Hi Dean,
We have the exact same problem in Ireland with rip-off prices.
I have got tyres for my Softail from the UK and with postage, they are still a LOT cheeper than buying locally. I then pay a local tyre shop to fit it and average cost is about €10 to €20.
Perhaps you could try this.
Try http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Dave-Milling-Motorcycles-Ltd this is where I get mine. Good prices and great service.

Hope this helps,

TC

 

Hi TC....good link and fair prices.
However..if I would order tires there I have another prob to get them fitted.
You see..in Holland they have the rule not to help you with tires NOT bought with them.
No matter what one offers to pay for the job,they simply refuse to do it.
A sick mentality to force you to do business with them only.
So..for me it's a once in two years unavoidable pain.
I hate them!

 

Dean,

We had a puncture in France just two weeks ago on my Glide and it cost us 270 euros to have a new Dunlop fitted. Wasn't a whitewall and was also tubeless, but it seems Holland is more expensive than rural France! Holland has probably the highest proportion of English speakers, so you really should get in with the locals and see if there is any way of finding better prices!

 

Howdy Graham..

Yes..yes and yes again..Holland is very expensive in most anything you buy.
France is the same thing..ever shopped in one of their supermarkets ? Then you know.
Belgium is the best and nearby..I go to La Roche in the ardennes often to meet many
riders there,they all come from everywhere to gather on the local square.
Belgium beers..tobacco..go juice..campings nearby at the board of the river..all cheap!
You should go there one day..I'm sure you wont regret.

 

Hi Dean,

Only last night we watched a programme on tv about Belgium and their coastal tramway - longest in the world apparently. Looks and sounds well worth a visit. We are on the St Pancras railway line in England, so can actually walk to our local station, transfer to Eurostar and walk off at Brussels within 4 hours!

Not quite the same as riding there, I grant, but a Belgian trip is definitely on the cards, either by bike or rail.....

 

At that rate, I would change them myself. Motorcycle tires aren't very difficult to get off the rim. There's some links here with instructions and videos, also videos on youtube. For the difference in price of one set of tires, you could buy nice changing tools instead of using homemade or generic tools.

I'm lucky that here in Aruba (also Dutch), the dealer charges shop time to change tires if you purchase them elsewhere. A couple of weeks ago, I took my girlfriend's Sportster wheels and new tires in and it cost me AWG 22 (about US$ 12). On the other hand, he wanted $290 for the rear and $190 for the front for the Dunlops. I bought Avon Venom-X for the front and rear for $280 total and have a $50 rebate coupon. Plus the Avons feel a whole lot better on the road than the Dunlops.

 

Avons are my preferred brand, but Harley dealers are unlikely to offer or stock them, another good reason for looking elsewhere! Do check Avon's website to get the correct pressures for your bike, as they are routinely higher than stock Harley tyres.

 

Graham..use your own wheels..not public transport.
I don't know..you ever visited the ardennes..all I can say is it's superb
country..very beautiful and filled with lots of motorcycles because of that.
Lots of Harleys there as well.
So..go there with the bike..nothing else.
You can really ride your hart out.
I hope you take my advice in this.

 

Dean, we might well do both! We are still resting on our laurels having ridden through the Vosges Mountains. Can't be too far from you?

 

[quote=95yj;8416963]At that rate, I would change them myself. Motorcycle tires aren't very difficult to get off the rim. There's some links here with instructions and videos, also videos on youtube. For the difference in price of one set of tires, you could buy nice changing tools instead of using homemade or generic tools.

I know bro..I used to do it myself in the past..still a heavy job with the right
tools anyway..also no way to balance the tires.
Now..I'm an old man taking the easy way out.
But in essence..you are right and I am wrong to just pay those fruckers. Sheers.