Charlie Parsons and I spent about five sweaty hours cursing and puzzling yesterday but eventually managed to remove my worn-out Metzelers and replace them with new Michelin dual composition Pilot Power 2 tires.
I printed out the pages of my K1200RS service manual that pertain to wheel removal while I was waiting for Charlie to arrive yesterday morning to pick up the Michelins from our garage. By the time he arrived, I was sufficiently intimidated to suggest we just let a dealer do it. He looked over the instructions and decided it was worth a try. Turns out he was right.
It was Charlie’s first serious project with the No Mar tire changing equipment he bought at the 2008 BMW MOA rally in Gillette, Wyo., so we spent some time watching the instructional DVD, some sections multiple times. The rear tires were a bear to get off and on but we prevailed. Mostly Charlie prevailed with me helping, since it was his shop.
The front tire change was complicated by the fact that my K1200GT rests on its front wheel when on the centerstand. We solved the problem by having me sit far back on the passenger seat, levering the front end up while Charlie removed the wheel and put a big log, supported by an aluminum case, under it to hold the bike up.
I took the bike for a 5-mile test ride on the new tires and was dazzled by how much better the bike handles. Of course going from a clapped-out set of Metzelers with 11,650 miles on them to a brand new set of Michelins should be an impressive change. It was like going from squared-off car tires to round-surface motorcycle tires. They’ll have to wait until we get back from Arizona to get scrubbed in, but I think I’m going to enjoy them.
And the price was right - $221.98. Free shipping and free do-it-yourself mounting and balancing. That’s less than half what I paid for the Metzelers two years ago at the Colorado Springs BMW dealership. I am thoroughly impressed with the deals at Motorcycle Superstore online.
Charlie came over later for beer and brats, but he and I were both wiped out from the day’s exertions in the hot garage. I dozed in front of the TV for about an hour after he left, then went to bed about 9:30 p.m.
Charlie was up early this morning. When I opened the garage door, I found his pressure washer – delivered as promised. So now we’re going to blast away the dirt and wasp nests from the front and back porches.
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