Continental tyres

[Boycie1150]

Does anyone out there run Continental Go tyres on their 65?

When I rebuilt my bike earlier this year, (subject of another thread), I put a set of Conti Go's on it. I am not entirely impressed as the rear is not far off having to replaced after only a smidgeon over two thousand miles use. One, I am not a boy racer type, and two, I have had bikes with twice and three times the power this bike has got wear their rear tyre out in three times the distance. At least.

So, either this is a VERY soft compound, or the tread depth amounts to bugger all when it was new. Either way, I am not impressed. Now, I have to explain to the wife why I need another 85 to 90 quid for a new tyre!!!

I wil have to use another one on the rear, as the front is still only just worn, but after that, I will go back with Metzelers, as I used to run years ago.

ANd before anyone asks, no, it wasn't wrongly inflated!!! I check tyre pressures before every ride.

As I say, anyone got any comment?

CHeers peeps

P

[montmil]

Just out of curiosity, what pressures do you run in the Contis?

Monte

[nhmaf]

2000 miles seems VERY short life indeed.   I run 35-38 PSI in my BT45 tires and they still have quite a bit of life left almost 5000 miles on them.

I gave up on Continental tires myself back in the mid-80s.   They were decent traction-wise, but also seemed to wear out very fast back then, and I was not locking up tires, doing burnouts, and only riding 400cc and 650cc bikes back then.

[bruce_launceston]

I would put a Bridgestone BT45 on the rear and keep the Conti front untill it needs replacing.
I'm not aware of any requirement to match tyres front and back?

I've been getting good mileage from the Bridgestones although I have a Pirelli Sport Demon on the rear at the moment, also seems a good tyre.

[tvrla]

Haven't used the Contis, so no help there, but I'm not impressed with the Metzelers either: good grip though short lived.

I've been running the Bridgestones as well - cheapest tires I can find at about $60 and last the longest. They handle well too. I run either the S11 or BT45s.

[steve hawkins]

I have used Contis as a favourite and have them fitted to my bikes currently.  

I am not doing a lot of mileage at the moment for one reason or another, but recall thinking the very same myself the last time I changed them.  But it is only a gut feeling and I have no numbers to back that feeling.

I am going to have to cahnge the one on the back of the R100 soon and that bike has not done much other than local work this year.

Cheers

[Julio A.]

35-38? I follow the Sticker under the seat which specifically suggests to inflate the tires at 30-32 at the maximum load.

[Barry]

A tire that wears that quick can't be right. I have almost 5000 miles on a Pirelli City Demon and the damn thing won't wear out. I still have 5mm of tread left. My front tire has 7000 miles and is down to 3.5mm  Not the greatest tires in the world but aimed at the same market as the Conti Go.

[montmil]

35-38? I follow the Sticker under the seat which specifically suggests to inflate the tires at 30-32 at the maximum load.

Julio, this tire pressure issue has been bounced around the forum a few times in the past.

Our vintage bikes came with, what is now, vintage tire tech rubber. The fender sticker provides tire pressure suggestions for those old school tires. New materials and technology within the motorcycle tire industry permit higher tire pressures to achieve optimum performance.

I run 38psi front and 41psi rear in my Bridgestone S11 Spitfires. Excellent grip, handling and wear... which I discovered I really needed while riding those Three Sisters.

Monte

[clonmore1]

Montmil,

That makes perfect sense, old stickers old tyre tech!

That's why we have this forum for info like that - priceless

[nhmaf]

+1 with Monte - that sticker is 30 years old, right?   The tire technology of that period *Required* running at lower pressures because one had to count on some sidewall flex of the stiff rubber to maintain tire contact patch.   Modern tires of current construction have different shape, different carcass construction and sidewall/tread design, and sticky rubber compounds and maintain their contact patch much better when full inflated at the normal, higher modern pressures.   They will also run cooler and you'll get better fuel economy.

If my front BT45 tire gets down to 25PSI it will develop a slight wobble in the 40-45MPH speed range.   I make sure that my tire pressures are both in the mid-30s before I take off for a ride.

[clonmore1]

nhmaf,

More expertise, it's all going in to my small brain for regurgitation later...

Thanks
 

[Barry]

There is a thing on the net at the moment about universal tire pressures for all makes of tire and all bikes. You don't have to think about it just put in something like 36/42 and forget about increasing the pressure when two up or loaded. Personally I don't believe in a universal pressure regardless of what the bike and rider weigh. Fora start they are talking about modern superbikes with radial tires.

The easy and proper answer to the tire pressure issue is to look at the manufacturers web site. Every one I've ever looked at has a tire selector tool which will recommend a specific tire for your bike and they always list pressures.  Who knows better than the people that designed and made the tires. Some riders will use higher pressures still claiming improved handling. Fine as long as you don't go above the maximum rated pressure but you shouldn't go lower than the web site recommendation. If you really want to do your own thing test it with the 10/20 rule. Measure the tire pressures Hot after a hard ride. The front pressure should have increased 10% from cold and the rear 20%.

If your pressures have gone up more than that they were too low to start with and if they didn't show that much increase you had them too high. The 10/20 rule worked close enough for me when I used the manufacturer's recommended cold pressures.

[steven m]

When I increased the pressure from 32/36 to 37/40 in my Avon tires, which I thought might be a bit high, I discovered the bike handled AND had better ride quality, plus, on my brief grooved freeway excursions, ugh, the wobbling, wiggles, whatever you want to call it, was drastically reduced.  That alone is worth the price of admission...

As is usually the case, in agreement with Monte.

Steve

[tvrla]

Barry - I've heard it's right around 10% for both tires. It was actually something like 9% for the front and 12% for the rear. But who has a gauge that accurate?

I'll have to do the actual test now, because I used to run the higher pressures, but recently started using the lower values in the low 30s. I like the ride better now than before.

And I don't think a universal pressure is a good idea - heavier riders will need to run more pressure, as well as when loaded for touring or with a passenger or at high speeds. The killer is tire flex which causes heat build up and will destroy a tire. A blowout is a wonderous thing!

Over-inflation reduces contact patch, doesn't allow the tire to heat up to correct operating temps - thus not as sticky, and gives a harsher ride.