nothing is coming up so has anybody tried these tires???

[bombadillo]

http://www.americanmototire.com/index.html?lang=en-us&target=d558.html

They look like they could be a good tire or at least on par with the avon roadriders and the sport demons. 

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

I've never heard of IRC tires... also, the fact that they're cheaper than OEM bridgestones makes me wary. Try em out, give us a review.. if they work at least as well as stock BT45s, they're a good deal.

[scratch]

Back in the '80's they were a decent tire maker.  I'd suggest the Bias Sportbike tires.

[Affschnozel]

I have IRC RX01 130/70 on my bike , it's not as sticky as my previous Bridgestone BT39 (much sportier than BT45) but I like it so far,
offers good grip and cornering stability ,it's japanese made ,has sporty pattern and a good price.
I think it's on par (or better) with BT45 and definitely worth consideration 

[bombadillo]

good to know, just to broaden the spectrum if only slightly on our limited tire selections.  I figured at the price that they would at least be worth a shot if nobody has seen/heard of them before.  Obviously looks mean nothing if you're sliding all over the place, but at least they look good too as an added incentive.

[bombadillo]

I've been looking at the sport demons, but for riding in the twisties and probably 60 percent commuting or better, does anybody think the avons are going to be all right.

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

I've been looking at the sport demons, but for riding in the twisties and probably 60 percent commuting or better, does anybody think the avons are going to be all right.

I've got roadriders.. I commute 40ish miles a day.. haven't hit the twisties yet, but for the few good roads I've been able to get to, the avons have impressed me.

[scratch]

Oh yeah, they'll be more than allright!   

[oramac]

My avons have been great! 

[bombadillo]

Good to hear.  Its never a very good balance I think of the grip vs. the durability of a tire sometimes.  There's always such a trade off in the tire industry in general, not just motorcycles.  I think that they are going to be the ones to go with but I may give the irc tires  a chance.  I think the sizes are perfect, they look good (again not what its about but still) and they are really cheap.  I'm going to find the treadwear rating compared to the sport demons and the avons to give me an idea of how soft the rubber is and we'll see shortly I guess.  Dear god am I dumping money into this thing

[gsJack]

I'm going to find the treadwear rating compared to the sport demons and the avons to give me an idea of how soft the rubber is and we'll see shortly I guess.

I've never seen treadwear ratings on a motorcycle tire, if they did have them they would be meaningless I think.  Too much varience based on usage.  I replaced the Excedras on my 97 GS with BT45 tires and the rear went 9500 miles.  Later on after I picked up the pace another rear BT45 was half worn out at 2000 miles when I went to sport touring radials.

good to know, just to broaden the spectrum if only slightly on our limited tire selections.  I figured at the price that they would at least be worth a shot if nobody has seen/heard of them before. 

We've never had a better selection of bias tires in OEM sizes for the GS.  There were a lot more IRC tires around 20 years ago like scratch said.  Besides the IRC RX01, there are quite a few of the better Chinese tires available like the Kendas and Maxxis Promaxx for example which sell at the same approx prices.  There have been some here that have used all of these tires.

Also the first line Demons, Lasertecs, and Activs are all excellent bias tires at higher prices.  The Roadriders and BT45s are name brand tires available also in OEM sizes at quite a bit less.  Can get a pair of Roadriders for about $140 and OEM G spec BT45 for about $150 a pair from my local supplier.

Also for those that want radials there is a full selection of 150/70 and 140/80 sport touring radials that fit and also 150/60 supersports that are run by many on the GS and EX500 OE wheels.

does anybody think the avons are going to be all right.

Yes.  I haven't tried them on my bike yet but have followed a pair of them for quite a few miles at a nice pace.  I'll either be using a set of the Roadriders next or maybe another set of the Lasertec/RoadAttack tires depending on the RoadAttack tire life, it's looking better than I anticipated.

Tires I've used, have over 52k miles on the 02 GS now plus the 80k I put on the 97:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/GS500tirelog.jpg

[bombadillo]

Thanks jack, good call on the treadwear.   I thought that was a universal thing with all tires alike but I have never looked at bike tires for that.  Looks like the avons will be it after my promaxx set completely wear out.  You are the tire god

[DrtRydr23]

I've got IRC tires on my GS.  My tires say Road Winner on the side, but the tread design is the same as the RX-01 Bias Sport tires.  Not sure what that's about.  They seem to handle okay, but I've only got the stock tires to compare to.  I've put almost 5k on them and they're beginning to look like they need replaced.  The rear tire is looking especially worn, while the front actually looks pretty good still.  I'd say they're a decent tire, but wear quickly.

John

Edit:  One thing I forgot to mention.  The rear IRC has flattened out significantly in the center on the tire (probably about 1/3 of the tread surface).  I do mostly commuting and don't get over on the edge of the tire much, which contributed to the squared off wear of the tire.  I would not recommend these to someone that commutes moreso than rides the twisties.  Now when I want to lean the bike more, it feels very unstable.  It's a little scary, and probably a little dangerous as well.  I'd imagine that they would wear more evenly if I utilized more of the tire on a regular basis, but because it wears quickly it flattened out on the section of the tire that I use most.  I'll probably be looking for a sport tourer to replace the rear tire soon.  In contrast, the front tire is wearing very evenly.