dropped my bike off today to get the front tire changed

3055 Views 14 Replies 11 Participants Last post by joecey, Nov 2, 2004

RedValk

Discussion Starter · Oct 27, 2004

i had milked it WAY TOO LONG. 9000 on it. Front tire BADLY cupped and worn. But i have been dreading them working on it. I'm afraid they will scratch up the rim...or the fender...or something.

I gave them the usual talk in the parking lot....."this bike better not have a scratch on it when i get it back". but this time...even more than with other bikes in the past...i told them i was deadly serious. They say they too have been dreading changing this tire. I hope all goes well. i don't want the hassle of confronting them with scratches. Lord knows they have had to replace plenty of things on my Valk that they scratched up. But i'm hoping they'll get this right..... they mentioned if i was that concerned about scratching up the rims...maybe i should take the tires to a custom shop to change them. I told them just do whatever it takes to do it right. Take more time....charge me more. Just do NOT scratch it up.....

Stay tuned......

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LOV2KRZ

· #2 · Oct 28, 2004

Let Us Know

I'd like to know what they charge you in labor hours for changing the tire. I have to have my Smart Tire installed and want a good estimate of the time required to get the tires off and back on.

Waiting for your reply.

RUNE102

· #3 · Oct 28, 2004

Tire Time

Standard is 1.5 hour per front and rear. 3.0 total.

$300.00 in labor and $350.00 for tires.

RedValk

Discussion Starter · #4 · Oct 28, 2004

good news and bad....

the good news...they did it...with no scratches, mars, blemishes...etc. They got it right. the bike came back to me emaculate. That made me very happy.

The sort of bad news....it took them 3-4 hours (they had up to 3....that's right...3 people working on it some of the time...to avoid the scratches...and some took time off to do other things....so that's why they claim it was somewhere between 3-4 hours). they did have to remove the fender. they tried and tried to find an alternative to removing the fender...but no luck. The regional Honda Rep even came by ...and he looked at the bike (and admired some of the aftermarket parts!)....and talked to them about the difficulty of tire removal. I told the Honda Rep about this web site.

They 'only' charged me for 2 hours labor. So that was 140 bucks. They charged me 200 bucks for the tire. yes, i know, i could have gotten the tire cheaper at someplace like Honda Direct...BUT....this shop, like so many others, will NOT install a tire you buy somewhere else. It's a long story as to why....but they have their reasons...be they right or wrong.

Bottom line....350 bucks and a little more after tax to have a front tire changed out. But...you don't buy this bike expecting to buy parts or maintenance for cheap....so i was neither shocked nor bitchin' about the cost. But....doing the math...if you had to replace both tires...at my local shop....i'll be looking at a MINIMUM of 600 bucks...maybe as much as 700 to do both.

Whew...that's some smackaroos for tires. i could outfit my full size pickup truck TWO TIMES for that kind of money. and to think, that tire on front won't last more than 9000 miles and i'll be doing it all over again :roll:

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KenCrawleySC

· #5 · Oct 28, 2004

Whine whine whine! Ok so I put $1,200 worth of rubber on my Rune and now am at 22,000 miles on the odometer. So that is about a nickel per mile for rubber. Cheaper than the psychologist and the lady who holds out her garter for you to stick a dollar under it combined!

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USMCRune

· #6 · Oct 28, 2004

Type of tire ??

What type of tire did you have put on? I know Ken in SC put on a GW tire. Just wanting to know because my turn is coming up..

:lol: Dave

RedValk

Discussion Starter · #7 · Oct 28, 2004

i just put the OEM tire on. i'm game to go UP in tire size...but NEVER down in size. I'm all about size....big is better for me :twisted: Until somebody either makes a 1) better quality front tire of SAME size....like an Avon or 2) a bigger front tire....i'll just be putting OEM on.

Now on the back tire....i might have to look at a 190 ...or 200...or even 210? but, i hate to mix and match tires. I'd prefer to find a set....with the same or bigger front....and a bigger back....but with matching tread. So far, no luck. I've got a little while...like a few k miles....before i have to change the rear. If only Avon make a set of tires for this bike meeting my above 'needs'.

Funny how folks are going thru the front tire quicker than the back tire! Just the opposite of most bikes.......

BigD2128

· #8 · Oct 29, 2004

wow

WOW 650$ for one freaking tire... what are they out of their skull? i could have two hookers for an hour for that money.... and you only got 9k on a tire WOW thats not kool. I Was probely thinking out of my ass when i got it.(rune).. did not think it would be so much to maintain a mororcycle i thought i could could save some $$ on a motorcycle compaired to a car. but i gess not...(back to the drawing) any one want a rune?

