YIKES!!! Tire Slice Discovered on New Rear Tire When Updating Spline

[joejeweler]

Well,....i can't say that i'm real happy today.

What started out as my wanting to upgrade the soft steel 1982 vintage rear wheel spline on my GS850GL
got me stopped in my tracks. After getting the rear wheel off, i flipped it up on top of an open plastic trash
can to make it easier to get the spline retaining bolts off (and protect the brake rotor on the opposite side),......

.....and this is what i found on the NEW rear tire that has maybe 900 miles on it,....replaced exactly 31 days
ago at a tire dealer around the corner from my house!

.....another view:

After i calmed down a bit,....i realized this discovery might just have saved my life!

I've done about half of those 900 miles on the highway, and i don't want to think about what "could"
have happened if this blew out at highway speed.

I know for a fact there is NO way i drove over anything that might have caused this. Anything TALL enough
to reach up midway on the sidewall is going to be noticed, especially something like a glass bottle chunk.
Even then some damage should be evident on the tread area, as a logical conclusion, but the tread is perfect.
It just doesn't look like a glass cut to me, as it's a pretty clean over maybe 6" or so and in a fairly straight line.
(and again up midway on the sidwall)


I'm going over to the dealer on monday and have him order me a new rear tire, even if it ends up a "shared"
cost. It'll be interesting to see what his evaluation is???

I hate to think it, but i suspect when the tires were shipped (front and rear ordered at the same time), the
strapping that often holds them together might have been cut a little too aggressively. It LOOKS like that
type of cut,......done with a razer knife/box cutter.

I sure hope it was simply missed when the tires were mounted, and not ignored by one of the workers to
avoid getting in trouble from the boss at the tire dealership. If a worker cut the strapping holding 2 tires
together and also noticed he damaged the tire, and said nothing :-$,......THAT would really p*ss , me off!

Another option is the tire had a weak spot in the side wall and just gave way. As i've never run across
this before, not sure what that scenario might look like. If anyone has seen tires open up like this thru a defect
in manufacturing,....please join in,....but it sure looks like it was caused by outside sources.

One final "possibility" i shudder to even think possible today, and that is some anti-biker or other misfit
intentionally damaging a tire. But it happens, ....as sick as that is, and could get someone killed!

Wasn't there a movie where a tire dealer was going around in a small town, damaging tires to drum up business?

......drive safe out there,......you never know when the gremlins will strike!

 

[Flyboy]

That is definitely damage of some sort, road or otherwise, not tire failure for sure.
Maybe the next set, open and unpack yourself before taking to have fitted.
But what is done is done as far as that goes, sorry man, that really bites.

 

[joejeweler]

That is definitely damage of some sort, road or otherwise, not tire failure for sure.
Maybe the next set, open and unpack yourself before taking to have fitted.
But what is done is done as far as that goes, sorry man, that really bites.

The 1st "set" of tires i bought online,....total cost just $183.00 with shipping, but i felt funny asking a local guy
to do the mounting if i didn't buy them there. So i returned those, and this shop (just a block away) ordered them
up and they were delivered the next day. That was exactly 1 month ago, i found my reciept dated 5-9-12

I dropped my bike off in the morning, and picked the bike up before they closed the same night. Cost of the
exact same 2 tires with labor, and $10 old tire disposal fee mad, and TAX,....was now $386.00
A bit over $200.00, the added "cost" of brick & mortar local convenience...................

Since the tires were delivered to the shop, any unpacking was done there, i never saw them before i went back
to pick up the bike and pay for the job.

I'm virtually certain the damage was there from the get-go (probably from a box cutter getting them unstrapped),
but proving it is another matter.

Who thinks to check over a brand new pair of tires with a magnifier JUST after they are installed? One thing i DID
point out when i picked the bike up was TWO cotter pins were missing off the main axle nut and the support arm
at the caliper, and the owner went and got those and put them on. (wonder what he was thinking about his
crew THEN?)

......and now seeing a dry hub spline i'm figuring not the best mechanic on staff????

What's a little grease cost?

Best case they'll replace the tire, and if i have to split it with them i'll eat that too. Labor better not be involved,
since i'm doing the major part with wheel removal and replacement.

 

[Griffin]

That tire was sliced with a razor knife, probably when the packing straps were removed from it.

Good luck getting the shop to admit to anything on their part, they robbed you in the first place. See what you can get from them about this (I doubt anything), then never do any business with them again, they're thieves.

