What tires do you use?

[Pain]

+1 for the Lasertecs. Good in the rain and smooth in the corners.

They were okay in the snow too, but I wouldn't recommend it.

[rekievit]

I am also using the Metzeler Lasertecs.
No complaints, much better than the continentals that were on before. I would definitely buy another set in the future.

[Axel]

Roadrunners

I wanted Battlax's last time but got a Roadrunner on front and a Spitfire on rear . Spitfire is gone at 10,000 kms . I got a Roadrunner for the rear now and they seem sticky . Front Roadrunner is cupping .Next time round I will try extra hard for the Battlax's .

[Dsxs11]

After the last two weeks I'm sold on the ContiTour's I just ordered a sets for the xs 750 my wifes CB 400 the Suzuki GS and the KZ.

[Dragon Tamer]

Gotta go with Trbig on this one, put an E-3 (rear) on this spring, got over 14,000 on her and still have lots of tread left. Has worn a little flat across the center but still hangs on to the road like a hungry wood tick on a dog and works well in the rain. As 6,000mi was the best I have ever done on any other rear tire I am tickled with this, it may make well into next season. I can drag the kickstand easy with this tire and never could have done that before. It will absolutely be my next tire!

[fredintoon]

Don't go! It's a trap! There's two of them!

Hi Trbig, Daniel,
I'm always keen to hear about high mileage tires so I Googled "Dunlop Elite 3" and hey! They make them in radial ply and in bias ply. Where do we go from here?

[trbig]

I have wondered that myself. I've heard on here about dire warnings of running a radial on our bikes, or mixing a radial rear with bias front or vice versa. AND.. I've heard that is a load of crap from some reputable sources. Is it another case of "Don't jump start a bike from a running car" wive's tale?

I have absolutely no personal knowledge on this subject... but I do wonder about it myself. I know a radial on a car is a vast improvement over bias ply... so wondering why the same doesn't apply here?


Tod

[DJinNH]

I bought front and back Dunlop Elite 3's that I was going to put on my 1100SG. I bought my two bikes this time last year off of Ebay.

I got looking at the tires that were on my SG and figured they were in great shape so I left them on. The bike is now being stored in Maine so I can't go see what brand they are.

The Elite 3's are going to go on my SH that I hope to have running by Spring of '09. The tires on that one are much more worn.

Don

[planedick]

Me too

I am also interested in the pros & cons of radial vs bias ply. I had a small Plymouth Horizon once and used it to haul and launch a 21' McGreggor sailboat that was much larger and much heavier than the Horizon. I found that Radial on the rear and Bias ply on the front (drive wheels) worked really good. Especially in hard stopping situations it would help keep everything in a straight line.

[fredintoon]

NOT an old wives tale

"Is it another case of "Don't jump start a bike from a running car" wive's tale? "
Hi trbig,
being a slow learner, I did it twice. Boosted another vehicle from my running car and each had the needle of the car's electronic tach stick at ~2,000 rpm once I turned the car off. I had to reach in through the little hole where the trip odometer zero knob sticks out with apiece of mechanic's wire to pull the needle back to zero. That was enough to teach me that yes, boosting from a running car can indeed mess with that car's electrics.

[snowdog51]

tires

dunlop 501 130 80 16 front
dunlop 501 130 90 16 rear

you can slip it if your leanned hard but normal driving it's fine as wine



ps have fj 1100 fork so 16 in front

[jetmechmarty]

radial tires

I did a "google" and found this on another site:

What’s the difference between radial tires and bias-ply tires?
The main difference between radials and bias-ply tires lies in their construction. Tires aren’t just toroidal balloons, they are reinforced with cords of steel or synthetic materials such as nylon or Aramid. In bias-ply tires, the fibers are wrapped in an X pattern between the beads; in radial tires, the fibers are wrapped perpendicular to the tread. Radial tires have more flexible sidewalls than bias-ply tires, and thus absorb road irregularities better and have a comparatively larger contact patch when leaned over. Because of the flexible nature of a radial, these offer higher mileage compared with a comparable bias-ply for a given rubber compound. Since they absorb small road irregularities better, they ride more comfortably and are less likely to be upset by groovy pavement.
While radial tires perform better than bias tires, some older motorcycles can’t be fitted with radial tires because of differences in rim profiles. You probably won’t notice much of a difference anyway, so stick with boas tires if that’s what the motorcycle was designed for.
Why can’t I mix radials and bias tires?
The different ways in which radial and bias tires react to sideways loads can lead to unpredictable behavior while cornering. It’s bad enough to do this on a four-wheeler, but it can be even worse on a motorcycle. If you need to replace one tire and the same type is not available, then go ahead and replace both tires with the same type.

[Courtney]

Bridgestone Spits or Kenda Challengers

Well, I've been driving Xsives since 1982 when I bought my first one, and I've gone through Conti's Bridgestones, Yokohamas, and Kendas. I can STILL get a set of Kendas for 125 bucks for the bike. For my style of driving, which is moderate (still have to whip some Honda Civic punks once in awhile you know) the Kendas have returned the best bang for the buck. To me, they seem like a clone of the Spitfire, including saying they have a dual compound tread. If you like to drag pipes, and generally scare the sh*t out of yourself, then perhaps you won't like them, but up here in the PNWet, where it rains lots, and the roads are greasy, I have always felt comfortable turning some moderate corners at regular speed with worrying. Mileage has been fine for me too, because I check that my alignment/pressure/ is where it's supposed to be.
Court

[chrisso]

Metzler Metronics front & rear.Good grip-rears dont last too long...maybe if I stopped doin burnouts in my garage haha


''+1 for the Lasertecs. Good in the rain and smooth in the corners'' I think mine are too. V rated . +2

[kenkrieger]

I have run Metzeler 880 Marathons on my 81 Special now for over 40K miles, in wet and dry, and moderate driving. Average 14-18K a year. Now on the third set. I have gotten at least 13K out of the front tires and a bit less from the rear tires. Also running the 880 's on my 79 Special. same results, never had a single problem on these tires. They also do well on grooved highways.
I have been looking at the Kenda's though, run those on my 4 wheelers and are great tires. May give them a try next.