Harley Take Off Tires?

[xxBenJamminxx]

So I am in need for a new or different rear tire for my 550. It has the 130/90/16 on it and recently lost my job and am waiting to start a new one so money is tight. We do have a local Harley dealer here in town and know that alot of sportsters also take that same rear tire.

My question is has anyone ever asked a dealer if they sell the take off tires they get? Like when some people order a new bike and get different rims right away along with tires I wondered if they would sell those tires that are practically new or any tires in decent shape for that fact.

I dont want to look like an idiot if that is a known no-no or something but thought it was worth a shot til I can get a new one.

Other then that a little fresh gas, and a new battery this year it fired right up and is waiting for it to warm up a little so I can finally start saving on gas again! Cant Wait!!! Now just need to fab up a carrier for my metal detector and I will be good to go after the tire.

 

[tkent02]

A metal detector to find a tire?? Good plan if it works I guess!

I have heard of guys dumpster diving for mufflers at harley shops, why not go for tires too?

 

[xxBenJamminxx]

Lol no I need a different tire and then a bracket to mount my MD to my bike for running around to my different spots. Have actually found a tire out MDin though.

 

[tkent02]

What do you dig up with that thing? Civil War trinkets? Coins and jewelry? Pirate treasure chests? Motorcycle parts?

Bought a cheap one a while ago, didn't find Jack.

 

[xxBenJamminxx]

We mostly do whats called coin shooting, looking for old silver coins and stuff like that. We do come across some neat older relics also read as junk lol.

Couple of silver dimes (left one is a 1917 Mercury dime) and a gold cross pendant.

Ladies 1910ish silver essentials case -


1935 Buffalo Nickel


1940s tootsie toy


Old pocket knife (brand unknown right now) and a White Gold 18K class ring from 1981 (which we returned to the lady whos name was engraved on the inside of the band)


Tons of stuff like that. That ring was the 7th ring this year, and have about 14 silver coins this year as well. Never know what will pop out of that ground next!

What kind did you get? Do you still use it? I am looking to get another one for my 11 year old to use. He has been coming with me everytime lately and really likes it so we are saving all the change we find to buy him one. Have about $50 in change already from the last 3 weeks or so, so it does add up quick for sure.

 

[Dj66]

About the tires,around here the Harley dealership cuts the bead wires. Supposedly its a liability issue,i think it's just that they are as****es.

 

[Crankthat]

Any ski resorts around where you are at?
Lots of change and jewelery to be found on slopes and under lifts!
When people crash it is usually known as a yard sale.
Named as everything gets spread around the trails.

Do not know anything about Harley tires though.

 

[Rob S.]

So I am in need for a new or different rear tire for my 550. It has the 130/90/16 on it and recently lost my job and am waiting to start a new one so money is tight.

My question is has anyone ever asked a dealer if they sell the take off tires they get? Like when some people order a new bike and get different rims right away along with tires I wondered if they would sell those tires that are practically new or any tires in decent shape for that fact.

I dont want to look like an idiot if that is a known no-no or something but thought it was worth a shot til I can get a new one.

I bought a used tire for my CB350 from a neighbor for $10 in 1976.

But I'm sure it's considered improper etiquette around here, as you can tell by the snide comments.

 

[Steve]

Personally, I am a bit leary about mounting used tires.

Especially if I don't know the history of the tire.

Especially on a motorcycle.

.

 

[tkent02]

Old pocket knife (brand unknown right now) and a White Gold 18K class ring from 1981 (which we returned to the lady whos name was engraved on the inside of the band)

I'm holding in my hand a knife just like that one, it was my wife's father's knife. The same shield thing on the side. On one side of the main blade it says Camillus New York, on the other side it has the number 57.

Hope this helps.

The metal detector was a Harbor Fright cheapo, never seemed to do much at all.

