The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2
General Category => Totally Off-Topic Discussions, Rants, Tire & Oil Threads, Etc. => Topic started by: Mike V on December 12, 2009, 12:56:37 PM
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At the risk of you guys banning me from the forum for even mentioning the word "tire", I wanted to step out on the proverbial limb and ask for preferences in tires. I have short term cabin fever with the rains this weekend and am trying to decide on new tires and tubes for the 650. I have my strong opinions and preferences for the /7 but no experience for the 650. I'm looking for something with handling, performance in both wet and dry with adequate mileage factors. Also, something that handles the CA rain grooves. I plan on using this bike as a commuter, weekend canyon runner, everything except a long range tourer. I don't think. Yet.
Just mention your list of priorities (favorite first) or single favorite for me if you would, please. I'll keep a list here at home and post it when it's all said and done. :D
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I've been using Metzeler Me33/Me99, now the Lasertec series tires, and I am quite satisfied with the performance of them, I've been using them since 1987 .
Don't get a lot of wet weather here in Phoenix, but the few 'gully washers' I've been in, the tires performed quite well .
I haven't noticed rain grooves 'upsetting ' the handling any more than I experience with any of my 4 wheelers .
I get about 8-10,000 miles on a rear, and 11-13,000 on a front tire .
Cost is a bit higher than other tires, last set cost around $350 for tires, tubes, sales tax, mounting and balancing .
I only put at best, 2,500-3,000 miles a year on the R65, so if you put a lot of miles on your bike, this may not be the best choice cost wise .
I have seen reports of 'cupping' of the tread, I haven't experienced it so far .
I've been getting my tires from Southwest Mototires, in Tucson, purchase 2 tires, and shipping is free .
Since they moved to the Tucson location, I take the wheels to them, and have them do the mounting and balancing, $20 per wheel/tire assembly .
http://www.swmototires.com/
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Thanks Bob, always solid information from you. I'm leaning toward the Macadams (Michelin) or Avons, but want to see if I can get some good information from the guys and their experience. I like the tread design on the Macadams. This is going to be a totally different direction for me since all my tire purchases in the past was for the long distance touring and mileage factors for the /7. I've tried almost all of them. My favorite for the /7 are the Dunlop K491's - excellent mileage and a good stiff sidewall. Handling is good and I've been in some tremendous rain storms and they grip quite well as long as you keep them on the road surface and not on top the water layer and the road. Speed control in the wet is important to combat hydroplaning no matter what tire you use.
I had cupping problems years ago with my Metzelers when I traveled to Chicago - I increased my tire pressures to 38 front and 40 back and have never had a cupping problem since.
Mike V.
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I'm a Macadam guy. I got about 20,000 out of a set but a lot of that was commuting at 60 mph. Work well in the wet and the dry.
I tried a set of Avon Roadriders on the BSA Firebird and they seems squishy to me. Subjective I know. When I switched to Bridgestone Dual sports on the Firebird, the 4.00-18 Avon went on the back of the R65 where it has just about run out of tread. The 19" front tire went into the bin due to chinese milling on a bolt when the front axel got loose on the Firebird. The Avon worked fine on the R65 but I'm going back to the Macadams here shortly.
4.00H18 rear tire really works well on the back of the R65. Easier to put on and take off as well. At a minimum I would recommend the 100/90-18 sized front tire. The 90/90-18 has always seemed too small to me.
Many people also have the Bridgestone BT45's on their R65's. My first experience with them will be when the K-bike front end goes on my R65. There is a good 100/90V18 tire on the 2.5 inch rim and I guess I'll try it for a while.
Hey I just crunched some numbers. That Avon 4.00V18 rear tire has lasted almost 16,000 miles. Not too shabby. I expect a bit more form the Macadam. I guess I'm just easy on tires....
This advise worth 2 cents - not what it used to be. :P
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My 120/90x18 BT45 rear has just worn out - only got about 5,000km from it.No problems,but I'll be looking for something cheap and nasty to go with my Kenda K671 Cruiser front.I don't like the 90/90x18 front tyre,but the Kenda seems up to the task - last weekend a following rider said I was nearly touching the crashbars down in the corners.Every bit as good as a Metzeler for half the price for me.
