tires not equal worn out

[tuareg]

TFR35, first of all welcome, from Germany.
My stock Bridgestones had developed a head shake during deceleration, always between 60-65 km/h at around 8000 kms. Much of the front wheel rubber was gone anyway(there's a thread about that too) so I replaced both tires and there's no head shake now.
As ferret mentioned there are many factors involved, even including different oil levels in the forks, but i find uneven tire wear or cupping has the biggest influence, which, in turn, could be caused by again many factors like suspension, wheel imbalance or misalignment. I'm thinking it's best to replace the tire(s) and check the alignment and balance twice.
Last time I had my tires replaced I noticed that the "dot" on the tire was exactly on the opposite side of the valve and the guy said it doesn't matter. There were also 12(twelve) 5 gr weights on the valve side! I said OK, went home and performed a very crude balance check using the axle. The wheel swung like a grandma clock's pendulum. I removed the weights and ended up with two 5 gr weights on the opposite side...
Lesson learned, next time I get a bead breaker and an air compressor, which will cost me less than what they charged me for tire change and "balancing"