Tires?

[greyranch]

Hi,newbie to this forum,restoring 79 standard xs 1100. What tires would be recommended for this bike.Looking for decent wear at a decent price.Any input would be appreciated.Need front and rear tires.Currently when I bought the bike it has Chen Chins on it and owner claimed he only got 5000 miles out of them.Is this normal.Thanks.

[Crazcnuk]

oh, god... DUCK!

Seriously, this one has beengone over a bazillion times, just try a search for tires and see..

I've been looking at the same thing.

Standard stock sizes --- max size

120/90-17 Rear --- 130/90-17
100/90-19 Front --- 110/90-19

Some people report going with a 140/90-17 rear as long as you don't use raised letter tires. Not sure about 120/90-19 on the front.

Brand is personal preference, but Metzler, Dunlop, Bridgestone, Avon and Continental get some good reviews.

[wa407mpp]

tires?

Welcome to the site. The tires you run depends on how your bike is set up and how you ride it. my bike is set up for touring and I use Continental Conti. Tours tk16 front and tk17 rear. I'm on my third set, counting the set that came on the bike. they are made for both high mileage and wet roads ,and are the most stable tire I have ever run on any bike I have ever owned. But that only my two cents worth, everyone has their favorites.

[pggg]

Conti tours last for ages, good choice for high milage, 110's are too wide for the stock XS11's skinny front rim though, they'll fit but the tyre is actually distorted outwards and the center tread wears down too quickly eventually leaving tons of tread on the sides and a bald middle!

[greyranch]

Thanks for your inputs on this.I checked other threads but really didnt see any comparisons or what mileage riders are getting out of their tires.I will probably goe with the Continental.

[Derwat]

The info is there, but you have t0 wade through reams of threads.

need someone to collate it all into a coherent chart!

[Jerry]

When I first joined the group i went to a rally in Arkansas, back in 2000. Took a quick poll of who was running what tires.

Have done spot checks since then at more rallies. My unscientific method has Dunlop tires on over 70 percent of the bikes surveyed.

The most popular tire for people attending rallies is the Dunlop Elite series. The Elite II (also known as a K491) has been replaced by and large by the Elite III.

Reasons for the Elite's popularity include:
Available in the sizes we need.
Good all-weather tire; any long trip is bound to include some rainy stretches.
Good / excellent mileage, 8K or more rear, 12K or more front is about average.
Price is middle of the line. List around $135 (rear) and a bit less for the front.
Carrying capacity is greater than some other brands. (Our bikes are heavy, and quite often carry additional loads for long-distance travel. Kenda and Chen-sing (sp?) are available in many of the same sizes but are rated for quite a bit less load. )
Quality is consistent. Handling / braking is consistent.

I used to run Conti tires, they may be making a comeback. Metzler also has some good tires. Stick with bias-ply, Don't go radial...these bikes don't like them.

The most popular tire, though, is Dunlop, and within that line the Elite series is the tire of choice for the majority of the people who show up at rallies.

[pggg]

If you ran an appropriately shaped front 120/130 radial on the XS11 rear rim, you probably wouldn't know the difference, last time I looked there were no radial tyres to fit the XS11 rims, bar swapping radial fronts to rears, but that was a couple of years back and tyre technology is marching on swiftly, maybe there are radials that fit the XS11 now, one reason an XS11 wouldn't like them - the bike'll drop down and those with centrestands would scrape the road on bumps, my rear radial is a designated rear on a wide rim and handles faultless with just a crossply front, although the front is 110 width on a wider rim

[NemisusDM]

Well I just mounted Dunlop 404's. Nice tread pattern, similar to the EliteII but, that's all I can say till I get a couple hundred miles on them.

These replaced my Dunlop F11 and K627 that I really liked.

[Crazcnuk]

'The tires you run depends on how your bike is set up and how you ride it'

Well, 1980 Standard, full Venture package, except it has a Vetter tour pack trunk, 1208cc overbore, HD clutch, S&S 4 into 2 exhaust.

I drive pretty calm, most the time, but not averse to full throttle burns, now and then, at least as far as the fairing will allow. I normally cruise between 110-120kph (68-75mph)

I'm 190lbs, don't normally have a passenger. I have progressive shock springs on the rear, stock forks.

Does that help?

[greyranch]

tires

Thanks again for your suggestions.My local motorcycle shop recommended the Dunlop d404 for price and durability.So I ordered them.Will see how they handle and hold up.I enjoy the forum and will try and keep this old bike rolling! Brad

[MAXIMAN]

AVON VENOM X AVON VENOM X AVON VENOM X AVON VENOM X AVON VENOM X AVON VENOM X AVON VENOM X AVON VENOM X AVON VENOM X AVON VENOM X AVON VENOM X AVON VENOM X AVON VENOM X AVON VENOM X AVON VENOM X AVON VENOM X


Ok...having said that I just ordered a set of Elite III for my upcoming road trip to Ray's World...the west coast fun park and ride of a lifetime. Ray rode his 78E to Cleveland last year and put 7000+ on his Elites. They looked great after that.

Hey Ray how many miles didja finally choke outta those skins?