lies and tires and brakes, oh my

[weaselnoze]

so im sick of all the different answers and all the BS. im just gonna lay it out, and maybe someone will have something to say!

Lies:  Two different dealers.  One tells me under no circumstance would he ride 2 different tire brands, nor model.  i figure hes partially correct in that different tires behave different, however i also belive he is feedin me some crap.  the other says that it shouldnt matter as long as they are both bias ply, or both radial.  The reason i asked is because im only getting a rear tire.  found metzeler ME1 and MEz2 tires both 130/80. both 50 bucks on clearance (checked dot # for freshness).  So to the question.  is it safe/ok to run a bridgestone exedra front and a metzeler rear??  

Tires:

My instinct tells me that this tire is gone (bt45).  am i correct?


Brakes:  

Also was planning on some ebc front pads.  however i just checked my bike and realized i dont know if i even need them!  this is what i see.  are they good? or need replacing?

[cernunos]

Weezy, I have the same dilemma with the White Owl...my front is needing replacing and I don't want to run two different types. I have done this with my Harleys and my Triumph in the past, but I don't know what this would do on a bike with a sporty rake like the GS. I'm going to bite the dust and get two BT-45 tires. I think your brakes still have life left in them, the White Owl looks similar and they are fine. That back tire looks like it's been run in a straight line for awhile. I'd replace it even though it appears to have no checking in the tread. Love the Baby GS500 and this forum.

C.......

[Kingleo75]

I have a Bridgestone BT-45 on the front and a Michelin Macadam 50 on the rear.  Been that way for about a year and I've had no problems.  As for the brakes, I don't think thats a wear notch, its probably a seperation that usually gets put in to help allow gasses from the friction to escape, it helps keep the pad from floating away from the rotor, that way the pad will stay in contact during braking.

[weaselnoze]

thanks for the reply.  thing is i want to run 2 different tires.  im broke as a joke and dont wanna spend a buttload for a set, at the same time i dont wanna cheese out and risk my safety..  if ur gettin bt45s look at the other thread i am about to post.  idk if anyone has found them cheaper, but my dealer wants $280ish for a set of bt45's. gross

[Focer]

I just got a rear 130/70 BT45 from motorcycle accessory warehouse for $90 shipped.

[Gleanerizer]

Have you considered the Avon HKM AM51/52's (52 being the rear)?  I use a set on my 2002 and they've been great.  Good compromise of wet/dry grip, handles WAY better than stock (of course), and they don't seem to be wearing too fast.  I commute and do long trips, and often I lean 'em good on fast sweepers on country backroads, and I've had no problems.  Good all-around tire for a great price.  Probably not the best tires for the inner peg-scraping racer in you, but since you're on a budget you should at least give 'em a look.

[94suzuki500]

most people dont run different tires at all because they react differently.  there wouldnt be so many tires out there if they were all the same.  My dad bought some wheels with practically new metzlers on them, he wont run them together much less mis-matched.  you can run two different tires if you want its a matter of prefference.  Some people will never be able to tell that the two are different while others can.

[weaselnoze]

as long as its not a saftey concern im a-ok with 2 different tires. thats mainly what i wanted to know.  ok question 1 answered fully.  any thoughts on the other two? can u tell i like to hear it from 10+ people?

[gsJack]

Don't forget weaselnoze, that in this overly litigeous society we live in, responsible tire mfgs and dealers must be very conservative in their opinions.  I have had many mixes of tire sizes, types, and brands on my bikes.  Here are the tires I've used on the GSs:

http://us.f1f.yahoofs.com/bc/be2f8c8e_m41975360/bc/Public+folder/97GStirelog.txt?bfU7GVCBnQh.usZ0

http://us.f1f.yahoofs.com/bc/be2f8c8e_m41975360/bc/Public+folder/02GStirelog.txt?bfU7GVCBgGchBxOL

I would not hesitate to put either of the Metz tires you are considering on with the Excedra front.  You are responsible for your choices though.   :lol:  As I recall, you previously mentioned ME1 and ME22 tires.  Above you say ME1 and MEz2?  The MEZ2 is a radial while the ME22 is a bias ply like the Excedra is.

It's not generally approved to mix bias and radial tires, but I've run a bias front and radial rear.  Radial front and bias rear is not a good mix.

[weaselnoze]

As I recall, you previously mentioned ME1 and ME22 tires.  Above you say ME1 and MEz2?  The MEZ2 is a radial while the ME22 is a bias ply like the Excedra is.

It's not generally approved to mix bias and radial tires, but I've run a bias front and radial rear.  Radial front and bias rear is not a good mix.

ok stupid me i should have read the actual tire.  it looks like 22 on the sticker (hand written) but wehn i was talkin to the dude at the dealer he said Z2.  i just did a google on it and it apears to be the z2.  so i'll double check.