RedValk

Discussion Starter · #9 · Oct 29, 2004

well....actually....it's about 650 for two tires....but still....not much better :lol:

I knew going in this bike would cost a bit more to maintain. But i got it instead of a Boss hoss....and i still believe it will be cheaper to maintain and more reliable than a Boss. But....maybe i'm full of it. Lamont could offer some advice on comparing upkeep of the two perhaps....

Adrian

· #10 · Oct 29, 2004

RedValk said:
well....actually....it's about 650 for two tires....but still....not much better :lol:

I knew going in this bike would cost a bit more to maintain. But i got it instead of a Boss hoss....and i still believe it will be cheaper to maintain and more reliable than a Boss. But....maybe i'm full of it. Lamont could offer some advice on comparing upkeep of the two perhaps....

As a Boss Hoss Owner for 5 years you are right on. The maintenance on my Boss Hoss's is out of site but then again it is a monster and fast. Tires will last 10,000 to 12,000 miles and if you don't do your own work you best have a good Pal to do it for you. I'm lucky because I do all my own including changing the tires on my Wing and Rune.

Adrian

SiteData

· #11 · Oct 29, 2004

Looking for a friend

Adrian:

Very soon I’ll need to replace my front tire.

:bow1: Will you be my Pal?

rune018

· #12 · Oct 31, 2004

What the f*:^, $650 is that right? Dude I would start looking for another reliable sourse somewhere else, I just had the front done, now granted I am friends with the service manager at a dealership, and he did do the work himself at home but still I think you got took for like $200.00 if not more,if you shop other tire sourses I think you can get a break. I won the set that I have & as I said I just put the front on & even if I would have paid for the tire the front including the cost of the tire would have been about $200.00, I'm not tring to rub it in I just think you should do more checking around, I hope your options are not to limited in your area, per haps I will become another sourse for atleast front tires, I know there going for $ 150 or so through dealers etc. It is possible to get them cheaper, We can do better!!! I do agree that once more tire manufacturers make the tire we all will be better off. Until then don't give up hope.

Rich Oas

· #13 · Nov 1, 2004

Front tire Chance/Charge

My dealer changed mine in 1.5 hours. Tire $175...Labor $100. Having never done a Rune before. Unfortunately there is a small chip on my rim along edge which is about 1/8" wide x 3/8" long.... I asked them to be extremely careful but looks like they pried and popped off this small piece. Good service guy so I'm not making a big deal over it.... but at some point I suppose it will lead to more popping off in that area..... I learned to never get too excited on dry land... life is short... not enuf time to spend it unhappy .... Had a nice ride yesterday and today from Munising MI to Appleton WI.... put on about 600 total miles .... average temp was about 50F and about 250 of the miles were in the rain... what nasty ass weather but oh... oh...oh.... to be on the Rune is such a wonderful adveture... got home, thanked God for keeping me safe and got a huge grin and good feeling.. Most folks up this way have their bikes put up for the winter... suppose the weather will force me off the road soon too. Safe riding to you all .

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RedValk

Discussion Starter · #14 · Nov 1, 2004

i just chalk it up to the price of doing business. i told them to take their time...take MORE time than normal...but do NOT scratch ANY part of this bike. So they took the extra time......double the normal time. they charged me 140 bucks in labor ....and the tire was right at retail ...which is about 195 or so. Plus tax. so about 365 out the door.

other choices? Not here. All local dealers here have a policy that if you don't buy the tire from them...they won't mount it. i don't mount my own tires. So that means to do a tire change, i'd have to drive WAY OUT OF MY way to some other city with a dealer (who doesn't know me)...and do a change...IF...IF they have a different policy? (and there is only one Honda dealer within 75 miles of me). And i like the option of dropping the bike off in the morning....my wife works about 3 blocks from the dealer....she picks me up....and i work about half a mile from her. So this is also all about convenience too. Plus, nobody but a Honda dealer is going to touch my Rune. Period.

Nope, there is no other reasoable option for me. But again, it's only money. To me....to get the tire change done...with NO scratches....it's worth 140 in labor. Sure, i'd love to be able to save 40 or 50 bucks on the tire itself by buying thru Hal ...for instance.....but again, i can't do that due to local shop policy.

Personally, i have no problem whatsoever with plopping down extra money....and then, if there is ONE SINGLE scratch, i make them fix it/replace it for FREE. if i did the work myself....and scratched it, i'd be SOL. I do all the minor maintenance...like oil changes, etc. But major stuff (including tires)....they will be doing it.

Hey, i pay 460 to get both tires changed on my Valk....and there are all sorts of options on tires on that bike. This is only about 200-250 more for the Rune. This bike is defineitely worth that :wink:

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joecey

· #15 · Nov 2, 2004

I would avoid going to any shop at any price. with my cars or bikes.

Chances are, your gonna get a scratch, chip, ding or something. At this point of my life , ive learned to deal with it and not expect everything to be perfect.

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