| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
Tires! Tires. The only topics that can touch Tires for heated discussions are oil and filter topics. And it’s funny; the tires that one person swears by are the tires that someone else swears at. Sometimes there’ll be a group that agree that brand X tires suck, and someone will chime in that he likes the brand X tires on his bike. Then, a mountain of shit will bury the dissenting voice. Keeping that in mind, here’s some of my experience. Back in December of 2005, I bought a 2006 Buell XB12X Ulysses that came with Dunlop D 616 tires as OEM. Everybody on the Buell Forums hated the “Dunflops”. Nobody had anything good to say about them, at all. However, I had no problems with the set on my bike. I rode from Massachusetts to Daytona for Bike Week the following March, and even while running 95 MPH for over an hour following a Ducati, they showed no unusual traits. They stuck well in corners, and didn’t break loose in the rain and they lasted about the same as other radial tires that I’d tried. Before I bought the Uly, I had a 2000 M2 Cyclone. At one point, I had put on a set of Avon Azaro tires. I really liked them a lot They stuck well, gave good feedback and lasted an acceptable amount of miles. When the Dunlops on the Uly wore out, I put a set of Azaros on the bike as replacements. Wow! Did they suck! The tires that were so good on the M2 were real shit on the XB. I was amazed at the difference. In 2015, I bought my 2005 Roadster. It came with the stock OEM tires that were on it from the factory. Since I was going to be living and traveling on the road, I decided to try a set of Dunlop American Elites. I bought a pair, then discovered that I needed a powered tire machine to mount them. My first rear tire change took me a full 12 hours. I had to call the shop and ask if they would mount the tire for me. I figured that the Elites would last a very long time, though, so they were worth the added aggravation. It turned out that there was nothing about them that I liked. I didn’t like how they felt in the rain, and they were really skittish over tar snakes in 100 F temps in Utah. I never trusted them and they didn’t last nearly as long as I expected. Everybody else I’ve met who put them on their bike was quite happy with them, though. I put a set of Michelin Commander 2s on after the Elites and I was pretty happy with them. Over on the Kawasaki Concours Forum, the Commanders were a hated tire. They got nothing but scorn and derision. I liked them on the Roadster, though and I went through a few sets. Then a set of Conti Tours caught my eye. They stick OK and I like the tread design and they have a reasonable life span. I’ve put a couple of sets on the bike, and I’ll probably put another set on soon. The set that’s on the bike now is looking a bit worn. However; I’ve got my eye on a set of Shinko 230s. I know a couple of people who really like them a lot and while I tend to buy “Premium” brands, I’m starting to wonder if that’s all in my head. Maybe the Shinkos would work really well and I’m just letting prejudice stop me from trying something new. I used to hate Bridgestone tires. I tried a set after the OEM Michelins on my 1973 Moto Guzzi Sport wore out. I didn’t like them one bit. They came off the bike in less than 100 miles and I’ve never run Bridgestones ever since. But I know someone who is a much better rider than me who loves them, so maybe I’d like them, too. I mean, it’s been 47 years since I tried that set that I hated. Bridgestone has probably come up with some pretty good tires that would both stick and last; I’m just letting one bad experience from long ago stop me. Oh well. The probability is that I’ll spend the money and buy the Contis, but I still think about the Shinkos. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Obama. Mobil One. K&N. Flame on! | ||
| Pwnzor |
Seriously though, I've gone through a lot of tires, and the only ones I can think of that I really did NOT like at all were... Dunlops. I had K491/K591 on my 1976 Honda CB750F1, and they were good, but the handling characteristics of that bike were nothing compared to any of my bikes that actually went fast. I've never found a Metzeler I didn't like. I've had a few Continentals, also good. Michelin I think have been my overall favorites, and I'm a big fan of them for cars as well. | ||
| Ourdee |
On XBs I have stayed pretty much in the Pirelli family. About 5 different types. I will be going back to Diablo Rosso IIs next change because personally they were my favorites. I like how the bike feels like new every tire change. I do change them out as pairs. | ||
| Ourdee |
I am a BFGoodrich AT fanboy when it comes to streeted Jeeps. | ||
| Zacks |
Ah, why not? Ourdee, I did not like the Rossa II's on he XB, 1125 or 1190. I'm sure it's in my head. Too cheap to change them until they wore out tho, so they don't fall into the 'hate' category. Have Pilot Road III's on the RF900 and it's what was on the 1125 when I sold it. Better tire choice on the RF than the 1125. Switched to Avon Storms on the XB. At the same time, put on a HeliBar upper triple. Don't know which is responsible, but it turned into a forever bike as a result. On it's 2nd set. Liked the Storms so much, I have Storm 3Ds on the 1190. Did 2 track days and finished wearing them out this fall on the street. Will probably go with them again, but who knows? Going back further, my GS550 has ME33 front and ME99 rear. Really need to peddle that one so someone can enjoy it. The GSXR750 ... not sure. I do remember searching for a dual compound bias ply for it. Even tho it was the first production bike (1986) with radials, the rims are too narrow for proper radial fitment. It's snowing otherwise I'd head to the garage and look. Re: Shinkos. I wish I remember which magazine editor was praising them a couple years ago. From this viewpoint: They're inexpensive, and for that reason alone will have someone replacing a worn tire rather than continue to run it to the cords. I do know someone that runs them on his BMW touring bike simply because they are cheap and give decent mileage in that application. Now as to oil.... | ||
| Tpehak |
Only Pirelli Diablo    (Message edited by TPEHAK on January 12, 2020) | ||
