[mike1nw]

For my 400.
Dealer will install ONLY if you buy tire from them.
Hmm. OK.
How much? $154. PLUS $40 install. You must be insane.
I can buy the %$^#&$ tire for $80 on line.

SO...

If you have done your own tire R&R, I would appreciate any tips.

(I plan to make my own balancing stand.)

Thank you.

 

[Desert Rat]

I buy my tires from http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com. I remove them from my 07 & have a local HD shop dismount & mount the new one for $25.00. Then I reinstall on my scooter. :thumbup:

 

[29534]

I installed a pair of ties on my 400 last Saturday. I bought a set of Shinkos from Motorcycle Superstore (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/5/ ... -Tire.aspx http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/5/ ... -Tire.aspx )for $85 delivered (read the customer reviews). I removed the wheels with the help of videos -http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5FA8ED8FCA1FE85C&feature=mh_lolz .

I broke the sidewalls down with a large C-clamp and a block of wood and then removed the tires with an tire tool and a small flat crow bar along with a big hammer. This has worked for me since the 70s.

I didn't balance them but they are smooth up to 78 MPH at least.

 

[Desert Rat]

I installed a pair of ties on my 400 last Saturday. I bought a set of Shinkos from Motorcycle Superstore
I didn't balance them but they are smooth up to 78 MPH at least.

Let us know what kind of mileage you get. I only got 5k out of a rear I tried.

 

[Chérie]

For my 400.
Dealer will install ONLY if you buy tire from them.
Hmm. OK.
How much? $154. PLUS $40 install. You must be insane.
I can buy the %$^#&$ tire for $80 on line.

SO...

If you have done your own tire R&R, I would appreciate any tips.

(I plan to make my own balancing stand.)

Thank you.

Dealer is crook and Idiot!! He in time loose you as customer.

Find good tire deal on line.

Find local independent Pa & Ma shop, many excellent ones and charge only $20.00 -$30.00 for install tire they do not sell.

 

[TwoWheelTim]

I do all my own, including balance. I find it easiest (if using C clamps) to put the bike on the center stand, remove the valve core to deflate the tire while still mounted on the bike, use the clamps to break the bead, a little soap and water help. Then remove the wheel from the bike, and then remove the tire and using tire tools. There is some technique and the job is not to bad, once you learn the tricks. I have done about six changes, and get better with each one. Ohh is easier to manipulate the tire in warm weather.

The dealer is hosing you with extreme prejudice, or he just dosn't like you.

 

[Wes_Ingram]

Dealer in my area matched Motorcycle Superstore price and mounted and balanced for $37.50. Tire is a Perelli Diablo, rear tire. :thumbup:

 

[Scootereno]

I mount all my own tires. I have had Bridgestone's, Pirelli's, Shinko's, and Michellin's. The Shinko's wore out the quickest but performed quite well for 6700 miles on the rear. There are places to get tires mounted cheaper but you have to search them out. The smaller cycle shops and any "Cycle Gear" store will mount them much cheaper than the big stealerships. Good luck with your choice!

 

[29534]

I installed a pair of ties on my 400 last Saturday. I bought a set of Shinkos from Motorcycle Superstore
I didn't balance them but they are smooth up to 78 MPH at least.

Let us know what kind of mileage you get. I only got 5k out of a rear I tried.

I hope to get 5,000 out of them. I and the prior owner got about 5,000 out of the original Bridgestone and the replacement Diablo. My friend has a 650 and the original tire is worn out at 5,800 miles. It is apparently the kind of riding we do along with the roads we ride on (crooked mountain roads with a course pavement). I live near the Blue Ridge Parkway and the pavement on the road seems to wear tires far more than the typical road.

 

[Duster]

I hope to get 5,000 out of them. I and the prior owner got about 5,000 out of the original Bridgestone and the replacement Diablo. My friend has a 650 and the original tire is worn out at 5,800 miles. It is apparently the kind of riding we do along with the roads we ride on (crooked mountain roads with a course pavement). I live near the Blue Ridge Parkway and the pavement on the road seems to wear tires far more than the typical road.

Sounds like a lot of the roads in southern Florida....there are no gravel pits
to get crushed stone for asphalt paving, so they use a lot of crushed seashells...
really like driving on razor edges...wears out tires in no time. My brother even
complains about for the tires on his car. :?

