Fair price for tire install??

[DozerDan]

Just ordered some tires for my bike from the local rip off shop. I priced them online and found better deals but not by enough to warrant the hassle.

So the front was $84, rear $95, $20 each for the tubes. Not a horrible price.

But they want $40 a piece to install them if I bring the wheels in, $60 a piece if I drop the bike off.

Does that seem crazy high or about right. Seemed a bit high imo, but then again never dealt with bike tires before. I know a buddy brought a tire there once to get mounted and he said it was high, I was hoping since I bought the tires from them the install would be a bit cheaper.

Any insight? Tires are Dunlops, not that that matters for install. Wheels are stock 82 Hertiage Special wheels

 

[xjwmx]

But they want $40 a piece to install them if I bring the wheels in, $60 a piece if I drop the bike off.

It's not good but it's not outrageous. There was a dealer who marked tires way up and then took some off their theoretical installation price off if you bought the tires from them, ending up about like that.

There was a mechanic who got pissed off at me because I didn't get the tires from him so he refused to install them. I got those tires installed by another mechanic for about $30 ea.

The best deal I got was in Austin where a small private auto tire shop put them on for $20 ea. M.C. Tires and Wheels, the M.C. not meaning motorcycle

Garage time at a dealer is generally pretty high and not the best deal.

 

[pamcopete]

DozerDan,

Well, ask yourself this question. How much would you charge to mount and balance a tire on a motorcycle rim if you had a shop with all of the equipment, mechanics, rent to pay, insurance, utilities, taxes etc.? If you answer $20, then you won't be there when I come back next year.

 

[oldbiker]

Just ordered some tires for my bike from the local rip off shop. I priced them online and found better deals but not by enough to warrant the hassle.

So the front was $84, rear $95, $20 each for the tubes. Not a horrible price.

But they want $40 a piece to install them if I bring the wheels in, $60 a piece if I drop the bike off.

Does that seem crazy high or about right. Seemed a bit high imo, but then again never dealt with bike tires before. I know a buddy brought a tire there once to get mounted and he said it was high, I was hoping since I bought the tires from them the install would be a bit cheaper.

Any insight? Tires are Dunlops, not that that matters for install. Wheels are stock 82 Hertiage Special wheels

.......................hi i had a problem with my front tyre on my 1980 gs1000e it has mags as standard,,, so i purchased a new battleaxe tyre for the front put it on and it keeps going down my nearest tyre place in bordertown s/a want $80 to fis IT ,,, so i,m going to fix the problem myself ,,the tyre not damaged ,,but probably tooooo dry when i installed it on the tubeless mag which is stamped .... so i will pull it off /clean around the inside of the mag especially where the tyre seals to the mag the little groove and see how it comes up regards oldbiker

 

[xjwmx]

DozerDan,

Well, ask yourself this question.

The place I paid $20 had the tires off and on in literally less than three minutes each. Probably closer to two.

A good hourly income. And they'd been there over ten years.

 

[Kinsygrl]

Fair price.... Do it yourself once and you'll agree!

 

[xjwmx]

^In that sense it is! I'm a penny pinching skinflint though.

 

[DozerDan]

Not 'complaining' so to speak, just asking, seemed a bit on the high side, but idk. I have changed plenty of tires, I have access to two different tire machines, neither of which will do bike tires. I have a buddy with a machine that will do it, but not local. I was just asking if that was a fair price.

I know all about over head and equipment costs, come look in my garage (lift, welders, benders, torches, presses, lathe, milling machine, ac machine, etc etc etc)

Bike needs new rubber bad so hopefully everything shows up Friday, if it does I will drop the bike off and hopefully have some new tires mounted in a timely fashion

 

[XSLeo]

I think it is a bit high, but I have the tire changer so I do my own tires. Have for years. It takes longer to get the wheel off the bike than it does to change the tire.
I balance the tires with Dyna Beads. Easy to do, And works better than wheel weights.
Wheel weights are for casting bullets.
Leo

 

[5twins]

Shop prices are getting high. I was in my dealer when a guy came in to pick up two wheels. It was $32 each ($20 for mounting, $12 for balancing). That's why I do my own. With a bunch of bikes and spare wheels for many of them, paying someone to mount and balance my tires would put me in the poor house, lol. I spent about $40 on the HF motorcycle tire mounter (sadly N.L.A.) and another $18 for the plastic ends for a bar I made up. All that stuff paid for itself with two tire changes.

