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Tires I've used on the GSs so far and miles used:(the famous tire log!)http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/GS500tirelog.jpg My ranking so far for my type of use:1. AV45/46 Avon ST radials2. MEZ4/Z2 sport touring radials3. ME33/ ME88 Metzelers for longer life with good handling. Consider Lasretec/ME880 combo now for long life but gives very tall 130/90 or 140/80 rear tire.4. BT455. AM51/526. OEM Excedras7. K491 rear. Very long lasting but too slick for GS500s handling. Worked good on my previous old Hondas though. <G>The ME33 front was the most even wearing front tire I've had on the GSs, most other fronts wore very unevenly for me. Main reason for my trying the Lasertecs, the front has same ME33 type tread pattern.The BT010 front was put on the 97 because it was immediately available locally and the more responsive handling of this sport radial is quite noticeable over the sport touring radials. If you ride less miles per year or have lots of tire bucks, you might enjoy the all out sport radials although the rear tire size will be a compromise on our 3.5" wheels.
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There is a posting of my ranking of the tires I've used in the FAQ section which was copied there by Pablo. I updated this ranking last Oct to include the Lasertecs and Road Attack I used since the original ranking but couldn't post it myself in the FAQ section so I've copied it here:<<< Time to update my ranking of the many tires I've used on the GS500's. Just my own personal opinions based on my experiences, your usage may vary. Tires I've used on the GSs so far and miles used:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/GS500tirelog.jpg My ranking so far for my type of use:1. Metz Lasertec front with Conti Road Attack rear. Tentative rating, see below.2. AV45/46 Avon ST radials3. Metz Lasertec bias sport touring4. MEZ4/Z2 sport touring radials5. ME33/ ME88 Metzelers for longer life with good handling. Consider Lasertec/ME880 combo now for long life but gives very tall 130/90 or 140/80 rear tire.6. BT457. AM51/528. OEM Excedras9. K491 rear. Very long lasting but too slick for GS500s handling. Worked good on my previous old Hondas though. The ME33 front was the most even wearing front tire I've had on the GSs, most other fronts wore very unevenly for me. Main reason for my trying the Lasertecs rather than the Demons or Actives, the front has the same ME33 type tread pattern.The BT010 front was put on the 97 because it was immediately available locally and the more responsive handling of this sport radial is quite noticeable over the sport touring radials. If you ride less miles per year or have lots of tire bucks, you might enjoy the all out sport radials although the rear tire size will be a compromise on our 3.5" wheels. Now possibly the best of both worlds, the new Conti Road Attacks. Conti's claim: "giving the performance of a sports tyre and the mileage of a touring tyre." I'm trying a Road Attack rear with a Lasertec front, my favorite front tire. With over 2k miles on them so far I can confirm Conti's handling claim. I find myself cornering faster now with the Laser/Attacks than I did with the sport touring radials or the pair of matching Lasertecs and doing so with ease and confidence. I really don't expect the Road Attack rear to last the 13-14k miles the Avon and Metz sport touring radials did, but if they go the 10k miles at least that the Lasertecs did they will remain my first choice. Final report next year on these. >>>Some thoughts I just posted on the BT45s on another forum to a friend inquiring about their life:<<< Back in 99 I put a pair of the BT45s on my first GS500 to replace the OE Bridgestone Excedras and thought highly of them. They were considerably better than the Excedras they replaced. I got 9500 miles from the rear and 13,600 from the front. After trying a couple of touring tires on the rear, I put on a 2nd rear BT45 and picked up the pace a bit and it was half worn out at 2300 miles when I replaced it with a radial Z2 rear that went 13,900 miles. I kept a pic of that BT45 and it was nicely rounded from lots of twisties and not at all flat spotted:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/bt45wear.jpgTo be honest I think the Pirelli Demons, Metzeler Lasertecs, and Michelin Activs are currently the best of the bias ply sport touring tires; the BT45 and Dunlop GT501 are older designs. However I've heard from a couple sources that Bridgestone has upgraded the compounds for the BT45s and they might well be better now than when I tried them. >>>So who is going to try the new Avon Road Riders now available and report on them? Think I'd try the 110/80 front and 140/70 rear, nicely priced at Southwest:http://swmototires.com/
