Shops won't mount car tires

[Tfrank59]

So now I'm all ready to go dark side for the first time and the shops I've talked to refuse to mount car tires on motorcycles because of liability.  And there's one thing I'm not doing in that is trying to mount and balance my own motorcycle tires

[Jess from VA]

Are you trying to ride in?  If you pull the wheel and take that in, you can tell them it goes on a trailer (or a trike).

Disclaimer:  I'm not a fan of lying, but sometimes stupid rules make it.... expedient.

Don't be calling around telling them it's a car tire for a motorcycle and making it easy for them to say no on the phone.

Also, I was once told the same thing (riding it into a Bike dealer), so I offered to provide a written waiver of liability on the spot.  I told him I was an attorney; I sat down and started writing, and when I was halfway through, the mgr said screw it, mount the guy's tire.

Standard liability wavers can be found on line.  You are waiving liability for any and all damages, injuries or deaths due to riding on a car tire installed by X.  You are not writing a waiver of liability for any intentional or negligent misconduct of the dealer/shop/installer (like if they shoot you or ruin your wheel).

PS, it's easier to lie.

Mine was better than this one; just an easy example.
https://www.printablecontracts.com/Waiver_Of_Liability.php
https://formswift.com/release-of-liability
https://www.rsccd.edu/Departments/Risk-Management/Pages/Waiver-and-Release-Language.aspx
 

[The emperor has no clothes]

Try Craigslist for someone doing it out of their garage.

[old2soon]

How bout an Independent dealer? You Know-the ones with NO brand signs out front!  RIDE SAFE.

[DarkSideR]

My suggestion would be to take just the rear wheel in to a non chain shop or a custom HD shop. That has worked well for the last 3 changes.

[Jess from VA]

In reading and researching tires, I have also run across tire sellers refusing to even sell you one tire, if you tell them it's for a motorcycle.  They already have websites set up to automatically sell you 4.

I would tell them it's for a real spare, to get rid of that ridiculous doughnut that comes with cars today (which are far more dangerous than running car tires on the back of heavy motorcycles).

[Tfrank59]

Well one guy who refuses to do it seems to be the same guy I talked to a few months ago when I was considering going dark side and he said he would mount anything that fits. So I decided to email him last night and give him a heads-up that I was coming, that it was a car tire that I wanted mounted, because it's a pretty good drive and I wanted to save myself a trip if by chance he would refuse it. Now I think I'm just going to take the wheel and the new tire along with my metal valve stem to cycle gear and just ask them to mount it. If they start asking questions I'll tell the truth that it's a car tire

[..]

Well one guy who refuses to do it seems to be the same guy I talked to a few months ago when I was considering going dark side and he said he would mount anything that fits. So I decided to email him last night and give him a heads-up that I was coming, that it was a car tire that I wanted mounted, because it's a pretty good drive and I wanted to save myself a trip if by chance he would refuse it. Now I think I'm just going to take the wheel and the new tire along with my metal valve stem to cycle gear and just ask them to mount it. If they start asking questions I'll tell the truth that it's a car tire

I've had bike tires mounted at Cycle Gear and my gut tells me not to take a car tire in.

If you take the wheel with new tire to an independent shop you shouldn't have a problem.

[Gryphon]

I had the manager of the Cycle Gear in Tulsa tell me they wouldn't mount non-motorcycle tires.  Fortunately he was gone when his crew mounted mine the day before.     Probably wouldn't try it a second time.  I was the first they had ever seen to go Darkside.  Now I just take it to the local independent shop here in Maryville.  The owner has no issues with it and has even started recommending the Austone's to several of his customers. I bring in the wheel and the tire and get it mounted and spin balanced for $25.00. 

[The emperor has no clothes]

In reading and researching tires, I have also run across tire sellers refusing to even sell you one tire, if you tell them it's for a motorcycle.  They already have websites set up to automatically sell you 4.

I would tell them it's for a real spare, to get rid of that ridiculous doughnut that comes with cars today (which are far more dangerous than running car tires on the back of heavy motorcycles).

I've purchased a few from a National Chain. The first time they were ok with it, but made it clear they wouldn't mount it. The second time, one of the managers was about to have a heart attack. I finally just told him "this one is for my trailer not my bike". Now they just don't talk about it. Sell me the tire and look the other way. It's kind of sad that we've come to this point, but I guess people are sue happy.

