i've perused the available threads & opinions on tires and have noted what most folks in here recommend for tires (metzeler, avon, bridgestone, dunlop, pirelli, etc). i guess my big question is sort of a newbie one: what's the diff between radial and bias tires? since i do about 75% of my miles on the freeway, which would be a better choice? my stock ones are just about done; my rear center tread is getting pretty low. any good mail-order tire dealer experiences?
I think I bought my Me 330 and 550 from Discount Tire online.
The local shops just cost way too much, although I did have the local shop do the install.
Some of the tire web sites cover the difference b/t bias and radial. Bias ply is older technology but for my needs they seem just fine.
My new tires are 200% better than the OEM crap I replaced. Cornering feels much better, which was my main complaint from the OEM ones.
I stuck with the original tire size for the rear although a lot of people seem to go to 140's or 150's. When I was looking around you could not get a radial tire under a 150 size.
Happy hunting.
All other things being equal, a radial will give you better performance and wear than a bias tire. BUT things are never equal, so here goes my 0.02. Radial tires get less distortion of the tread so are more stable and wear better under the same conditions of load, speed, etc. Most radials are of a fairly soft compound and are designed more for grip than long life. Having said that, I get about 10,000km+ out of a rear Michelin Macadam radial, and have almost 20,000km out of the front so far. (I also do ~75% of my riding on the highway). The radial construction allows the use of less material in the casing for the same strength so a radial will be lighter and thus run cooler than a comparable bias, (cooler running usually means better wear) but will still have good strength. This is important as the "give" in the sidewalls is an important part of your bike's suspension- a lot of give makes the tire softer over bumps and so more comfortable but also more prone to squirm around when pushed hard; less give makes the tire more stable but a bit harsher over little bumps. You need to decide which situation suits your riding style better. Again the lighter but stronger construction of a radial allows it to be more accommodating in regard to sidewall flex- reasonably comfortable but still fairly stable. Radials are usually dearer than bias but many people who ride a lot find that over time the better wear from the radial means replacing tires less often so it evens out over the years. The added safety of the radial then makes it a better choice. If you don't expect wear the tire out in about 3 years you will need to replace it anyway as it will be going off- that is, the rubber will be getting hard and will not grip as well, especially in the wet. A lot of people like the Bridgestone BT45s because they are a dual compound tread- harder rubber in the center so it wears better (especially on the highway) and softer towards the edges for better grip in corners.
Sorry to increase the complexity but thta's how it is with tires for motorcycles. The basic rule is to buy the best tires you can afford, have them fitted and balanced properly, always keep the pressure correct, and replace them before they wear completely out or every 2-3years. Good luck.
The info so far is pretty good. I'll just add that you want to buy tires not for what you ride most of the time, but for the most dangerous riding you do.
If you like to go fast in corners get really sticky rubber. If you ride in the rain get something with excelent rain traction. You get the idea.
Quote from: Black SnowmanThe info so far is pretty good. I'll just add that you want to buy tires not for what you ride most of the time, but for the most dangerous riding you do.
If you like to go fast in corners get really sticky rubber. If you ride in the rain get something with excelent rain traction. You get the idea.
Amen to that! Tires are like most things- you get what you pay for. If you are prepared to scrimp on your tires be prepared to ride accordingly and be prepared to get dumped on your head with minimal provocation. Like insurance, you buy the best you can afford and hope you never need it to bail you out.
just got my new metzelers put on. best money i've ever spent on my gs. except for my progressives...and my kat rear shock...and my jetting...and my uni...god i spend alot of $$ on this thing. :o
just kidding. went with the z4/z2 combo and was just going to bring it home from the garage but ended up riding for about an hour, slowly breaking in the new rubber. soooooo much fun. i've got about 3/4" of new rubber on each side that i haven't touched yet, which gives me something to do tomorrow!
i never imagined how much a difference these new black circles could make. thanks to everyone for contributing info and helping me get this done. you guys rock.
Quote from: cgreenland
just kidding. went with the z4/z2 combo and was just going to bring it home from the garage but ended up riding for about an hour, slowly breaking in the new rubber. soooooo much fun. i've got about 3/4" of new rubber on each side that i haven't touched yet, which gives me something to do tomorrow!
Which ones did you end up buying? MEZ2/MEZ4 combo? Which sizes? I assume stock front? Which size on the rear? Also, you say you're in San Diego .. so am I .. which shop installed them, and how much did they charge you? Lot of questions, but I'm doing the tire thing this week!
I just bough bridgestone bt45's (150/70-17 out back, 120/ 60-17 front(i think)) and they are bloody amazing. i love them. great allround traction and ride. i havnt tried metzlers, but these bridgestones are great. i dont know if the fronts model name is bt45 though. i think it might be dif but is the equivilent to the rear. :cheers:
fun bike did the install. $84 out the door. house of motorcycles was cheaper, i think $34-36 each tire, but fun bike was doing a warrantied gasket change for me anyway when my tires arrived.
i did a 140/80 z2 on the rear. i think front was 110/70 z4. ordered from southwest moto tires. very happy with the results, even after an hour on the road. these are my tires of choice from now on.
My Avons rock!! I love the wide rear tire, the front and rear have never slipped on slick surfaces, never gave out on a turn. I have chirped it on downshifting, but thats fun. :lol: and therefore, excusable.
I have stock in front, and 140/80/17 rear i believe... i have the same as gsjack. I paid about 10 bucks a tire for mounting... shops should not charge much more than that for a tire mount. Thats rediculous.
in canada some shops charge $40 if they have to take the wheel off. bastards. my bt45 was $180+30 for mounting, but that canada, everything is weird. taxes are high, and people are higher. damn the french
I put the same Metz's on mine at the beginning of this season except 130-80 in rear and 110-70 in front...they are amazing tires. I don't hesitate to lean the bike over and rip the trottle.... :mrgreen:
Wayne
I rip the throttle also.. :oops:
Wayne
one more thing...
with the fender chop and the kat rear shock, the ass end of my bike had a noticable space between the tire and the tail. the bigger rear z2 has filled that gap nicely. i had heard some folks on here say that a 140/80 would dwarf the tire/bike or look silly or overinflated, but it definitely fits for me. looks good, feels good, rides good. just another thing to be happy with.
Quote from: cgreenlandThese are my tires of choice from now on.
Better stock up then, Metzeler discontinued the MEZ2 :(
I ended up buying the Pirelli Sport Demons in the stock sizes. They seem to be lighter than my Macadam 90x radials and have a lot of tread. They won't be going on for a while so I can't report on the ride but the quality looks excellent. I just wish someone made radials in the stock sizes. :x
BTO90 and BT96 are radials in the stock sizes, but track only. I run them on the street and they stick like crazy, even cold (not freezing). I imagine they aren't going to last very long though. I'll see how they last. The front has been through quite a few heat cycles and around 1000 miles and still looks/feels good and has lots of tread left. Got a screw in the rear so it's new; I just broke that one in over the weekend.
Bob Broussard was talking about trying to get some D208GP's from Europe this weekend too. They come in 110/70/17F and 150/70/17R, probably costs a fortune to ship. He wants to run them at the track though.
OT: Wait until you see the new motor he has put together! It is the most incredible thing I have seen anyone do to a GS500 block. The 450 head with 4 valves per cylinder can't hold a candle to this. Hopefully he posts pics soon.