Who likes what tires?

[thewiz]

Cheng Sing ...

I have the Cheng Sing Maxxis ProMaxx on my G .... bike handles well with them on there although I don't ride it hard too often. The rear will need to be changed out after this season and the Shinko 712 has a very similar tread pattern so I may give it a try. Apparently Cheng Sing no longer makes touring tires cuz I can't find one anywhere ???

Just put a set of Duro's on my F and I like 'em so far although there's probably less than five hunderd miles on 'em.

Anyone ever tried mounting the front tire in the opposite direction of the way the arrow points?

[trbig]

Anyone ever tried mounting the front tire in the opposite direction of the way the arrow points?

I have wondered this myself. It looks like you mount them backwards all the time. It looks like you'd be gathering water TO the center of your tire. If this is correct on the front, why isn't it that way on the back? Something worth sending a message to a manufacturer about I would think.

Tod

[thewiz]

When I took these new Duros ..

in to be mounted, the guy asked me which way I wanted to mount the front. I said, "Well, there's an arrow, right?".

He told me that there are two schools of thought on the arrow, using as an example a 4wd ATV sitting right there. Pointing to the front tires of the ATV, he said, "See the way the tread pattern goes, that's for pulling with the front wheels? If it were a 2wd, I'd mount them with the tread facing the opposite direction for better braking and steering since there is no pulling from the front." "So", he said, "One school of thought has the 'directional arrow' in the direction of ROTATION, the other in the directon of LOAD or work." What did I want to do?

Hmmmmm ...I thought about it for a minute and realized that the tire would have to work HARDER against the forces of steering and braking if I mounted it with the arrow in the REVERSE direction and the tread seemingly backwards. Harder might be better .... so I did it that way.

Now, here's the caveat, Tod. Maybe it's in my head, BUT, I think the bike steers too hard now ... and I ain't likin' that too much. I'm gonna' change it back to 'direction of rotation' instead of direction of load and see if that changes the steering feel. Does that make any sense?

[joebus]

Shinko's

So what model of Shinko's are you guys using? My bike is more the ready for some new rubber.

[Bigfoot]

The model 712 is the only one that they specifically listed as a bias ply so that is what I went with.

I used up a couple of the Maxxis ProMax as well. They gripped well and wore good at first. After about half the tread was gone, they wore really fast. Got about 6k out of the rear.

[Bob Falter]

Considering all the tire threads, I think we should consider having each person on the forum contribute a few bucks to provide tires for someone who rides 15,000+ miles a year on his XS. He could use the most popular tires, keep track of tread depth, riding condition, wet & dry traction, cost/mile, etc. (He may have to let trbig check out the high speed cornering aspects of the tire.) After about 3 year we would have factual data on just how well the top 6-8 tires perform. Ending forever, the tire threads. LOL

Bob

[thewiz]

That TR likes to ride ..

He may have to let trbig check out the high speed cornering aspects of the tire.)

I'm kinda' hopin' he'll show up in NC sometime. I'd like him to ride my bikes and tell me if they have any high speed issues. How 'bout it, Tod? Maybe I'll have an XJ to fiddle around with by then too.

[trbig]

LOL.. Sounds like a heck of an offer, but it's bad enough risking my OWN bike. I could see it now.... me walking back to you...

"Ummm.. about those high speed issues.." (as you see a black fireball in the sky.)


Or...

"Did you have these 1st and 2nd gear/clutch issues BEFORE I started riding it?"


Thanks... but it's bad enough having to fix my own as often as i do.. lol.


Tod

[thewiz]

That's too funny, Tod ..

LMAO. I think you'd be just fine though .... if the bikes destruct, it was gonna' happen anyway. That's why the testing, right?

[Trainzz]

Hey wiz

Just curious, but how much gravel do you have in your driveway?

This needs to be address before you let old biggie jump on your scooter (evil grin)!

[Trainzz]

Hey wiz

Just curious, but how much gravel do you have in your driveway?

This needs to be addressed before you let old biggie jump on your scooter (evil grin)!

[Dragon Tamer]

Up until a month or so ago I would have said that the Dunlop E3 was the best tire for the money out there, that was until I put one on the front of the Fire Dragon and it tried to kill me. That being said I still have E3's on the back of all my bikes at the minute. As a rear tire I cannot fault them, I ride probably nearly as hard as TR (I said nearly) and have 12,000 plus on the one on the Fire Dragon. I put the caliper stick on that one and the one on the Little Draon (which has only three K on it) and there is only .020 difference in tread depth which I find amazing, also consider the fact that I have NEVER gotten over 7K on a rear tire before. The one on the Fire Dragon is just starting to wear a little flat in the center and that makes me feel that I may be just starting to wear through the hard part of the compound.
The front E3 is a different story, here I am thinking along the lines of the Wiz. It looks as though the tread is on the wrong direction and it does NOT work well on a wet road. Damp is ok but standing water is an absolute killer with that tire. I know that some people have not had that problem but I definatly have, YMMV. I have replaced it with a Metzeler and so far I am extremely impressed. For only about ten bucks more that the Dunlop it is FAR superior. The price of a tire does not concern me that much considering that it is MY butt that it is holding off of the ground. Given that and the fact that my communications with Dunlop were unsatisfactory (to say the least) I will NEVER allow another Dunlop product to remain on any bike that I own. When the current E3's wear out they will be replaced with Metzeler 880's unless I happen to find something that works better, which does not look likely at this point.
Keep in mind that just because you don't push your tires to the limit as a daily routine does not mean that you won't be forced to do so at some point. I prefer to know that the tire will stand up to it.

[BossMaverick]

I put Bridgestone Spitfires on my bike at the beginning of my riding season. I have 3,000 miles or so on them now. I expect to get around 6,000 miles out of the rear tire. The majority of my riding is on super coarse chip sealed highways and my driveway is gravel. I take corners aggressively. I'm very impressed with the Spitfires for grip, dry or wet. I haven't had any issues in rain and standing water. While life is not the best, grip is excellent and cost to mile factor is still good.

The previous tires on my were Metzelers (Lazertec on front and 880 on the rear). The front was mounted backwards, was cupped, and was dried out. The rear was low on thread but was still useable. I could not ride in rain (not that I didn't want to, I seriously couldn't about 35 mph). The front felt like it skimmed the water and caused the front to weave.

I'm going to stick with Spitfires for this bike in the future.

[cueball]

Lasertec

was it mounted correctly as far as the directional arrow. lots of people put them on the wrong way. when mounted correctly they look like they are backward

[WMarshy]

Hi guys,
I went yesterday to price a rear tire at my local shop. Got a quote for a Bridgestone Battlax BT-45 for $93 for the tire, $115 for mount and balance if I bring just the rim...seems fair to me. Was trying to find the E3 you guys talk about then realized you guys running the E2 and 3's have a 16 inch wheel. Anyone with a '78 or '79 try putting a 140/90/17 on the rear? If so what brand, I might try it but dont want to play roulette... Here's the Battlax site if interested, I will look at the spitfire.
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...Rear-Tire.aspx