MC Tire changes?

[Firefly]

Anyone else have trouble getting a tire shop to work on MC tires?

I had my fronts rotated 2 months ago by local Discount Tire - no problems--- just took the rims in and had them swapped from side to side.

Went in today with 1 tire & rim (front) that went flat on me and they refused to work on it because it says 'motorcycle tire' on the sidewall.

Not real thrilled with them as I've bought thousands of dollars of tires from them for the last 25 years.

I know my dealer (45 minutes away) just runs them down to the local Belle Tire and they swap them. Going to try them later today on the fix.

So what do most folks with 2 wheelers do??

Kind of ruins my plans for ordering new fronts for the spring and having them installed via local shop.

For sure will do ride-on next time!

I wonder if ride-on would fix my current flat?

Any ideas?

 

[DragonSpyder]

I had a local tire shop mount the tire and then had to take it to a motorcycle shop to have them balance.

 

[sabunim5]

Repairing a motorcycle is not recommended except to get you to somewhere that you can get a new tire. Your shop does not want the liability. Yes I know it's not really a motorcycle tire but it's a good thing that they actually know that you shouldn't repair a motorcycle tire. Frustrating I'm sure, but the fact that they won't compromise says good things about them. If the puncture is in the tread portion of the tire it is probably safe to repair (my opinion only - not advice). I would think that there are still shops that do vulcanized patches (used to be called hot patches). If the puncture is anywhere else, get a new tire.
I use Ride-On in my tires. When you get something in the tire they actually recommend that you remove it and continue to drive/ride. I have not had to test the viability of that advice yet. I do have a rear tire on a 2 wheeler that was punctured by a screw. I removed screw and using a tire repair kit I plugged the tire and continued to ride. I only commute on this machine. No speeds over 45 mph on my commute. The plug had a slow leak. I added Ride On and have not had to add air to that tire in the last 2k miles. If I used this machine at real highway speeds or ever carried a passenger I would have bought a new tire.
Only you know where and what the cause of your leak is. You say the tire went flat, but don't give any details. Puncture, Valve Stem cracked, loose Valve leaking, etc. :dontknow: I know you had a plan for your current tires and It didn't quite work out. Just be sure you don't let plan B put yourself or others in peril. I'll quit sounding like your mom now. Good Luck. Ryde Safe and Enjoy :thumbup:
sabunim5 :spyder:

 

[j45p3r]

I haven't needed to have my tires serviced yet, but I talked to the mechanic who I have work on my truck and he said he'd be happy to take care of my Spyder tires for me. He's owns/operates his shop and they do real good work.

 

[Firefly]

Thanks for the input.... so here's what happened.....

Went for a ride-- maybe 120 miles-- made a few stops and then went home.

I had tested my steering a few times on different surfaces to see how it was working. When I first started the ride there was a noticeable difference between engine ON and OFF as well as on smooth concrete vs. asphalt.

I rode pretty hard and never had any problems--- steering was great. Just before I pulled into my garage I did the steering test again - and it felt 'stiffer' than before - but it could have been my arms being more tired from the ride. Pulled it in and parked it.

Next morning--- flat front right tire. Filled it back up and left it sit for a bit. Went flat again.

___________________________

So I removed it and went to local Discount tire who refused to even LOOK for the leak - even though they were the ones that rotated and balanced these tires 2 months ago.

Just got back from Belle Tire. They promptly took a look at it and found the leak in 2 minutes or less. It's in the sidewall - just cracked through. He asked if maybe I hit a curb or something - but I don't recall doing that.

They said they would be more than happy to mount any tire I want - even for a 2-wheeler -- but they can't balance those. The Spyder ones they said they can balance for me when they mount them.

I was planning on getting new fronts sometime soon - just thought if this was a nail or something they could fix so I could take short rides while the weather is still nice. Since the problem is with the sidewall it's a moot issue--- no fixing it.

