Need to replace my tires soon. The rear is warn much more than the front, but I figure I might as well replace them both.  I bought it used earlier this year, and I don't know how long the bike sat outside with these tires on.  On my rear I have a Cheng Shin Barracuda 140/70-17 and on my front have a Bridgestone Battlax BT-45 110/70-17. My GS500's manual says I should have 130/70-17's on the back, so should I replace the back with the stock tire size or keep the size I currently have?  What's the difference of having a different tire size?

I was thinking about either replacing them with new Battlax BT-45's or Pirelli Sport Demons. Any experience with those? I don't want a tire that will wear out in a year, and mostly do every day kind of driving (not as many curvy roads as I would like). If I keep my current driving style, I'll probably do around 3000 miles a year.  I've read lots of good reviews about both of them, so does anyone have good/bad experience with those 2 tires?

Sport Demons are supposed to be the sportier, stickier rubber of the two you listed. Supposed to be great in warmer weather and good enough in the cold. I never had them on, can't comment.

BT-45s are OEM fitment for all new 500F bikes. It is a darn good tire for what it is. I get ~15K out of a rear, front could last a little longer if you wanted it to. I've been so pleased I never tried anything else, I'm on my third set. I previously had a 500E that came with Excedras... night and day. The BT-45 really is a good tire and it is cheap. It is good in the wet, it grips fairly well even when cold... there's nothing not to like. And they are cheap.

I have Sport Demons on my GS and they're great I probably will upgrade to the 140s rather than the 130s I have currently.

Quote from: missk8t on September 27, 2011, 03:36:19 PM
I have Sport Demons on my GS and they're great I probably will upgrade to the 140s rather than the 130s I have currently.

Why?

Psychological benefit 

Nah I like the fatter look but also they give a little (not very much) more height. 10mm whoopie... But mostly aesthetic. I remember reading the other benefits to it a while ago (which wasn't much) Mister actually wrote up a good post on the difference between 130s and 140s

Found the link

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=57703.msg653787#msg653787

Quote from: jbanst on September 27, 2011, 01:28:32 PM
Need to replace my tires soon. The rear is warn much more than the front, but I figure I might as well replace them both.  I bought it used earlier this year, and I don't know how long the bike sat outside with these tires on.  On my rear I have a Cheng Shin Barracuda 140/70-17 and on my front have a Bridgestone Battlax BT-45 110/70-17. My GS500's manual says I should have 130/70-17's on the back, so should I replace the back with the stock tire size or keep the size I currently have?  What's the difference of having a different tire size?

I was thinking about either replacing them with new Battlax BT-45's or Pirelli Sport Demons. Any experience with those? I don't want a tire that will wear out in a year, and mostly do every day kind of driving (not as many curvy roads as I would like). If I keep my current driving style, I'll probably do around 3000 miles a year.  I've read lots of good reviews about both of them, so does anyone have good/bad experience with those 2 tires?

IMHO...go with "stock"...Bridgestone Battlax...stock size too.....reasonable price......a set will go 12-14,000 miles.  No advantage to anything special for your driving conditions....I recently put a new BT-45 on the rear, and went with an Avon on the front.  The original BT 45 on the front got "cupping" starting at 10,000.......tread was still good at 14,000, but went to Avon to see if it would not get cupped....4,000 miles since then and happly so far.

Cookie

If you are on a budget, I put cheapo Kenda Kruisers on one of my GS's and I didn't notice any handling differences between them and the BT-45's.  Haven't had them on there long enough (about 2k so far) to compare the wear.

-Jessie

First bike and first set if tyres, I got sport demons. They grip well, hold pressure well, tread looks funky, and surprisingly well priced and there pirelli!

@jbanst, my OEM BT45s lasted...

Rear - 23,000km
Front - 30,000km

They were replaced with Sport Demons.

The rear Sport Demon was replaced after it had done 17,000km 0 but I felt it was a comfier grippier tire and worth the slightly reduced life - reduced in part due to making the bike a commuter so much more wear in the center. That Sport Demon was replaced with another - the 140 missk8 linked to. I replaced that at 40,000.

I am currently at around 43,500km and still on the Sport Demon front and it's looking quite well.

