Do motorcycle tires need balanced?
Yes, and worth every penny. You can try to do-it-yourself but you will fail unless you have all the special equipment, then that's not really doing it yourself. Remember how the bike chatters when you turn on grooved pavement? Unbalanced tires feel like that on smooth straight roads. It's also worth having the tires mounted, so have it all done together,
Yes, I've always balanced my tires on all of my motorcycles. Might not be all that important on a dirt only bike, but for the street, I think it's necessary. It should be included with any dealer or motorcycle shop tire change.
Some do, some don't. I have installed my last 4 sets of street Dunlop 404's and didn't balance them. The tire has a dot on the sidewall and all I had to do was line up dot with valve stem and I was good to go. Seriously, I've had the bike to over 90MPH and it was smooth riding all the way. A motorcycle repair shop tipped me off about this brand of tire when I inquired about balancing them. Because of his honesty he gets all my business. I'm not sure all tire brands are like Dunlop street tires so if in doubt have yours balanced.
