Just ordered my first 240 Tire

[StrykerBilly]

Around here mechanics make a lot more than $12/hour.  Generally they are paid by the job(Chilton rate or whatever you want to call it) which has pros and cons.  Buddy of mine was a service manager and over drinks I asked him about it.  He said the guys that are good can do a straightforward job in up to 1/2 the time(make up to double time).  I asked him the obvious question about guys cutting corners and the like to make more cash.  He said it generally doesn't happen because A) If the car comes back they work on it for nothing and parts come out of their check and B) They get 1 warning and then are fired.

Don't get me wrong, there are hacks and avoiding them can be hard at times.  I DIY many things around the house but one of the simplest jobs, painting, I tend to farm out because I really don't like it.  Some of the bike jobs just aren't worth the hassle of doing or the special tools required make it a losing proposition.

Recently van was at NTB for an oil change and they had to "show" me a few things.  Its winter and the oil needed to be changed so I wasn't doing it and the coupon price was right.  Overall not a total hard sell but the serpentine belt part was marked up and the labor was a little high(7/10 of $100/hr labor).  On a lift(which it was already on...) the job is pretty easy.  They also wanted like $900 to replace the strut assemblies.  Labor there, 3 hours, was about right but the assemblies were $300 each and weren't oem Honda.  Decent aftermarket ones are 2-300/pair and I could always just get the Honda struts(80/each) and have a shop rebuild the assemblies for me for maybe another $100.
My point is, yes, I believe the shops sometimes overcharge, upsell etc. but the mechanics are usually decent.  The NTB guys could do either of those jobs fine but for others I'd want Honda techs just because Honda would back me up if problems happen.  Plus NTB's rate is the same and I know their mechanics aren't pulling down the same coin!!! 

[RoadStarRaider]

[LeaderDuece]

I don't know why some people think that there is superiority somehow in the mere act of repairing their own motorcyle, or that they themselves are somehow superior because they don't take their bike to a shop for repairs.

I see this all the time in different threads, just don't get it.

I'm sure some people may see it that way. But for many of us it is more of a pride and ownership issue. We take pride in the fact that we fixed, or can fix something. When we do a mod, we are proud of that. Instead of saying "I had my mechanic install xxx" we  proudly point out what we've done to our bike. Which leads to ownership. If you've done everything on your bike, and done all the mods yourself, it truly is yours. This might be where the superiority thing your are taking about can come in. Because someone bragging about how cool his bike is, but didn't do any of the work himself, really can get under the skin of those if us who actually do all our own work. And of course vice versa. Someone who is always bragging about all the crap he did to his bike really can get under your skin as well.

I say just ride, who cares who installed the LEDs?

I have to agree with this.  Until I owned my Raider, I had never done anything mechanical to a motorcycle. Then people on here posted instructions and gave words of encouragement and I would brave something small and was able to do it.  It made me feel very proud that I was able to accomplish it myself. As time went on, I took on bigger and bigger tasks and felt even better.  Pretty much everything on my Raider has been installed or uninstalled by me at least once (since I've now owned three Raiders). The only thing I don't feel comfortable doing are the wheels. That could change in time as everything else did.  I also feel like I know my Raider better than a lot of people who don't work on their Raider does.

Six years ago I started modding my Warrior. I'd worked on cars -just shade tree level stuff- for years and years, but I was always afraid to work on my bike - as noted, one screw up and you're dead. But I finally decided I needed to have confidence in myself. Now I have almost 100 mods on that bike.

I say all this to say - Pulling tires off the bike actually turned out to be one of the easiest tasks there is. Go for it!

[MyRaider]

I don't know why some people think that there is superiority somehow in the mere act of repairing their own motorcyle, or that they themselves are somehow superior because they don't take their bike to a shop for repairs.

I see this all the time in different threads, just don't get it.

I'm sure some people may see it that way. But for many of us it is more of a pride and ownership issue. We take pride in the fact that we fixed, or can fix something. When we do a mod, we are proud of that. Instead of saying "I had my mechanic install xxx" we  proudly point out what we've done to our bike. Which leads to ownership. If you've done everything on your bike, and done all the mods yourself, it truly is yours. This might be where the superiority thing your are taking about can come in. Because someone bragging about how cool his bike is, but didn't do any of the work himself, really can get under the skin of those if us who actually do all our own work. And of course vice versa. Someone who is always bragging about all the crap he did to his bike really can get under your skin as well.

I say just ride, who cares who installed the LEDs?

I have to agree with this.  Until I owned my Raider, I had never done anything mechanical to a motorcycle. Then people on here posted instructions and gave words of encouragement and I would brave something small and was able to do it.  It made me feel very proud that I was able to accomplish it myself. As time went on, I took on bigger and bigger tasks and felt even better.  Pretty much everything on my Raider has been installed or uninstalled by me at least once (since I've now owned three Raiders). The only thing I don't feel comfortable doing are the wheels. That could change in time as everything else did.  I also feel like I know my Raider better than a lot of people who don't work on their Raider does.

