Tires, MPG, old age, blah blah

[MaximPhil]

Why not match it with another Metzeler? It's a strong tire that went over 7k for me. You know very well how hard I ride it and with a load. Were I you, I would do that.

Hi Marty,
I was planning to do that until the 712 started to get such rave reviews. Being a member in good standing of the "Cheap Bastards" I am forced to explore every avenue. My other problem will be what is available here in Canada vs the inconvenience of trans border shopping.
Phil

[jetmechmarty]

Hi Marty,
I was planning to do that until the 712 started to get such rave reviews. Being a member in good standing of the "Cheap Bastards" I am forced to explore every avenue. My other problem will be what is available here in Canada vs the inconvenience of trans border shopping.
Phil

How much does it cost to mount and balance the tire? You know how the Metzeler works and how long it will last. That being said....

I noted something about the Metzeler ME880 that I found interesting. My rear tires were made in Germany. My front tire in Brasil. I looked at another bike with a different size front tire and it too was made in Brasil, with the rear tire made in Germany. My front tire looked ancient and was only two years old! If not for that, I would have just put another ME880 on the rear to match it.

[madmax-im]

Just took a real close look at my tires...since back in april when i bought the bike i did write down the tire sizes...but didnt really look at who the manufacturer was...Randy told mre they were Continentals but in actuality they are Bridgestone Spitfires both front and back...The front looks perfect...all tread is there and no cupping...will keep this one...the rear is already squared off with a wide flat center so it will be replaced by the Shinko 712...
Thanks to Marty and all the rest of youse guys for the info and pointing the way...i guess you can add me to the cheap bastards fraternity.

[jetmechmarty]

...i guess you can add me to the cheap bastards fraternity.

I think that's probably the majority of us.

When I started this thread, I had a few points to make. One was how a change of tires will affect your handling and even the speedometer. The Bridgestone tire on the front of Ben's bike is 5 mm wider than both my Dunlop and Pirelli. We haven't even touched on rubber compound with the exception of comments by Greg and Bikerphil. Also, let's not forget how subjective all of this is.

[bikerphil]

First time I put a Shinko 712 100/90/19 on the front, it looked thin like a 10 speed tire compared to the Bridgestone S11, the 110/90/19 size on the other hand is much larger and fills up the fender much better. I've got a couple bad 712 fronts and one bad 712 rear in the past, I run the 230 Shinko in the front now, the 110/90/19 V rated, rides very smooth, haven't had it on long enough to determine wear, seems like the quality control on the 712 kinda sucks, some bad ones slip thru, YMMV, my 2¢...

[madmax-im]

I do appreciate the technical side ...more analytical than i usually am but still appreciated. Agree it is somewhat subjective...most everything is...but the prevailing attitudes based upon the collection of experiences helpds to guide one nonetheless. As for teaching an old dog new tricks...that would be me...Given my limited budget at this time it doesnt make sense for me to buy a $150+ tire when $60 some odd dollars will suffice. I am trying to get this bike up to snuff before the rally...

[fredintoon]

- - - BTW I hate Avons and refuse to run them... - - -

Hi Max,
Why is that? Unreasonable prejudice or do you have a horror story to share?

[madmax-im]

Hi Max,
Why is that? Unreasonable prejudice or do you have a horror story to share?

not on the XS/XJs' but on the Honda ST1100 and 1300s the rear tire have known defects where tires blowout and delaminate while underway at like 70 mph...has happened so frequently that most honda owners will not run them...tires are Avon Storms and Storm 2s. Avon refuses to acknowledge there is a problem with their tires...Also front end wobble with their tires whereas other tires no wobble...I know Avon's tires for our bikes are not the same but I cant trust Avon and thus my earlier statement to refuse to run them again.

[jetmechmarty]

Pirelli MT66 Route follow-up

I got about 4K miles out of the back tire. That's typical for me. The majority of it was two-up and hard charging.


Toward the end of the tire's life, the bike got so squirrelly that I thought something was wrong with it. I had a couple of inadvertent skids with the rear brake. It got pretty uncomfortable. I just put a new back tire on it. It's the same Pirelli tire. It rides like it's on a rail again. Overall, I'm happy with it. This time, I'll know what to expect when it's about worn out.

[trbig]

4k miles? Not a great dollar per mile average, though it could be handy.. Just change the oil every tire change? Takes the guesswork out. lol.


*Note: Before some of you scream "You only change the oil every 4,000 miles!?!?"... Sometimes I go more. If you look at how the oil is broke down, the majority of the damage is done in the first 800 miles. After that, it's a very gradual drop off of efficiency. Not much difference in oil with 3k miles as 4k miles, though riding in extreme heat with these air-cooled engines will come into play.

Hehe.. Like how I turned a tire thread into an oil thread? lol.

[jetmechmarty]

4k miles? Not a great dollar per mile average, though it could be handy.. Just change the oil every tire change?

I am afraid that's typical for me. I've gone through more expensive tires quicker. YMMV, as they say. Remember, two-up, and my driving. Tire pressure comes into play as well. I get the same out of most tires.

[Cobia]

My range of tires

I'm currently running he 712s and like them a lot. Great tires for the price.
I started out with Cheng Shings on my G and loved those tires, they had great traction and sidewall integrity until they wore out. When I went to replace them they were no longer available in the US, strange because they manufacture the Maxxis as well. Something to do with DOT certification issues.
I then went with Kendas....BIG MISTAKE. They barely lasted a year and less than halfway through their lifespan they totally lost sidewall rigidity, talk about squirely....UUgghhh.
So I then went with the 712s and they're hard to beat for the price.
I re-shoed the G for less than $100 from Motorcycle Superstore and the tires were at my front door in 3 days.
My J came with an old set of Dunlop Qualifiers. They served me well for several years. Early last year after a ride, when I loaned it to a friend so he could ride with us, we noticed cracks between the treads. Replaced them with 712s but this time I went with the 110 in the front instead of the 100. Fills the fender very nicely and rides a lot better.
Just my 2cents worth.

[fredintoon]

..tires are Avon Storms and Storm 2s. Avon refuses to acknowledge there is a problem with their tires...

Hi Max,
fair enough. My last Avons were the SMs (SpeedMaster front, SafetyMilage rear) that were fitted on my BSA B33 back in 1963.
Seems you can't trust nobody these days.
BTW, somebody claimed to be a cheap bastard.
How can you be a cheap bastard if you buy your tires new instead of prying them off insurance write-offs at a breaker's yard?

[MaximPhil]

Hi Max,
fair enough. My last Avons were the SMs (SpeedMaster front, SafetyMilage rear) that were fitted on my BSA B33 back in 1963.
Seems you can't trust nobody these days.
BTW, somebody claimed to be a cheap bastard.
How can you be a cheap bastard if you buy your tires new instead of prying them off insurance write-offs at a breaker's yard?

Hi Fred,
Even us Cheap Bastards know not to compromise on safety
I am reminded of the time my friend was racing in a Porsche series race:
Just as the count down to the start began it came on to rain so the officials postponed the start for the teams to change to rain tires. He chatted away to his crew chief and left the other competitors with the impression he had elected to go with slick tires. So off they went him on slicks the others on rain tires. He tells the story of how he was desperately hanging on to the car on the rain soaked track for the first lap.....then the rain stopped and by lap three the track was drying and he was charging to the front
yes he WON.
In telling the story he confessed their budget was so slim they did not have Rain Tires so the choice had been really easy
Phil

[DeanR]

Phil, do you ever get to any events at The Glen anymore?