| Author | Message | ||
     Mikethediabetic |
So since i am in winter rebuild/mod mode on my X1. One of the items on the list before spring time is new tires. I have narrowed my search down to the Dunlop Q3's. They seem to be a very highly rated tire and will offer everything that i want. My question is sizing. I have the Cast wheels and the tires on there now are 170/60 R17 for the rear and 120/70 R17 on the front. Now, The Q3's only come in 160/60R17 and 180/55R17 for the rear. The front come in 120/70R17 so i should be good with those. Which size would be best for the rear. they 180 or the 160. Any help would be awesome. Thanks guys. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
That's the weird thing: The Japanese just skipped over 170. 170 is hard to find as a result. I'll be monitoring this thread as I am in the same boat. My X1 tires are old. Like older than my 2008 Ulysses I think! | ||
| Oopezoo |
Either should be ok......the 160 should turn in a little quicker, the 180 would look a little better. Dunlop site says the 160 is for 4.5"-5.0" rims. The 180 is for 5.5"-6.0" rims. The cast rear wheel should be 5.0". So if you go by manufacturers recommendations, go with the 160. Realistically though, either should mount up fine and be ok. Personally, I'd probably end up with the 180 as I like the look of a fat rear tire. I ride hard, but not hard enough to push the limits of the tire.....especially on the street. | ||
| Tigermann |
I found the same thing recently so went with Dunlop Sportmax II's instead, which came in the OEM size. Like them a lot on my S2 | ||
| M2x2 |
I have over 90,000 Buell riding miles all on Michelin Pilot Road 2,3 and 4. They still make a 170. I ride at a spirited pace and like twisty roads. The rear will slide occasionally but I have never had the front let loose. I get 5 t0 6 K miles typically. I really have not tried other tires as once I get used to something and am happy I stick with it. Just my opinion, | ||
| Oopezoo |
For what its worth....I also have 75k+ miles of riding under me on Michelin Pilot Road series of tires. They were always my goto tire on my BMW's. Man, they are great tires My S1 currently has Pilot Powers on it. I don't have enough miles on it to form a long term opinion, but no complaints so far. | ||
| Robertl |
I read way too many pages on people debating 160, 170, and 180. Some said it was fine to go up to 180 and others said it really changed the handling. I got the Dunlop Roadsmart II's recently off Amazon for a great deal, $100/$70. So far I like them. Even staying with the 170, it still changed the handling vs the old Sportmax rear and Q2 front. Roadsmart 3's were just announced so should see the II's clearanced soon. Harley dealer mounted, balanced, and installed new bearings for $110 for the pair. | ||
| Mikethediabetic |
OK great thanks guys. I will probably go with the 180. I also ride a little spirited on the street but by no means push the limits of the tire. One last question i had was the front comes in 120/60 and 120/70. should i just stick with the 70? or would there be some sort of benefit in going down to the 60? | ||
| Oopezoo |
I'd stick with the 120/70 on the front. Going with a lower profile tire in the front will make the bike turn in quicker, but at the expense of straight line stability. How much....hard to say. I've heard of guys doing it on a Goldwing and it helped, and I've heard of guys doing it on crotch rockets that became scary to ride. No personal experience, just word of mouth. I've run multiple non approved sized rear tires on bikes. They all changed the handling, but I could never say it was "better", just different. That being said, I don't like to screw with the front end | ||
| S1owner |
You can fit up to A 190 on your rim. Not advising it but it does fit. Go with the 180 in my opinion thats been a good fit for alot of people That I have run across. I love my Michelins! | ||
| Fullauto |
I also have done a lot of road miles on the various Michelin Pilot Roads after trying various others. Fantastic tyres. I wouldn't bother changing now. I'm very happy. They stick well and give the best mileage out of anything I've tried. One word of caution. At one point I couldn't get a 120/70 front so I went with the 120/60. Big mistake. Handling was horrible. I had no confidence in the front end. Couldn't wait to get rid of it. Also, given a choice with rears, I'd go a smaller rear every time over a larger if standard sizes aren't available. Better handling and feel. | ||
| Egagnon086 |
I have a 190 on my rear PM wheel, its not that great in the turns. Looks good. Once it wears out im putting a 180 on it. | ||
| K12pilot |
+10 on the Michelins. pilots or powers | ||
| Purpony |
I had Dunlops and switched to Michelin Pilot Roads. On my 3rd set and will never look back. I LOVE the Michelins! | ||
| Lakes |
I think, a good brand of MC sport tires, always feel good when they are new. my m2 had Mich road 2 when i got it they had warn flat in middle, but still had a lot of life just, i switched to Bridgestone Battle Ax front and rear and the bike instantly felt supper responsive. i needed a new rear 6,000mile later got Dunlop sport? but as that is all the shop i went too ( small country town ) stocked they got me a new one claimed it would be better than the Bridgestone, its ok but could not notice a gain over bridgestone . but think when put a new front and rear on together notice a lot more in feel handling. the Bridgstone went sticky up the walls when riding twistys as dual compound hard centre soft sticky walls i liked them will put new set on soon. | ||
