donlop elite III

[scootjak]

I visited about a dozen sites for these tires and Tires Unlimited has them on special $110.00 for the rear, and around $90.00 for the front, including shipping. Best price I saw by about 15 bucks

[Ken Talbot]

Scoot, are you going to be able to mount and balance those tires yourself? If not, be sure you check your favourite local shop to see how much it will co$t to have them do that for you. Sometimes, a few extra bucks at a local shop can end up less when you get to the bottom line.

JAT...

[trbig]

Or a local shop like mine that won't mount and balance ANY tires they didn't sell.


Tod

[prometheus578]

"There I go, agreeing with TRBIG again."

Shops, like any other business, need to make money offa the stuff they sell.
Rarely would I mount "Internet tires".
Shop loses money, and then there's the liability(who knows where the tires came from, etc, and if the tire fails, the customer goes after the shop, and the shop can't hold the distrubutor liable.
Even if it's just for tire mounting, You get "Good Customer" status by using the shop once in a while... pays off with freebies and discounts in the long run.

[Crazcnuk]

Unfortunately, shops want to charge an hour for 15 minutes worth of work.

I can mount tires, in my driveway, with a couple of screwdrivers, I don't need to pay a shop $50 for that.

It's the balancing that is tough to do at home, but I have heard there are devices around that you can get to do that.

I even unmounted and changed a tire on my VW, once, in the driveway. It was late in the evening, no where else to get it done!

I'll admit, I pay for the shop to change my tires, but I still take the wheels off myself.

[mason79]

i broke a tire iron and marred the front rim something bad, never even got the bead out,so doing it myself is out 4ever

[Jerry]

Just bought an Elite III from Motorcycle Superstore, $121.99 with shipping.

Have tried Innovative Balancing system on my front tire, performs well on my first test runs this past weekend. (Motorcycle kit is $8.00 for 2 tires plus about $6.00 shipping.) More on this later.

Local shop wants $45.00 for a mount and balance of a tire you bring in, nearly half the price of the tire. I do believe any business should be able to make a profit, but this seems way out of line to me. It would be like my tire shop charging me $50.00 each for mounting and balancing my Scout II tires, list is $125 each. Imagine paying $200.00 to get your car tires mounted!

[SFerinTEXAS]

$$98.95 Dunlop Elite 3 MT90HB16 Rear Tire Mfg.#: 407991 ://www.accwhse.com/dunlop.htm#Tires%20street $73.95 Dunlop Elite 3 MM90HB19 Front Tire Mfg.#: 407973

[skids]

If you think that is bad, the rear tires are worse.

Originally posted by mason79
i broke a tire iron and marred the front rim something bad, never even got the bead out,so doing it myself is out 4ever

[DiverRay]

I just paid about $220 for a set of Dunlops, mounted and balanced. I drove up to the shop, pulled the rear wheel, had it done, and then did the front. Yes, I may have been able to save a few dollars on the internet, but with the tubeless rims, I go to a shop I trust.
As prometheus578 said, the shops need to make money, or they go out of business. Then were do you go when you REALLY need something???
Just my $0.02

[Jerry]

Ray:

I agree to a point, however, my local dealer wanted $142.00 for the rear tire plus another $45.00 for mount and balance, plus 7% sales tax. It would have cost me over $200.00 for one tire. If I could get both for $220.00 I wouldn't hesitate to have the dealer do it.

The dealer is already making a healthy markup on the tire. Compared to other prices, it looks like a minimum of $50.00 or so, half the price of Accessory Warehouse. Had the dealer even quoted me $145.00 with mount and balance I would have spent the extra and had them do it. However, seems to me they end up making about $100.00 out of the $200.00 price tag as profit, which I think is excessive, so I took my money elsewhere.

[prometheus578]

"Profit, profit, profit..."

