Re: saving money on services

["Steve Makohin" <wateredg@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello Paige, and all,

From: <plpklt@xxxxxxx>

> Lets face it most of us riders are "under-funded"? and we all look for 
> ways to save money.? More money equals more miles equals more smiles.
>
> One of the ways that I have found to save money is tire changing.? I have 
> invested in a good bead breaker, tire spoons ( long handled) , rim 
> protectors and a good balancer, not a small investment, probably looking 
> at perhaps $300 total.
>
> now I can change my tires for around $225 including shipping ( which is 
> often free)? I pay no local sales taxes? so I save about $15 right 
> there.???Since I've never paid for a tire change I can only speak from 
> waht others have told me but a $280 bill for a rear tire isn't unheard 
> of.? I figure a savings of about $150 for the 2 hours of fun of chaning 
> the tires and lovingly balancing them.? Plus I then check brakes, bolts 
> etc, and the tire and rim or clean and spotless when they go back on.??
>
> I go thru 1 1/2 sets a year so that around $250? so I get a free set of 
> tires every so often.
>
> The down side?? I change tires for my buddies and don't charge nearly 
> enough but they are my friends and i get a lot of free beer and 
> conversation out of it.? I also have no local dealer so it also save me a 
> day of riding over to daytona, hanging around waiting for them to get to 
> me and then riding back, so figure that time in and I save even more.
>
> Now if I can just figure out how to steal the tires!.....
>
> Ps I've never had a leak at the rim from not cleaning the rim properly 
> either.?

In my experience, much of life is trade-offs between time and money. You'll 
see college kids spend a Saturday "garage saleing", or driving around to 
various bargain stores to save money on a sofa. Then, as folks get older and 
their resources build, you'll often see a guy hiring someone to remove scrap 
wood or to remove junk to the dump, not because he can't do it himself, but 
because he's too busy -- It's "cheaper" for him to pay someone $180 to haul 
his garage junk to the dump than the "All Costs In" (money + the value of 
his time) alternative of renting a vehicle and/or trailer, loading, driving 
to the dump, unloading, and then returning from the rental depot. In other 
words, "convenience has its price."

This is not to say that one way is better than the other. It just highlights 
that different people have different needs, and different priorities.

-Steve Makohin
'01 R1100S/ABS
Oakville, Ontario, Canada