Modern Vespa

Not awful, but not as responsive as a Pirelli. The bike seems slower overall.

I know the OP is obsessed but it's not really a big deal. Ideally they say it's better to have both tires of the same brand. But it's not like the end of the world.

If a small shop like the one you mentioned regularly does that sort of shoddy work I can't imagine they'd stay in business long.

Yeah, shame on you for not looking it over, but these are tires, for Pete's sake. There are two. Of. Them. They should at least match.

I took my Porsche to a local national chain tire place for tires. Good tires, decent price. Took them a lot longer than I'd have expected for them to mount them and the place was actually closed when I cashed out. It was raining so we hopped in and drove home.

The next day I pulled the car out to wash the water spots off (shut up - it's a thing) and noticed they had put one of my fronts in back and vise versa. Total idiot mistake. The rears are way wider than the fronts.

I called them, it was way across town, they were busy, so I swapped them myself in the driveway. No comp, just, "Oh, we're sorry. Next ..."

They felt weird, like they weren't balanced right, so I drove to second big national tire chain and they found that the first place had left the old wheel weights on and added more to counter them.

Bottom line, and how this long winded post relates is this. Finding good help is hard. I've had more crappy work done by certified dealers than small shops, no question. Paying more doesn't mean better work. Reviews are good, but - like was mentioned - there are always two sides.

Sort this out and don't ever give them your business again. The downside is you wind up like me; I have more places I won't take my stuff than places I will.

But, if I'm reading it right, the rear tire is not just mismatched, like a different brand. The "incorrect" rear tire is a knobby and has a too low speed rating.

If so, I wouldn't run that either (even though I generally have no problem with mismatched tire brands).

If you fire everyone who makes a mistake, you better be ready to do all the work yourself in about a week.
OP got two tires mounted, paid and left. When a mechanic does something like this, there's usually more to the story.

That kid that unloaded the tyre we couldn't shift on a customer we'd never see again? He's a keeper.

A relative of the owner, more likely.

So does the invoice say "two Pirellis"? Let's see it.

You could have something there. Dump the mini-bike knobby that's been on the shelf for too long on a guy you know won't bring it back. Then offer him a discount if he complains. Sometimes a great notion.

You could be right, I have been known to be a hot head over employee snafus when I was a manager. I got talked out of terminating employees by peers and it turned out that it was the pressure of the job that "forced" the errors. Which, in turn, made it a management problem and that was me! lol I learned and became a better manager from then on.

I get that good help can be hard to find too. Prolly shouldn't have posted my gut reaction without seeing first how different the tires were to the naked eye. The description made it seem like they were night and day which made me angry.

Actually, there are three sides to a story. Side A - Side B - and, then, there's the truth.

The mechanic is the owner's son.

The first invoice I received was by email, and it just showed a charge for $240. I started thinking about that after I was on my way home with the bike. When I pointed out that Pirellis could be had for $118 online, he said he doesn't buy from Amazon, but Western Power Sports. That's when I asked him for an itemized receipt. Then he told me he couldn't find two tires that added up to $240 and that I was really supposed to be charged $221. He refunded the difference. That's when I stopped and looked at what was on there and found the Dunlop. He issued another refund so that I paid for the $72 Dunlop instead of the $102 Pirelli, but I don't think I should have to pay for the Dunlop at all because it isn't what I ordered.

His "itemized receipt" has two lines: each is identical and references a "rear scooter tire" with no brand specified. So he can't even get that right.

It's been a crazy week at work, but I will try to remember to post the invoices tomorrow.

Please don't. MV is not the right place to litigate disputes with dealers.

I was going to redact them and have taken care not to name the dealer in this thread. Several people have asked to see them. But if that is against the rules of this forum and you are some kind of boss, then I will not post them.

Dealer grievances are explicitly against the rules, sorry. You can discuss the issue, but (as you correctly surmised) naming the dealer is out of bounds. This is largely because we do not want to become judge and jury in these disputes. If you have a legitimate dispute with a dealer, then there are a number of appropriate venues for that: credit card, legal or maybe BBB.

I do honestly think this thread has probably outlived its usefulness, and is starting to show signs of veering off into the weeds. I think you've been given lots of reasonable (and even some unreasonable) advice. It's up to you to figure out what to do next.

I agree. Thing is, the amount at issue is too small for legal and the bbb is meaningless. I have taken it up with the CC company, but that doesn't compare to the satisfaction I get knowing that other Vespa owners share in my indignation. Just out of curiosity, which advice do you think was unreasonable?

No, you are NOT being unreasonable. You paid money to a professional for his services and had every right to expect that those services would be carried out properly and as pre-arranged. You were not under any legal or moral obligation to investigate whether or not you were being ripped off before leaving with your vehicle.

BTW, since mismatched tires are a major safety hazard (and something he can't claim ignorance about) you should call one of those personal injury lawyers. I know they're slimey but they do have their uses, one of them an ability to get stuff like this straightened out pretty quickly to your (and the lawyer's) benefit.

But it's NOT too small. It's a safety issue and that bring it to a different level. After all, manufacturers state very clearly that their tires are supposed to be installed in pairs. The dealer literally put your life at risk by breaking the manufacturer's policy and he did so without your consent. Tsk, tsk.

I thought dealers take a bit of a hit on warranty work anyway, but that's ok if they're getting regular customers back into the shop.

Right now your biggest worry should be how to ride back over that burnt bridge if you have fuel pump issues.

Why do you think that? I often run different tyres front to back. It's not like a car, where all the tyres do roughly the same job - on motorcycles the tasks of the front and rear tyres are dramatically different.

