Who likes what tires?

[thewiz]

Direction of rotation ... OR ..

direction of LOAD(braking, steering,stopping)? The bike on the left has the arrow pointing opposite the direction of rotation ... bike on the right has the arrow pointing in the direction of rotation BUT the arrow on that one specifically states "ROTATION"... the one on the left does not. Go figure?.
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As I said earlier, I feel that bike with the arrow pointing OPPOSITE the rotational direction steers too heavy. Changing it today and I'll let ya' know if I can feel the difference.

[crazy steve]

... 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? http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...Rear-Tire.aspx

Yeah, that is a problem as many of the tires these guys are touting aren't available in the 17" size to fit the standards. You're pretty much limited to the various 'mid-line' tires, with the 'Spitfire' being one of the better choices in the 'major' brands. Your other choice is to convert to the 16" wheel, then there's much more out there....

'78E original owner

[WMarshy]

Thanks Steve, but going to a 16" wheel isnt in the budget right now. I think Im going to try the battlax, it looks better (not that it matters much) and its a dual compound tire... Otherwise, the Pirelli and/or the Avon tires look like they would be a good one too. Doubt it would fit but theres a sick 140/80/17 belted Avon tire that would look sick, I bet it feels nice too...
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...Rear-Tire.aspx

Anyone have anything to say about Avon?

[trbig]

I think Im going to try the battlax, it looks better (not that it matters much) and its a dual compound tire...

I certainly hope you have better luck with one than I did. As stated, it was the worst handling tire of any I have riden on, and I only got 2800 miles out of the rear. But, maybe I got a lemon.


Tod

[Ivan]

I imagine the rotation arrow on on the side of our motorcycle tires has more to do with the way the belting is woven than with the tread. I have had many complaints with "It doesn't steer right" when guys in the "Quick lube" rotate tires the wrong way, and the car handles like its on marbles, since even radial tires will "break in" with the belting used to load being applied in one direction, and not rotating the tires right will reverse the loading direction and cause all kinds of grief.

Also, If you think about what you would want the tread to look like when the tires start to slip, you'll understand why the front tread looks like that.

[trbig]

Also, If you think about what you would want the tread to look like when the tires start to slip...

A nice sticky racing slick on warm dry pavement!

They still look like they're backwards. In most nice dry cases.. maybe that works, but it still looks like it would gather water to the center of the tire in the wet instead of shedding it away. Maybe they just assume most people are fair weathered riders that rarely ride in the rain?


Tod

[thewiz]

Well, Ivan ...

I can see sense in both theories regarding the directional arrow ..... as of right now I flipped the one with the arrow that was pointing in the opposite of rotational direction over to point with the rotational direction. It's lookin' like rain here, for a change..lol, so I'll maybe not get to try it yet today ..... might have to wait to report back later if it has made any diff in the steering feel.

[Shuriken]

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.

I was able to cure a low speed wobble on my VMax just by going from an IRC front tire to an ME-880.

I ran Dunlop Elite II tires on all of my XS11s. I don't think the Dunlops were a sticky tire at all and I also had problems on wet roads with the Dunlops. Never tried Metzelers on the 11 but they work great on the VMax and a lot of other VMax guys run the ME-880s also.

[thewiz]

Day and Night ...

difference after flopping the tire so the arrow faces the direction of rotation. Rode about 10miles before the thunder and lightning turned me around. The steering forces feel normal again, like the G. Shoulda' put it on thataway to begin with, I guess, but it was an interesting experiment.

Shuriken ... I had the 880s on my SF ... like the way it handled with them on there ... it was wrecked to some extent or another most of the 2.5yrs I owned it so I have no personal experience with their longevity ... s'posed to be excellent though.

[trbig]

I ran Dunlop Elite II tires on all of my XS11s. I don't think the Dunlops were a sticky tire at all and I also had problems on wet roads with the Dunlops.

I don't know personally, but many people have said there's a world of difference between the Elite 2s and the 3s. But, I know a lot of people that love the ME 880s. As a matter of fact, I've never heard anything bad about them except they just don't have the longevity.

