A tire post certain to stir up trouble

[SteveC]

Here's a thought on tires that may not be popular, and in fact it is not a new idea...

As we ride with our stock tires, they begin to wear, and even deform, every mile.  They wear unevenly (more on the left than on the right side), hard stops take a little more off, they get scuffed, and some even lose the round shape in very small and subtle ways.  As this is happening, we subconsciously adjust to compensate.  We're not aware of the change in handling and 'ride-ability', because it comes on so slowly, and we learn to adjust.  Often the first time we realize how bad things are is when we get a new set of tires.  Suddenly that wear, tear, and deformation of the old rubber becomes instantly obvious.

The point here is that after months (years?) of riding a progressively worse set of tires, ANY tire feels like the reinvention of the wheel.  We're convinced that this is the best thing to happen to riding since wooden wheels switched to rubber.  And if we happen to choose a non-standard tire, it still feels great because our only frame of reference is that set of tires that just came off the bike, and which we now realize was just so bad.
I'm not saying the latest non-Dunlop is bad, but it hasn't been tested, we don't know if it will lose  traction in a turn, or in the rain earlier than stock, but it feels so much better.  It will always feel better, as long as the new tire is round.  So take some of these claims with a grain of salt.

Not meant to disparage anyone, hope this is taken in the spirit it's offered in.
Steve

[goldstar903]

Hear, Hear! 

[dans2014]

   Michelin has always had a smoother ride in all tires vehicle or motorcycle, They usually get the best  gas mileage because of their low rolling resistance, so that said they will be an improvement. They usually out wear all the competition unless you get a racing compound. They usually cost the most as well. I hate the frenchies having the best technology, but the facts are, they do. Motorhomes are the same thing. What they don't do is put uv sun ray additives in and they weather check on the sidewalls worse than any other tire ive owned. So, My motorhome has Chinese tires because the Mich;s were twice as much and I wont wear them out before they are 5 years old, the recommended change time frame. Yamaha Fz1 came  with road pilot 4's as oem, hum, maybe Honda needs to wakeup!!! these Dunlop oem's are noisy and puncture very easy. great input on the forum

[rusty]

x 3 stevec

[hungryeye]

I have had the same thoughts as Steve for many years

[_Sheffjs_]

I'm loven this tire talk as by the time I need mine you all will have it figured out............. Right?    

Shoot, Adrian might even buy me a set.   

[ledany]

I've had a CTX 1300 brand new and the 1832 Valk : both were slippery on wet roads with their new tire of course. In the ancient world, we have magazines to test comparatively the brands (Motorrad in Germany in fact) and it goes like this :













I'm sorry I don't have time tonight to translate but you can guess what it's all about :

PR4 GT and Z8  are the overall best rated tires. "Bremsweg" means the distance it takes to stop the bike from 100 km/h to 0 km/h and you can see the difference between the PR4 and the Continental : 8 meters !  I guess it would so much worse on wet roads 

I prefer the PR4 GT because it's the most reliable one on wet roads and that's the most important for me 

[rusty]

did someone say adrain was going to buy us tires!!!   i'll need a set also,
thanks adrain

[blackvalk]

Steve,

There is no argument with what you said, because it makes total sense.

I can tell you I just installed the Michelins on a 2012 Kawasaki Concours 14 that I've had since new. The original tire was a Continental. It seemed ok, I didn't dislike it until I installed Michelins.

I can put the bike on the right white line and hold it in a right or left sweeping turn at high speed, without thinking about drifting off the road. In a left sweeper, I am always worried I would drift off.

I've never owned a bike that would do that so I am sold on the Michelin tires. It has truly made this bike better than new. It holds a line like a freight car.........honestly!

I don't hate the Dunlops but I know I'm looking forward to new Michelins and I love, love, love this new Valkyrie.

I ride my '98 Valkyrie less and less, but I love the way it looks.

Bill

[Robert]

I agree with quite a few points that are listed but our bikes have only been out since 2014 so when we talk about old tires or worn tires how bad could things get in one year. The idea of worn would not apply to tires that are slick right off the showroom floor either. Of course with the appropriate wear in to scuff up the tire.