If all you got was the Sport Demon, at the distances you ride you'd be expecting 3.5 years of life on a rear. And maybe 4.5 years for a BT45 rear (6 years for a front BT45 - don't know Sport Demon cause I haven't gone through a front one yet).

Michael

Definitely a good idea on a "new bike" to get new rubber. Usually, the rule of thumb is 2 rear per 1 front...meaning replace the front the second time you replace the rear. Have run Sport Demons up front for a few years now. Have loved their handling up front for a while. But, I am really enjoying the Michelin Pilot 140/70 on the rear. I do a lot of commuting...put 13,000 on it the first year and am currently at 30,000 on the bike. Pilot power tire rear is at 5,000 currently and have run 70-80 mph in the rain with confidence. Feel like getting the matching front next time to see if they last longer and have as good a grip as the rear.

I'm partial to the Avon RoadRiders. Every bit as good as the original BT45's in terms of price and performance, I get longer tread life and I don't get the funky front tire wear pattern I saw on the OEM BT45. I just ordered a new rear tire in the 140/70 because a) my supplier is back ordered on the 130/17, and b) I'm curious if the bigger size will last longer.

I commute 13,000 miles a year, mostly highway.

If by 'funky tire wear' you mean cupping, it is an indication of braking in turns.  That is a bad habit that I had to break myself of.

Quote from: scratch on September 28, 2011, 08:27:13 AM
If by 'funky tire wear' you mean cupping, it is an indication of braking in turns.  That is a bad habit that I had to break myself of.

I did a lot of searching on the cause(s) of cupping...I did not find one difinitive answer.....

I had a car which did that on the rear tires.......dealer balanced, alligned, and even new tires....kept doing it until I changed to different brand...Hmmm..

But braking in turns is bad for a lot of reasons...and  I do find myself sometimes doing that and try not to if I'm thinking about it..

I can see that the BT-45 front may be more prone to cupping just by the tread design....There are sections of tread which are "little pennusulas" not connected by much....this is where I got cupping....The Avon has the tread more "connected".....

I don't know...I'll find out after more miles on the Avon..

Cookie

I ran Pirelli Diablo's forever on my bike before wearing them out. I ran 160 rear and 120 front mostly because It looks better, also makes me more comfortable. I replaced them with Pirelli Anglel, Sport Touring tires in the same size. I freaking love these things.

Quote from: GI_JO_NATHAN on September 28, 2011, 10:49:05 AM
I ran Pirelli Diablo's forever on my bike before wearing them out. I ran 160 rear and 120 front mostly because It looks better, also makes me more comfortable. I replaced them with Pirelli Anglel, Sport Touring tires in the same size. I freaking love these things.

doesnt a change like that, mess up the speedo/odometer?

Quote from: Phil B on September 28, 2011, 11:12:07 AM

Quote from: GI_JO_NATHAN on September 28, 2011, 10:49:05 AM
I ran Pirelli Diablo's forever on my bike before wearing them out. I ran 160 rear and 120 front mostly because It looks better, also makes me more comfortable. I replaced them with Pirelli Anglel, Sport Touring tires in the same size. I freaking love these things.

doesnt a change like that, mess up the speedo/odometer?

A change in the tire's height will mess up the speedo - just like watching the slight difference in rpm for the same speed between old and new tires. If you have 17" tires and put in 16s the speedo will read higher than previous, put on 18s and it will read lower than previous (which will mean you'll be going faster when doing the same speed on the speedo).

Michael

Quote from: Phil B on September 28, 2011, 11:12:07 AM
doesnt a change like that, mess up the speedo/odometer?

Yep. Slightly.
But the speedo's already inaccurate so big deal you know.

Quote from: mister on September 28, 2011, 11:39:23 AMIf you have 17" tires and put in 16s the speedo will read higher than previous, put on 18s and it will read lower than previous (which will mean you'll be going faster when doing the same speed on the speedo).

Michael

Well, you would also have to change the wheels to go from a 17" tire to a 16" or 18", and as far as I know there are no such beasties made for the humble GS500.

Changing to a wider tire with a different aspect ratio, however, may increase or decrease your tire's circumference and affect the speedometer. Depending on the difference between the stock size and what you decide to use this may or may not be of any circumstance.

Hey, thanks for all the info.  I'll probably end out going with the stock size and replacing both with Sport Demons.  I'm looking forward to not 'sliding' a little on tight turns!  lol