[kodonnell1]

Hello All
Was out riding and picked up a nail in my rear tire. Went to the Victory dealer in Utah and they said it would cost 260.00 for the rear tire plus 2 hours labor at 90 $ an hour. They said I had to change the tire because they don't want to take the chance of getting sued. Just a little heads up to be alert to any sharp objects on the road because they could ruin your day financialy.

 

[bikendad]

Can't really blame them with the litigation nightmare this country has turned into.

 

[bubba]

If the nail went through, replace the tire. What kind of bike? Tire seems expensive.

 

[kodonnell1]

2009 victory vision premeum

 

[bubba]

Same happened to my 09. 600 miles, screw in tire. New tire, do not remember what I paid.

 

[aztucson]

I fully agree to not take chances on a tire but I do sympathize with the cost. That seems very high to me. I am changing both my Ultra tires for less than that at both the Harley shop and an independent wrench.

Not trying to be critical just interested in the cost since I am considering a Vision soon.

 

[Rocketman]

I just changed my rear tire at an independant shop, they charged 1 hour and actually had it totally done and test ridden to ensure belt was correct in 45 mins.
Tire price is what you decide to pay for what ever brand and model you prefere and can find a deal on. But two hours to change a tire on a bike that is very easy to get the wheel off and on seems high to me. Two hours for both maybe but not 1.
Just my 2 cents ( Canadian ) LOL

 

[spider]

Plug the tire from the inside, no problems.
At a little over 3500 klms I picked up a screw in my front tire, no way was I gonna waste a perfectly good tire, my dealer plugged it " properly " and at 33,000 klms I am gonna have to change it due to wear, plug is still solid.
The screw I picked up was in the tread, so maby it was less of an issue, all I know is with the proper plug tire will be good as new !
BTW it cost me $22.50, I took the wheel in myself and waited.
I would never trust an older style plug from the outside in unless it was an emergency, I carry a kit in my saddle bag just in case.

 

[spider]

Hello All
Was out riding and picked up a nail in my rear tire. Went to the Victory dealer in Utah and they said it would cost 260.00 for the rear tire plus 2 hours labor at 90 $ an hour. They said I had to change the tire because they don't want to take the chance of getting sued. Just a little heads up to be alert to any sharp objects on the road because they could ruin your day financialy.

They either did'nt have a clue how to properly repair a tire or they just wanted to screw you out of a couple hundred dollars.
I do not cheap out on safety, repair it properly, no issues.

 

[Sutherland]

Yes Spider I agree with the plug if done properly, even the new type used from the outside work a way better than the old type, it will work on a car tire without any problems, then I would go for it on bike. This said the area were you have too put plug is the most important thing, no side wall stuff, and the tire dosen't know if it is on a bike or car, this said for those that will disagree with plugging tire.
Regards

 

[mjw930]

I fully agree to not take chances on a tire but I do sympathize with the cost. That seems very high to me. I am changing both my Ultra tires for less than that at both the Harley shop and an independent wrench.

Not trying to be critical just interested in the cost since I am considering a Vision soon.

Cost has nothing to do with a Vision, it's a pretty standard 180/60R 16 radial motorcycle tire. The tire cost is the same as any other brand running a similar size tire. Nothing Victory specific here.

 

[aztucson]

I am glad you let me know and I really did not expect it to be so on the tire. It could still be specific to brand due to lack of competition and or dealers.

The bottom line is both the tire and labor were too high and sometimes riders have little choice in some situations but to pay it and move on.

Since I travel long trips, this could be important to me.

I had a Wing and now the Ultra, never had an issue getting a fair price out of town.

 

[SirP]

I just changed my rear tire at an independant shop, they charged 1 hour and actually had it totally done and test ridden to ensure belt was correct in 45 mins.
Tire price is what you decide to pay for what ever brand and model you prefere and can find a deal on. But two hours to change a tire on a bike that is very easy to get the wheel off and on seems high to me. Two hours for both maybe but not 1.
Just my 2 cents ( Canadian ) LOL

Sounds like someone should make a youtube video tutorial. Now to think about it, doing simple stuff like changing oil, air filter, belt adjustments, level adjustments , fluid level, putting on accessories, wiring auxiliary equipment, could all be good for video tutorials.

 

[mjw930]

I am glad you let me know and I really did not expect it to be so on the tire. It could still be specific to brand due to lack of competition and or dealers.

The bottom line is both the tire and labor were too high and sometimes riders have little choice in some situations but to pay it and move on.

Since I travel long trips, this could be important to me.

I had a Wing and now the Ultra, never had an issue getting a fair price out of town.

