Buying new tires for the first time...ever

[apg0106]

Going to get new front/rear tires next week. I need suggestions, i've never bought motorcycle tires before, i dont need the best of the best, its just a bar hopper pretty much, but i want something that'll last a while. Budget is less than $200 for the two. Thanks guys, i swear, this place is like a family! we should have a "family" gathering sometime, no west coast, east cost, central north south stuff, but, hey, here we are meeting for a weekend of XS fun, EVERYONE COME ON! lol

[CatatonicBug]

Between tires and oil, those two topics cover about 50% of all the posts on this forum. Have you tried a search? There are about as many opinions on tires as there are owners of bikes - maybe even more...

Shinko makes about the least expensive tires, and they work just fine IMO. There are MUCH more expensive ones if you look into Pirellis or Avons. Dunlop makes a good tire too, but not quite as expensive.

Personally, I run a Shinko 712 on the front because that's what I could afford when I bought it (no complaints on the tire), and a Dunlop Elite 3 on the rear (also no complaints) because of the reviews on it from members here. I have never tested any other tire though.

[lee_dutcher]

Going to get new front/rear tires next week. I need suggestions, i've never bought motorcycle tires before, i dont need the best of the best, its just a bar hopper pretty much, but i want something that'll last a while. Budget is less than $200 for

well tire threads and oil threads are quite common...there a search bar up top click on that and youll get a bunch of threads relating to tires...lol... but hey i like kendas the cheap and reliable and fell good in corners

[DGXSER]

Yep what tires to use and which ones are worth the price or will last as stated will spark more opinons than what city is the best in the world!! That and what oil should you use.

No trying to downplay your situation, and we all have been there and asked the question before. Just after 6 months on the site you learn that it is no different than which tire should you use on your car.

Lots of folks with lots of opinions and none are right or wrong, but boy some folks will try like the dickens to make others see how theirs is more right than the others.

MY first XS came with a set of Kenda tires on it. Hated them myself, but others will swear by them. I have Dunlop 404s now, and like them fine, others will swear by them, and still others hate them.

End of the day, with tires, you get what you pay for generally. Just like on your cars.

[klrconcours]

Shinko rear

I bought a rear Shinko from Bikebandit.com recently. Cheap, I think. Good looking tire! We'll see about durability. Reviews were good. It's a bias ply. But, I've heard Kenda was good for a cheap tire too. It's a tire. You can't do really bad or great I suppose. It's gonna be close I would suspect. I do like the look of the Shinko. It has a more modern crotch rocket treat design.

[XS1100 Newbie]

Just make sure the load rating is high enough for what you want to do. With the Kenda on the back of mine, i can't ride 2 up. If you are going to load it down, or ride 2 up, then get a tire rated high enough. Cost doesn't matter as much when you think about a loved one in the hospital or worse because you wanted to save a penny.

[crazy steve]

Everybody has their favorite, and some have a 'hate list' . I'll make two comments on brands; if you plan to ride in the rain a fair amount, Dunlops have a good 'wet' tread pattern. And Avons tend to dry rot rather quickly, so if you're not going to put a fair number of miles on soon, avoid those. If you have a 'special' (16" rear and 19" front), those use the same tires as a up-to-'03 Harley Sportster, so you'll have lots of choices. If you have a 'standard' with a 17" rear, the 130/90-17 isn't available in as many choices.

Cost doesn't alway equate to mileage either, so if you're just an occasional rider and don't plan to explore your top speed on a regular basis, a set of 'budget' tires may be just fine. I've been happy with the prices and service of these guys..
http://www.jakewilson.com/home.do
... but it does pay to shop.

'78E original owner

[cheezy]

i've used kenda's on my maxim and my 77wing with good results. i just got a set of shinko 712's to try on my 750 maxim, and after 500mi, i'm still liking them a lot. for less than $100 delivered, i'm very impressed. got them at motorcycle super store. because of the short riding season, my tires seem to crack/rot before they're worn out. so these cheaper tires seem the way to go for me.

[Bullet]

For what it's worth ..

I have had real good luck with Bridgestone's over the years ..

The spitfire 11's are a good inexpensive tire that wear well.

I put Bridgestone Battlax BT45's V rated on Blue ball's .. these are 150 mph rated tires with a dual compound sticky tread on them.

These tires fall in the Sport touring group, but honestly, they are the quietest, stickiest tires I ever had on a bike. More than happy with them so far and they seem to be wearing well ..

[Yahman]

I've been happy with the prices and service of these guys..
http://www.jakewilson.com/home.do
... but it does pay to shop.

'78E original owner

I've been very happy with their service and prices also.

Larry

[Rstyduck]

I ran Kendas. Liked them.
Ran Dunlops. Liked those.
Ran an Avon on the rear of my old XS1100. Hated it. Was slippery in the rain.

On a side note, I was broke, couldnt afford a new rear tire, you know.
I went to the local auto wrecker, happened to work there, and found a space saver tire that was near the right size.
Put it on and rode. Worked great. Bad in the rain but nice and hard. Last forever and was free.
Had no traction. Hot day, hot asphalt, just light that tire up and roll in the smoke.
But even then, no noticable tire wear.

[coltrain5000]

+1 with Bridgestone BT45 tires! When these continental tourers wear down on my rig I will be switching to my favorite motorcycle tire. Bridgestone BT45. XSlover said it right too about pinching pennies in the tire dept. I dont recommend it either!

[ambidextrous]

i bought some bridgestone spitfire S-11s from motorcycle superstore for around 135 bucks for both with free shipping

they shipped super fast, and i love the tires

the ride and handling improved dramatically over my old dry cheng shin tires i had on originally

i would highly recommend them, but i dont have any other tires to compare them really, but i know im very happy with my purchase

i had them both mounted and balanced for 60 bucks from a local shop

so my bill for both tires delivered and installed was under 200