Everybody want's sh!t fer free...Everybody wants a deal...
Game is called retail.
Need to mark up prices not only to make a profit and stay in business, but they must also pay wages, benefits, utilities, keep an inventory and pay flooring costs just to have the privelege of displaying someone's bikes on the floor.
This takes money.
Payroll last year was $300,000. The electric bill was over $1,000 a month. Extreme flooring costs was the reason the shop dropped the Kawasaki line.
When other shops were charging $50 to mount a tire, I kept it at $37.50. When everyone else's labor went to $80, I held at $75.
Sorry, Jerry, but a dealership is a business... an expensive one. And if one reads the Trade Papers and "Dealership News", you'll find one of the main complaints is the loss of revenue from internet sales, etc.
Sometimes you make a profit, sometimes you don't.
And when you don't, people have to get laid off.
And in extreme cases... dealerships go out of business.
And when they go out of business, there's no money for payroll, and one must bring in free labor.
Note how skillfully my girls palletized those tires... and boxed up inventory to ship back to Triumph... and Victory... and KTM...

Oh, I could write on and on...Seems I have nothing but time, now.
Last week the general manager and I went to "The Outback" to celebrate our being unemployed for four weeks.
Yes, "The Outback" is rather expensive, but we got a deal.
We bought our steaks on-line, then brought them to "The Outback" for them to cook 'em for us. Why pay their prices?

[Jerry]

Everybody want's sh!t fer free...Everybody wants a deal...

As a previous business owner/operator, I completely understand the need for profit. However, I also know that you can't price yourself out of the market. (FWIW, business was a photography service, Field Frame Photography. Registered with the state, (Colorado) did all my tax forms, including quarterly Federal forms, plus all the state bullsh*t.) In short, I signed the front of the checks. I discontinued the business when I moved out of state in 1985.

If you read my notes you will see I am willing to pay what I consider a reasonable profit; 50% of the total bill as profit is not what I call reasonable.

You also assume I will take the tire to the shop for mount and balance, won't do that. I'll either do the mount myself and use Innovative Tire Balancing's ceramic bead system, or go to another dealer, a bit farther away, who will do the job for about half of what the local dealer charges. Since the shop sets the charge I assume they make a few bucks on the mount and balance even at the lower price. I'm not asking for special treatment or to get goods and services at or below cost, but I am asking that the profit be reasonable. In my opinion my local dealer's prices are not reasonable.

Ray's dealer provided two tires, mounting, and balancing for $220.00. My dealer wanted about $200.00 for one tire. If you think that is reasonable I would be glad to forward you the name, phone number, and address of the place. It is in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and you can do your business there. I'm sure they would appreciate a customer who will pay nearly double what other dealers, not internet outfits, charge for the same goods and services.

I've mentioned Innovative Tire Balancing a few times, link to their home page is:
http://www.innovativebalancing.com/?...FQF-Pgoda1Yi7A

So far have put the material in the front tire and removed the weights, stuff seems to work as advertised. Will also put it in the new back tire after I get it mounted.

[Crazcnuk]

Exactly. I was in retail (owned my own Computer store) for several years, before I sold out.

I know all about customers. In fact, that is why I stay away from end users as much as possible these days.

It takes me less than 5 minutes to take my back wheel off, and another 5 to put it back on. It takes about 5-10 minutes to pop off the tire and put a new one on, and the balance takes about 30 secs (make it a minute if you have to stick weights on).

The shops around here charge $35-$50 IF I TAKE THE WHEEL OFF FIRST!

They want over a hundred if they have to take the wheel off. They have hoists, and pneumatic tools, in a nice warm, dry shop. I have to do it in my gravel driveway with a few basic handtools.
It's still more cost effective to do myself.

Biggest thing, for me, is that we don't really have any bike shops within 50 miles. There is a Kawasaki shop, but it is all quads and snowmachines. Not sure they do street tires.

We have one guy who does Harley work in his garage, and his tire changing rates are same a shop, ~$50 to mount and balance, but he charges a little less for his tires. It still cost me $150 for a new rear tire, on the Virago, and I took it off the bike.

[scootjak]

Well the shop I am dealing with asked if I was providing the tire or did I want him to order it. I would have had to go to the shop to order it. So I ordered it on line. He does my inspections and I buy some riding gear. batteries,cables,etc. from him. I am a firm believer in the local retailer, stay with local hardware rather than home depot and lowes unless the price discrepancy becomes too great. Bottom line for me, I work hard for my money and not too far from 0 at the end of every month, like to try to keep the big guys at bay but some times (more often than not) just ain't got the wiggle room