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+1 on going to an Indy.
I'm not a Cycle Gear fan either as the shop closest to me does look down their noses on Harley riders.
On thing that I try to get straightened out when buying tires is the age of the tires. Because I put my 15,000 +.- miles per year on multiple bikes I try to get the freshest tires I can because my tires generally age out before they wear out. This seems to be easier with online purchases - strange as that may seem.
I see you have it handled. Couple of tricks I can pass on. Lay the tire and rim in the sun or in front of a heater and the tire will come off and go on a lot easier. I use tire mounting soap. It has anti corrosion properties and does help seal the tire during air up. also remove the valve for air up. If I am going to take the time to take the wheel off the bike, I am certainly going to mount my own tire. I can have it back together faster than I can drive to a shop.
Like I said, I put some paraffin wax on the tire and bead, putting it on wasnt bad at all. The next time I do this job Ill use a die grinder and cut it off. Done deal.
Good idea about rotating the tire on the rim to get the best balance before filling it. I cast my own wheel weights and hot glued them on to a flat spot on the rim. Took it for a ride, dialed in.
I do like the idea of inspecting everything while its apart. Thanks for the answers.
The thing with mounting lube is you want it to go away after the tire is mounted, letting the tires bead rubber stick to the rim. A lubricant that stays a lubricant can have the rim spinning inside the tire. This can wreak havoc on balance, and tear the tire bead up.
Casting your own weights and hot gluing then in place is very diy and interesting, but they make stick on wheel weights and you can buy them at any auto parts store. They arent expensive and its a lot quicker.
Be careful cutting a tire off a rim. Its real easy to accidentally nick the rim doing this. Then, you will be using bead sealer.
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Most tire/motorcycle shops aren't terribly happy having people bring in stuff they purchased online to have installed (unless they don't sell tires I suppose), and will charge more to do so--off the bike I've been quoted $50-60 each vs $25-30 each if purchasing tires from them. Personally, I wouldn't bring in tires purchased elsewhere to have them installed unless I had no other choice, regardless of cost. Feels like a bit of a slap in the face to the local business, IMO.
I bought a Harley several years ago the owner had put new Harley branded Dunlop tires on because he didn't want to sell one with worn out tires. No wear on them at all, my test ride might have put the first mile on them. Looked at the tire date anyway, 10 years old from a Harley dealer. I'll only buy online, usually get mine from Denis Kirk, never got one more than a few months old from them. It's probably easier for me than most riders though, I have a tire changer and do my own.
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Be careful cutting a tire off a rim. Its real easy to accidentally nick the rim doing this. Then, you will be using bead sealer.
I've done some scooter tires, 10-12" rims, and they're the toughest bike tires I've ever dealt with. First one I couldn't get off even with another guy helping, first one I ever cut. Now I don't even try prying off scooter tires, just cut them. What I do is cut down to about an inch from the bead, then lift it enough with a tire spoon to get it between the tire and rim, that's not too hard, and cut over the spoon so there's a heavy piece of steel between the cutting wheel and rim. Still haven't touched a spoon with the cutting wheel, but it's good insurance for the rim anyway. 16" Dunlop tires, most common for big twins, have tempted me to cut them, but so far a little help with a couple spoons on my tire changer gets them started, then it can finish the job. Spoons only, that's a younger man's job, at 73 my wrists hurt with that much effort, why I got a tire changer a few years ago. I've done enough tires to make it pay for itself, compared to having a dealer change them. Taking the bike to the Harley dealer, that would be... one bike, for what I paid for it used.
I bought a Harley several years ago the owner had put new Harley branded Dunlop tires on because he didn't want to sell one with worn out tires. No wear on them at all, my test ride might have put the first mile on them. Looked at the tire date anyway, 10 years old from a Harley dealer. I'll only buy online, usually get mine from Denis Kirk, never got one more than a few months old from them. It's probably easier for me than most riders though, I have a tire changer and do my own.
Some research of my own discovered if I bought the tire from one local store it's at least $50 more for the tire. Then they'll charge you $25 to mount and balance. Otherwise if you bring one in it's $50. If I can save any money I'm all for it. The closest indy shop said they don't mind doing just labor related things like bench work or tire mounting. It's income they'll take. Especially if they know I'm a repeat customer. But still they're charging $50. Their tires are $100 more though and they know they can't compete with with the mail order companies.
If you use big ole zip ties to compress the two beads together you can almost literally just throw the tire on to the rim. Same with removal. Easy-peazy... Videos all over youtube.
Bonus is that when mounting, you can then easily spin the tire around the rim to get it aligned Dot wise before cutting the ties.
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