| Aesquire |
I liked Metzeler on my GS750B but that was a century ago. I liked the stock Dunlops on my Cyclone. Now running Dunlop Qualifier 2 and liking them fine. | ||
| 86129squids |
I learned Deal's Gap with ME Lazers, fitted to an '82 R65. Loved that bike, although it was a short wheelbase BMW, and I used to be fast. It was amazing how many 600cc bikes I could just... ... I remember running S/N on 129 with a guy on a R100RS, he sounded like he was from Germany. We stopped at the Calderwood Dam overlook, and laughed. "You know that road, don't you?' Avons on the R75 now, very happy with them. Nice on the bank angle so far, time to get back to N. GA. Pirelli Angels were OEM on my CityX, they didn't last enough miles. Had Battlaxes on the Triumph 955 Sprint. Great tires, burned one out to Little Switzerland chasing Tim, his woman, and Glitch, et al... maybe Carlos too. Boiled my rear brake fluid, realized I used to be fast. Although the name Dunlop is sacred to motorcycling, not my favorite tyre. | ||
| Jaimec |
I've always been a Metzeler fan and I've never regretted installing a set on any bike I've owned. I did run into a snag when I bought my Zero, though, as Metzeler does not make a tire that fits (though parent company Pirelli does and is in fact the OEM tire when you buy a new Zero). My 2016 S came shod with bias-play Sport Demon tires. I was nearly ready to replace them at 16,000 miles when I had the accident that totaled it. When I bought the replacement 2018 model, it came shod with radial Diablo 3s. Those were completely shot before I even hit 9,000 miles. I've replaced those with a set of radial Dunlop GPR300s, mostly because I liked the idea of having American-made tires on my American made motorcycle. I can't tell you which tire makes the bike feel better because comparing brand new tires against completely shot tires is not a fair comparison; I'd need to ride a similar model with brand new Diablo 3s to be fair. However, I am very happy with the way the GPR300s make the bike feel. Others have used these tires and warned me they don't last long and that got me to thinking. With cars, there is no argument that radial tires outperform and outlast the bias-ply tires they replaced. Radial tires on motorcycles, however, may outperform bias ply, but they don't last NEARLY as long and I don't understand why. Remember, my 850 lbs, 100hp K1200LT routinely gets 20,000 miles out of a set of bias-ply Metzeler tires. My first Zero got nearly 16,000 miles out of a set of bias-ply tires. If these Dunlops don't last at LEAST 10,000 miles I may go back to the bias-ply Sport Demons on the Zero. I'm NOT a racer who demands ultimate performance; I use my motorcycles as day-to-day transportation so more than anything else I value longevity. Would anyone know why bias-ply tires seem to outlast radials in two-wheel applications? BTW, even when I rode my Buells, other than an annual track day, I NEVER pushed them hard but they ate up their (radial) tires very quickly too (some of you probably remember me bitching about their short tire life). Now it looks like the issue isn't the bike, but the tire technology. | ||
| Buellish |
Metzler Z6's,Michelin Pilot Road 2,3,4.I have Angel GT's on the Guzzi,Ducati and the front of the Rockster with a Michelin Road 5 on the rear .I like them all,I won't go into all the tires I didn't like. | ||
| Teeps |
Crusty Posted on Saturday, January 11, 2020 The probability is that I’ll spend the money and buy the Contis, but I still think about the Shinkos. As well you should. I ran Shinko Ravens and Verge tires. Along with a set of Conti's and a couple sets of Bridgestones, in between the Shinko sandwich. What can I say beyond that both sets of Shinkos worked well for my riding style, as I rarely ride above 80% these days. Best part is they are inexpensive and last the longest of all the tires I've ridden. For the money a guy with reasonable expectations will do well with Shinko tires. | ||
| Tootal |
In the mid 80's I bought a BMW K100RS. I asked that it had the "Conti-Twins" on it. I was a big fan of the Continentals. Well one day I was taking a wonderful uphill left turn ramp onto another interstate. Great sweeping high speed turn. At 120 mph that front Conti started pushing and scared the crap out of me!! I made the corner but I was done with Conti's! I switched to Pirelli's and it was a huge improvement. One day at the dealer I was talking to the owner and he told me that if I liked the Pirelli's I'd really like the Metzeler's. So I swapped to the Metzeler's and after I broke them in I tried my ramp test again at 120 and even though the Pirelli's were so much better than the Conti's the Metzeler's were like I was on rails! At that point I became a huge Metzeler fan. Year's later I have also become a Michelin fan with the Pilot Road series. I use these on the Uly and I've had several different tires on the Uly. Metzeler Z6's were the best handling but didn't last long but the Michelins are a great compromise and last a long time. It's interesting seeing everybody's experiences and how different bikes like different tires. | ||
| Rick_a |
Started on Dunlops. They were the factory tires on my S1 and had years of age on 'em. They were hard as a rock cold but did okay once warmed up. They were killed quickly so I tried a sport touring compound on the rear next time around. The rear spun up...a lot...in a predictable manner...but it was still annoying. I high sided at the track with a set of Michelin Pilot Powers. It was between heat cycles. Not entirely the tire's fault. Bridgestones I could always get a deal on in pairs. I found they were good in the cold or wet, but not both. Pirelli's I liked best. Started with Scorpion Syncs, then Diablos, Diablo Rosso/II/III. No complaints at all. The Scorpion Syncs were great in the rain, lasted a long time, though got greasy at the track...as expected. The serious track guys seemed to universally like Dunlop race tires. Never had the dough to find out for myself. I'm currently using Cooper "ultra" touring tires on my car. They slide predictably...though a bit more than I'd like. Might try something sportier next time around...though replacing them more often is never fun. Open to suggestions for a small lightweight car. |