Tod

[Dragon Tamer]

My most used riding buddy "Poppa Smurf" rides an Royal Star Venture. It came with Bridgestones on it and he got less than 7k on the first set, the second set went only just under 6k. As he puts on over 20k a year his complaint was that he was spending more time changing tires than he was riding. Then he put on a set of ME880's. He got over 14k on the first rear and changed that out with another 880, this one has about 15k on it and still looks good. He says he will change them both out next month as he is headed west for a week or two. He also spent a week running around SC and Virginia last summer and says they worked WAY better on the twistys than the originals. I can attest to that, since he put those on that brute of a barge he can run through the twistys about as fast as most people on smaller and lighter bikes!
As I have stated, I love the Dunlop E3's but my front tire (installed with the rotation arrow correctly) had the tread looking like the left bike on the above picture. The outer part of the tread hits the road first and seems to pull the water in under the tire. The rear E3 has the center of the tread hitting the road first and it pushs the water away from the tire. You can actually see this as you go through the water! The 880 also looks like it might be backwards but has an additional tread sipe that works to get the water out from under the tire. Works well too, I rode to work in the rain this morning at about 60mph. Would NOT have gotten over about 40 with that E3 and would have felt very unsafe even at that speed. I could see the water jetting straight sideways from the front tire, almost none following the tire around and flying up under the fairing.

[MaximPhil]

[QUOTE=thewiz;222794]difference after flopping the tire so the arrow faces the direction of rotation. Rode about 10miles before the thunder and lightning turned me around. The steering forces feel normal again, like the G. Shoulda' put it on thataway to begin with, I guess, but it was an interesting experiment.

Hi thewiz,
Thanks for your experiment. I am sure many of us appreciate your effort and have been saved from having to try it ourselves.
Phil

[thewiz]

Alrighty, then ..

Max ... yer welcome.

[Russ79]

Just for my two cents worth, I think Ivan is right. The belting on tires is woven directionally, so I would really not recommend mounting it backwards. Especially on the front.
As for my own experience, the only tire that I rode on in which I felt my life was in danger was a Dunlop 404. I had to test ride a Kawasaki 600 for a customer a few years back. I mounted the tire brand new, and went out on the interstate in a pretty moderate Kansas wind, and that friggen bike twitched all over the road at 70 mph. It was all I could do to keep the thing going in a straight line. That being said, I have personally rode many miles with Trbig, and what he says is true. He rides harder and faster in the twisties that anyone I have ever seen, and his Elite 3s handle very well, wet or dry, and tread life is also really good. But for all of us standard guys, I don't think they make it in 17". I have a 79 special, that I have fitted with the 17" rear wheel, and that has been one of the best mods I have ever done to that bike. It improved my fuel economy, handling, and I can load the bike way heavier for touring. Not to mention I am a 300lb guy myself.
But personally I run the Metzler ME88 on the rear, and the Metzler Lasertec on the front (mounted the right way) They are the best tire I personally have ever run. As I can't keep up with Trbig in the twisties, I can run hard and fast, as many here can attest to. My attitude is yes Metzlers are expensive, but I trust them. I just can't put a price tag on that. Wet, dry, slow fast, they just work well everytime anywhere I go. I know many of you don't ride like Trbig and I do. That's ok and you probably don't need super high dollar tires. My only advise is just don't run on old tires(more that 3 full riding seasons), or on worn out tires. If in doubt, change them. It's just not worth the risk. If you think you are saving money, just wait till you see what they are charging at the emergency room these days! Hope this helps,

Russ79

[Shuriken]

FWIW, I put the ME-880s on my VMax because the IRCs would bust free every time I tried to launch. The ME-880 is a good tire because it gives you a great balance of wear and stick, IMO. The ME-880 is sticky enough that I can bring the front end up on the Max. I did like the Dunlops on the XS for wear, but wouldn't trust them in the rain or around the twisties where the tar oozes out from the cracks in the road!