| Author | Message | ||
     Magicman22 |
So I need to replace the stock dunlops on my blast. I wanted to stay at the stock size and really wanted longer tread life. This is just on a daily commuter and don't need anything extra special. However, I was going to go with the Avon AM51 & AM52 but can't seem to find anywhere that has them. Are they discontinued? So what would be my best choice to get best tread life if I can't get these? Stick with the dunlops? Thanks | ||
| Reuel |
They're discontinued. AM26 is a decent choice. You'll have to go slightly bigger with the front, but it's far from radical. Pirelli MT75 lasts a little longer than Dunlop, but not much. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Dunlops would be your last and most expensive choice. Once you put the Avons or Pirelli's on your Blast, you wont believe you even considered sticking with the Dunlops! | ||
| Magicman22 |
ok. so I will look into the am26. I am guessing that the front tire still fits without any modifications since it is a stock bike. I will continue to do more searching tomorrow. Thanks | ||
| Swampy |
Avon AM63 Vyper Strykes. | ||
| Luke_sidewalker |
I put about 500 miles per week on my 2004 Blast, and tire wear is high on my list of concerns. I have a few weeks left on my stock Pirelli MT 75 rear, and I am about to replace it with a GBC Streetshark (Sakura) in the stock size (120/80-16). I chose this tire because it was economical ($48), and it was one of the only tires in the stock size that was available. Seemed every popular rear tire was out of stock. For the benefit of my fellow Blasters, I will be posting my opinions of this tire and photos as time progresses. Most of my riding is on the highway between Jacksonville Florida and south Georgia. Speed averages about 75 miles per hour, no twisty roads etc. On another note, did anyone see worn out Dunlop some guy was selling on Ebay? I hope it wasn't any of you guys! | ||
| Thumpe |
I just ordered a rear AM63 from www.chaparral-racing.com last week they had them good price to! $65 for stock size or $78 for 140's!! I got the 140's I got a couple 100 miles on them already I love them excellent tire!! | ||
| Sleez |
has anyone tried the IRC RS310? my local honda shop has one in stock for 66.00. in stock size; 120/80-16 | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Isnt that a front tire? | ||
| Aaomy |
chaparral has the stock sized am63 in stock.. just mounted up the set yesterday.. they ran about 120 for the set shipped.. have not tried them yet,, yesterday the s2t was calling my name... | ||
| Blastnyerass01 |
What kind of tires are on those black blasts with the demon front lights? | ||
| Swampy |
Avon AM63 in the larger sizes 110/70/16 front, and 140/70/16 rear. | ||
| Blastnyerass01 |
and those fit without any trouble? | ||
| Ezblast |
Run Swampy's simple swing arm mod - if you want long tire life as well, or run them at 30.5 F&R for a loss of a few miles lol - but a definite handling advantage - something I learned from some time at a track and Battle Trax with Reg and Ferris both offering tips and examples - two of the three smoothest riders I've ever seen and nicest folks as well, that picture of Ferris doing his famous lean on his Thong was taken during that BT - at the BT where I took this pic -  the course was one of those police motorcycle practice courses - tightened up, and customized to Reg's design - it was one hot day and tire pressures where low, they had a tank to fill back up at days end - lol - a young lady got a lower hairline fracture of her leg - dropping her Blast - but she didn't know that till the next day - a day after she rode home. I digress - the Swampy mod done correctly - don't let the Tab touch the shock - just back it up;0) - will allow you to enjoy a really great set of tires and better handling. EZ | ||
| Blastnyerass01 |
thanks alot EZ | ||
| Toniportray |
I'm glad Luke posted about the GBC Street Shark tire because before today I didn't know such tires existed at such a cheap price. However, it seems the "GBC Street Shark" is designated as a "front" tire even though it has the 120/80-16 dimensions of a Blast rear tire. Can a "front" designated tire be used as a rear tire, or is there an issue there? I can't forsee any reason unless a "front" tire isn't designed to be powered by the drive chain/belt. I'm also considering a cheap Cheng Shin C906 though I think the GBC is cheaper. Like the first poster, I'm all about paying the lowest price for the longest lasting tire. I don't want stickiness or anything sporty. Just a tire for commuting. I keep my racing to my Yamaha 600. I'll pay for good grip tires on that bike that I actually would knee drag on. My Blast is just a fuel efficient 90 miles a day commuter with chicken strips for tread. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Short answer-No. Some tires are designated 'universal' and can be run front or rear. Some tires can be run front or rear even though they say front, its mostly just tread design. Some when racing will use a front on the rear (but tires are checked often). However if it says front and you use it on the rear, bad things can happen. Rear tires have drive force and braking force applied. Fronts just braking force. (simplified). | ||
| Luke_sidewalker |
I actually mounted the Streetshark last Saturday and so far I have 450 miles on it. No issues so far. Excellent dry pavement performance at highway speeds. A little slick in the rain, so easy on the throttle when starting and braking. I know what everyone has been posting about the differences between front and rear tires and the assumed risk about placing a front tire on the rear wheel, but I refuse to drink that coolaid. I'm just a "blue collar Blaster" who goes through a rear tire every two months. I bought the blast to get me back and forth to work everyday, and do very little riding for pleasure. There are very minimal differences between front and rear tires. Mostly tread design. Sometimes the rubber compounds are different, but this is mainly true with the higher performance tires. | ||
| Johnnymac |
