tire choices

[procamper]

my 78 xs11 is in seriuos need of new tires. Im looking to spend around 150-175$ US. Right now, im leaning towards the dunlop gt501. does anyone have experience with these tires?

ideally, id like a tire that offered a good compramise between durablity and performance since the bike is going to be a commuter for me, but I like to use all available ground clearence for turning occsionaly.

what does everyone think of the dual tread tires offered by bridgestone? they're supposed to have two compounds: a harder one in the middle and softer on the edges.

thanks
BEN

[Dragonrider]

Stay away from Maxxis.

See Maxxis Tire problem

[Ken Talbot]

Just out of curiosity, Daniel, what did the DOT stamp indicate for age of that tire when the photo was taken? WIthout knowing any better, I put a brand new tire on SWMBO's 'H this spring that we picked up on sale late last fall. Turns out the tire was already past its 5 year 'best before' period by the time it was installed. No wonder it waas on sale

[MartyA]

I've been running Avon Super Venoms front and rear. I get 3500 miles out of the rear, front one is 3 years old and still looks brand new. I was told by a the guy who mounted my first one 8 years ago and who has owned a 1978 E since '78 that the shaft drive eats rear tires. The Super Venoms wear poorly, but sure are sticky. For all the two-lanes I drive around here, the wear is confined to the middle of the tread. And I am not a stoplight racer.

Seems the Dunlop Elite II's are popular. Perhaps not as sticky as the Super Venoms, ratings-wise, but they seem to wear well. Brand / model selection is a little limited due to the size of the 78E rear tire. And I can get the the rear Avon from the local parts store for $78, the guy charges $5 or so to mount during inspection. Also greases the rear and splines.

[Mike Hart]

$5 or so to mount a tire and grease the splines?

Do they have good fries there? Is that the grease they use?

[MartyA]

No, but there is a Burger King just down the street. Maybe I should watch the next time!

This guy owns his own alignment shop. He bought a 78E in 78 and rode it across country and everywhere else. He still has it, although it has been in his basement for many years and he does not ride any more. I keep asking him to sell it to me, won't even think about it. I think he just likes to work on mine.

[Dragonrider]

The dot code showed the tire was produced in 2001. I received it in May2001.

This is the Maxxis Kevlar belted tire, which is a dual-compound tire, and appeared that it was going to last a really LONG time . . . till the cracks. Sigh.

Maxxis basically left me out in the cold "Contact your dealer", and JC Whitney talks good on the phone, but has yet to issue an RA for the tire.

Another consumer gets screwed.

I expect one day someone will want to make good on the bad tire . . . I get between 70 to 100 hits from Google searches a week on my Maxxis Tire Review web page, so it is probably costing them customers

All I wanted was a new tire or refund. Easy.

[Mr Jake]

gt501s

My brother is running the GT 501s on his bike and I am running the 491 Elite IIs. I can't tell much difference between the way that they grip and ride. They both seem to ride pretty nice. I know (have been told by the dealer) that the GTs aren't expected to last as long, but that could also be because most of the guys that buy GTs tend to be hot rodders. My bro and I got our tires at almost the exact same time (a couple of months ago) and so far I haven't noticed much difference in wear. One difference I do know about is price. The GTs were about $30 more for the pair than the 491s. Good luck.