Even the 'matched' tyres from one manufacturer will have many completely different characteristics.

So please tell me why you have this unfounded belief...

Here we go, off into the weeds.

Don't forget to send your supposedly changed oil in for lab analysis too. While you're at it check the pet carrier for rogue zip ties and report back on the colour of your coolant.

I miss anything?

Oh, there's more. So much more.

Out of the two words in 'personal injury,' which is the one that gets lawyers paid? Nothing has happened.

Bloody hell... That's a lot of anger and a contradiction of terms..

The reason why they are "slimey" it is because people do use them for crap like this...

I'm not taking side here, but what a sad world it has become...

WHOOOOOOOOOA nelie, but the brakes on that statement of ALL manufactures stating tires to be installed in pairs. I am not from Missouri but I will use their phrase. SHOW ME.

Is it too soon to talk about putting a square-profile car tire on the rear of a motorcycle?

I think that's a clear case of "always too soon".

If in one of those states where roads tend to be flat and straight for hundreds of miles, putting a car tyre on a motorcycle can be one of the first things to do.

Many MP3 riders do this already. Search on 'darkside':
https://modernvespa.com/forum/search.php?mode=results

You know, I think I'm going to fit my Volvo with motorcycle tires. Imagine the improved performance!

Ah, the issue here isn't about two tires where the size or tread pattern are a bit different. We are talking about using a Dunlop knobby paired with a Pirelli road tire on a GTV. That is certainly something I wouldn't try. Are you saying you have done this or would advocate doing it?

Quick addition to the reason that the original poster went to the dealer in the first place; the recalled fuel pump.
Be aware that Vespa also honored my recall many years later, but US Headquarters told me the free new fuel pump was only good for ten years after the recall. Mine is also a 2009, but as I recall, when I had it done about a year ago, I was told I had gotten in under the wire by only six months. The recall was issued on a specific date; I think late 2010.
So, you may have gotten the new fuel pump beyond the date of the recall expiration.
I also had a long trip to my nearest dealer (close to three hours) but my Progressive breakdown coverage picked up a very expensive tow to that dealership; I retrieved it with a trailer when finished.

I shouldn't have said ALL but I doubt any are different from Pirelli, which states the following in their 2021 tire guide:

"FRONT AND REAR BRAND
Using different brands of front and rear tyres simultaneously may cause problems. Regrettably, we cannot test PIRELLI tyres in combination with all our competitors' tyres, and therefore, we urge you - for safety reasons - to use PIRELLI tyres on both the front and rear"

The also have cautions about combining different constructions and treads. Again, I doubt other manufacturers are any different. It's a litigious world and manufacturers tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to what they will or won't recommend.

EDIT: I'll bet that "urge" part, geared toward the consumer, becomes "must" when it comes to dealers.

Calling personal injury lawyers "slimey" is anger? I thought it was just truth and the "slimey" part isn't even geared toward personal injury so much as the ambulance chasing reputation.

BTW, it's not crap. This guy got screwed over and now the onus is all on him to fix it? Now THAT is crap. If I'm angry about anything it's that.

I have it because Pirelli says so.

I run different brand tires front and back ALL the time. I own seven scooters. there is no legitimate reason why its not a good idea. its just rubber. five of my seven scooters have different brands front and rear. two have same brand. this convo is no different than saying you cant run a 13in rear rim and 15in front rim. completely stupid conversation. no intelligence to it whatsoever.

also ALL new tires are gonna feel slower. because they are heavier and create more rotational mass.

OP should have checked tires before he left dealer. THAT is the sad truth. he/she takes NO responsibility for his HUGE part of this mistake. and then makes a stink about it.

classic bs thread if you ask me.

Pirelli also says not to jump off bridges and play with fireworks.

Look closely, it's in the fine fine print.

when you say PAIRS that means 2, installing 2 each time means front and rear each time, which is not needed as most fronts last 2 rears.

now when you say only use like branded tires, well NO. would you install a diablo on the front and a SL60 on the back? They are both pirelli brand tires.
of course tire manufactures are going to say only use their brand tires as they will not test publicly other brand with their tires. not good for selling their tires if something else works better now does it.

folks have been using 2 brands of tires on m/c and scooters for years, some like super sticky front compounds and they might only be available in certain brands while wanting a more longevity tire on the rear from a different brand.

The thing with tires is its all up to the end user what they like and what they want out of the tire performance and other factors.

Can a rider install a knobby type tire and ride on the street? YUP
I use to get bitched at by my dad for riding my enduro knobby tires on the street and wearing them out too quickly. He wanted me to use the semi knobby ones that would last longer.

Both at the same time, or separately?

That reminds me of a long cross-country trip I took on Greyhound. The whole way, a guy near me was telling stories of stupid things his friend had done. One of those things was to pour gasoline on the surface water of a quarry lake, light it on fire, and then dive into it from the side of the quarry. As he approached the surface, he began shouting "ow, ow, ow!" He surfaced, presumably after swimming underwater away from the burning zone, with no eyebrows.

I have to say, I don't recall any stories about the friend putting two different brand tires on his scooter, but it was a long time ago.

I understand you can ride knobby tires on the street - though you need to be damned careful in wet or slick conditions (I have owned a couple of light weight dirt bikes myself in the past). The point of knobbys, however, is better traction on dirt and other loose surfaces. Surely you aren't joining Jim in saying that a rear knobby paired with a typical road tire on the front of a GTV would be a likely or desirable combo? And remember, that is the discussion here - not whether you can run a Pirelli street tire and a Michelin street tire at the same time.