I too commute 80 miles per day and need my tires to last long but also handle well as the Blast is my only bike at this time. I just installed the Avon Viper Strikes on mine and I absolutely love them! Others who run them get tire life as good as the original Dunlops but the bonus is they handle nearly as well as the sticky Pirellis and have excellent wet traction which, as a commuter, should be a primary safety consideration. The best part is that they are inexpensive when you get them from chaparral-racing.com. Others have tried the cheap-o chinese tires but for the commuter they are just not worth the savings as they never last long and/or have poor wet performance. | ||
| Luke_sidewalker |
I think I'll try the Avon Viper Stryke next time I change tires. Chaparral prices look pretty good. | ||
| Beamer |
In a few of the other tire threads, tires from Michelin, Metzeler, and Continental were mentioned and apparently bought and installed but no one ever came back with a longer term report on them. I have a 2005 I recently purchased with less then 1000 miles on it and the Dunlops that are on it are fine for my commuting back and forth to work, but on the highway the bike feels squirrelly. So while I do not need tires I would kind of like to replace the Dunlops just to get a nicer feel on the highway. I am a conservative rider so I don't need maximum traction. But since I do end up rideing in the rain on occasion I would need a tire that is at least equal to the Dunlops on wet roads. I got back into rideing to cut down on transport costs so I am looking for that mythical tire that has good traction but lasts. In any case I was wondering if anyone had feedback on the 3 tires brands I mentioned for use on a Blast. | ||
| Fast1075 |
Well put Beamer...but bound by my principle of old fartness I must point out the one flaw in your line of thinking. I firmly understand the economics of long tire life....but in spite of a conservative riding style, on the street you need the best possible adhesion for those rare moments when the little old lady/cell phone yakker/mom with the minivan full of young'uns/drunk/moronic/hyper aggressive cager tries to mow you down...the last thing you need is to lowside it under or high side it over because the tire washed out...been there, have the scars...and have the memories of friends gone down. Traction is not only your friend...it is your lifeline... | ||
| Ezblast |
Concur! | ||
| Toniportray |
I've found a seller that has the lowest prices I can find anywhere. A local friend recommended them to me. For the Avon AM63 Viper Stryker, the total with shipping (to me in San Francisco) is as follows compared to Chaparral prices: $65.41 American Motorcycle Tire americanmototire.com $72.84 Chaparral Motorsports (Non Cal) $78.67 Chaparral Motorsports (Cal) Because Chaparral Motorsports is in San Bernardino (Northern Los Angeles) I have to pay state tax on my order. The price is lower if you don't live in Cali, but still the American Motorcycle Tire site is cheaper either way. I'm going to check with local motorcycle shops and see if they carry tires like this at comparable prices. If they have it, it'd save the cost of shipping (if they have equivalent prices). Maybe I can get them to "ad match." One or both of the compared web sites might also offer free shipping if you buy 2 tires (or a minimum price) that would save some more money. I figure if I'm going to be burning through these tires every 10k miles (~1 year), I might as well buy two or more if I'm ordering online where shipping charges apply. americanmototire.com seems to have the cheapest prices of all tires I've looked at. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Double concur (EZ)! At the relatively cheap price of say the Pirelli, its probably half of what many other tires (on other bikes and almost the Dunlop) cost. The Dunlops suck on the highway (and everywhere else). You wont believe the difference a set of Avons or Pirellis will make. FWIW: I wouldnt trade front tire traction for anything. | ||
| Beamer |
Thats why I was hoping for some feedback on the other tires mentioned. I would rather pay more for a tire that has good traction and lasts then put a tire on it thats sticky but wears out too often. I am a auto tech and deal with car tires every day. Continental and Michelin come stock on our cars and cause little problems wear well and have good traction. Dunlop and Pirelli on the other hand have problems usually scalloping of the tread causing noise and sometimes steering vibration. So if there is a option of using Continental or Michelin rather then the two brands that are OEM, I would be interested. | ||
| Berkshire |
The Michelin GS only comes in the large size, and I don't think the "dual-compound" thing really works with a 140/70 tire on a stock rim - you'd always be running on the harder rubber down the middle, and the softer outer edges would never touch the road. You'd get the long life, but not the cornering grip. | ||
| Ezblast |
Avon | ||
| Toniportray |
I will never EVER buy a Michelin after my experience of having 2 rear tires blow out on the freeway in the middle of the Nevada desert. Both were almost brand new, but had come on the car I purchased, so I had no warranty on the tires. 1 blew out just north of Winnemucca and I had it changed there. An hour later, the other rear tire blew before I got to Reno. I was pissed. It's a reputable company, but from my experience I'll never buy anything from them. | ||
| Beamer |
That is rather strange, in the 23 years or so I have worked at a BMW dealership I have never seen a Michelin blow unless there were other problems. Either tire pressures too high or too low or some other reason for the tire to overheat. Now you mention buying the car new, when cars are delivered to the dealership the tires are overinflated so they do not develop flat spots while sitting in storage. They come in with 45 to 50 psi. I could see that being a real problem if someone neglected to properly prepare the car for delivery and left the pressures that high. At highway speeds and especially if it was summer in the desert with high temps could be very dangerous. |