I much prefer to ride with my streettracker tyres - Dunlop K70 4.00x18 front and rear.I can push the bike much harder on seal,and they are excellent in gravel too.The rear tyre only lasts 3,000km,so I change wheels if doing a lot of open road riding.
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Excellent, I'ld like to get everyone's opinion as time goes on, thanks Bill. 16k is exceptional mileage, I have 15k with more to go on my Dunlop K491's for the big bike.
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Should have done this in the beginning. Did I miss anything? Cast your vote.
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Ok guys, cast your vote.
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Although not a serious consideration for some riders I am using the poverty riders choice with no complaints. A low cost alternative for someone who seeks fresh rubber at a nominal charge.
Cheng-Shin Hi Max C907/C906
http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/photos/tire-tyre-guide/Cheng-Shin-HiMaxSportTouring.htm
Grip is good on dry and loose surfaces and balance was easy to achieve with a minimum of weights. Stable at highway speeds with a tendency to follow rain and other grooves with the front. Not tested in the wet.
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I put up a Poll Chart at the top of the thread. You guys go ahead and put your vote in if you can. And any anecdotal information about performance, feel, grip, or characteristics you would like to share is always helpful. We'll see what kind of results develop.
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Nobody on Avon Roadriders out there? Seems to be a popular tire for the larger displacement Airheads, just wondering if anyone has experience on them.
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Nobody on Avon Roadriders out there? Seems to be a popular tire for the larger displacement Airheads, just wondering if anyone has experience on them.
I have and like them on my Triumph. I just thought he was talking about our R65 tires. He needs to add Bridgestone Spitfires to the mix, I ran those for several sets. No problems with them but I decided to test some Continental Conti-Gos this time. They seem fine too. I'm not sure I can tell the difference, unless they last longer than the Spitfires.
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Ed,
Only 8 options on the poll format unless I'm missing the function to add more. I'll make a note of the Spitfires. Thanks for the input.
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I currently have a 4.00 - 18 Pirelli City Demon fitted on the rear. I wasn't attracted by the name - doesn't exactly conjure up a performance tire image does it.
It works well enough though, was the right size and is a big improvement on the old Metzeler previously fitted. It was also half the price of a new Metzeler so I'm more than happy.
I had been disappointed when a new Metzeler ME11 front had not cured quite a bad case of "white lining" and very surprised that a new rear tire completely eliminated the trait. Other plus points are much easier to mount and seat on the rim than a Metzeler and also easier to slide in past the brake shoes.
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Just put on the roadriders. I like them They seem to grip better than my old metzlers. But I still havent boken them in an I am going from old tires to new tires so we will see. Oh and 90/90 up front 120/90 in the rear
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Ha this thread has re-emerged from the depths....
At present myself (confirmed Michelin Man) have a Used Dunlop 491 Elite II 110/90H18 on the back, and the used BT45F 100/90V18 on the front.
How did this happen?
When will my new Pilot Activ showup? Why is it delivery date in limbo?
Why? :o
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My current R65 has Macadam's on it and they perform nicely. I am bringing home another R65 that needs tires and I went shopping for Macadams.
I couldn't find a deal anyplace!!! As a matter of fact I couldn't find a deal on anything in my size, not ebay ,not Craigslist, so.........
I went with Shinko off of Amazon for $88 for the pair delivery included. I rationalized that they bought Yokohama and they were pretty good tires. Time will tell if I just tossed 88 bones out the window or not.
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I think I'm on my 3rd set of Bridgestone Spitfires. I really like them. Especially the price.
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I think my Avons are actually Venoms, rather than Road Riders, but I like 'em anyway! ;)
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I fitted a pair of BT45s to my newly acquired LS in the factory recommended sizes of 4.00 rear and 90/90 front. The bike came with Metzelers but I've never liked these tyres on airheads, despite their otherwise popularity, and consider many of the less attractive handling idiosyncrasies of the airheads are exacerbated by these tyres. I reckon that Metz and Conti just get repeat business out of loyalty, not quality. BT45s have always impressed me on the twin shock airheads I've fitted them to. I ran Pirelli Sport Demons on my Guzzi Le Mans and they were superb in terms of grip, and thought about fitting them to the LS, but opted for the Bridgestones as more of a known quantity.