[Tfrank59]

Yep Cycle Gear wouldn't mount it and the guy was nice enough to call around to the other shops and none of them will do it either so I ended up buying a tire at Cycle Gear leaving my wheel with him and then over two hundred bucks of course mounted and balanced. And now I got a car tire that's going to sit at home and maybe next go-around if I can find somebody will mount it but I think the trend is that they're not doing it

[The emperor has no clothes]

Yep Cycle Gear wouldn't mount it and the guy was nice enough to call around to the other shops and none of them will do it either so I ended up buying a tire at Cycle Gear leaving my wheel with him and then over two hundred bucks of course mounted and balanced. And now I got a car tire that's going to sit at home and maybe next go-around if I can find somebody will mount it but I think the trend is that they're not doing it

Post over on the Vermin site. I'm sure one of them could send you in the right direction.

[Tfrank59]

 Yeah I'll do some research because I've got probably at least 10,000 miles before I wear out the tire I just bought, but I'm not going to go 50 miles one way just to have a tire mounted. The whole point  of going Darkside was to save money and trouble and so far it ain't happening that way for me

[Gavin_Sons]

My dad takes his to our local Big O. They do ot for 10 bucks

[Tfrank59]

Yeah I think I'm going to start checking car tire shops because motorcycle shops around here just don't want to do it too afraid of liability. Somebody must have gotten sued and then the word got spread

[Bone]

I had 2 mounted at a independent bike shop. The shop closed last year the owner got really old. I stopped at a car tire shop last summer and showed the owner the GYTT mounted on my 98 Tourer he was fascinated. He knew the bike shop and I ask him if he would mount my next tire when needed I would bring in the wheel and tire he said he would try. I bought a Harbor Freight changer last year and did a front tire with no problems. Think I'm going to try mounting a rear tire. If I have trouble I will take it to the shop. He showed me his changer and I think it will work with the valk wheel.

[Tfrank59]

Well if mounting isn't enough trouble the balancing would be for me

[F6Dave]

I've never heard of one case where a car tire on a motorcycle caused an accident.  I know some guys have tried them and switched back because they didn't like the CT handling, but I never heard anyone say they felt dangerous.

Having said that, I've read of many cases where motorcycle tires failed.  And I got to experience that myself!  I had one of the OEM 'Dunflops' on my '98 Tourer delaminate while I was riding.  Luckily I was riding slowly on a lightly travelled road.  It could have been a different story if I was riding at 75 on a crowded freeway.

[Tfrank59]

Yeah I totally see that it's merely a perception. But you don't even try to open a debate with some shop owner cuz you're not going to win. And it only takes one person in the wide world to have an issue and then all of the sudden  everybody poo poos it. The guy at Cycle Gear even went so far as to say it was illegal for him. Surprising thing I think is that nobody here in the Tacoma area wants to mount car tires and yet to my knowledge the dot hasn't weighed in

[gordonv]

Well if mounting isn't enough trouble the balancing would be for me

Use Dyna beads, or Ride-on.

[Bone]

I used Ride-on in the front I mounted did a wonderful job.
I mounted all of the tube tires and balanced them. Remember tubes ?

Go to YouTube you will quickly see all the mistakes that can be made.

[Houdini]

I've had my last three CT's mounted at a used tire shop in town; they don't ask any questions they just mount it.

[Tfrank59]

I've had my last three CT's mounted at a used tire shop in town; they don't ask any questions they just mount it.

That's interesting. Now you do mean a used car tire shop (guessing no such a thing as a used motorcycle tire shop ).  If I had known that 24 hours ago that would've been my pursuit – car tire shops

[Houdini]

I've had my last three CT's mounted at a used tire shop in town; they don't ask any questions they just mount it.

That's interesting. Now you do mean a used car tire shop (guessing no such a thing as a used motorcycle tire shop ).  If I had known that 24 hours ago that would've been my pursuit – car tire shops

Correct, a greasy, dirty, used auto tire shop.  One of the tire mounting guys once said "here's your motorcycle tire" when he rolled it out.  Didn't matter to anyone though and I paid my $15 and went home.

FYI -- always take your rim off your bike and roll it in to have the CT installed.  I lied once to a Firestone and told them it was for a trailer and they installed it.  One of my buddies told a Goodyear it was for a custom race bike and they installed it.  Be creative!

[Tfrank59]

well I always take the wheel off myself (wouldn't trust anybody else to reinstall it right, including a Honda dealer), but not a fan of lying to get a job done.  If a dark-dirty-dangerous tire shop will have a problem mounting a CT on a motorcycle wheel, they should rethink their life

[farmer998]

I took my Austone to a private MC shop here in New Smyrna Beach   they did not care what it was going on