 

[bwringer]

Unrelated anecdotal chitchat

Unrelated anecdotal chitchat

One fine fall day on the way to Wisconsin, my good friend Tim discovered his brand-new front Dunlop had a defect and the tread was disintegrating. No, nothing was scraping. It was just losing chunks after about 80 miles. We figured it just wasn't cured completely.

We stopped at a nearby HD dealer to inquire about a 100/90-19 or MM90-19 front tire, which is used on many Harley models.

We were informed that they only carry Harley tires and that we should go to the Suzuki dealer if we want Suzuki tires. They also insisted that their tire changing machines would only work on Harleys.

After 20 minutes of searching vainly for a crack in the shining armor of ignorance, we finally convinced the service manager to just humor us and see if they had one of these around. You know, just for giggles. We figured we'd install it ourdamselves in the parking lot if they couldn't scare up a 17mm wrench anywhere in their $2 million shop.

Turns out they had just one 100/90-19 in stock (only for a Harley, you know) but it was already spoken for by a guy who was on they way. SO WHY DIDN'T YOU ^%$#!! SAY YOU DIDN'T HAVE ONE AVAILABLE IN THE FIRST PLACE? :evil:

To her credit, the service manager cheerfully looked up the local Suzuki dealer, called to make sure they had a "Suzuki" 100/90-19 tire in stock... and then gave us directions that took us ten miles the wrong way.

We finally got to our destination at about 9:30 pm on a cloudy, moonless night. Damp and just above freezing, too.



Anyway, to actually answer the question: no, a dealer won't sell or give you a used tire. Some even cut the beads or make large holes to discourage dumpster divers. Very, very few independent shops in the US would ever sell or give away used tires either.

Also, bear in mind that many of the larger HD models use 130/90-16 tires in front, so you'd need to be careful you actually get a rear.

In sum, skip some smokes or coffees or whatever for a week and scare up the $68 for a new Shinko 712.


Tim's tire:

 

[xxBenJamminxx]

Thanks guys.

TKent - Pretty neat that you have one just like it right there! Whats the odds of that?

As for the tire, I found a new one on ebay for a decent price, and shipping was only $8.60 so I jumped on it. Well that was on the 16th. and said ships in one day. Long story short after 8 days of waiting, 2 messages to the seller about what was going on, I get one saying sorry it will ship today. Then the next day (today) I get sorry shipping was more then I expected and need another $14 to ship it....... The tire is new but ended up crashing the bike before installing it, even still has the stickers on it and all. I called ebay after sending him another message basically saying nicely, "Sorry that you made a mistake, but its not my fault, and wouldnt have bought the tire if shipping was that much to begin with. Also its the seller responsibility to give an accurate shipping quote and not try to over double the shipping costs 8 days after the item was suppose to ship out, and 4 days after it was expected to be delivered.

I am alittle upset about this, and hope he just soaks up the loss on shipping and learns a lesson here but am not sure whats gonna happen.

I called ebay and they said I should file a claim for item not received to get my money back if all else fails and mark his account with what has happened. The Ebay Cust. Service guy was very nice and helpful too.

What would you guys do in this situation?

 

[bwringer]

If you don't want to roast the seller (it was more of an honest mistake or ignorance than being a scumbag), you can just mutually agree to cancel the sale. He refunds your money -- ALL of it -- and cancels the sale. Then he can repost the tire with the correct shipping amount, make a tire wing for the kiddies, or whatever. Negative feedback is far too damaging sometimes.

Ever heard of Hanlon's razor? "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." (Robert J. Hanlon)

Or I've run into situations (wrong part, low value, neither of us feels like it's worth spending any time dealing with it) and it's easier all around for the seller to just refund the money, I give some generic positive feedback and get rid of the part, and life goes on for both of us.

eBay is complex and confusing as hell, so you have to allow some slack sometimes. Offer a solution. But if he continues to blow you off for a day or two longer, then roast with extreme prejudice.

