The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2
General Category => Totally Off-Topic Discussions, Rants, Tire & Oil Threads, Etc. => Topic started by: montmil on June 18, 2008, 08:07:14 AM
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My 1981 R65 has some vintage Metzler Marathons mounted up. The granite countertops in my kitchen are softer!
I want to purchase new skins before any long trips but have no recent experiences with bike tires. Also, tubes or tubeless? The valve stems on my R65 do not look like tube-style units but the manual sez...
I'd appreciate some suggestions from experienced voices. What'cha rolling on?
Monte
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What works:
Michelin Macadam 4.00H18 rear 100/90H18 front for endurance.
or
Avon Roadrider 4.00V18 rear 100/90V18 front for grip.
The stock front is 90/90H18 which will give you a little quicker steering.
The 4.00X18 rear is easier to remove than the 120/90X18 rear. I had to deflate the tire everytime I pulled rear tire off the bike and although the 120/90 Macadam fits some 120/90X18 don't and you need a spacer to get enough clearence with the drive shaft tube. Way too much trouble for no gain. I got 20000 miles out of a set of Macadams. Currently I have the 4.00V18 Avon Roadrider on the back and a 110/80H18 rear tire Macadam on the front (2 sizes over because of the saddle bags and the Luftmeister fairing).
My advise the best tires money can buy for the reasons you want them and be happy.
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I am running a pair of conti's and find them more that up to the job. I have the deap tread rear.
You will struggle to find a bad tire in this day and age. As long as they are black and round and you can recognise/pronounce the company they are made by.
Unless, of course, you are a superhero, and ride you bike on its ear all the time:)
Steve H
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Check out
http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-tires/sizes.htm
lots of information but read it to the end.
I put the BT45 battleax on and they are great.
YMMV.
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Yes, I also put on a set of the BT45 tires and am quite satisfied with them - perhaps a bit softer than some of
the others so the mileage wear might eventually prove a bit less, but they ride smooth and stick pretty well for me.
Less prone to following rain grooves than the ubiquitous Metzlers, too.
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I am a big fan of Michelin Macadam tires. Don't take it personal but I'm moving this thread to the Rants section. If enough of you think the thread winds down with some merit I'll move it back...
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I'll keep it going! :D
I am on my third set of Bridgestone Spitfires.
I guess you could say I like them.
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Bridgestone Spitfires are the way to go, especially if $$$ is important & you get them as cheap as J Hirst just managed to! Great tires at a low price: check www.chaparral-racing.com
For a few more bucks, the Bridgestone BT45s are also excellent tires. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]
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I put the BT45 battleax on and they are great.
Visited the website you recommended. Good info.
What size/s of BT45s are you running front and read? Thanks!
Monte
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The 90/90-H18 Mac 50e and 110/90-H18 Mac 50 perform very well and wear almost as good as the old Dunlop Touring Elites. We have Michelins on 2 bikes and Dunlops on two others. The Dunlops last a bit longer but the Michelins are not that far behind and are stickier. I can get about 14k miles out of a read Macadam on an R100 and about 18k out of the front. The last pair of Macadams I bought was less than 3 months ago and by doing good on-line comparo the front was less than $80 and the rear about $90. I find the best verifiable shipped price, call Dennis Kirk, and they beat each item by a dollar and are extremely reliable.
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Who's afraid of a little tire thread?
Im a poverty rider and use Cheng Shin Hi Max C906 up front
(https://bmwr65.org/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bikebandit.com%2Fassets%2Fproduct_images%2F06ChengShinHiMaxC906FtMD.gif&hash=5944277b58006688000da30f645bc86fba1167d3)
And Chen Shin Hi-Max C907 at the rear. Touring and around town these are good by me at a fraction of the cost of some other options.
rich
(https://bmwr65.org/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bikebandit.com%2Fassets%2Fproduct_images%2F06ChengShinC907RrMD.gif&hash=5965f018783bf10a6007a76e878afb5c9328b4bb)
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So who makes dual sport tires to fit our bikes? I haven't been able to find any for the front, anyway.
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So who makes dual sport tires to fit our bikes? I haven't been able to find any for the front, anyway.
Ed, I've been checking tire sizes and prices on this site. Click on the "dual sport" button and watch all the choices pop up. Monte
http://www.americanmototire.com/catalog/index.php
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I found a rear tire the right size:
http://www.americanmototire.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=200_232_234&products_id=2271
...now I can't remember the right size front; here's a 3.50 x 18:
http://www.americanmototire.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=200_239_240&products_id=2649
and it's 4.00 x 18 brother:
http://www.americanmototire.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=200_239_240&products_id=2650
...those two are so cheap I should try them just for farts and giggles.
Thanks for the link.
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Went with a set of the Bridgestone Battleax BT45 tires last December and they seem to do the job fine.