 

[Chérie]

Crushed seashell mix in tire make for excellent winter tire in great north, excellent for pack snow and icy road.. :thumbup: :lol:

 

[Aladinbama]

I haven't ridden every tire, but Michelin City Grips are the best I have so far. 18K on the front, and just over 7K on the rear - that's here in the heat of the south (fwiw, 7K on a hoop rear and 3.5K on a Michelin SC rear). I currently have Power Pure SCs and they are stickier than the City Grips and they should wear well. Actually, it's one of the stickiest tires I've had on any bike. I would recommend it already even with limited mileage.
Call around to your local tire shops and see what they'll charge to have them mounted. Different shops charge different rates so don't hesitate to call for a better deal. Just to add, I take mine to a shop here that has charged me three different rates at three different times - all were at or under $20 for both tires though.
I use dynabeads to balance. They've done well in the 23K or so I've owned the Burgman and also for @26K or so on various other bikes (Golwing 1500 + ST1100). They're cheap and easy to adjust if needed (the front tire of the ST requires 1 oz more for some reason - it took me a bit to figure that out).
Good luck!

 

[Dave_J]

Mike, disregard the Darkside and polishing of the rim part of this topic. viewtopic.php?f=4&t=58631&hilit=Formosa

 

[mike1nw]

I wanted to add, I bought my 2008 in July 2012, with 6500 miles and original front and rear tires.
Changed rear then to a "HOOP"
Now at 15,000 and changing front tire- it's wearing out plus cracking (after 5 years in the south)

Thinking of going to the DARK SIDE for the rear however. I ride conservatively.

Thanks, have to find the tire levers now. Sounds like a trip to HF

 

[hawk]

Got my 650 with the original Bridgestones, and replaced the rear with a Shinko at 8600 miles. The front is still pretty good at 11K. I have 2400 on the rear Shinko, with no real sign of wear so far. I'll probably ride another 5-10K this spring through the fall. I live in the Eastern Sierra Nevada, with lots of secondary roads and steep climbing and descents. Lots of open highway, too, but most of our roads are on the rough side.

 

[Desert Rat]

Shinko on the rear of a 650 seems to last longer than on a 400 with what I've read. I don't know why :?

 

[Fatjock]

Just got My 400 back on the road Saturday after manually replacing a tire for the first time myself (put a new City grip on the Rear, to replace a punctured item. $62-95 from Bike Bandit).........

I bought a "Mini tire changer" from HF ($42). Which worked well as far as breaking the bead, and getting the old tire off the rim, but proved worse than useless when trying to mount the new one.

Two tire levers I bought from Northern tool ($34) on the way home Friday made quick work of mounting it on the floor of my Garage Saturday Morning.

There are many helpful videos on this subject on You tube. showing various ways to break the bead, de-mount, and mount, with the minimum of tools... in retrospect, I didn't even need the HF rig (but now I've got it, I'll use it to de-mount).

I now have all the tools I need to swap a tire out quickly, and easily, and having done it once, I'm surprised I hadn't tried before!!
It was a lot less difficult than I expected.

I wanted to try it out for a bit first..............and so this weekend I'm going to have a go at putting in the dynabeads I purchased, to see how they work out!

Find your tire online, get some tire levers, rim protectors, and go for it!!
You'll save money, and frustration.

 

[Dave_J]

Using tire irons is easy. But use caution in not scoring/scratching the rim as a tubeless tire will leak if a scratch is deep enough. Aluminum is soft and deforms easily. I use some old innertube rubber as a rim protector, slipped between the iron and rim. Go to a (Pedal) bike shop and ask if they have any punctured bike tubes, they will give you 100's, FREE.

 

[mike1nw]

How delicate is the actual rim, can you pry against it without breaking it or otherwise harming it?

I made a bead breaker (will post photo if it works) from scraps.
Tire irons $5 each from HF.
Balance stand- still looking.

 

[marksbike]

Hey mike1nw,
Your post came at just at the right time for me! I have a red 2008 400 just like yours. I just clocked 9,000 miles and realized the back tire in particular has just a little meat left on the bone and will in no way make it through the summer. Although I've done a lot of my own maintenance the thought of changing tires myself was way out of the question.......till I got a quote. :shock: OMG $499.84 out the door for both tires? Bite me. I followed the advice in this post and just ordered two new tires from Motorcycle Superstore. My dealers price was DOUBLE and would not price match or even come close. I watched Mitch's video and am confident I can remove/reinstall both wheels myself. I will take the wheels and new tires to the same dealer as the price to mount and balance are $37.50 while you wait. That, I'm willing to spend.......