 

[joejeweler]

That tire was sliced with a razor knife, probably when the packing straps were removed from it.

Good luck getting the shop to admit to anything on their part, they robbed you in the first place. See what you can get from them about this (I doubt anything), then never do any business with them again, they're thieves.

My thoughts exactly....

When i had a shipment of 2 tires before i bought these here (and returned them on the net), they had a cardboard cover on each side with exposed tread sections,......

..........and held together with the 1/2" white polyester strapping. If you weren't careful pretty easy to cut thru one layer of cardboard and hit the tire.

Like you say,....proving it another matter. There is always the chance the supplier to this dealer cut it at their end, and my dealer missed it when they came in. Heck,....the tire mounter missed lubing my spline AND forgot to replace 2 cotter pins!

BTW, if they pi$$ me off to much,.....i suppose i could always have my credit card company dispute the charge,....not sure if i can just do one tire though,.....the charge was for both. Possibly dispute the whole charge and settle with them for the one that was good. (i've yet to look the front tire over really good,...will do that today before i see the dealer)

 

[SqDancerLynn1]

If you go that route you can dispute only a portion of the amount charged. I did it last year with American Air Lines.. The problem will be proving the dealer did it which will be near impossible.... SO your stuck with the cost of a new tire..
Maybe you can get them to match the online price ? for the replacement

 

[tkent02]

Like you say,....proving it another matter. There is always the chance the supplier to this dealer cut it at their end, and my dealer missed it when they came in. Heck,....the tire mounter missed lubing my spline AND forgot to replace 2 cotter pins!

Whoa! You took the whole bike in to do the wheels?
Man, doing this stuff yourself is the way to go.
Lubing the spline? At a dealership?

The cotter pin thing is a definite safety issue, maybe you can get a little traction with that.

 

[joejeweler]

Whoa! You took the whole bike in to do the wheels?
Man, doing this stuff yourself is the way to go.
Lubing the spline? At a dealership?

The cotter pin thing is a definite safety issue, maybe you can get a little traction with that.

I took the whole bike in to a tire dealer that also does motorcycle tires. Being just a block away is , wll, convenient also. At almost 56 i'm done "mounting" my own tires!

The spline lubing i never asked them to do, as i knew i'd have the rear wheel off soon once i could locate an earlier harder steel wheel spline to replare the known problematic '82 one. (although mine is silver, not nearly as bad as the gold ones, IIRC?)

But it did surprise me that the spline, which was so obviously dry, did not recieve a "courtesy" dose of a few pennies in grease. :-s

Anyway,....i'm off to see the dealer...........

 

[joejeweler]

Just got back from the tire dealer. He called his supplier, and of course nothing they could do on a "used" tire
bought a month ago (i put 1100 miles on it)

The dealer i bought it from says "the best he could do is $99 mounted, and at that price he's losing money".


I mention that i bought both front and rear tires initially online (that were returned as i was giving him the local business) for just $182.00 , so obviously he couldn't be losing money.

He was not amused, and repeated the "best i could do......"....bla bla bla........


Funny, when i first showed up and showed him the slit, and my thoughts on how it got there,....he suggested
i bring it back to where i pruchased it! I said i bought it here a month ago,.....he says...."Oh,.....let me call my
supplier, but i already know the answer".....bla bla bla.


He states his tires don't come to him strapped, and come from a warehouse probably trucked loose, and also
not strapped as for individual shipping.


He tells me the tire will be there tomorrow around noon. I ask if i can leave the wheel and he says sure, just
leave it ouside the door! I say,...."I don't feel that is secure there,.....what if someone just walks off with it?
Can't we get it inside the shop?"


......and he says "IT'S A FREAKING 1980 SOMETHING KAWASAKI WHEEL, WHO WOULD WANT IT?"


.......i correct him and say "...It's a vintage 1982 Suzuki classic GS850GL,.....please don't insult my bike"

I left the tire in outside his doorway so as not to rile him any further,......and drove the block home to pick my girl up to drive her to work. 10 Minutes later i'm driving her to work and on the way past the dealer i see the tire still ouside the front doo, and pull it and park,.......

......thinking to myself: "Damn fool,......that wheel may not be worth much to HIM, but it's got my new hard material spline on it, a wheel in great shape and a problem free rotor."

I go back into the store and said "i decided since you are only a block away, i'll store the wheel and bring it right back when i get the call my tire is in."

.....then high tailed it out of there with my "worthless wheel".

