[isuoboe]

I'm riding a 2006 ninja 250. 12K on bike; 7,456 miles on tires; OEM Dunlop (I replaced the originals at 4872m due to cracking in 2014 so they were probably 8 yr. old.) Wear indicators on rear tire now indicate I need to replace it soon. Front tire doing much better.

My most important question is about experiences people have had replacing their own tires. I do most of my own maintenance and repairs. I had a dealer replace the tires last time and was very happy because the wobble the bike had (which some riders think is normal for this bike) was gone after the tire installation, I assume because of the good job they did with alignment. At $25/tire for installation I was happy (but I also like doing it myself)!

Other questions:
1. How does 7,456 miles on the R tire compare with what others get on rear tires on pregen bikes?
2. Last time I bought tires (2014), although I saw people on these forums talk about other tires than the stock Dunlops, I didn't see any that really were "correct" for this bike. (Slower speed, or lower load rating, or not exact size). Now I see several out there at cheaper prices and good ratings. Was I just blind before? The dealer also said there weren't any other choices. (Maybe that had to do with what a dealer makes on the OEM.)

Thanks for your input.