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How much to pay for tire mounting?

jsandidge

jsandidge

Forum Sage
Past Site Supporter
Ok, I'm about to order a set of Shinko's. Out of curiosity, I asked the local Suzuki dealer for mounting prices. They want $50 per tire, $30 per tire if I buy from them. This seems awfully high to me. What are you guys paying? Anyone have experience mounting their own? If so, tips please!
 
When I had them mounted for me, they were mounted and balanced for $20 each, if I bought them there (I did) or $30 each if I bought them elsewhere.

Now that I mount my own, it's only another hour or so of my time, no extra money. :D

.
 
The tyre place I buy mine from fit and balance tyres for free if you buy the tyre from them. Their tyre price is cheaper than anywhere else so they aren't adding the cost of fitting and balancing into the buy price of the tyre.

Cheers.
 
$30 if you buy it there and take the wheels off yourself is about what I paying.

I apparently suck at mounting tires. I did it myself once and consider $30 money well spent. I had a terrible time getting the front up on the bead.
 
I think it was $20 a wheel at my local Cycle Gear. It was less if you bought the tires from them.

Yes, $ well spent.
 
Dogma said:
I apparently suck at mounting tires. I did it myself once and consider $30 money well spent. I had a terrible time getting the front up on the bead.
Click to expand...
Next time, bring the bike on up, we can save you a few bucks. :D

.
 
I was paying $20 per tire (including tube install) at a local shop, but I did it myself last time and it was super easy.
 
30? a set , 20? if I bring the wheels in if tyres bought from shop and have just ordered up a set of Continental TKV11/12 for 200 ?.
 
Toasty said:
I was paying $20 per tire (including tube install) at a local shop, but I did it myself last time and it was super easy.
Click to expand...

Instructions? Wondering if I should consider DYI my next set. Also wondering about balancing- how to DIY. (are motorcycle wheels spun balanced?)
 
I used a wheel balancer from Harbor Freight, it takes 5-10 mins to balance at most and is pretty easy.

- Deflate tube, take out valve stem
- Break bead by propping rim on something, and stepping on the tire (or pushing)
- Spray with soapy water
- Push the opposite side of the tire in toward the center, use the irons to grab the lip of the tire and lever out of the rim
- Do this all the way around
- Use the irons to remove the other side
- Use old tire as a prop
- Use irons to get one side of new tire on rim
- Stuff tube inside new tire/rim, line up the valve stem
- Partially inflate tube (IMPORTANT)
- Spray with soapy water again
- Lever the other side of the tire on
- Inflate tube to operating pressure

Balancing is cake. Just check the tire for a mark (some have a paint dot where it's heaviest). If it has a mark then put that opposite the valve stem. Put the wheel/tire on the balancer and gently spin. Note where it stops (bottom is heaviest). Tape a weight to the top of the wheel (dont use the adhesive right away) and gently spin. Basically add more weights until it doesn't have a place it likes to stop at. Mark where they were, clean the rim and use the sticky adhesive on the weights.

I did this in about 30 mins while drinking beer.
 
Andrew Vanis said:
Instructions? Wondering if I should consider DYI my next set. Also wondering about balancing- how to DIY. (are motorcycle wheels spun balanced?)
Click to expand...
Andrew, you have been around for a few months now, you should KNOW the answer to that.
icon_shrug.gif


BassCliff's site.
icon_thumbsup.gif
(<-- click the link)

.
 
...if they are not tubeless tires, it's as easy as a bicycle wheel.
Tubeless tires, innertube or not, seem way tighter and harder to get on and off without some practise and need a good blast of air to seat them properly too.

whichever,get some rim protectors with those tire-irons.
 
The Yammie shop in town mounted and balanced my rear tire for $25 if I brought them the tire and rim minus the bike. It was $50 if I wanted them to do all the work.
 
Andrew Vanis said:
Instructions? Wondering if I should consider DYI my next set. Also wondering about balancing- how to DIY. (are motorcycle wheels spun balanced?)
Click to expand...

Local private HD shop charges $20 to mount and balance in winter months when business is low, $30 in summer months.

His balance machine gets same results as my version of Brian's gravity balancing apparatus.

There have been many threads here on mounting and balancing, and dozens of YouTube videos are available.
 
Our local dealers charge between $70 and $150 for a set. I found a new small shop who mounted & balanced the 2 for $50. No fuss no muss.

I did take off the old rubber just to see if I could do it. Almost impossible with brute force and tire irons. Easier with a power saw and chisels (to cut the bead).

I'll use my new found friend from here on in.
 
Let me approach this from another direction: do you really want to be utterly helpless if you're faced with a tire problem on a ride?

I think every rider should be able to mount their own tires. It gets MUCH MUCH MUCH easier with a bit of experience, and the basic tools and equipment you need are very cheap -- you can make everything you need except the tire irons. (And if you happen to have a forge, I guess you could make those too.)

Of course, once you have this valuable skill, it's certainly up to you whether you still want to pay someone else to do it for you.

Personally, I always do it myself -- I go through a lot of tires, so the cost is a factor, but it's also immeasurably more convenient and faster to handle everything right there in my garage instead of having to make a trip. And I KNOW for fact that it's done right.
 
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Another trick to making life easier if you diy? Spare wheels. It's a big time-saver when you need new tires, and can save the day if you're planning a ride and wake up to a flat. I have extra wheels for the HD set up with brake discs and drive pully. When I need new tires, I just grab the spare wheels. I leave the old tires mounted for spares in the meantime. It has saved my day a couple times. Haven't picked up spares for the GS, yet.
 
bwringer said:
Let me approach this from another direction: do you really want to be utterly helpless if you're faced with a tire problem on a ride?
Click to expand...

Bingo!

I was on a ride with the N. Illinois clan a couple of years ago when a newbie to the group found himself with cords showing 300+ miles from home on a Saturday night....
If he had been alone, he would have had to stay until the shops open on Monday....
But he was with Mr. Nardy and gang, so we found a tire and changed it in the parking lot of the Best Western that night...

It is a valuable skill to know...:)
 
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