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April 1st (yes I know).
Arrrrgh.
MIchelin is now saying April Fools Day for delivery of the Pilot Activ. >:(
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I replaced my Metzler 33s with bt45 and am very happy with the bt's.
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Just finished a trip with the 100/90-18 BT45 on the front (now) 2.5 inch rim and a 110/90-18 Dunlop Elite II 491 about half worn on the back. This combination works great.
I will never put a 120/90-18 tire on the back again. There is no need.
Still waiting for the new pilot Activ... (tic, tic, tic....) :P
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Anyone ever use Dunlop 404's? I see BikeBandit has a screaming deal on them and my bike is in serious need for a rear tire. The screaming deal might have a good reason, as they get pretty bad reviews online, most notably that they don't last more than 5,000 miles.
They also have pretty good deals on the Shinko tires.
Any thoughts?
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Grrrrrrrr....Michelin still hasn't come up with Pilot Activ's yet. I think it is time for a scathing email.
[smiley=flamethrowingsmiley.gif]
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Wish I could change my initial vote. I've installed Bridgestone S-11's on the 650 and love them after abot 1500 miles. In fact I've even installed new S-11's on the /7. Great bang for the buck in my opinion.
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Check out these guys' price on S11s:
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/28/396/2/0/71/DEPARTMENT/Bridgestone-Street-Bike-Sport-Touring-Tires-Tires.aspx
I wish they had Avon Roadriders in the right sizes for my Triumph.
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I found a local private supplier here in San Diego I'm extremely happy with. For new S-11's on the 650, Michelin Tubes, mounted and balanced, and disposal fee for the old two tires the bill came to $185.
Hard to beat for what I consider a good quality tire.
(Thanks for the tip Justin M.!)
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Hey, Hows the going, I just bought a a Bridgestone battlax BT45 120/90 x 18 rear tire to replace the BT35 110/90 x 18 that was on the bike which i just purchased 2 months ago. It's an 1981 R65. I switched tires today, took the wheel to the tire garage but it is not fitting correctly, it seemed to go on very easy, no tire iron required and after it was inflated it did not give that customary pop, it's not centered correctly. Just wondering if anybody has any suggestions.
Thanks very much.
John from Ireland.
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Hey, Hows the going, I just bought a a Bridgestone battlax BT45 120/90 x 18 rear tire to replace the BT35 110/90 x 18 that was on the bike which i just purchased 2 months ago. It's an 1981 R65. I switched tires today, took the wheel to the tire garage but it is not fitting correctly, it seemed to go on very easy, no tire iron required and after it was inflated it did not give that customary pop, it's not centered correctly. Just wondering if anybody has any suggestions.
Thanks very much.
John from Ireland.
Pop over into the Tech Section, scroll down and read "Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes and other ramblings" by our pal Azcycle Graeme. All your questions will be answered.
Now my question... How did you fit a spankin' new Bridgestone BT-45 on a rim without spoons? The concern with the 120/90 is the very strong potential for the tire to rub on the swingarm/shaft case.
And welcome to all things R65, John. Now, show us a photo of your bike. Sans rear tire would be OK for now. As some peeps here say, "If we can't see it, it doesn't exist."
Go check Tech and report back. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]
Monte
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Nice one, thanks very much for the helpful point in the right direction. When i took the wheel off yesterday I brought it to "Tire Stop" (a local garage) where a big fella named Finbar just put it on with his hands. To be honest it didn't look that hard. I thought maybe the tire was a little too big or something. I wasn't sure what pressure you could put in the tire before it went through the roof so he stopped at 60psi. After reading that it could take up to 100psi I went back to Finbar who put extra lube on the tire and re pumped it until it popped at around 75psi. Happy days.
Also there is no problem with the swing arm getting in the way. There is adequate clearance, about 8 millimeters best guess. I'll get a photo of that shortly. Thanks again. John :)
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Well went into the motorcycle shop today for new tyres. The rear is beginning to look a bit slick and the wet season is just around the corner (humidity has risen heaps last few weeks) Front tyre has developed a wobble, i replaced the front wheel but wobble is still in the tyre. When I mentioned I had 3.25 x 18 and 4.00 x 18 they looked at me blankly. Whats that in metric? They then decided 110/80-18 and 120/90-18. I ordered the tyres (they need to come from South Australia to Darwin, about 3 days) and then came home to look through this forum. I quickly went back and quoted peoples experiences from this website and re-ordered 100/90-18 and 110/90-18.
