Dropping Five More Benjamins Into The Connie
My Connie on the lift at Iron Pony, getting new tires.
That’s my Concours up on a lift, getting new tires at Iron Pony in Columbus, Ohio. Five hundred dollars later and a “free” t-shirt and I was on my way again.
The tires weren’t totally shot yet, but I’ll be cruising about 1,200 miles in the next three days coming home from Ohio, and after being home for one day I’ll be taking off again on another 1,500 mile ride. Today was the best day to get the work done and this way I have more peace of mind on the ride home. As it was, I wasn’t at all sure I’d even get home without stopping somewhere–probably at a very inconvenient point.
This is the second time in two years that I’ve had to get tires while out on the road. Last March I headed out for Arizona Bike Week figuring I had enough rubber to get home, but by the time I reached Scottsdale I knew I needed new tires immediately. That time I got lucky, though. I didn’t have to pay for mounting and the whole thing cost me about $270. This time it cost me just a couple dollars shy of $500.
Just as a point of reference, that’s double what I paid for my first car.
So the place I went to was Iron Pony, in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. I had heard about this place before and despite the price I was really glad they were there. First off, it was only just a few miles out of my way, and on top of that, they were open on Sunday. That’s really big right there.
The Iron Pony is quite a place. The building used to be a Super Kmart so as you can imagine, it’s huge. They work on bikes, they sell bikes both new and used, and they sell more motorcycle gear than you can imagine. And judging from what I saw, they have really good prices on a lot of stuff. High volume, low margin, you know.
And they were really nice. Don’t misunderstand my moaning about the price. It would have cost me just as much for tires somewhere else. I just hate the idea that two motorcycle tires cost more than four car tires and last one-fifth as long. But we all know that’s the case, so get over it.
So anyway, I’m set now. Tomorrow it’s on to Peoria, then a stop in Nebraska, and I’ll be home on Wednesday. I think I’ll be glad to get home.
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Biker Quote for Today
You know you’re becoming addicted to riding when you leave on the bike to get some dinner and get home only to realize you didn’t stop to eat.
Tags: motorcycle tires
