcycle superstore). Exactly what I was looking for, no taxes, free shipping. I ran the numbers to see how much I was saving, $125. I never would have thought Amazon for tires, but I'm glad I took that shot in the dark so I can have an excuse to put that money elsewhere into the bike.

[trbig]

Lots and lots of tire threads to read, but the D404 is the 2nd worst tire I've ever had. It's not bad as far as performance, and if you hardly ride, it will work for you, but a rear won't last 3k miles on the 1100, but it's going to be a heavier bike than that 750 and wear them faster.

A tire I've found to not be bad was the Shinko 712. At Motorcycle Superstore, you can get a set.. front and back for under $100, and they last about twice as long on the rear as the D404.

[CatatonicBug]

You can go directly to MC Superstore's website instead of using Amazon. They offer a price match guarantee on everything too.

[DGXSER]

Which tire is best or gives the most service is primarily a matter of who the user is and teir opinions or riding style. You will fidn just as many post saying good as you will bad about almost any major brand.

One word of caution though on purchasing tires online, not that I never have, but you are making a sacrifice for the savings. If there ends up being a problem with the tire, you will have a battle on your hands to get any resolution to the problem. Let the finger pointing begin, from poor installation, to must be a mechanical problem with your bike, to you over or under inflated the tire, or pehaps even "it was not intended for the gravel roads you took it on, that ruined the tire."

I had a problem with a cage tire I bought from "Tire Rack" once, they told me if I paid for shipping it back to them and for shipping me a new tire I had to buy, they would then pro-rate the bad tire if they determined it was in fact a manufacturing defect. Recently am having an issue with a tire I bought from Dennis Kirk. They insist it is an issue with my wheel bearings or something mechnaical on the bike. Can't be their tire.

So, my recomendation is to buy form a local shop, I have a local shop do the mounting and balancing anyway.