Quest for longer lasting tires

[MaximPhil]

Lol, go for it CY, I'm too cheap and old skool (stubborn) to use Dynabeads, lol. Let us know your findings.

Diito what bikerphil said. Especially the let us know part
Phil

[cywelchjr]

I will report back. I hope to fit enough for the front tire into this payday. Then next month or so the back, although I've been told that the real does not get as much benefit as the front does, however my tire guy had one heck of a time balancing the rear, so the beads may well help (at my age I have no intention of fighting with mounting tires anymore ).

[TopCatGr58]

Funny he me88 is what's on there now... 4000 miles. Going backwards in time. From the metzler. Conti tour 3500 miles, dunlop d404 3500 miles, d 404 2500 miles, battleaxe 3000 miles, um I forgot someof them... and when I got the bike there were spitfires on it. Don't know when the po put them on. But it road a while so I put spitfires back on. The front was amazing! I think I got about 15k out of . All in one season. The rear lasted around 7500.

As I said I am thinking outloud.... tomorrow I am going to get another spitfire and see if it lasts 7000 again
Plus they are cheap. Interestingly I used much lower tire pressure inthe s11 28 to 30 or so.

I will take more pics of The me88s later. they have about the strongest sidewall strength for our bikes. I got it for 130 not installed just the Tire. I wore it most of the way around they are like super glue!

Hey Chris,

Well the bolded tires above are part of the problem. The 404's are NOT rated to handle anywhere near the weight that the Elite II's or NOW E3's can handle, and the rear puts a lot more STRESS on it than the front. Most folks report having to put on 2 rears for every front! And STICKY tires are usually quite soft, and so they won't last as long either! And you also noted the need to run higher tire pressures as well, close to what the Tire says, not the
bike manual.

IF you get poor results out of your next spitfire, I would suggest trying a Dunlop E3, many have reported excellent mileage and very good handling for the twisties as well! I went to them on my last change since they weren't making the Elite II's in the size/blackwall that I was wanting. Will see how many miles I get, but may take several years to get the final report!

I don't think that the smaller width rim is contributing much towards your short mileage as much as the other factors: composition, weight rating, tire pressure...and riding style!

T.C.

[yamahansolo]

Well I tool the wheel in to the shop and got spitfires again ... but for home and realized the Guy never balanced the wheel... of course this was after I got it back on. Arg now I got to call them tomorrow.

[CaptonZap]

Throw two ounces of Dyna Beads in it and give it a try. Let us know what the out come, and your opinion, is. CZ

[yamahansolo]

How much are they? Also he didn't forget. When u called he said that because I have 3 metal valvestems it would have alot of weight put on there. After looking it over an remembering yesterday when he mounted it. He never removed any weights and there are non so the last shop didn't balance either.

[cywelchjr]

All the touring guys I talk with rave about dynabeads. They claim a significant increase in tire life due to lack of cupping of the tire which is usually caused by poor balancing. I'm also told that balancing on the rear is less critical than on the front.

[CatatonicBug]

I just looked up my mileage, and realized that I put a tire on at right around 22K miles, and I'm now at 38K. That's 16K miles, and I still have plenty of tread left on it. It's the Dunlop Elite 3 that TC referred to.

[Toolmaker Tim]

I'm glad to see this thread, even if it has been hashed out before. I just looked at the Dunlop site, and they don't make Elite 3's in the 17" size. I have them on my 79SF and really like them, so they would have been my first choice. They list the GT501's, but in a 140/70-17 size they are 5.63 wide, which is cutting it pretty close to max width.

[jetmechmarty]

Tim,

I've gone through a lot of GT501 Dunlops. I like them, but the problem is that I've gone through a lot of them. They certainly stick well enough for a XS11. Fitment has not been an issue on my XS1100SG or my XS650SK.

On the Dunlop website, you can look up your bike and it tells their recommended tire and lists the tire pressure. The pressure listed is exactly what's listed in the 1980 owner's manual. Is that the pressure they want me to run in their new tires? I run a tad above that, but it could be contributing to the rapid wear on my tires.

I am seriously considering the ME880. The negative comments on E3 sticktion (sp) have put me off. The ME880 and E3 have the save load rating. Good for heavy load! Anybody here hate the ME880? My roads are all very crooked.

FWIW, I put a Spitfire on my XS11 and ran it hard loaded two-up all weekend. I was watching the tire go away and it was being deposited all over my license plate. It rode great. No complaints. I took it off immediately and put it on a XS650 where I think it more appropriate for my purpose.

[yamahansolo]

The metzler was great handling. I know part of my problem is I have a really powerful motor and love the was it feels when you open it up...
Also could be the roads. I am not familiar with the macadam road comment... maybe I am too young or something. Also I may try the beads sometime soon. I usually go 2 to 3 rears for every front. And I would have tried the elite 3s.... to bad no 130/90 17.
I do have one real rough road with pot holes. Maybe tat caused some of it.
I tend to wear the sides of the front out first. And the very center of the back.
Now that I am thinking about it. I at up a $230 dunlop radial on my yzf600 r in a month. The guys at the shopsaid it was from going over 80 on the interstate. I guess the tires come to a point due to centrifugal forces. When I saw tread I about cried.

[clcorbin]

I at up a $230 dunlop radial on my yzf600 r in a month. The guys at the shopsaid it was from going over 80 on the interstate. I guess the tires come to a point due to centrifugal forces. When I saw tread I about cried.

How MUCH over 80??? If the correct tire for a YZF600R only lasts a MONTH while running on the interstate below triple digits, I would REALLY look at another tire! That is about 1/2 it's top speed and only 1/4 the centrifugal loads on the tire. 80mph or so should NOT cause any issues at all.

Of course, if that was 80 mph for 8 hours a day for 30 days a month, that IS almost 20,000 miles in a month, so...

[WMarshy]

Im about to mout a new front and rear tire and was researching options for balancing when I came across this old thread. IM KICKING MYSELF FOR NOT WRITING DOWN MY MILEAGE...when I put on that ME88. I did get two seasons on it though. I will dig around and see if I can find mileage info from an oil change back in June '11. My current mileage is 52k and I bought the bike with 32k. Average miles/year is 5k so its safe to say I got approximately 10k out of the ME88.

I'll have the Shinko 712 mounted by this weekend. I'm excited to see how many miles I get out of it and the Avon Venom on the front.

.. I just bought a 130/90-17 from Metzler, ME88 (~$160). Its a touring tire for heavy bikes and its the most expensive I could find that will fit the 17" rim. I figure if ya get what ya pay for then maybe if it will pay off in the long run. So far, I like it...

[bikerphil]

I have never got more than 7000 out of a shinko 712 rear, YMMV

[jetmechmarty]

I just finished off my ME880 in about 6K miles.