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New Shoes!

D

DanLong

Mini Bike
I've been thinking about new tires lately. My rear was looking worn, the front just ugly with flat spots and cupping. So today while I was out running around I stopped into my dealer to talk about tires and installation. Nothing firm, just checking prices. I figured I had another 3-4 weeks left on the current ones, enough time to save up some band gig money to pay for the tires and installation.

This afternoon another Connie friend came over for a ride. I was on a call for work, and when I came out he's bent over my back tire and says "you know you have belts showing?". I looked and there it was a nice strip 2' long of steel belts showing. I check the tires but I really just look at what is exposed when it's parked. Maybe they've been showing for a few days, maybe it happened today on my ride. I've probably done 500 miles in the last week just tooling around.

So, ride cancelled, we pulled the tire, (which was suprisingly easy with someone who knew what they were doing). I called the dealer, told the parts guy I had to get it done today if they could squeeze me in. He matched a price I had for 325 for a set of PR3's. I took the rear down, had it installed, brought it home, put it on, and tomorrow I'll take it down and let them do the front, since I don't really have a way to keep the front end up to remove the tire, and I don't have a big enough hex head to get the axle out.

On the way home my wife let me stop into the Harbor Freight place, I've never been in there. (she rules!). Picked up some ball head hex sockets and a set of ball head allen wrenches, and a small grease gun, all stuff I can use. Also got a cool pair of kevlar lined leather gloves that will be nice on the bike for only 12 bucks. The didn't have a hex wrench big enough for the front axle or I'd have picked it up. I'm also looking a table type jack for the bikes they have but that's way down on the wish list.

Oh- I got 5850 miles out of the rear stock tire.
 
Glad to hear you caught the cord before you rode on it....this is why a quick lookover of the bike is important before each and every ride :)

You can use a scissor jack and some wood under the engine to lift the front end off the ground when it's up on the CC and if I recall correctly a Craftsman 15/16 Spark plug socket has a head meant to grab with a wrench, but fits perfectly in the axle (Prob 5 bucks at sears)  IF the dealer wants to charge an extra 50 to remove and reinstall this is a cheaper alternative :) (I usually pull both front and rear at the same time and swap em out...

Enjoy the new shoes.  I have a set of PR3's coming
 
Was on a group ride last fall and one of the two up C14s discovered the same thing at a gas stop in the middle of the ride.  It's safe to conclude that the thickness of the rubber over the cords is not uniform.  Not worth the trouble to get the last mile out of them not counting the degradation of 'stick'.
:-[
 
so I call down to the dealer today to have the front done. My regular girl isn't available, and I get the new guy. I explain who I was, that my tire is there, can they squeeze me in. "No. We're too busy. We have a lot of work that are longer jobs and there is no way" I say I have prepaid maintenance, that is supposed to bump me up in line "Only for regular maintenance, not for tires. The soonest I can fit you in is March 28" So now I can see my pulse in my eyes. I tell him that isn't acceptable, my tire is shot, the new tire I've already paid for is sitting there, and if he can't help me out, I'll come and pick up my tire and go somewhere else, and I hang up.

Tonight, an hour after they close, I get a call from the girl who we always deal with. I told her what happened, and that frankly, I'm pretty pissed that the new guy was not willing to make any attempt to accomodate me and that he expected me to wait 2 weeks to have a tire that probably has enough tread to make it down there to have it changed. She says "can you bring it down tomorrow afternoon?" Done. I should bring her flowers.

We spent over 700 in accessories and parts in there yesterday (aside from my tires, we bought a Baron's big air kit intake for my wife's Vulcan, and I bought some floorboard covers for her that she doesn't know about yet), and we've probably spent 40 grand on bikes, services, parts in there over the years. I dont' expect them to drop everything, but at least listen to the situation and try to work it out. The regular girl gets it, she knows how to make the customer happy. The new guy, he's just lucky my wife wasn't the one trying to get service, because she's a lot tougher than I am!
 
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