No tire deals in Vegas!

[macx]

6,200 miles and the oem tires on my '11 R1200RT aren't too very much longer for the road. Hoping to get 8k.

 

So starting to look around. Of course, the dealer wants $410 for a set of Z8 interacts, plus 8.1% sales tax, and probly $30 plus each for mount & balance. So that's north of $500.

 

Same tires online at Motorcycle Superstore are $285 with NO sales tax and free shipping. Throw in about $150 for a good model specific wheel balancer and front axle remover and tire tool and I'm STILL a good $75 cheaper and the tools are already paid for with just 1 pair of tires!

 

I checked a couple non-dealer big bike accessory places in Vegas that advertise discount prices and one was even higher than the dealer!

 

I wouldn't at all mind paying a reasonable price (I bought my last pair at my home town dealer and was very satisfied with the price), but it really irks me when somebody expects they have free reign to pick my pocket and rip me off that much. With the miles I'm putting on my 1200RT (6,200 since May 1 this year) I stand to save a nice chunk over the next 5 years or however long I am able to actively ride.

 

After the tools, saving roughly $175 on a pair of tires every 8,000 or so equals over 2 cents per mile. On one longer trip that's $20. I'd rather invest that in a few refreshio's at the end of a nice ride than to add to the pile in some dealer's pocket that's already heavier than the coins in my pocket.

 

Just an interesting little tidbit - I compared the cost per mile of driving my R1200RT to my car that gets 30+ mpg, both using 91 octane, adding up gas, oil, and tires. Because of the tire costs it's only about 2 cents per miles less to drive the bike - that's paying the $500+ for tires every 8,000 miles. And my car tires are top of the line costing $1,300 for a set, but they last over 50k easily.

 

So saving over 2 cents a mile on bike tires widens that gap several % points and drives the difference up closer to 5 cents a mile. (about 8 cents for gas at $4, a couple cents for all the oils, but about 6-1/2 cents just for tires on the bike at $500+ a pair each 8,000 miles. I'd say that's disproportionately high compared to just over 2 cents per mile on my car even with the high buck tires) I do nearly all my own wrenching, have for years, and have changed countless tires on aluminum rims, so that doesn't scare me a bit. I'll do that little job on the bike for $200+ any day!

 

Plus I get the satisfaction of beating those thieves at their own game.

 

Is it any wonder dealers butter up hi mileage riders so much and make such a big deal over them? Ka Ching!

 

[aterry1067]

Everyone that comes to/lives in Vegas has thousands of dollars to throw away like monopoly money....that's the common belief. Once you get past all the BS, then you can get down to reality. There should be some pretty good deals to be found out there, it's just a matter of finding them. The Z8's seem to be a pricey tire anywhere, so maybe willing to try another type for a a while? The PR2's should be reasonable now that the PR3's are out. From what i hear, Shinko has some pretty decent tires for about half the price of the other popular brands. That should drop your $ per mile down considerably.

 

That said, try to find other people that have lived there for a while. I didn't have a street bike when I lived in vegas, but I did have a two stroke quad. Sams cycle was the place I frequented. I can't remember if he had street bike parts or not. But someone there may be able to point you in the right direction. If nothing else, try talking to some people at LVMS, especially during midnite mayhem. There are usually at least a couple bikes there. Also, Spring Mtn track out in Pahrump. Lot's of guys riding bikes out there. I had quite a few friends that rode sport bikes out there, and was always meeting more through them. Just start talking to others and you will eventually find the places to go. If nothing else, Socal is just over the mountain.

 

I know it sounds so cliche, but really, get out and talk to others in the community. They will be the ones to point you in the right direction.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks.

 

 

[allikanbe]

After I bought my 2007 K12S, I overheard the dealer trying to sell tires to another customer for $500+. I went to Harbor Freight and bought a tire changer, ordered a Marc Parnes balancer, and a set of tires online. Now I have 55,000 miles and have put on 8 or so sets of tires on the bike. I don't see how or why people pay the dealer prices when they can do it themselves or have it done by another rider for way less money.

