New Front Tire

[Badbob]

I finally got a replacement for my front tire. Actually, I was looking for a tire for a long time and could not find one in stock. On a recent trip I wore it dow to the wear bars and beyond. I had one hell of a time finding a tire. I went to all tire manufacturers web sites I could find with selection guides and then Googled for them. Yes, I could have paid extortion prices fore a tire and got one pretty quick. How ever I'm a cheap bastard and the GZ250 ain't a racing motorcycle.

After all this searching I finally had to settle for these motorcycleproshop.com:

Item 1
Product ID: N-1606
Product Name: 1056 TUBE 325/350-16 TR6
Product Price: $7.95
Quantity: 1

Item 2
Product ID: K41-5503-10
Product Name: * RIM STRIP 16/17" sold each
Product Price: $1.50
Quantity: 1

Item 3
Product ID: 0305-0061
Product Name: 5711 TIRE ROADRIDER 110/90-16 Front
Product Price: $79.00
Quantity: 1

SubTotal: $88.45
Shipping: $10.50(Regular Shipping)
Handling: $2.00
State Tax: $0.00
Country Tax: $0.00
Grand Total: $100.95

A day or so after placing my order I got a call form them saying their supplier didn't have any of these and could they get one from another supplier that cost a bit more and split the difference with me. I agreed to this only because it wasn't worth my time to go through the search again for $5.

What I found out in my search is that we/I have been lucky. Apparently GZ250s need odd size tires that are not readily available. They are listed on many on the manufacturers sites but are difficult to find in stock. The only ones I could find that were relatively easy to locate were made for 150 mph sport bikes with prices starting at $120 and going up. If getting these mounted at a dealer a complete set of new tires might cost you $500 with labor and all included. Thats getting pretty near half of what I figure I could sell my GZ250 for. This is crazy expensive. Since I change my own tires and buy them at as low a cost as I can find its only going to cost me about $110 to change the front tire. This is two times what it cost the last time I did this.

The tire I choose is the Avon AM26 Roadrider. It was not the lowest cost but their web site claimed it was designed for commuters from the description they seem to indicate longer tread life.

The tire is here still in the box. I'm hoping to get it mounted this week end. This is to late to attend the Barber Vintage Motorcycle Festival that I have been planning to go to for the last year.:cry:

I checked these manufacturers. There might have been others but either they had no selection guide I could find or were rejected for some other reason.

Maxxis
None

Promaxx
M6103 Rear 130/90-15 66H/TL

Dunlop
D404

Avon
Roadrider AM26 Front Tire $90

Pirelli
Sport Demon

Dunlop
GT501

Conti
Ultra TKV11

Metzeler
Lasertec

Kenda
K671
K673

[Easy Rider]

I finally got a replacement for my front tire.

Just out of curiosity, what did the dealer offer......or did you even ask? I think the new bikes are still coming out with Metzler's.
Did you entertain getting a slightly different size? Seems like someone else said that 10mm larger was readily available......but I don't remember the details......including whether or not they actually got one.

[primal]

Does Metzeler not offer the ME77 any more?

[alanmcorcoran]

My '08 came with Metzler ME77

[music man]

I have The Maxxis Promaxx 130/90/15on the back of mine, and the Cheng Shin Hi-Max 100/90/16 on the front, I had a 110/90/16 on the front of my bike, but it was defective and the Suzuki shop had to order me a new one to replace it and the 100/90/16 was the only one available, the 110 was on back order. The Reason I have a different tire on the back than the front is when i first Got the Bike the back tire was kinda slick and then I got a big ass nail in my tire, and since I was going to have to have the tube replaced, and the tire fixed I figured I might as well replace it right then.

I figured I would come back later and get the front tire, but I didnt do my research and Maxxis Promaxx does not come in the size we need for the front :oops: so I was either going to have to replace a back tire I had just got, or have two different tires, so being the poor cheap-skate that I am, I have a different tire on the back than I do the front.

[Badbob]

Just out of curiosity, what did the dealer offer......or did you even ask?

Didn't ask! Local stealer wants MSRP or more for everything. Doesn't want to deal. Doesn't keep anything in stock I have ever asked for. They are also located in a bad location where I either have to give up a large chunk of my Saturday to get there or take off from work which increases my cost.

There are a couple of shops in town not Suzuki dealers I do business with but they don't stock the tires and can't get them any cheaper than I can.

I'm not new to this. I've bought six tires for the GZ250 so far.

[Badbob]

Does Metzeler not offer the ME77 any more?

I didn't look at these this time. Last time I looked they were three times as much as the tires I was getting and twice what it cost for the rest of them. They didn't turn up in my searches.

[Badbob]

I replace my tires as they wear out. I don't bother with trying to match them up unless I have some particular reason for doing so. Such as replacing both tires because they are dry and hard and I'm getting everything form the same place.

[mrlmd1]

Again, I got a 120/80-16 front Cheng Shin from the local stealer (probably the same one Bad Bob talks about, in Tallahassee) and the price was very reasonable.
Is there an aversion to this size as every one else seems to be fixated on the smaller 100/90-16 front tire if they can't fine a 110/90? There is practically no difference in the size or performance of any of these, and if the shoe fits, you can wear it.

[music man]

The 100/90/16 is a little thinner across the treads than the 110/90, I never thought of trying a 120/80/16.

[Badbob]

probably the same one Bad Bob talks about, in Tallahassee

They used to be called The Cycle Shop before they got bought out. I don't know if they still have the same name. The last time I tried to get some thing from them I had lost a part in my driveway. (I hate dropping parts in gravel.) They wanted to order it and charge me twice what I could order it for. I called Fast Trixx and they scrounged one up for me and charged me $5 for it.

[mrlmd1]

That's them, owned by Tallahassee Powersports. They sell and repair all kinds of bikes and are also the local Seadoo rep.
I bought my tires through them, had them balanced and mounted and also had them replace the front brakes when the wheel was off
as their prices seemed very reasonable for both the parts and labor. I probably could have saved some money doing the brakes myself, but as long as the wheel was off for the tires, I had them do it. I realize it costs more to go to the stealer, but you are paying for the convenience and possibly the expertise if you don't want to do it yourself. Convenience has a price but it's much more satisfying to do the job yourself if you can.

[Badbob]

Convenience is: I drop the bike off at a shop in walking distance of where I work and pick it up on the way home. :)

[jonathan180iq]

I've added this new information to the "What's Available" thread, under "TIRES":

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1058&p=8737 (http://www.gz250bike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1058&p=8737)