Also, "eBay" and "tires" is just a really, really bad combination of concepts in general. Used parts, fine. But buy your tires from a reputable retailer, like motorcyclesuperstore.com , americanmototire.com , jakewilson.com , or similar. Most even allow you to pay with Paypal these days if you're not into the plastic card thing.

 

[bwringer]

Oh, and I'm still amazed that you actually spoke to a human at eBay. AND you received actual information. That's a miracle on par with the loaves and fishes. Or maybe fleaBay has turned over a new leaf somehow recently.

 

[barnbiketom]

In sum, skip some smokes or coffees or whatever for a week and scare up the $68 for a new Shinko 712.

That's What I just did..55.15 total from shinkotiresdirect.com for the 100/90 front!!!
cheep tire but decent life and handling.. what more can ya want???

 

[Guest]

About the tires,around here the Harley dealership cuts the bead wires.

Anyway, to actually answer the question: no, a dealer won't sell or give you a used tire. Some even cut the beads or make large holes to discourage dumpster divers. Very, very few independent shops in the US would ever sell or give away used tires either.

That is retarded beyond words. Around here tire shops will happily sell used tires for all sorts of vehicles with no issue. I have also bought brand new OEM take offs from a local bike shop when the owner bought the bike as a race bike and immediately took the OEM Bridgestones off and put race rubber on. Why would a shop turn down the chance to make a buck on what would otherwise simply be garbage to them?


Mark

 

[bwringer]

That is retarded beyond words. Around here tire shops will happily sell used tires for all sorts of vehicles with no issue. I have also bought brand new OEM take offs from a local bike shop when the owner bought the bike as a race bike and immediately took the OEM Bridgestones off and put race rubber on. Why would a shop turn down the chance to make a buck on what would otherwise simply be garbage to them?

Perhaps you've heard of our world-famous lawyers?


There are a few grubby independent shops that might sell you a take-off. There are also shops near race tracks that sell used race rubber. Since the wear is all on the sides, they'll get you through a few thousand miles of cruising around town (although they're all sportbike sizes), which is all 95% of riders do anyway.

Established dealers don't want the liability attached to selling someone a used tire -- their insurance very likely specifically requires that they disable used tires so there's no chance an employee or dumpster diver can obtain a bad tire from their shop. There's also the issue of the state-mandated tire disposal fee -- if you're collecting the fee but not sending all the tires out for proper disposal, you can get in a lot of trouble.

It also makes sense from an overall business standpoint -- they can sell more new tires, and they avoid a reputation as a low-rent sort of place that takes chances like that.

There are shops in certain neighborhoods of larger cities that sell used car tires, but the situation is a little different there -- a bad car tire is an inconvenience, not a good chance of a grisly demise.


Take-offs from new bikes are a different matter. Those are usually snapped up by the employees or customers well-known to the shop.

 

[Guest]

I bought a used tire for my CB350 from a neighbor for $10 in 1976.

But I'm sure it's considered improper etiquette around here, as you can tell by the snide comments.

Are you working for the PC Police? I hear you make a lot of comments like that for fairly innocuous remarks. I think concerning used tires and similar safety issues negative remarks no matter how they are handed are just good common sense like maybe that isn't such a good idea.

 

[Guest]

Take-offs from new bikes are a different matter. Those are usually snapped up by the employees or customers well-known to the shop.

Since OP was talking about new take offs, I was referring to that. Disposing of worn out tires by cutting the bead is a much different thing and makes sense to me.


Mark

 

[dude99]

Not sure how cheap you need to go but a new set of Kenda tires are pretty cheap. A new set for my GS750 was $120 shipped for the pair. I put the same Kenda challengers on my RD350LC about 3 years ago. Haven't had any problems, they are wearing well and seem to stick well through the twisties.

I don't usually ride in the rain so I can't attest to their wet performance but there dry performance seems excellent for the price.

I wouldn't trust a used tire on a motorcycle, especially since you have no idea why the tire was discarded.