Ok. I'm down to this pair vs Avon Road Riders. Both are sized to fit our bikes. The price is comparable between them.
Any thoughts?
And while we're here I'll poke the hornet's nest. It irritates the hell out of me that half of the tire options available for the R65 offer a front tire with a straight central groove.
My bike came used, 15k, with Metzeler Lazertecs. 1983 R65. The original owner advised CAUTION with this bike. In certain conditions it would speed wobble. He described it and suggested I stay vigilant. Sure enough I had my heart in my throat a few times under exactly the conditions he described. He told me it's just one known trouble with this style of airhead and you just have to learn to avoid that zone. And I did.
The Metzelers eventually needed replacement so I checked around and decided on a set of Michelin Macadams. Absolutely brilliant tire as it turned out. Smiles all around. I hadn't even noticed but the wobbles were all but cured. I went through two sets of the Macadams and eventually got ready to order a third when I discovered that they had been superceded with Pilot Actives. Oh well. New is better. Right? Ordered them without a second thought. Mounted and within the first hour realized something was off. WTF? The wobbles are back. What?
Now this is why oil threads and tire threads go off the rails so quickly. I get it. Everyone has a powerfully convincing anecdote that is exquisitely unscientific... but heartfelt. The only variable that leapt to mind was the fat center groove on both the Metzelers and the new Pilot Activs. But not on the Macadams. It's almost certainly just my imagination of couse. It's the internet. But there is enough shared anecdotal history on the web discussing this groove to make me wonder. I really believe that the r65 does not like a fat center groove on the front tire. Dammit. Why did Michelin have to fuck with success?
Anywy that's why I've landed on the two tires highlighted here. My Pilot Actives only have a few hundred miles on them. But they sap my confidence enough to make the ride unenjoyable. I might just gift them to someone
here at bmwr65.org when I decide on a replacement.
I actually got a little excited about the Shinko 712 for this bike. Great reviews. Handsome tread pattern. Respectable mileage. Half the price of other options. Checked them out and DAMMITALL there is that fat center groove on the front tire.
Oh well