So a big thank you to everyone on here. You gave me the necessary information the bike shop couldn't.
Funnily enough when she spoke to the distributor and gave my sizes they recommended the same sizes. She was also suggesting i just fit the front tyre 110/90 they had in stock to fit to the rear but the distributor said NO, don't do that.
so now i better change my vote for the tyre poll.
john
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I loved the Conti's that were OEM with my bike. They were very sticky and handled well. The one drawback was that they did not last too long. But that is a price I am willing to pay for the handling they provided.
k_enn
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I used to run Continental tires back in the early 80s, but even with the 400cc twins and 650cc twins I rode then the tires wouldn't last very long.
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My '81 R65 came with Continental tires, RB2 front and K112 rear, never really felt like good tires from day one .
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I started with Metzeler but found them to be to slow into the corners, on the expensive side and not lasting more than other brands.
Switched to Avon Roadriders, handling is much improved but will track Kalifornia rain Grooves. I think the rubber is too hard for my taste.
Will move to Bridgestone as I had the chance of comparing them to the Avon I previously had on the K75, even better gripping and cornering and no tracking.
As a side note:
My bike probably sees 5/6 k miles per year which means on average the tires last from three to four years.
Although happy on the financial side, I would like to have fresh rubber under my bike more often, say every two years regardless of mileage.
I am of the opinion that tires become old fairly fast regardless of usage, meaning the rubber tends to harden and consequently not performing as expected.
Domenico
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I'm currently running metzlers … that seem to do fine around town . . . slush, wet or dry. I’m not wild about their traction (go or stop) in gravel. Once was enough . . . I won’t do the Dalton Hiway on them again. Can anybody recommend a tire best in gravel and ok on asphalt. I’d like to ride the R65 more often next season . . . read that ride off pavement more often. I use TKCs on the 1100gs and am willing to trade the short life for their excellent performance on gravel roads here in AK. Not sure where to start with the R65.
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May yet be changing my tyres on the R65. The BT45's i bought have created a corrugated road feeling at 60kmh.
Proving almost impossible to get the local motorcycle shop to admit they are a problem.
I have raised the front wheel slightly off the ground and when the wheel is rotated the rim is straight.
The line halfway down the tyre stays true, but the tyre varies by 2mm in roundness.
As the line on the side of the tyre does not vary I believe it to be a manufacturing defect.
However the motorcycle shop has pointed the finger at my steering head bearings, forks, wheel bearings, "It' is a 30 year old bike you know".
I was happy to hand thebike to them and pay to get this fixed, but after his accusing verything else on the bike, I don't think I'd trust them to change the valve cap now.
I'm going to contact Bridgestone directly with a video of the tyre showing out of roundness, and hope to get better service, otherwise I'll be trying a different shop and different brand of tyre.
John
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Idiots, sounds like a shop to stay away from. They probably wouldn't know how to repair the forks, steering head bearings or wheel bearings correctly anyway - on a 30 year old bike, since they can't plug it in to a machine to tell them what to replace. Diagnostics and workmanship is a thing of the past except for this forum and others. Find a private Bridgestone Tire supplier or deal with them directly. These dealers would rather throw money all over themselves than keep us safe. I'm tired of all this crap. it's time we start standing up for ourselves and demand we get our money's worth.
I just purchased 2 sets of S-11's from a private supplier here in San Diego. I couldn't be happier with the tires and the small business owner and his service. Great care, prices, product and service.
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Forgot to mention this was the same shop when i picked up the tyres I asked "have they been balanced?, there's no weights" The guy on the counter said yes they've been balanced, obviously didn't need them.
Came back 2 days later to complain about the 60kmh shake, so they rebalanced them and when it needed three weights on either side had the gall to say, you must have thrown the weights off. I looked at him and said do you recall me asking about the weights when I picked the wheels up. I'm so glad I noticed and mentioned it.
They are an independant store, I'm going to approach Bridgestone directly and complain.
John