It's a Dunflop E3, there are direct replacements in Avon, Metzeler and Bridgestone if you aren't partial to the Dunflops. Nothing special or proprietary (like the HD tires). $290 is full boat list price, 100% markup (50% margin). Labor is about the going big city rate but a tire replacement is usually flat rated if you buy the tire there.

Online and street price for the stock tire is right around $200 delivered, just like it was for your Wing and most of the newer HD tires.

 

[Gossamer]

if I had the tire off the rim I'd patch it not plug. It would work better. That being said, only having 2 tires between you and the ground it's a catch 22.

260 does seem expensive for the tire though as does the 2 hours labor seem kind of high.

 

[Sutherland]

New plugs used by most garages do have a type of patch on them which goes to the inside and is pulled to the outside,they will only install this type now adays
Regards

 

[aztucson]

I am glad you let me know and I really did not expect it to be so on the tire. It could still be specific to brand due to lack of competition and or dealers.

The bottom line is both the tire and labor were too high and sometimes riders have little choice in some situations but to pay it and move on.

Since I travel long trips, this could be important to me.

I had a Wing and now the Ultra, never had an issue getting a fair price out of town.

It's a Dunflop E3, there are direct replacements in Avon, Metzeler and Bridgestone if you aren't partial to the Dunflops. Nothing special or proprietary (like the HD tires). $290 is full boat list price, 100% markup (50% margin). Labor is about the going big city rate but a tire replacement is usually flat rated if you buy the tire there.

Online and street price for the stock tire is right around $200 delivered, just like it was for your Wing and most of the newer HD tires.

Just got my last receipt out.

Front and back Dunlops $124 and $145
oil change, filter, mount and balance, tax etc etc $467.21 Total for all. Inc oil change.

This is a result of competition.

Check out HD of Tucson website, they advertise will be all prices on tires.

The price quoted on his thread is way out of line or it is the brand.

 

[kevinx]

$124, and 145 are about right for the old E2 HD branded Dunlop found on your Ultra. That however only works if you have 16" ply tires. Radial or other sizes vary greatly. The HD branded D407 180/55/18 on the back of my KP listed for $229 but because my friend owns the local HD dealer I paid around $170 with tax. So it is not about competition as it is about using a tire that has been around since the early 90's. Low tech, and development costs along with the fact that it is a VERY common size set; keep prices down.
As for repair or replace. I have 2 tires on my bike and regularly exceed the posted speed limits. Taking even the slightest chance that the foreign object damaged the belt. Is not acceptable to me. Sure I have the stuff to fix the hole, but not the ability to X-Ray the carcase. That means I replace my own tire if it gets a nail, and if that is how I feel about my own stuff. That is how I work on other peoples stuff. I will not repair a street bike tire period. That is not ripping people off any more then requiring that a new tube is used for spoke wheels when replacing a tire. Plus I get the satisfaction of knowing you can't blame me if something happens.
Finally we charge 1.0 for a Vision tire; as it is about the easiest tire Vic ever made to change

 

[bikendad]

$124, and 145 are about right for the old E2 HD branded Dunlop found on your Ultra. That however only works if you have 16" ply tires. Radial or other sizes vary greatly. The HD branded D407 180/55/18 on the back of my KP listed for $229 but because my friend owns the local HD dealer I paid around $170 with tax. So it is not about competition as it is about using a tire that has been around since the early 90's. Low tech, and development costs along with the fact that it is a VERY common size set; keep prices down.
As for repair or replace. I have 2 tires on my bike and regularly exceed the posted speed limits. Taking even the slightest chance that the foreign object damaged the belt. Is not acceptable to me. Sure I have the stuff to fix the hole, but not the ability to X-Ray the carcase. That means I replace my own tire if it gets a nail, and if that is how I feel about my own stuff. That is how I work on other peoples stuff. I will not repair a street bike tire period. That is not ripping people off any more then requiring that a new tube is used for spoke wheels when replacing a tire. Plus I get the satisfaction of knowing you can't blame me if something happens.
Finally we charge 1.0 for a Vision tire; as it is about the easiest tire Vic ever made to change

A couple of VERY good points here. 1. You can't X-Ray the tire to be sure there is no damage to the belt and 2. if a guy slams a pothole after you fix the tire, shreds it, dumps the bike, kills his wife, guess who he and his attorney are coming after. I wouldn't do the repair for any price if I owned a shop, can't afford to take the liability these days.

 

[Sutherland]

2. if a guy slams a pothole after you fix the tire, shreds it, dumps the bike, kills his wife, guess who he and his attorney are coming after. I wouldn't do the repair for any price if I owned a shop, can't afford to take the liability these days.
I guess this could apply to all the bikes that get upgraded with more HP,guy goes out and kills himself or someone elsebecause he can't handle the extra power, this may not havehappen with his stock motorcycle.
If we have to worry about every thing in life before we do something then thats to bad
Regards