Hi Everyone,
I didn't want to thread jack Scottishbiker's thread since he's asking specifically about wet tire performance so I'll start a new one.
I recently acquired a 2009 GS500F with about 9k miles on the clock. I'm slowly getting the bike back to a road ready condition and one of the things on my to-do list is new tires. On my other bike (2009 Buell XB12XT) I have Michelin Road Pilot II's and love them. But just because they're great on one bike doesn't make them good for another.
I'm looking for recommendations for a good long life tire for the GS. Things to consider are:
Hoping to make a move back to Arizona soon so that's where it will be ridden. Tires must be able to handle the heat extremes.
Mostly will be used as an errand runner and occasional commuter ride to and from work.
May also be used as a training bike for a lady friend who is getting her m/c endorsement this spring.
No long distance riding. At most maybe 100 miles in an afternoon at the most.
I ride in a fairly conservative manner. There will be no (well almost no) pushing it hard through the corners.
So what would be a good long life tire for this little gem?
Thanks in Advance.
z
The stock Battleaxe tires are fine. I have them on 4 GS500's. Though pretty much any new tire will be fine. I say that because right now HUHSKY has the original rims and tires from SUZI - which are from 2009. He noticed a little lack of performance and stability because they are now 6 years old (probably made in 2008) and getting hard.
In a few days the Sport Demons will be on the purple rims for HUHSKY and I'll be able to comment on them - though like you - things won't be pushed to the limits because I do not want to risk dropping HUHSKY.
With new stock B-Axe tires, I ride twisties and wet roads. Never had a problem. They last a long time and truth is, they age-out before I've worn them out. Tread left doesn't mean a tire is good. Rubber gets hard with age. After a few years, you should get new tires no matter how much tread is left.
Adidasguy, I don't have Battle Axe on the GS. There are some worn out Dunlaps on the bike right now. They ride like crap and before I do any real riding, they need to go. In the past I've used Dunlaps on a 2004 Blast. They were round and that's all I can say for them. Replaced them with Avon Vipers and it was like a different bike.
What kind of mileage do you get out of the Battleaxes and what is a decent price for them?
You're 100% correct that tread doesn't mean they're good. There can be problems with rubber hardening, the tire shape being worn down, dry rot. There are any number of things that can cause a tire to fail. I do know these Dunlaps are waaaay past their prime.
My first set of replacement tires that I put on my 97 GS were the BT45 and I got 9500 miles from the rear and 13,600 from the front. Later on after I picked up the pace considerably I tried another BT45 rear and it was more than half worn in 2k miles when I went to the Z4/Z2 radials.
No reason you can't run the Pilot Roads you like on the GS500. Although I haven't tried them myself I've run several 150/70 tires on the stock GS rear wheel. If you want stock size bias I've got great mileage from the Roadriders.
http://www.gs500.net/gallery/data/500/GS500tirelogs.jpg
Update:
Found pics of that BT45 rear that was half worn in less than 2k miles. Was nicely rounded and not just worn in center from all highway miles:
(http://www.gs500.net/gallery/data/500/bt45wear.jpg)
Tires ive bought and have been using are Kenda K-671 st cruisers. Theyre not bad little tires and have ridden great for me. Cost me 125 for a front and rear shipped.
I have lately become a strong supporter of Continental Conti-Motion tires. They hold up fantastic to errand getting but are plenty aggressive enough to keep your sticky side side. I have run them on my old GS750 both before and after the 120hp engine swap, on my GT650R, and my GSXR1000. I have also put them on a lot of my friends and customers bikes. At least 9 sets to day and not a single complaint.
I'm running Pirelli Sport Demons with about 500 miles on them. 110 front, 130 rear.
Any comparison I make to the BT45s would be unfair because those tires hadn't been replaced since 04 when the PO bought the bike.
That being said, I can stop a lot quicker now and with less tire skid. I've done some mild curve carving and the tires hold up just fine.
I've read reports, though, that Sport Demons only last about 3-5k miles. We'll see.
Thanks for all the good input.
I really like the Road Pilots on the Buell but they are kind pricy. I've heard good things about the Continentals. How hard do they hit the wallet?
Depends on size....expect $150~200 for the pair. The 120/180 combo on my GSXR1000 run me $185. Dealers are going to be a touch more by they mount them for you so you save a little work.
A quick check of catalog for my local place whose prices are competitive with other online places shows a stock size 110/130 pair of bias Roadriders are $193 and same size bias Demons are $216 a pair. The radial Conti Motions are only $176 for a 110/150 pair, quite a bargain compared to about $250 for a pair of Road 2.
I've never tried the Motions myself but was tempted to a couple times. Haven't heard/read anything bad about them, no idea of tread life to expect. But as I've said here quite often my favorite tires of the many I've used in 180k GS miles were the 110/80 bias Lasertec front with a 150/70 radial Conti RoadAttack rear. I wasn't too happy with the radial front tires I used on my GSs, they beveled badly and had shorter lives than the radial rears probably due the GSs prehistoric front suspension. I liked the bias front/radial rear combo, the Lasertec for it's stability and the RoadAttack for it's traction with good life.