I know my dealer uses a local Belle tire - and I guess I will be too - at least for this kind of thing.

Would have been nice if Discount could have at least found the leak and then told me I was SOL anyway. I really hoped to use Discount for this as they are within walking distance--- where the Belle is 2 miles away.


So now to order some tires---- and some Ride-On !


Anyone know if Ride-On would have kept me on the road for a bit longer had I been using it?

 

[Firefly]

Oh--- also--- I wonder if doing the 'steering test' on asphalt could have caused the sidewall to rupture?

Probably not a good thing to do!

 

[Some Guy]

Get a helmet for your tires! :roflblack:

I just crack myself up!

I don't think you need to worry about balancing them if you install the Ride-On. nojoke

 

[Firefly]

Get a helmet for your tires! :roflblack:

I just crack myself up!

I don't think you need to worry about balancing them if you install the Ride-On. nojoke

So it works for helmets too?hyea:

 

[Some Guy]

YES! With Ride-On, your helmet will never go flat!

 

[SpyderWolf]

I had trouble finding a shop to work on my Spyder wheels as well. I just bought a set of black powder coated front wheels for my Spyder. We called all over the place, and visited 3 different shops before we found one that would mount and balance my tires onto the new rims. They are about 35 minutes away from me, but at least now I no where I can take them.

FYI... 1 front rim without the tire mounted will fit perfectly in your trunk if you place the spokes toward the steering wheel. I carried one, while my wife carried the other.

 

[redcarbon]

rotate tires?

how can you rotate tires,they are directional?

 

[Roaddog2]

how can you rotate tires,they are directional?

You have to take them off the wheel and remount them make a little mark on sidewall so they don't get mixed up in prosses :thumbup:

 

[Tom in NM]

similar experience

I bought two six spoke wheels with tires mounted. They looked fine, but before I put them on the Spyder, I wanted to make sure they were balanced.

Stopped at Walmart and made the mistake of saying "motorcycle" and they would not even look at them. Another "neighborhood" shop said sure, and tried to mount them on their machine, but they didn't fit and none of their adapters would work either. Stopped at Big O Tires just down the block and they balanced them. ( one was fine, the other needed balancing ) I forget what they charged (I think just under $15), but being a cheap XXX, I thought it was too much.

I am considering the Ride On also. But need to contact them as far as heat/altitude/pressure issues (one of my favorite obsessions)

Tom

 

[Dudley]

heat/altitude/pressure issues

I bought two six spoke wheels with tires mounted. They looked fine, but before I put them on the Spyder, I wanted to make sure they were balanced.

Stopped at Walmart and made the mistake of saying "motorcycle" and they would not even look at them. Another "neighborhood" shop said sure, and tried to mount them on their machine, but they didn't fit and none of their adapters would work either. Stopped at Big O Tires just down the block and they balanced them. ( one was fine, the other needed balancing ) I forget what they charged (I think just under $15), but being a cheap XXX, I thought it was too much.

I am considering the Ride On also. But need to contact them as far as heat/altitude/pressure issues (one of my favorite obsessions)

Tom

Tom, I have had Ride-On since January. Just put it in your tires and forget it. Heat, altitude, pressure has nothing to do with it doing it's job. You forget you have it in your tires until you go over a board with a nail sticking out. Then you are glad you had Ride-On.

 

[SpyderWolf]

I paid a total of $40, $10 per tire for mounting and $10 per tire for balancing. Well worth it in my opinion and now I at least know where I can get the fronts taken care of. They will not do anything with the back tire at this shop either. I also had to tell my wife when she was calling the different places to not say anything about motorcycle, just say you have a 14 inch rim with 3 lugs.

 

[jwhatman]

I had to go to Discount tire to put the new tire on the rim, then went to Daytona fun machines to do the balance. Discount's balancer is too large to fit the rims in. They tend to slide too far in. A bit of a pain, but at least I know it's done right.