| Airbozo |
I have loved most of my pro pilots, but the current one (not sure if it is a 3 or 4) on the back does not grip like I expected. I do ride my S3T hard in the twisties, but I have had to dial it back a bit since the rear does not seem to hold as well. I am not impressed with them in the rain though and that is where they should shine. The stickiest tires I have ever tried, were a set of Conti-Road-Attacks. Loved how they held the road, but the mileage sucked. | ||
| Robertl |
CycleGear has some specials but only in the store: Bridgestone S21 Hypersport 120&180 or 120&190 for $170 after $50 rebate. * Note: this is a common deal they run every few months on a different tire. Dunlop $50 rebate on Q3, Roadsmart 3. This info was in the March ecatalog. https://www.cyclegear.com/ecatalog I bought most of my tires from local CG store but I just happened to find that great deal on Amazon for the Roadsmart 2's and needed wheel bearings installed anyway. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Throw me in the Pilot Road (2,3, and now 4) camp. LOVE those tires. I run 170s on all my tuber rear wheels; it's worth it to keep the sizes stock in order to keep the handling (and thus safety) stock. People get all worked up over "wider looks better"...why? What the hell looks "better" or "worse" about a tire, other than good tread versus shredded and worn out?? I just don't get that... Stock sizes were 170s on the cast rear wheels; 180s on the PM wheels. Why reinvent the wheel? | ||
| Lakes |
Ratbuell , i did not know PM wider but read from a Buelistic post PM heavier. what about the Italian cast wheels that were the lightest? | ||
| Lakes |
i also agree with Ratbuell a tire that fits rim the best no matter if not as wide also feels the best & gives best performance as less friction plus if that tire also lighter that is the best. | ||
| 1313 |
Stock sizes were...180s on the PM wheels. Why reinvent the wheel? Why reinvent history? ALL BMC tubers came from the factory with 170 rear tires. From my '98 S3/S3T manual:  Based on the rear PM rim size a 180 is suitable, but they didn't come that way from the factory. It's a small (but tiring...) detail, 1313 | ||
| Ratbuell |
Thank you Brankin, I was honestly unaware they all shipped with 170s. Guess I should RTFM sometime  The marchesini wheels are physically the same as the castalloy wheels. Simply a supplier change. And as you noted above Lakes, they are a bit lighter. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Not relevant to this thread but I seem to remember the optional PM shiny wheels required some slightly different thing. | ||
| 89rs1200 |
The PM rear rims are 1/2" wider, so they take the 180/55R17 tire better than stock rims. Still 190 rear tire is the max. width and NOT recommended! They will have more of a curve when mounted, handle badly, and wear out down the middle faster, (More curve=smaller center patch contact). Also in love with the Michelin Pilot Road 4. 10,000+ highway miles between front or rear tire changes. If I had more twisty roads to ride, could get more mileage out of them! Prefer Pilot Road 4 over the Pilot Road 3 because they have cuts across the center which allows me to see center tread wear. Also slightly better mileage than the Pilot Road 3. | ||
| 1313 |
Not relevant to this thread but I seem to remember the optional PM shiny wheels required some slightly different thing. The rears call for slightly different bearings between PM and cast. Details can be found in your parts book. The rear PM's need nuts for the brake rotor bolts, whereas the cast wheels actually have threads for the bolts to go into. Were either of these what you were recalling? 1313 | ||
| Ratbuell |
Were the spacers the same? Or did they change as well? Purely academic for me since everything I have has cast wheels... | ||
| Lakes |
Just trying to understand, what you call a good tire? do you mean a tire that lasts longer? or do you mean a tire that grips better & feels better handling? | ||
| Ratbuell |
You can get C) All of the above out of the Pilot Road series. I believe the most current is the road 4. Outstanding treadlife, excellent grip, great in the wet, and nice transitional feel. | ||
| 12mpghwy |
Last week I picked up a set of Bridgestone battleax T30 EVO's. These replaced old and dry (with cracking) but not worn pilot powers. I like them better than I ever liked the pilot powers as I prefer the turn in and feel of round rather than elliptical tires. I have pilot road (2or 3) on another bike and I find the Bridgestones to be stickier. Best part is these where 260 mounted. Despite being brand new they are heavily discounted. I have less than 100 miles so I haven't really pushed them hard but I do feel that they are an excellent choice. They don't follow the ruts as much as the pilot roads even though the bike with the PR's is heavier and longer. | ||
| Lakes |
12mpghwy, that's what i noticed, i fitted Bridgstone Battleax front and rear, i had the pilot 2 or 3? on bike when i bought it handled ok tyres gripped ok. then a friend who raced an X1 in formula Xtream back in early 2000's for number of years, told me he would phone his old sponsor get me some Bridgstone like he used, well the bike just felt super responcive wanted to go around corners quicker. still have the front had to replace rear with Dunlop that feels ok but. when i'm in Sydney next i'll pick up polished stock cast Buell wheels off same friend, and get new set of Bridgstones fitted. have two sets wheels. |
