Tire Recommends for OEM Wheels -- '79 XS Special?

[BA80]

The wear on that tire looks to me more like a misaligned front/rear issue.

That looks just like the D404 on my SF after ( I'm guessing ) about 1800 - 2000K.

[trbig]

Why is it worn out?

More importantly.. What are all those little rubber tab thingies on the sides?

[BA80]

Those are chicken titties Tod.


Ha ha ha ha......tire porn.

[jetmechmarty]

The wear on that tire looks to me more like a misaligned front/rear issue.

Tell me more. How can you tell?

[jetmechmarty]

More importantly.. What are all those little rubber tab thingies on the sides?

I didn't even get a chance to break them in. Perhaps Rasputin is right. I had the front end off before I put the tires on. I futzed with the swingarm, too.

[BA80]

Tell me more. How can you tell?

Hmmmmm...........yes, inquiring minds want to know.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Marty,

A closer look at your tire and tread pattern, and then a review of the tires on the Pirelli site:

http://www.pirelli.com/tire/us/en/mo...btype%3Dcustom

Note the tire you have on the REAR has 3 channels down the middle....now look at the tire that Pirelli shows as the FRONT...it has 3 channels down the middle, and they MAKE a 130/90-16 size in their FRONT STYLE.

Now look at their REAR tire, it has only 2 channels down the middle, and it also comes in the 130/90-16 size.

SO...I think part of the reason for your excessively quick wear is that you're running a FRONT designed tire on the REAR!?!? JAT/IMHO!

[TopCatGr58]

Ps

In the tire size chart, for the REAR is has this description:
130/90 - 16 73H REINF TL The REINF stands for Reinforced as per their Tire Details text:

Compound with high adherence and reinforcing elements

Their FRONT tire of the same size does NOT have that text after the tire size!?

T.C.

[BA80]

If it is a front tire it will say "For Front Use Only" or something similar on it somewhere.

I seriously doubt Marty would even mistakenly order a front tire for the rear.

[Prisoner6]

==========
Can I go one size larger front & back on a '79 Special?

Jim,

See Marty's post in this thread (#50) regarding front tire widths.

That same advice applies to the rear tire on your Special ...

I believe a few people on here have been able to run a 140/90-16 on the Special rear (stock is 130/90-16), but it depended greatly on which brand of tire they used.

Some brands will rub on the drive shaft side of the swingarm, some won't ... and don't even think about mounting a 140/90-16 with raised white lettering ... it will rub.

Have you noticed how little clearance there is between the rear tire and the drive shaft side of the swingarm? And that's with a 130/90-16!

So, again, Marty's advice applies ... maybe someone here who has run a 140/90-16 will chime in with their experience.

[jetmechmarty]

If it is a front tire it will say "For Front Use Only" or something similar on it somewhere.

I seriously doubt Marty would even mistakenly order a front tire for the rear.

You're right! I wouldn't, and I didn't. There's a boutique motorcycle dealer (Moto Guzzi) in town and they sell a lot of tires due to there location (Motorcycle Disneyland). I carried my wheels over there, and they installed the tires. I believe TC's on to something! I'll take a closer look at the tire a bit later, but I think I'm going to find that it is marked "FRONT".

[Prisoner6]

... I was surprised to see this video from Motorcycle Superstore which says you *can* mix radial with bias *BUT* the radial can only be on the rear -- leads one to believe there a few bikes which come NEW that way:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIaZ6rI4rrY
Let the controversy begin!
JIM P.

Well, Jim -

Yes, I have heard of many people (and known a few) who have put radials on the rear and bias-ply on the front of their bikes (none were XS11's, by the way) with seemingly no ill effects.

But, this is how I look at it (with regard to our XS11's) ...

We have old, heavy bikes with narrow rims ... and suspension, frame/steering geometry, etc. that were all designed to be used with bias-ply tires.

The tires that fit our bikes are high-profile (large sidewall area), and because we have such narrow rims, IMO we need bias-ply tires with large, stiff sidewalls for stability.

And radials react differently (than bias-ply) to side loads, i.e. cornering. This is partly due to their more flexible (and generally smaller) sidewalls.

All of this could lead to some very unpredictable moments (or worse) while cornering ... at least for our 11's, anyway!

Besides, I personally don't know of any true radial street tires that will fit our bikes without some serious mods ... ???

As for me, I'll be sticking with bias-ply for my Special ... but I would be curious to hear anyone's experience running radials on an XS11 ...

[jetmechmarty]

Marco,

You can that argument and many will agree, but some won't, including the engineers at Continental.

Brand new developed radial tire for classic bikes

Extraordinary light handling with outstanding grip and curve stability
Exceptional control of riding performance and optimal feedback
Perfect grip under all weather conditions, also in wet and cold
Excellent mileage due to up-to-date compound technology
Innovative tread pattern design for even wear and good water dispersement
Improved radial carcass construction for easy handling and high stability
0° steel-belted construction, front and rear, guarantees excellent stability at high speeds
TractionSkin:

Provides an extremely safe and short tire break-in. This is possible due to the revolutionary raw tread surface, which is the result of a new mold coating technology which eliminates the need for tire-release agents

MultiGrip:

Makes it possible to use an homogeneous grip grading with a single compound thanks to a temperature controlled curing of the tire during the production process

Shoulder area, flexible → Grip
Zenith area, wear resistant → Mileage
Continuous transition

Not yet available for any XS1100 rear wheel.

[Prisoner6]

Yes,

I did read about the new "Vintage Radial" from Continental, and it does look promising ...

And almost mentioned it in my bias-ply vs. radial post, but that post was too long already!

But as you say, no rear for us ... yet

[jetmechmarty]

TC nailed it! I am running a front tire on the back!


The last pair of Pirelli MT 66 Routes wore out together. I don't know how many miles. Right now, my front tire looks brand new, while the front one on the back is worn out. So, maybe my MT 66 Route recommendation can stand.

I guess I need to ride over Rider's Hill and see how important my continued business is to them. I may do it Wednesday when it's slow.