Alright so I finally decided it was time to replace those worn-out skins on my bike. Been hearing good things about the Pirelli Diablo Rosso IIIs for a while – supposed to be sweet for street riding with a bit of sporty bite. Wanted the whole set, front and back.
First step? Hunting for prices, obviously. Nobody likes getting ripped off. Jumped online and started digging around. Saw the usual suspects offering them:
- Found a front tire alone listed at just under $160. Not bad, right?
- Kept looking and spotted someone selling a complete pair – both front and rear – for like $250. Okay, that felt more like it. Buying them together usually saves a few bucks.
- Checked out some other shops, big names and smaller sellers. Prices were all over the place! Some were asking way more for the same rubber. One place wanted close to $190 for just the rear! Crazy.
Felt good seeing the set at $250 online, but I like kicking tires before I buy, you know? Figured I’d try the local motorcycle shop downtown. Maybe support local business, maybe get a package deal on tires plus mounting. Grabbed my helmet and drove over.
Talked to the guy behind the counter. Asked about the Diablo Rosso IIIs, specifically the size I needed. He started punching stuff into his computer. The hopeful look on my face faded real quick when the price popped up.
“For the pair,” he says, “installed…” He pauses. I’m leaning in. “…looking at about $300. Plus tax.”
Ouch. $300! That’s fifty bucks more than the best online price I saw for the tires themselves! And that’s before even thinking about tax.
“Three hundred?” I asked, kinda hoping I misheard. “For just the rubber?”
“That includes the basic mount and balance,” he clarified. Still, felt steep. Online was cheaper for the tires, and probably cheaper for the mount somewhere else too. Stood there thinking hard. Support local? Sure. But fifty bucks is fifty bucks. That’s a decent chunk of the install cost right there.
Walked back to my bike thinking about that online deal. $250 for the pair felt solid. Probably could find a place to mount ’em for less than the extra $50 the shop was charging on top of their higher tire price.
Why the big local price? Who knows. Maybe they got hit hard on shipping recently. Maybe shop overhead is crazy now. Maybe they just figure guys like me will pay extra for convenience. Gas ain’t cheap either these days – driving around town checking prices adds up!
In the end, the price difference was too big to ignore. Went back home, fired up the computer again, and found that online set for $250. Clicked buy. Done. They’re on their way. Feels good snagging a decent price.
Lesson learned? Always check online. Don’t just trust the local guy’s price, even if you like ’em. Do your own digging first. Seems like the best deals on these particular tires, at least today, were hanging out on the internet. Local shop might have been easier, maybe a smidge faster… but not worth an extra fifty smackers to me. Need that cash for gas! Now I gotta figure out where to get ’em slapped on without spending that shop’s premium. Don’t need no fancy keychain, Pirelli. Just make my bike stick to the road.