[Paul Mihalka]

Dealer tire prices: I work at a BMW dealer and am doing it for over 20 years. I get tires and stuff at dealer cost. Often I buy my tires (many) on the Internet because it is cheaper than dealer cost. Roughly the dealer's profit is the difference between the price you find on the 'net and the price he charges. I guess large scale tire Internet sellers can buy from the manufacturer. The bike dealer has to buy from wholesalers like Parts Unlimited and Tucker-Rocky. The system is really messed up for the dealer.

[macx]

I know, in general, dealer costs and typical markup. I was Parts Manager for a heavy truck dealer for a while some years back.

 

But that doesn't really explain why my local "small town" BMW dealer gave me a decent price last summer. I wouldn't imagine he gets any cheaper prices than a "big town" dealer.

 

I am all too willing to give a dealer a profit on his investment not only in the part but also his shop and his labor overhead, but when someone wants a large markup for a short term investment (one of the places I called would have to order the tires, which is OK as I'm not needing them "tomorrow") so he'd be investing his $ in the tires for only a short time. Multiply that times how many times a year he could do that with the same investment can easily give him several hundred % profit. I don't go for that. When I was Parts Mgr, the suggested retail markup was %100 and we turned our complete inventory over several times a year. On special order stuff, I gave out the discounted "fleet" price and still made the dealership 75% profit.

 

I quit going to a chassis and alignment shop at home when the owner wanted 100% on a steering rack he turned over in 1 day.

I don't mind %25 markup/profit in a 1 day turnover, but 100% was just a big ripoff. So now he isn't making anything on me and the rest of my family in the area.

 

Same deal with the tires. And I'm just here for a 3 year construction job and will be moving on, so if I get a balancer the savings will keep accumulating.

 

re the new Z8's - they're actually less than the Z6's they replace. I have Z6's and like them on the 1150R. Don't want to go to a cheaper tire that maybe will or won't perform satisfactorily and will probly wear out sooner, so very possibly no real per mile savings or relatively little, along with inferior performance to some degree.

 

And with my work schedule and being totally unfamiliar with the area, it's more work spending how many trips and how many hours talking to locals that I probly don't know about and can't find in the first place than it would be just to do it myself and be done with it. I don't mind the work.

 

But thanks for the input everyone! There's always multiple ways of looking at a problem, and always more than one "right" answer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tallman]

Amen.

It is messed up for the dealership.

Also hard to compare costs for dealers in different areas (overhead varies).

 

What I don't get is people who want to dis the dealership for trying to cover operating costs (you do want a well trained highly compensated tech working on your bike, right?) and make a small profit.

The OP wants to spend another $20 on refreshment after the ride.

But if you're buying beer, you're getting ripped a new one.

I brewed my own beer and could bottle an excellent one for about 5% the cost of buying it.

That would be like getting your $500 dealer mounted tires for $25.

So, why just the resentment over tire costs?

Really it isn't that bad when you compare restaurant and alcohol costs to doing it yourself.

 

Also following the lemons into lemonade model, why not turn it into a business opportunity?

Open a tire changing shop that you did on your off days.

You'd pay for your investment soon.

Just don't forget workmen's comp. , liability insurance, business startup costs, overhead, advertising, unemployment tax, federal payroll taxes, quarterly tax returns, annual tax returns, incorporation costs,

and maintain a selection of every tire in every size combination.

Easy.

Best wishes.

[beemerboy]

After I bought my 2007 K12S, I overheard the dealer trying to sell tires to another customer for $500+. I went to Harbor Freight and bought a tire changer, ordered a Marc Parnes balancer, and a set of tires online. Now I have 55,000 miles and have put on 8 or so sets of tires on the bike. I don't see how or why people pay the dealer prices when they can do it themselves or have it done by another rider for way less money.

 

I go through an internet tire supplier and have 'em drop shipped to a local BMW bud with a serious tire machine. I ride over and pay him $20/wheel to remove the wheel, tire, and install & balance the new tire. When everything's said and done I'm out the door for about $290 for PP 2CT's. Schweet.

[Powers77]

macx,

Just curious, where did Cycle Gear come in on price?

They seemed to be competitive on the old PR 2's when I was looking a year or so ago.

Mounting was $25-$35 IIRC.

[KDeline]

(you do want a well trained highly compensated tech working on your bike, right?)

 

Yea, that's been working for me.........