Six years ago I started modding my Warrior. I'd worked on cars -just shade tree level stuff- for years and years, but I was always afraid to work on my bike - as noted, one screw up and you're dead. But I finally decided I needed to have confidence in myself. Now I have almost 100 mods on that bike.

I say all this to say - Pulling tires off the bike actually turned out to be one of the easiest tasks there is. Go for it!

Leader, I probably changed over 40/50 motorcycle tires in my day as I said it's not because I can't I just don't have comfortable garage setup right now so for 130 bucks it's an easy decision until I build my own little setup.

[LeaderDuece]

I was replying to Ares X, maybe I quoted the wrong thread?

Sorry....

[MyRaider]

I was replying to Ares X, maybe I quoted the wrong thread?

Sorry....

No problem

[StrykerBilly]

For front tires you can probably use the zip-tie method but what about balancing.  If you use dyna beads or ride-on, problem solved but otherwise the shop needs to balance the tire and the charge will probably be the same since they have to do everything except remove/replace the tire.

As for the rear, I don't see getting that off/on as easy and especially when switching to a 240.

For me, I do remove the wheels and take to the shop.  Keeps the cost down but, regardless, the expense is every 16K or so which really isn't that often unles you ride all the time.  In that case, you offset those costs against the car's costs etc.   

[CHROMINATOR]

I guess I might be very lucky in that I just ride my bike to the shop and they change out the tires for $35.00 per tire.  I know them very well there, have been taking my bikes to them since 1996 when I got here and bought my first bike from them.

[Pep]

For me, I do remove the wheels and take to the shop.  Keeps the cost down but, regardless, the expense is every 16K or so which really isn't that often unles you ride all the time.  In that case, you offset those costs against the car's costs etc.

I agree, Billy. I remove the wheels and take them to the shop. It's fairly easy and saves me quite a few bucks, plus I know everything has been put back together correctly and torqued properly. That way I have a personal relationship with the mechanic and know who to blame.

[dreadly]

anyways ... MyRaider just ordered his first 240 

[MyRaider]

anyways ... MyRaider just ordered his first 240 

Dreadly, thank you I feel like I just had an exorcism to put new tires on my bike.

[MyRaider]

anyways ... MyRaider just ordered his first 240 

Dreadly, thank you I feel like I just had an exorcism to put new tires on my bike.

Talk about running the gauntlet.

[Ares X]

I don't know why some people think that there is superiority somehow in the mere act of repairing their own motorcyle, or that they themselves are somehow superior because they don't take their bike to a shop for repairs.

I see this all the time in different threads, just don't get it.

I'm sure some people may see it that way. But for many of us it is more of a pride and ownership issue. We take pride in the fact that we fixed, or can fix something. When we do a mod, we are proud of that. Instead of saying "I had my mechanic install xxx" we  proudly point out what we've done to our bike. Which leads to ownership. If you've done everything on your bike, and done all the mods yourself, it truly is yours. This might be where the superiority thing your are taking about can come in. Because someone bragging about how cool his bike is, but didn't do any of the work himself, really can get under the skin of those if us who actually do all our own work. And of course vice versa. Someone who is always bragging about all the crap he did to his bike really can get under your skin as well.

I say just ride, who cares who installed the LEDs?

I have to agree with this.  Until I owned my Raider, I had never done anything mechanical to a motorcycle. Then people on here posted instructions and gave words of encouragement and I would brave something small and was able to do it.  It made me feel very proud that I was able to accomplish it myself. As time went on, I took on bigger and bigger tasks and felt even better.  Pretty much everything on my Raider has been installed or uninstalled by me at least once (since I've now owned three Raiders). The only thing I don't feel comfortable doing are the wheels. That could change in time as everything else did.  I also feel like I know my Raider better than a lot of people who don't work on their Raider does.

Six years ago I started modding my Warrior. I'd worked on cars -just shade tree level stuff- for years and years, but I was always afraid to work on my bike - as noted, one screw up and you're dead. But I finally decided I needed to have confidence in myself. Now I have almost 100 mods on that bike.

I say all this to say - Pulling tires off the bike actually turned out to be one of the easiest tasks there is. Go for it!

That could be and I probably wouldn't think twice about doing it to my Virago bobber. In fact I've already had the front wheel off. Someday I will probably do it myself, but not sure I want to try installing tires and risk hurting my wheels. They weren't cheap.

[RedRaider]

anyways ... MyRaider just ordered his first 240 

Dreadly, thank you I feel like I just had an exorcism to put new tires on my bike.

Talk about running the gauntlet.

....and this is different from any other thread?? 

Enjoy your rubber MyRaider 

[MyRaider]

anyways ... MyRaider just ordered his first 240 

Dreadly, thank you I feel like I just had an exorcism to put new tires on my bike.

Talk about running the gauntlet.

....and this is different from any other thread?? 

Enjoy your rubber MyRaider 

Thanks Red, donno never been on any other forum.