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<snip>
Unless, of course, you are a superhero, and ride you bike on its ear all the time:)
Steve H
OK I'll bite. Whats your Superhero name? :D
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Now that I've sworn ya'll to secrecy, I can humbly admit that my Super Hero name is....... (wait for it)
"Blind as a Bat Man". ;D
Ed
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Did not want to leave y'all hangin' on my final tire choice for the R65, so here 'tis...
After reading lots of tire info, post replies and a couple emailed responses, I ordered a pair of Bridgestone S-11 Spitfire Touring skins. 100/90H-18 front and 110/90H-18 rear.
For the price, value and my guesstimate of annual mileage, I believe these tires will be fine.
Front tire is $50.85; rear tire is $59.85. Final cost, including the "free" shipping is $110.70.
Checked over the web comparing prices and shipping costs. Chaparral Tire had the best overall price.
Thanks to all who offered their thoughts and experiences. Appreciate it! Monte
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I found a rear tire the right size:
http://www.americanmototire.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=200_232_234&products_id=2271
...now I can't remember the right size front; here's a 3.50 x 18:
http://www.americanmototire.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=200_239_240&products_id=2649
and it's 4.00 x 18 brother:
http://www.americanmototire.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=200_239_240&products_id=2650
...those two are so cheap I should try them just for farts and giggles.
Thanks for the link.
Let me know if you end up getting them...I am looking for something dirt "oriented" and would like to know how they last. Thanks!
Spicy
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Hey Spicy, is "Spicy McHaggis" something on the menu board at McDonald's in Scotland?
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Hey Spicy, is "Spicy McHaggis" something on the menu board at McDonald's in Scotland?
That's where the name came from...Dropkick Murphys were touring in Scotland and they saw a Spicy McChicken Sandwich on the menu...
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That's funny!
I had never listened to any of their music before just now. (shipping up to Boston, the warrior)
The instrumentals are hypnotic.
The vocals - well, the instruments make it worth it, sort of...
I like Rare Air (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare_Air)*, better. ;)
And Slade. :)
* I was just looking at the few clips of them on YouTube - they do not do the band justice compared with their CD, Primeval)
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Let me know if you end up getting them...I am looking for something dirt "oriented" and would like to know how they last. Thanks!
Spicy
I was wrong about the front tire size; we use a 3 1/4, not 3 1/2 inch fronts. I suspect a 3 1/2 would fit, but I'm not sure. Anybody?
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"I was wrong about the front tire size; we use a 3 1/4, not 3 1/2 inch fronts. I suspect a 3 1/2 would fit, but I'm not sure. Anybody?"
Ask Semper Gumby!!! ;) He runs at least a 3.5, if not more.
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Hey Ed, not sure if you are watching this thread or not...but they offer a 100/90-18 Kenda K270 that may work on the front...that's ROUGHLY the equivelant of the 3.25-18...I think I'm gonna try it...
Let me know if you end up getting them...I am looking for something dirt "oriented" and would like to know how they last. Thanks!
Spicy
I was wrong about the front tire size; we use a 3 1/4, not 3 1/2 inch fronts. I suspect a 3 1/2 would fit, but I'm not sure. Anybody?
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I read pretty much any thread that has a "new" icon. Is that a rear tire? The pictures look like the same tread for both front and rear; it's probably not even directional. I didn't see any with metric sizing, but I know a 100 fits because that's what I use now.
Keep us posted on how those work out!
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OK, I'll fess up that I tried the IRCs that I found before; 4.00 x 18 rear, 3.50 x 18 front. I had fun on a bunch of gravel roads, not doing anything silly because I don't know how but I had good control. When I got home from my first ride on them, parked right outside my gate, I glanced up my skid road up the hill and said, "Why not?" Indeed they were flawless on the hard packed slick clay stuff, though I think the R65 is pretty heavy for that stuff. (But the big dual sports are even heavier!)
But. I rode to work on them, cautiously in the morning, with no real problems. But on the way home it was nice, dry, and clear, so I decided to see if they can corner. I hit a right hander with good visibility and nobody around and went through it like I normally do, and that front tire felt like it was walking out from under me, and I crossed into the other lane before I got it under control. It didn't feel like a skid, which would have just slapped my right down on the ground, but it scared the crap out of me. I still like those tires on dirt, especially, and would love to have spare wheels to put them on so I can poke around on the logging roads up in the coast range, but I dislike having to ride so cautiously on pavement that it's no fun. The tires were advertised as 80% road 20% dirt, but I suggest you reverse those numbers if you want to try them. And I would have to remove my front fender, really, as there is very little clearance in places. I'll try to attach a pic here of them:
(https://bmwr65.org/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.suraklyn.com%2Fr65_forum_gallery%2Falbums%2Fuserpics%2F10039%2Fnormal_mURI_temp_81517a97.jpg&hash=300bc36903523a79ffaa5f4eb4931f12908bba29)