....what a morning.

 

[GateKeeper]

I think you left out a few 4 letter words for him, as you were picking up your rim, and walking away with it.....

sounds like a real winner....

sorry but that kind of attitude, don't sit with me, I'd go somewhere else, not that he would give a rat's a$$ anyways


just a thought.....try and contact his supplier and see if you can deal directly with them instead, show all documentation, pics etc......sometimes they will help more than the place purchased from....

.

 

[850GT_Rider]

......and he says "IT'S A FREAKING 1980 SOMETHING FREAKING KAWASAKI WHEEL, WHO WOULD WANT IT?"

The disrespect he showed you right there says it all.

 

[tkent02]

Give us the name of this asshat's shop so we can all avoid doing business there.

 

[FiremanBob]

Just because they have a garage and they pay their wrench monkeys does not make bike shops "professionals". I grew sick of getting ripped off by car and bike dealers a long time ago. That's why I DIY nearly everything these days.

 

[joejeweler]

I think you left out a few 4 letter words for him, as you were picking up your rim, and walking away with it.....

sounds like a real winner....

sorry but that kind of attitude, don't sit with me, I'd go somewhere else, not that he would give a rat's a$$ anyways


just a thought.....try and contact his supplier and see if you can deal directly with them instead, show all documentation, pics etc......sometimes they will help more than the place purchased from....

.

......i bit my tongue for sure. But then, i've been on the other side of the counter and have seen plenty of "fast one" attempts. And fact is i can't prove either way whether the slit was 100% there when i first purchased the tires. I was hoping for a bit more dealer cost "eating" however, knowing they made a hefty profit on me originally. A charge of $50.00 is what i would have offered a customer, were the situation reversed.

You can bet i'm checking over EVERY tire in the future when i pick up the vehicle!

I never found out the name of the supplier, and just being practical here but not likely to get anywhere there on my own anyway. Who do you think is more important to them,.......a tire dealer ordering several tires almost everyday, or me whom i will never order from them as they're a wholesaler?


I won't buy another tire from there, but do want to leave the option open to get my car tires fixed if i get a flat. Being only a block away i can drop the car off and walk home,.......used them previously several times that way.

My "next" bike tires (hopefully when these are WORN out!) will be bought online from the company that gave me great service, and took them back without charge or hassle ,....even for shipping. (on my Amazon account) They told me to just refuse the shipment when it arrived, and i therefore incured no return shipping charges.

THAT company will get my future business, and i would recommend them just for that alone. "Riders Needs" was it,....using my Amazon Store card at the time. http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?ie=UTF8&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&me=A1LKON3BQ3L8YD

I did notice the price has gone up in the last month though. When i ordered the 1st set total cost front and rear for Bridgestone Spitfire S11 was just $183.00 SHIPPED! I checked this morning and the same set is now about $225.00

They also have an excellent track record form their Amazon 4.7 star rating (out of 5) over 8882 feedback.

.......Seems like they are run right!

BTW,....that rear Bridgestone Spitfire S11 tire had 1125 miles on it, and still looked brand new! The off center tread still had most of the manufacturing "nubs" showing, and the center just a dimple remaining of same. (a twin rubber compound on these, harder down the center and softer on the outside edges for better cornering traction)

The tires rode well,....had no complaints with either, and i'd expect 12K to 15K out of the rear once i get the new one on! Pretty good in my book,....a rear tire every 3 or 4 years barring a sidewall injury. The front should be even better.

Give us the name of this asshat's shop so we can all avoid doing business there.

I'll be sure to do that "after" i get the new tire on tomorrow. Just don't want someone calling them up and pi$$ing them off before i'm roadworthy again.

.....$99 mounted/balanced is not a bad price for this, .....way better than the 1st one there. The online store price
is now $119.00 on this, without mounting. (shipped probably like the 1st were)

Just because they have a garage and they pay their wrench monkeys does not make bike shops "professionals". I grew sick of getting ripped off by car and bike dealers a long time ago. That's why I DIY nearly everything these days.

I try to do everything i can too,....just that struggling with hand irons on stiff MC tires is not what i want to be doing
at near 56. At 16 i rebuilt my 1st motorcycle engine,.....a Honda 2 cylinder 4 stoke (350cc or so,....something like that).
So i'm not afraid to get my hands dirty. Mounting tires just aren't my "thang".

 

[7981GS]

Give us the name of this asshat's shop so we can all avoid doing business there.

