New Tyres. And changing them.

[tricol]

Very stupid question inbound.

There's not long left on the OE S22's on the MT. I need to start thinking about changing them. I'll likely stay with S22's. I'm not good enough to tell the difference in tyres, nor will I use all of the available rubber/performance.

Now, getting a new tyre on a car is easy. I roll into Kwik Fit and someone sticks the car on a lift, removes wheel, and changes said tyre. Never seen that principle with a bike. I see lots of folk removing their own wheels and taking them to get done. I don't have the skills or the tools to do that. Where can I go? I know dealers can, but do they only fit OE spec tyres? And I bet they charge handsomely for it.

I apologise again for being an eejit.

[KungFooBob]

The terminology you need to google is "ride in, ride out" and your location.

[weeksy]

Any dealer will do it, but they'll hit you £70 to do the swap.

[mangocrazy]

Loose wheels is the way to go if you can, but appreciate that it may not be possible. At the very least you'd need front and rear paddock stands, so not a simple option. If it were me I'd start ringing round the local dealers and ask them what they'd charge all-in for a set of S22s when they have to not just fit the tyres but remove the wheels from the bike and re-fit afterwards. If there are any local bike tyre emporiums they would be first on my list to call.

A quick google of 'motorcycle tyres sandbach' brings up F & B Motocycle Tyres - no idea if they are any good.

I suspect you may be making a few sharp intakes of breath when you hear prices...

[tricol]

Thanks.

Well a set off S22's is about £300 at least, so I'm already remortgaging the house.

[weeksy]

Get S21s from a cheap place, get dealer to fit.

[Supermofo]

My last set were fitted by a local family run bike mechanic place. I think it was £360 for a set of Road 5s.

Usually I use a mobile tyre fitter, but the poor sod had broken his back so was off work. He is usually a bit more than where I went last time, but he comes to me whilst I'm working which is handy. He can either source tyres or you can source your own and he'll fit.

The Suzuki main dealer wanted £450 for the same tyres.

Re: tyres, if you don't need the latest/greatest, then like Weeksy says get S21s they'll be cheaper.

Also consider sports touring tyres. Typically they operate more optimally at road temps, work better in cold and wet, offer more than enough grip and will last longer than sports tyres. I seriously doubt you'll be able to fault Road 5 or 6, Metzeler Roadtec 01SE, Pirelli Angel GT2s etc. How many miles have you got out of the S22s? For a little more or even similar money you might get a fair amount more life out of them. As an example the standard M7RR on the 690 lasted 3k miles, the PR4s I replaced them with were good for 5k and still had tread at near 6k but were flat spotted by then. They were the same price and gripped plenty good enough to be almost indistinguishable from the M7RR. Unless your gonna do some track days or ride bloody fast then you probably don't need sports tyres.

[wull]

It’s a pity you can’t remove the wheels yourself as you will save a few quid that way.

[ChrisW]

Is Wrexham too far to go for you? Demon Tweeks charge less than fifty quid ride in/out.

I also agree with the above - maybe consider ‘lesser’ tyres too. They’re arguably better for majority road use.

[tricol]

Wrexham is about an hour away. I'll keep that in mind. Happy to go with a lesser tyre. The Road 5's I had on the Trident were good, and had more miles in them when I sold it with 5.5k on it.

[Supermofo]

Wrexham is about an hour away. I'll keep that in mind. Happy to go with a lesser tyre. The Road 5's I had on the Trident were good, and had more miles in them when I sold it with 5.5k on it.

I've been really happy with the Road 5s on my GSXS1000

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I didn't like the Pirelli Angel GTs and GT2s I had on my GSX-S 750, I wouldn't have them again, they lacked feel, rather than grip and lasted forever, so they were a good tyre, I just didn't like them.

[KungFooBob]

If it's the first time you ever had brand new tyres fitted, remember to ride as hard and as fast as possible from the fitting centre to make sure they bed in properly.

[mboy]

Wheelhouse Tyres in Coleshill also worth considering... They're about the cheapest ride in, ride out place I know of and keep a huge range of tyres in stock.

As for tyre choice... S22's are more tyre than you need/want arguably, so definitely go sports touring tyres. They'll last twice as long and give you more grip and feel from cold.

[tricol]

I'll be honest, I could tell no difference between the Road 5's on my Trident and my S22's. But then I'm a novice rider and not good enough to feel the difference.

[Dodgy69]

You could buy £120 cheapos and a couple of stands for £250 i bet.

[mangocrazy]

How badly worn are your current tyres, Col? If you can wait until the bleak midwinter you find that tyre prices go down. It could also give you a chance to find a mate who can lend you paddock stands and help you get the wheels off. I looked at Demon Tweeks site and a set of S22s would set you back £320 just for the tyres. S21s were £275 for the pair. Michelin Road 5s were £289 the pair.

[Dodgy69]

https://www.motea.uk/center-stand-compa ... GEQAvD_BwE

Supposed to be good these.

[tricol]

How badly worn are your current tyres, Col? If you can wait until the bleak midwinter you find that tyre prices go down. It could also give you a chance to find a mate who can lend you paddock stands and help you get the wheels off. I looked at Demon Tweeks site and a set of S22s would set you back £320 just for the tyres. S21s were £275 for the pair. Michelin Road 5s were £289 the pair.

Yea, I think they will see me through the next couple of months before winter kicks in. I'll try and keep an eye on the prices.

[tricol]

https://www.motea.uk/center-stand-compa ... GEQAvD_BwE

Supposed to be good these.

To be fair, by the time I buy that, a torque wrench for the rear axle nut and anything else I'd need, that would probably pay for 3-4 fitment costs at least. I understand the long term benefit, but for someone who can't spanner to save themselves, I'd be leaving out the stress of getting it wrong.