Nothing wrong with mail order tires; unless you get a bad
one! Shipping a tire back to the seller can be an expensive pain in
the butt and (though it doesn't happen very often) can cause you
extra down time on your bike! If your worried about getting "old"
tires, try to buy right after a big motorcycling event like "bike
week" at Daytona or the annual Sturges gathering. Lots of folks buy
tires prior to attending these events and since mail order houses
sell on a "first in first out" basis your chances of getting a newer
tire is better if you buy at this time. If you can't mount and
balance the tire yourself, bone up a bit on correct procedure and
then take it to a shop that will let you watch the mounting process.
I hate to cast disparaging remarks on dealerships, but I know of more
than one occasion where "mail order" purchased tires were mounted
incorrectly by dealer repair shops who may have resented the loss of
a tire sale. Do give your local tire outlet a chance to match the
mail order price (including shipping of coarse) before you decide
where to buy! Unless the cost difference is prohibitive, your still
better off (all things considered) buying locally.
RWE
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