The dealer, no doubt, got the tires from Parts Unlimited and THEY DO IN FACT STRAP TWO TIRES TOGETHER that are ordered ay the same time!
What a crock of sh*t!
And he KNOWS it!!!!

Eric

 

[joejeweler]

The dealer, no doubt, got the tires from Parts Unlimited and THEY DO IN FACT STRAP TWO TIRES TOGETHER that are ordered ay the same time!
What a crock of sh*t!
And he KNOWS it!!!!

Eric

Well,.....this dealer is in Colonie (upstate New York), and he gets his tires in on a delivery truck next day. So not sure if that supplier is close to allow next day delivery without using expensive overnight methods?

Edit: Just got a phone call from the tire dealer to let me know the tire won't be in for maybe 3 days,.....guess the local supplier was out of stock and it's coming from Arizona according to the dealer.

.......my only registered bike so i'll not be riding for awhile more,......bummer! I was planning on going to the Americade rally yesterday (Sunday),.....but discovered the slit the night before while doing the spline changeover.

......feels like i'm going into "Withdrawal"

 

[bwringer]

130/90-16 (or MT90-16) rear tires are as common as pig tracks -- they're used on many Harley models.

If you want to ride this weekend, visit your local Hardley-Ableson shop, get a tire mounted (they'll probably do it while-u-wait and give you free coffee and pastries whilst you peruse the do-rags and assless chaps), and go ride.

Unless you're doing your Valentino Rossi imitation (and from your un-upgraded shocks and fork springs, I'm guessing not) you'll never notice a bit of difference from the Bridgestone up front vs. what will likely be a Dunlop out back.

Life's too short to sit around waiting on some asshat to remember to order your tire. And it's definitely too short to do any more business with said asshat.

You're a lot more tolerant than I would have been!

 

[Guest]

arizona, huh? sounds like southwest moto tire to me.

 

[joejeweler]

130/90-16 (or MT90-16) rear tires are as common as pig tracks -- they're used on many Harley models.

If you want to ride this weekend, visit your local Hardley-Ableson shop, get a tire mounted (they'll probably do it while-u-wait and give you free coffee and pastries whilst you peruse the do-rags and assless chaps), and go ride.

Unless you're doing your Valentino Rossi imitation (and from your un-upgraded shocks and fork springs, I'm guessing not) you'll never notice a bit of difference from the Bridgestone up front vs. what will likely be a Dunlop out back.

Life's too short to sit around waiting on some asshat to remember to order your tire. And it's definitely too short to do any more business with said asshat.

You're a lot more tolerant than I would have been!

I've grown more tolerant as i've aged, not to say i like the situation as it's unfolded. I kinda expected we'd both eat a more equal portion of the new tire cost, instead of me picking up the vast majority.

Not sure how he's expecting to be losing money on this tire at $99 installed & balanced? The wheel is already off, so the labor on his end to mount it is less than MY labor (timewise) to remove & replace the wheel, not even counting the cleanup & lube of the spline componants. My labor is worthless???

I mentioned the dry spline also, and asked why the tire changer didn't lube the obviously dry splines. He stated when they change out a tire, they ONLY do the tire.

......logically, i asked him how a customer, who may never get the wheel off on his own, (not me, obviously), is supposed to "know" there is a need for addition attention?

......he didn't have an answer. :-s

A call to the customer recommending some lube be applied, even at additional cost to cover proper cleaning off the old lube and material applied, should be the LEAST a tire dealer should do.

The fact i spent $386.00 there (about $200 more than the same 2 tires on the internet cost at the time) warrants that minimal detail be disclosed to the customer while the wheel is off and accessable. Whether the customer chooses the addition service and cost shouldn't matter,...... disclosure and opportunity to have it done is the point.

As far as getting a tire sooner somewhere else, the problem is i'd like that specific tire,....the Bridgestone Spitfire S11(R) to match the front S11(F). I know what to expect in handling both wet and dry,.....and also i really was impressed at how it looked after 1125 miles. I don't want to be changing tires every season,....or even every other season. Three to 4 years between replacement sounds good to me!

Waiting a few days i'll adjust to,.....hopefully by thursday i'll be all set.

 

[Guest]

Before letting a shop mount a tire, I examine every square inch, inside and out. And I re-examine the outside after mounting the tire on the wheel, but before putting it on the vehicle. Examining tires is exceedingly boring work, and it is easy for someone who does it all day to get so bored that he loses concentration and misses defects.