  I will also say that it must be mass hysteria syndrome to have so many agree with the results of changing tires from those who seem to have experience in riding. We are not talking about a leisurely cruise down the hwy or back road but we are taking about aggressive riding with a GSXR and keeping up. In these cases to take a 800 lbs bike and make it perform like that, tires are very crucial. Not to mention riding ability and experience.

 A few that have gone on long trips and over every imaginable surface and road and have come back and testified about how much they enjoyed the difference. I would have to say these riders are experienced, knowledgeable, and excited when something does actually work better when you push the boundaries that alot of us just don't push. I believe that most here know and discount through experience the idea of the new tire syndrome. My feeling is that the original post does not give proper credit to this or to the experience of those who ride.

  Its a new bike with new riders with new ideas on how to ride. I am thankful to them for doing the tests and road experience that I may not ever do. That is what this board and bike are all about, some are cutting edge and some are the cut edge, this is not your fathers cruiser.

As another note I am also glad someone posts about things on this board. We have heard very little from the F6B crowd and even the Valk crowd has had very little to say other than this so I enjoy the enthusiasm and the interest that it peaks.

[_Sheffjs_]

Here, here!   Robert.

I enjoy all this tech talk as well and so many here have been mega helpful in shaping my ride. I love the new Valk.   

[DOC47]

Has anyone tried the Dunlop American Elite 130/60B/19?  I ride my F6C as a cruiser, not a canyon carver.  I want a tire that will give me decent mileage without wearing left side of tire. I'm almost 70 and have ridden for 55 years.  LOVE THIS BIKE!!!!!!

[hubcapsc]

Has anyone tried the Dunlop American Elite 130/60B/19?  I ride my F6C as a cruiser, not a canyon carver.  I want a tire that will give me decent mileage without wearing left side of tire. I'm almost 70 and have ridden for 55 years.  LOVE THIS BIKE!!!!!!

I'm running that tire now... it is bias ply, not radial... I haven't had it long
enough to know how long it will last, but I've rolled down the highway
with it and through the mountains, dry and wet... I like it fine so far...
I particularly like the way it gives more "feedback" to steering than
the OEM tire... people are adding 120X70 sportbike tires and liking it,
but they say it makes the bike steer "quicker"...

-Mike

[barney fife]

Realize this an old post.  I have the American Elite on the front and it has been a good tire.  It has over 12,000 miles on it and is still looking pretty good.  I was afraid of it being that it was a Harley tire.  I'm in my 13th year of endurance racing, with 99 percent of it on Bridgestones and they have been great.   I have been running them on my street bikes since 99 since they came on my ZRX.  I am on my second T30 EVO GT on the Valk and it looks like they are good for 6 or 7,000 miles, but it's a sport touring tire.  Think I am going to try the Pilot 4's.  I would rather go for more grip in the corners, than absolute tire life.

[ledany]

My Valk has now 40,000 miles on the clock. I tried the PR4, it was fine, far better than the OEM Dunlop, une vraie merde ; then I tried the Metzeler Roadtec 01, fine too (and I still have it on the rear wheel 15,000 miles later). The tire is still on good condition (3000 miles more is doable) but I want to change and get a Pirelli Scorpion Trail II like the one I have on the front, which is fantastic on dry and wet roads.   

[bscrive]

Has anyone tried the Bridgestone Blattlax Sport Touring T30R. 

There is a guy who has one for sale locally in the size I need for only $80. 

Reviews look good, but I wouldn't mind a first hand opinion.

[hubcapsc]

My Valk has now 40,000 miles on the clock. I tried the PR4, it was fine, far better than the OEM Dunlop, une vraie merde ; then I tried the Metzeler Roadtec 01, fine too (and I still have it on the rear wheel 15,000 miles later). The tire is still on good condition (3000 miles more is doable) but I want to change and get a Pirelli Scorpion Trail II like the one I have on the front, which is fantastic on dry and wet roads.   

You lucky dog.

I bought my bike new, but it had the wrong tire on the back, the OEM tire was flat
in the crate and my dealer put another Dunlop that he had on hand on there.

Tire 1: ersatz Dunlop 190, ~2,000 miles.