[rcepluch]

so im sick of all the different answers and all the BS. im just gonna lay it out, and maybe someone will have something to say!

Lies:  Two different dealers.  One tells me under no circumstance would he ride 2 different tire brands, nor model.  i figure hes partially correct in that different tires behave different, however i also belive he is feedin me some crap.  the other says that it shouldnt matter as long as they are both bias ply, or both radial.  The reason i asked is because im only getting a rear tire.  found metzeler ME1 and MEz2 tires both 130/80. both 50 bucks on clearance (checked dot # for freshness).  So to the question.  is it safe/ok to run a bridgestone exedra front and a metzeler rear??

Hello "weaselnoze",

I agree with "gsJack".  When I replaced my rear tire with a BT-45 I keep the OEM front tire on the bike for a couple more thousand miles.  No problem for me, but then I don't ride like I am a "wanna-be" racer either.

Tires:

My instinct tells me that this tire is gone (bt45).  am i correct?

You definitely need a new tire.  You should have a zig-zag thread down the middle of the tire.  Rule of thumb is to have 2/32" of thread minimum.  If you are sure you would not ride in the rain it  would be OK, but if you get stuck out in the rain you would have problems.

Brakes:  

Also was planning on some ebc front pads.  however i just checked my bike and realized i dont know if i even need them!  this is what i see.  are they good? or need replacing?

It looks like you have plenty of brake pad to me.

Happy riding.


Bob

[84TAVeRT]

I always run a Pilot Power front and Metzler Z6 rear on my 955i...

i ran the power rear, but only got 2-3000 miles from it... so i went to the z6 for tire life... workin on 5000 miles and i have several thousand to go

whatever you want to run will work, but you should take it easy when you first make the change so that you can get a feel for how the handling changes... before you get in over your head in a corner...

later,
Chris

[ducati_nolan]

Here is my uneducated oppinion, so take it for what it's worth (not much) Of course it's best to run matched tires but it should be okay to run a stickier front with a not so sticky rear but not vise versa. Loosing traction sucks in a corner but it would be much worse to have your front end slide out from under you than the rear. Also rear tires usually wear much faster than the front and virtually all of your breaking force is from the front so I can see running a cruiser trer in the rear and a sport tire in the front for a good combo of longevity and stopping performance.

I don't really understand everyone complaining about the traction of the stock tires, last night I took a corner leaned over far enough to grind the centerstand  I figured that the pegs would touch first, but nope. That was a little scary, cause once you get any weight on that thing, you're going to go down. At least it made some sparks  .

[84TAVeRT]

yup...

centerstand came off my gs first thing...

[Happytrack44]

Just my opinion, I wouldn't mix a 70 front with an 80 back, Shape could be different. Otherwise, mix is ok, but feel it out easy for first hour. I have had matched sets that scared me (Pirellis) and mixes that were great. Don't over-inflate. My last two crashes were bad gauge and over-inflated.    Ciao, Rob

[onefastgs500]

as a real world motorcyclist,i have ridden bikes w different brand tires of different heights mixed soft and hard compounds lots of this due to a lack of funds and a bike for primary transportation, some work better than others ,never did ANY combo have me worried about tread similarities.i have run differents brands on my 90 fj1200 for 10 yrs becuse i have an endless supply of z rated michelins 17in fronts and can only get a 150-80-16 rears in z rating from dunlop(205)i run hard in the mtns every weekend no problem .no worries mate run whatever tire combo you want .

[runsilent]

Just my opinion, I wouldn't mix a 70 front with an 80 back, Shape could be different. Otherwise, mix is ok, but feel it out easy for first hour. I have had matched sets that scared me (Pirellis) and mixes that were great. Don't over-inflate. My last two crashes were bad gauge and over-inflated.    Ciao, Rob

My 130/80 Z2 rears ran great with 110/70 Z4 fronts.

[runsilent]

as a real world motorcyclist,i have ridden bikes w different brand tires of different heights mixed soft and hard compounds lots of this due to a lack of funds and a bike for primary transportation, some work better than others ,never did ANY combo have me worried about tread similarities.i have run differents brands on my 90 fj1200 for 10 yrs becuse i have an endless supply of z rated michelins 17in fronts and can only get a 150-80-16 rears in z rating from dunlop(205)i run hard in the mtns every weekend no problem .no worries mate run whatever tire combo you want .

The 150/80/16 rears are available with W speed rating in Avon AV46 ST, a much newer design than the ageing D205.

[Ed89]

Holy thread resurrection, Batman?   

Cheers,
e.