Member Contributer vfrqqq Posted June 15, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted June 15, 2007 So I'm leaving my apartment parking lot this morning and hear something periodically clicking. Come to a stop to see that a frickin' construction staple is stuck in my tire! :goofy: Anyway, I'm in a spot now where i have Diablo Strada front and rear with ~ 6000+ miles on them, 5600 of which are pure highway miles that I racked up on a trip to Utah from MD. So I have to replace the rear, but basically I still have plenty of tread on the sides of the front tire and the center is still not too bad. I imagine i could get another 2000 to 3000 miles out of it. So the question becomes, is it a bad idea to mismatch new and used tires or should you always replace at the same intervals? Additionally I saw that Harbor Freight has a tire changer for $49.99 but I'm not sure if this is all I need to do it myself. Even if it is it is totally cheaper than spending the $65 it costs to have both tires done at the stealership. Does anyone else have the Harbor Freight tire changer and if so what is the part number and did you need anything else to go with it? I'm really just interested in changing. I'll go ahead and do the balancing myself with a homemade setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Bling Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Depends on what kind of tire you stick on the rear. If you go with another Strada, I wouldn't worry about it. Even a regular Diablo would probably be fine since it'll cup sooner than the Strada and then your front and rear would match. I would avoid putting anything really sticky on the back though. And if go with a different brand of tire, I would definitely change both front and rear. JM2¢, YMMV. Yes, Harbor Freight has a tire changer for $50, but you also need the motorcycle tire adapter that goes with it for $50. So, it's $100 total. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrqqq Posted June 15, 2007 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 15, 2007 Yes, Harbor Freight has a tire changer for $50, but you also need the motorcycle tire adapter that goes with it for $50. So, it's $100 total. What about the tire spreader? It's $11.99 but do I need it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer FotoMoto Posted June 15, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted June 15, 2007 What about the tire spreader? It's $11.99 but do I need it? Nope. All you need is tire irons. Most shops sell them. The bottom hf unit will break the beads. Then you use the irons and soapy water to remove/install the tires. The upper hf (motorcycle specific) unit makes that part much easier but isn't necessary by any means. I've had the bottom unit for about 4 years now and still haven't bought the upper! One of these days..... Search this site and the web for good how-to tutorials on tire changing and balancing and save yourself much dinero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vanion2 Posted June 15, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted June 15, 2007 Mismatching tire brands is a bad idea. I did that on my old ZX600R and the ride was awful. Bad tracking issues, handle vibrations at various speeds. It completely ruined the ride. It will definitely be pronounced by the weight of the VFR (the ZX600R weighed about the same). Stick with the same brand or you may end up hating life. I did this because I didn't know better and needed a replacement for the rear. I will never make that mistake again. <_< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Motor_Ref Posted June 15, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted June 15, 2007 Yes, Harbor Freight has a tire changer for $50, but you also need the motorcycle tire adapter that goes with it for $50. So, it's $100 total. If you look, you can find it on sale. I bought both pieces for $80.00 last year. Only the bottom pieces is really necessary. Put something like a piece of inner tube on the clamps that hold the rim. The best part is that you only have to spend this money once. You get pay for tire changes forever. And if you mess up the rim, well.......... you shoulda paid better attention to what you were doing. You can't blame it on the dumb kid at the tire place. But if you pay attention, your rims never have a problem. Then buy a tire balancer from Marc Parnes and change tires for all you friends if you want to. You won't ever run out of beer and maybe you will make a buck or two from time to time. :goofy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Bling Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Yes, Harbor Freight has a tire changer for $50, but you also need the motorcycle tire adapter that goes with it for $50. So, it's $100 total. If you look, you can find it on sale. I bought both pieces for $80.00 last year. Only the bottom pieces is really necessary. Put something like a piece of inner tube on the clamps that hold the rim. I was checking Harbor Freight's website earlier this week and they currently have the bottom piece on sale for $50 and the top piece at full price at $50. So, what does the top piece do anyways?? Is it really worth the extra money to get? Inquiring minds want to know. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrqqq Posted June 15, 2007 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 15, 2007 Mismatching tire brands is a bad idea. I did that on my old ZX600R and the ride was awful. Bad tracking issues, handle vibrations at various speeds. It completely ruined the ride. It will definitely be pronounced by the weight of the VFR (the ZX600R weighed about the same). Stick with the same brand or you may end up hating life. I did this because I didn't know better and needed a replacement for the rear. I will never make that mistake again. <_< Yeah, I think I'm just gonna stick with a Pirelli Diablo again on the rear. I guess I should have clarified that by mismatch I really meant mismatching Used and New, but at the same time I'm glad I didn't because i wouldn't have known that mismatching brands is a bad idea. Thanks. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Mismatching tire brands is a bad idea. I did that on my old ZX600R and the ride was awful. Bad tracking issues, handle vibrations at various speeds. It completely ruined the ride. It will definitely be pronounced by the weight of the VFR (the ZX600R weighed about the same). Stick with the same brand or you may end up hating life. I did this because I didn't know better and needed a replacement for the rear. I will never make that mistake again. <_< Just my opinion, but: I have ridden the last 5 years on mismatched tires. I run a Michilin Pilot Sport on the front / Bridgestone BT020 on the rear. I stumbled on this combo while needing to replace a tire mid-trip several years ago. I liked the combination so well, that I have deliberately replaced them several time. Due to tire availability, this may be my last set. "I" would not hesitate to mix tires. I hate any tire with a center groove (like theBT010 had). For a while the BT010 Fr / BT020 Rr was a much touted combination. But because of the centr grove I would not use them. Lots of metal grate bridges here in Jersey. I run my tires at max pressure all the time (sometimes max +1 lb). YMMV PJ in NJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrqqq Posted June 15, 2007 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 15, 2007 Just in case anyone else is interested Harbor Freight is offering the portable tire changer for $39.99 as opposed to the $49.99 indicated on the website. The Motorcycle tire changer adapter is still the indicated $49.99. :wheel: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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