Tires

[MAKMAN71]

I was wondering where and what are good replacement tires for the XS and where is there a chart that tells me all about the little letters and numbers on the tires. I had a good one but lost it when my computer crashed.
Mike

[Czekus21]

Well I'd like to help you out with the make of tires but there's alot of debate on this forum as to which tires are the best. I use JCW Chengshin on MIYAMI and they havn't failed me yet as far as the numbers. They will differ slightly between manufacturers but as a general rule; example 130/90R16... ( Someone please chime in and correct me if I'm wrong )130 is the width of the tire and 90 would be the height, R would be the speed rateing and 16 would be the rim size. It's been along time since I've looked at any charts ( almost 20 years) so I hope I've been able to help. One thing that I do know for sure is that the Chengshin 130/90R16 is the fattest tire That I can run on my 79SF. The spaceing between the tire and the driveshaft housing is pretty tight.

[Lamric]

I have Bridgestone Battleaxe fitted, they're fine for me.
Front 100/90-16 57V
Rear 130/90-16 67V

I also found that the age of the tire is marked on the sidewall.

- If there is no triangle, the tire was manufactured prior to 1990.

- If the triangle is preceded by a three-digit number, the tire is from the nineties. The first two numbers indicate the week and the last number the year of manufacture.

- Tires that were produced as of January 1, 2000 have a four-digit number; the first two digits indicate the production week, the last two numbers the production year (0200, for example, means the 2nd week of the year 2000).

[TopCatGr58]

I thought I'd add some actual LINKS to the major motorcycle manufacturer brands web sites:

Avon Tires

Bridgestone

Continental

Dunlop

Kenda

Metzeler

Michelin

Maxxis=Cheng Shin

Pirelli

And Places to Buy:
Dennis Kirk

JCW Tires

Motorcycle Acc. Wharehouse

More links found with simple search for "Motorcycle tires":
http://www.americanmototire.com/
http://www.discountmotorcycletire.com/
http://www.kgmotorcycletires.com/dunlop_street.htm
http://www.motorcycletire.com/
http://www.motorcycletires.com/default.htm
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/default.aspx
http://www.ridedirect.com/
http://www.ronayers.com/main.cfm
http://www.swmototires.com/

[brock]

This is weird. I just talked to the yamaha dude, and he's sure that on the back of my 79 xs1100 special it came with 130 90 v 17, but i've got a 16 on there, and everyone so far looks like they've got 16's too.

it's tubeless. is this not the rim that came with my bike? i think it is.

[Jerry]

Tube-type (and later tubless) 17 inchers were stock on some early XS 11s. There have been several threads on this. Chances are your 16 incher is standard for that bike, as the conversion is not a bolt-up chage. It is possible to do, though, but is fairly rare to see it done.

Similar story with tube/tubless rims; Yamaha chaged in the middle of the production run. One of the past threads had the serial number of the change-over, but it is true that some bikes came tube, others came tubeless.

Tubeless rims have a different shoulder profile, and generally are considered safer in that flatusually happen more slowly and tires stay on the rims better.

The over-all circumference of the 16 and 17 inch tires is quite close. I would put a new 16 incher on your rim and not worrry about it. Which brand? Lots of ideas, but a good general riding tire is the Dunlop K491 Elite II series, used by many on this list including myself.

[Jerry]

Here is a link to a good explanation of what all the markings on the side of your tires stands for:

http://www.ama-cycle.org/roadride/tires.asp

[Dennyz]

16" rear rims are stock on Specials and 17" rims are stock on Standards. The only exception to this may be the '81 Standard "H" (not sure).

To my knowledge, all '78s and most (that I have seen) '79 Standards are "Tube Type" from the factory. All Specials are "Tubeless" stock.

The conversation between the two is bolt-on (no cutting or welding), but involves more parts than just the rim. The difference is noticeable.

The Dunlop Elite II has been an excellent tire on my XS. 6 - 8K miles on the rear, easily. My wife’s SF was approaching (sold it to her brother) 10K miles with only minor squaring (lots of tread left).

[nashville_bill]

With the recomendations of the guys I ride with, I bought Metzeler Marathon 880 tires for the front and the back. The wiggle that I had in high speed turns vanished after the new tires and the guys say that they last a long time too. I guess that's where the "Marathon" comes from.

[mixelpix]

Anybody ever use Ride-On No Flat or a similar tire 'protection'? I see it advertised all the time on eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=35580

[Pat Kelly]

I've been a mechanic (auto) for 25 years and I've busted tires all that time too.
The flat-preventative stuff works for the most part. On (car) tires that have it incorporated from the tire manufacturer if plugs nail holes well.
The add-in stuff (like slime) makes a mess inside the tire and rim. I've seen it etch the rim inside the tire.
One downside is that when it works your tire dosen't go flat but you may not know that there's something in your tire. A forgien object in a tire (if left there) can cause ply separation of the tire and subsequent catastophic failure of the tire. Also, the tire can't be patched.
Now that I've switched to tubeless I carry plugs for emergency use. As soon as possible I would remove the plug and repair with a patch. Plugs can cause ply separation too.
Ply separation is easy to spot, a tire with good tread except for a spot or section that is bald or noticebly bulging (not all the way around like on a bad front-end alignment of a car).

[bikerhawk]

Originally posted by Dennyz
16" rear rims are stock on Specials and 17" rims are stock on Standards. The only exception to this may be the '81 Standard "H" (not sure).

The Dunlop Elite II has been an excellent tire on my XS. 6 - 8K miles on the rear, easily. My wife’s SF was approaching (sold it to her brother) 10K miles with only minor squaring (lots of tread left).

My H came w/a 16" rear, but it was because someone had put it on there and it wasn't properly aligned with relation to the brake caliper arm...the spacer had to be cut down to make work, but it now works great. 17" were standard on the H's, I'm 99.999% sure.

The F project bike is looking more and more like a donor instead, complete with solid engine/trans and a 17" rear wheel. When I wear out my 16" Dunlop Elite II, I will use the 17" wheel and get a new tire mounted to that, to bring the revs back down and give me better highway mileage.

[GNEPIG]

yep, what he said

[bandet01]

17 were used on the standard and 16 on the special

[snowdog51]

tires

the dif in diam. is less than a inch ,plus good rubber at good prices. i put 16 on my 80g worked good you need spacer from special then its bolt on.
as ever bill