 

[jayel]

I also change my own tires, balance with the jack stand method, usually charge myself enough to get a case of beer... works for me

 

[ridgerunner1965]

changeing a tire on a bike can be a pain if you dont know what your doin.if you have never done one and dont want to really learn how to do it, then just pay whatever they are asking, you will be glad you did. if you do want to learn how then each time it will get easier.the first few times will be a bitch even if your good at changeing car tires.breaking the bead off the rim on both sides is really the only hard part, once that is done actually removeing the tire is pretty easy.spoked tube type rims seem the easiest to break down. tubeless are harder, i think they have a different type of rim to keep the tire on the wheel during a flat at any kind of speed.

ive changed a bunch of them with just a few tools. a large c clamp to break the bead, a hammer, a couple of dull tire irons and some lube. i usually use dextron for the lube. do not use soapy water,it can become trapped in the bead seating area and then will grow mold causeing a bead leak on tubeless tires. some steel spoke wheels also have a bead lock that must be unscrewed to allow tire to come off.all dirt bikes have them but not many street bikes if i remember right.

if yu want to tackle it then watch some youtube vids first and go from there.be paitent and dont allow women and children in the area as they may become offended by the curseing.

 

[jd750ace]

60 bucks for drop-off is a much better deal than 40 bucks to carry in. That being said, I don't trust ANY shops nowadays and I do ALL of my own work on my bikes and most of it on my truck and my wife's car. I take front end and major assembly work (trans OH and R&!) to the shop and that's it. Fortunately I have a trustworthy and fair priced auto shop, but motorcycle shops in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area want top dollar for bottom quality service. If I do it myself, I know it's done right, and if it's not, I know where the sumbitch lives that fucked it up! If you are going to BE a bike guy, learn to do your own and keep your money. For 20 bucks you can get enough tools to change tires.

 

[Soliddrummer]

Damn, I guess I got a smoking deal here in Los Angeles then, I was charged $15 per tire including balancing. He even marked the tire for me and gave me the weights so I could paint them before I stuck them on! (Black rims, silver weights)

 

[Shifty2932]

Took my wheels to the local Yamaha shop here in Rapid City, SD. I paid 30 bucks per tire. Not bad in my opinion. They had it all done plus balance in 20 min. Much better than myself struggling with a do it yourself option.

 

[rebel542]

Do it yourself! Next time you'll gladly pay.

 

[Square Circle]

$40.00 per tire is too high if you purchase the tires at the same shop. My local dealer wants $30.00 per tire if you bring it in with out source tire. Another $1.00 per ounce for weights. Its $20.00 per tire if you buy the rubber from them. This is in St Louis MO area. I thought 30 was high considering I can get my truck wheels mounted for $12.00 each.. idk, it must be a "gotta pay to play" thing.

 

[pcoumbe]

I used to change all my own tires until I found a small shop here with a machine that can do bike wheels and a guy who operates it correctly without marking a rim.
Price per wheel, old tire off, new on : Php 120 or USD 2.74
Their balancer wont do bike wheels without an adapter but the owner said she would do my wheels if I provided one for her. Will probably cost me 5 or 10 bucks to have one spun up so that's a mission for the near future.
It's very satisfying to win occasionally in a foreign country

 

[DozerDan]

60 bucks for drop-off is a much better deal than 40 bucks to carry in. That being said, I don't trust ANY shops nowadays and I do ALL of my own work on my bikes and most of it on my truck and my wife's car. I take front end and major assembly work (trans OH and R&!) to the shop and that's it. Fortunately I have a trustworthy and fair priced auto shop, but motorcycle shops in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area want top dollar for bottom quality service. If I do it myself, I know it's done right, and if it's not, I know where the sumbitch lives that fucked it up! If you are going to BE a bike guy, learn to do your own and keep your money. For 20 bucks you can get enough tools to change tires.

I have enough projects going on that I am not mounting my own tires. In the past 15 years I have yet to bring a car in for service at any shop, mine, my mothers, my sisters, etc. I do it all. But when it comes to mounting tires I don't mind paying. Car tires I swap out favors with a buddy who has a machine, just don't have that for bike tires.

I don't mind paying to have it done, I was just trying to figure out the going rate. Considering a car tire costs $8-$15, $40 seemed high, but I guess its not.

And the extra $20 for them to remove and reinstall is a no brainer.

Hell I have a lift in the garage, I have tire spoons, I have compressors, I have presses, I have no doubt I can do it, I just have no desire to!

 

[DIRTY DOG]

Around here is ohio it's about $20-$30 mounted and balanced per wheel off the bike