What tires to run???

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there Maximan,

Well, he's got an 81LH, I've got an 81SH, same swingarm, but his has the "XJ" style curved spoke rear wheel.

You've got the XJ and XJ wheel, I tried to check the model # for the swingarm, but they only list a "Complete" swingarm assembly, and it's listed with a 10M series # for the XJ vs. a 3H3 # for the 81SH, so I can't really tell for sure that it's the same swingarm, but slightly different internals or externals that caused Yamaha to change the#?

So...perhaps it won't fit on the XJ, but the black wall should fit on his LH. I don't know if they changed any specs on the position of the RIM in relation to the hub when they made the XJ curved spoke, but I would think not!?
T.C.

[cueball]

IRC Tyres

just put a set of IRC (Independent Rubber Company) RS-310's on my 81RH, took it up in the hills to break them in, no problems at all. Down here they are about $50/60 a set cheaper than Metzelers, which I had, ME33/ME88, and immediately felt good and hung on well in dry and wet.

[Shuriken]

Nice to dig up an old thread instead of starting a new one.

I started a thread on Battlax vs Dunlop and got some good responses. I think they would both be good tires.

I read this thread plus other replies. It's 5's down the line for most tires. I have ridden on a K491 rear and found no problems. Maybe I'll just play conservative and stay with the Elite II 491 tire and match it front to back.

My bike is a 79sf. Rear size then is 130/90h-16 right, and front is 3.5 h-19?

Looking at dunlops at:
http://www.accwhse.com/dunlop.htm#Tires%20street

Will the RWL tire not have enough clearance then on my 79sf? I guess I can't get the right tires then because they don't seem to have a 16" in non white lettering and I don't want letters on the front but not on the back.

Maybe then time to choose a different tire.

Ben

[motoman]

Marty.....the 130/90x17 is the reccomended size for our standards

[TopCatGr58]

How not to get rubbed the wrong way!

Ben,

The 130/90-16 IS the stock sized tire, and will fit with either blackwall or RWL. The concern I had was in getting the 140/90 to fit without rubbing!? I, too, like the Dunlop Elite II's very much, and so getting the 130/90-16 will be a perfect NO RUB fit in either style you want, BW or RWL.
T.C.

[pathfinder]

Where o where

This is scary, I have been looking for Elite II (discontinued) or Elite III's for my 78 Standard. I have been to about 6 tire sites and can't find a pair of the same tire.

Correct me if I'm wrong.
Front (by the book)3.5H19 4PR
Rear (by the book) 4.5H17 4PR
Dunlop size chart reflects (Dunlops own site)
Front
100/90 = MM90-19 or 100/90/19
Rear
120/90 = MR90 -17 or 120/90/17
130/90 = 130/90/17
140/90 = 140/90/17
IIRC the front will accept up to 110 & the rear will accept up to 140 if black wall & 130 if RWL.

Metsler sites showed the same problems. Have we been deserted? I would rather not go with Chen Sing if I can help it, in my experiance they wear very quickly. I need some help. Any ideas?

[ratbyk]

Tires

Check out Michelin Macadams. I believe they are still available in XS11 sizes. I used up them exclusively while riding my XS and was very pleased. Great mileage (12-13,000 km rears-18-20,000 km fronts)work very well in the wet and handled very well.
I put over 40,000 km on that bike in 4 years. Always on Michelin and never had a problem of any sort.
Ratbyk

[motoman]

Hey there Pathfinder...........130/90 Is the correct size for our XS's. Dunlop, Metz, Brigs, Conti, all have the front/rear combo's. Stay away from the cheaper brands.........guess 35+ years of biking, and 25 of them with the XS, and have used bout everything out there, including the ones you don't want. At times I can still be a fairly agressive rider on my XS and my Honda ST(for reasons that are a given on the ST) besides just enjoying the normal cruising. Some wear better than others, but keep that in mind before you get real agressive in corners with the heavier sidewall harder compound tires. You have to compromise your riding style somewhat cause there is no tire out there that's gonna hang like it's glued to the road and also get 8-10,000 miles out of it. There's just a few in the major brands that do both reasonibly well. If you have a 16 on the rear the Conti RB2 front and K112 rear is as good as it gets for ride, wet siping, dry adhesion, and wear combination. Some here will disagree, but us old school riders here know thos two Conti's speak for themselves. Metzlers are good and that's what's on my 81 tourer now, ME33 front/3.25x19 and Me55 rear/130/90x17. The later isn't made anymore, replaced with the ME88. The ME33 is now the ME33Lazer which forgives most any tire brand you have on the rear, and wears good with no cupping and is totally nuetral throwing twisties. It's always a good choice and has been Metzlers icon for many years. Stay with major brands, and the rest is riders preference. Some here have used the cheaper tires, and bout the time you get confident in there holding ability, they'll break loose for semingly no apparent reason...........trust me, been there , done that, They didn't cause me to go down, just raised the pucker factor. On the XS's they will cause the bike to wallow in real hard cornering, causing you thinkin you need a fork brace, and no tellin what else. With the correct tire combo,shocks and fork dampening matched to whatever riding style, and the front fender mounting and stiffness being very sufficient to make this bike very stable in stock form for some fun twisties within it's inherit limits. Remember, a good tire is cheap insurance. Having said all that, spend the extra 30+ per tire. It's worth it in the long run, literally, and will keep you smilin and the shiny side up.

[John]

Pathfinder

Do you have a Cycle Gear store in your area? I bought a set of Elite III's for the 79 SF I was working on in December from them, and they have very good prices. The best I've found around here.

[pathfinder]

John, Special's run different sizes than Standard and I find no reference on Dunlop site for Standard sizes in Elite III.

[DiverRay]

Pathfinder,
I'll have a look at my daily ride in the morning. I have new tires on it, and picked them up at a local shop. I think I'm running Dunlops, and I do have the same size rims you do.
The tires have held up well, and as I commute over a 1300' mountain pass, I do want a set that will handle. These tires have about 5K miles on them, and they are still in good condition. I think I'll get close to 12K out of them.
Ray

[motoman]

Your right Pathfinder......no EliteIII's for our XS's. They came out for the heavy Wings and Large cruiser bikes.

[TopCatGr58]

Not so Elusive Elite II's

Hey Pathfinder,

I don't know where you were looking on the Dunlop site, but the ELITE II's are alive and well, and still available in the Standard size MT90/17 which is the 130/90-17 in both BW and RWL! Found in the OEM BIAS replacement models, near the bottom of the page of listing of tires in the catalog section!

But, you're right, the ELITE III's are only in Special sizes! Isn't that Special?
T.C.

[motoman]

Yeppers.......Way XSpwecial T.C.

[pathfinder]

TC your a better man than I if you can find Elite II on the official Dunlop site. http://www.dunlopmotorcycle.com/ They have Elite III's for the Special but not the Standard. I kind of figured that if one of the resellers had them on their site they would not have in stock nor could they order. I prefer to not get into having a warrenty issue if I buy them online. I have gotten a bad Metzeler in the past and I sure was glad I bought it locally, they even sent a bike trailer to come and get me at no charge. The bike rode like the tire was square at any speed. They tried to remount the tire and still no joy, put on another and it was the best overall tire I ever had.