Tire 2: PR4 GT, ~5,000 miles

Tire 3: Pirelli Angel GT spec A, ~4,500 miles

Tire 4: Avon AV81, ~1,600 miles

Tire 5: PR4 GT, brand new now

-Mike

[ledany]

May I say that my tires are :
- 36 psi front
- 42 psi rear

I've always done that, except for a while with a 990 KTM SMT, way lower as the KTM-men do ; but I wasn't comfortable and came back to 36/42 psi. 15,000 miles is my average.

[goldstar903]

My Valk has now 40,000 miles on the clock. I tried the PR4, it was fine, far better than the OEM Dunlop, une vraie merde ; then I tried the Metzeler Roadtec 01, fine too (and I still have it on the rear wheel 15,000 miles later). The tire is still on good condition (3000 miles more is doable) but I want to change and get a Pirelli Scorpion Trail II like the one I have on the front, which is fantastic on dry and wet roads.   

You lucky dog.

I bought my bike new, but it had the wrong tire on the back, the OEM tire was flat
in the crate and my dealer put another Dunlop that he had on hand on there.

Tire 1: ersatz Dunlop 190, ~2,000 miles.

Tire 2: PR4 GT, ~5,000 miles

Tire 3: Pirelli Angel GT spec A, ~4,500 miles

Tire 4: Avon AV81, ~1,600 miles

Tire 5: PR4 GT, brand new now

-Mike

Mike, what the hell type of roads do you have, cheese grater? 

[hubcapsc]

Nobody around here gets 15,000 miles on their cruiser tires. I used
to get about 7 or 8 thousand out of a rear Avon on my 1500. But I
got less than 5,000 on the last Avon on the 1500 too. So "yes" to
the cheese grater question... I believe it is these farm roads I've
been using to get to work that are eating my tires.









I have Blue Ridge chicken strips, but my tires get worn out, to the chord
sometimes, in the middle.



-Mike

[hungryeye]

Hey Mike, try lowering you tire pressure?

[hubcapsc]

Hey Mike, try lowering you tire pressure?

I run 40-42 in the back and 38-40 in the front...

-Mike

[Dragunslayer]

One thing to note that I keep reading over and over in these tire threads.

Let me say that the days of them using some crazy amount of mold release on tires is in the past. While I am not telling you how to break in tires but can attest that it usually only takes a few miles to scuff in a tire.

When I was running track days a few years ago, I would hit the track with FRESH tires and within 2 laps on a 3 mile curcuit be pushing the limit of the tires adhesion. Knee on the deck at speeds approaching triple digits.

Today's tires do not require the same amount of break in of the older tires and offer a lot more grip and wet weather performance. Most of the slip that you experience probably has little to do with the tire itself. I would almost attribute all slips to debris or fluids dropped on the road surface.

Do I know the above as fact, well no I do not but have a lot of street miles to use as my own personal data ( 275,000 + ).

And while there is some truth to the OP statement that just about all NEW tires make the bike feel fresh. There are certain brands that just offer more feedback than others. Most of my experience over the years has been Dunlop, Metzeler, Michelin and Continental.

[Dragunslayer]

My Valk has now 40,000 miles on the clock. I tried the PR4, it was fine, far better than the OEM Dunlop, une vraie merde ; then I tried the Metzeler Roadtec 01, fine too (and I still have it on the rear wheel 15,000 miles later). The tire is still on good condition (3000 miles more is doable) but I want to change and get a Pirelli Scorpion Trail II like the one I have on the front, which is fantastic on dry and wet roads.   

You lucky dog.

I bought my bike new, but it had the wrong tire on the back, the OEM tire was flat
in the crate and my dealer put another Dunlop that he had on hand on there.

Tire 1: ersatz Dunlop 190, ~2,000 miles.

Tire 2: PR4 GT, ~5,000 miles

Tire 3: Pirelli Angel GT spec A, ~4,500 miles

Tire 4: Avon AV81, ~1,600 miles

Tire 5: PR4 GT, brand new now

-Mike

The most miles I have seen is 4000 on the 180/55 PR4 GT, the 190/55 I have on now will probably not make it that far though.

Mike, what the hell type of roads do you have, cheese grater? 

[Dragunslayer]

Hey Mike, try lowering you tire pressure?

There is a fine line here since a high pressure would creat a crown that in theory would wear quickly but a low pressure would cause the tire to get to hot and overheat resulting in excessive wear as well.