Hello, folks

I need to change my front tire, and my options are down to:

Bridgestone BT-45 ($77)
Shinko 006 Podium ($68)

Could you please give me some guidance and help me choose the better option here?

Thanks

Radial front (Podium) with bias rear (BT45) is a no-no but a bias front with a radial rear can be OK.  What do you have on the rear now?

Kenda cruiser XT

(Thks for replying that quick!)

*ST*

Did a quick search and it seems like these Kenda tires are bias. So it looks like my tire will be the Bridgestone. Am I correct, or does anyone have anything else to consider?

Thanks again

You must mean the Kenda K671 which says Cruiser on the side wall.  Bad choice of names actually, it's Kendas bias ply sport touring tire and the Podium would not be a good mix with it.  Choose a bias ply sport touring front if you keep the Kenda rear, a BT45, Roadrider, Activ, K671, etc; any bias front would be a better choice.

While I have your attention, what's the difference, in terms of benefits, between radials and bias tires? FYI, I'm no racer, but enjoy the occasional trip through the mountain roads.

Thanks again.

Bias and radials have different constructions and react a bit differently. The radials with their more flexible sidewalls and stiffer belted tread areas put more rubber on the ground than bias tires do giving more traction.  The first radials I used on my 97 GS about 10 years ago were a Z4 front/Z2 rear Metzeler combo.  I said at the time that was when we quit slowing down for the corners in the rain.  A bit of an exageration but those radials were significantly better in the wet than the bias ply tires of the time and gave me better tire life too.  Bought my 02 GS slightly used and the first replacement tires I put on it were a pair of Avon Azaro radials and I took them on my last trip to the mountains to play and they were very good on the GS.  Actually I always liked the radial rears better than the radial fronts which wore rather uneven for me, too much cupping and beveling.  Later on when I tried a bias Lasertec front with a radial RoadAttack rear I thought they were the best all around handling tires I had on a GS.  Since I first tried radials 10 years there have been big improvements in bias ply tires both in compounds and profiles and I don't think the difference is as great now as it was back then.  There are also the shorter lived much stickier supersport radials which outperform both the bias and radial ply sport touring tires I used but they don't come in much of anything narrower than a 150.  Many do use the 150/60 supersport radials on the GS500 and Ninja 500 bikes though.