What is the best tire make and size combination ?
- Thread starter Kappy
- Start date
Flaco
750cc
Yes, I'll be kicking around as my health is much better now...
After 3 month's of chemo... and three more months of other crap med's, I'll get my last surgery and will be back on my ride B4 the TVMR Vintage Show in April here in Tucson...
Wait till you see, in the next month or two, all the shit I have have fabed for my (these) Bonnie's...
When it comes together I'll have a few options for all you junkies...
Carry on mate...
When you can't ride you think up alot of cool shit...
Later Bro... & Bro's
SCBonneville
Two Stroke
Ok.. I've sat back and monitored the responses for a bit... interesting that everyone advocates various tire brands and no one mentioned to look into what might be the reasons for a "scary wobble"... Not knowing exactly what the wobble is and what the conditions are in Dubai, I'll give you a few things to check out...
I have not run the Roadrunners but have friends that have... Triumph's recommended 38 rear/33 frt. tire pressures run on the low side of the manufacturers max pressure ratings. Just about every tire I've run has benefited from running 40 psi in the rear and 35 to 38 psi in the front... you can play around and find what works best for you... a friend that has the Avons on his Thruxton said it made a world of difference...
Other things to check: is the front tire cupped? Run your hand over the tire and see if there are any variations across the tread. If there are, that is an indication of under inflation... Unfortunately, once that wear pattern develops, your stuck with it until you change out the tire.
Are the front and rear wheel proper aligned? Using just the alignment marks on the swingarm and adjusters is not enough as they are not very accurate. There are a number of ways to check this fairly easily. You can do a google search for techniques..
Are the wheels in or out of true?
Have you done anything to the forks (fork oil/spring change out) that has changed their positioning/alignment or is causing striction?
Ok, if you adjust the tire pressure and everything else checks out, then I would point to the tires themselves...
Your options are plenty and going up to a 140/80 rear is no problem. You can go up to a 150/70 also. There are a few that will work with the 3.5" rim on the Bonnie.
If you go the 140/80 route, understand that you are going to a larger diameter tire and that will affect the stance and overall gearing on the bike.
I've run the Metzler ME880's for quite a while and like them a lot. the 140/80/17 is 26.62" in diameter as apposed to the stock 130/80's 25.2" diameter. The effect will be that the rear is raised ~3/4" and you will get gearing that will be as if you added a tooth to the front sprocket.
To quickly address the "stickier the better" attitude... the ME880's are a "touring/cruiser" compound and is a harder compound than the "sport touring" compounds of the Roadrunners, Sport Demons or Dunlop GT501's... That said.. motorcycle tire compounds are still relatively soft (and sticky) when compared to car tires.. and I have never been able to exceed the grip level of the ME880's and they have not been detrimental to braking performance in any way.
The Sport Demons are about the softest compound of the tires "normally" used on Bonnies... and their shorter tire life is a down side to them for me.
The Dunlop GT501's are a good tire... their 150/70/17 rear is made to specifically fit a 3.5" rim... and it's 25.2" diameter is a match to the stock 130/80/17 diameter... The down side? The front tire has a tendency to cup even if you are hard core on monitoring the tire pressure...
I've tried the Continental Conti GO! tires... good grip and feel but after good wear rates during the first half of tread life... the tires just seemed to shed their rubber the second half...
Right now I'm running the ME880 front, as I really like that tire from a feel and durability standpoint and they are priced very near other brands.. But on the rear I'm running a 150/70/17 Kenda Challenger... I really like the grip, feel, handling and ride quality of it... and it's about half the cost of the ME880 rear (which are pricey)... I just don't know how many miles I'll get out of it as I had it mounted just a few months back...
Anyway... sorry for the dissertation... but see if you can find a problem before you just start throwing tires on and off the bike...
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sportyone
Street Tracker
what tyres are the different from the factory ??
apart from size, mine came with the same brand tyres !
Baltobonneville
750cc
A radial on back and a bias-ply on the front--on some models--is two different tires, even if they're the same brand.
I think all the talk of needing "matched" tires is more fiction than fact, provided they're not radically different and the riding is not pushing the bike's limits. But that's just my opinion, which is probably worth as much as my opinion of how often the oil should be changed. Liability concerns probably play into this advice too, so some dope with trail knoblies on the rear and a track slick on the front doesn't sue for not being told to not do that.
I do know that I'm not going to throw out a good Sport Demon on front just because the rear is worn out and replaced with a different but similar type tire. I'll find out this spring if that's a good idea.
I think all the talk of needing "matched" tires is more fiction than fact, provided they're not radically different and the riding is not pushing the bike's limits. But that's just my opinion, which is probably worth as much as my opinion of how often the oil should be changed. Liability concerns probably play into this advice too, so some dope with trail knoblies on the rear and a track slick on the front doesn't sue for not being told to not do that.
I do know that I'm not going to throw out a good Sport Demon on front just because the rear is worn out and replaced with a different but similar type tire. I'll find out this spring if that's a good idea.
rabbitmixo
moped
For me it's Bridgestone Batllax's in standard sizes, honest wear, honest performance and honest price.
BlueJ
Blue Haired Freak
Our '07's came from the factory with two completely different Metzlers, front and rear. Lazertec in front and MEZ2 in rear.
Attachments
koifarm
Hooligan
I often wondered why they did that.....my 07 is the same....perhaps an attempt to give the front end that 'classic' look maybe?
benjamindickens
Street Tracker
If you keep your stock recommended tire sizes your handling will not change, however if you change your rear etc the handling changes. Also if you want a tyre that lasts it will be a heavier compound etc and not as sticky to give grip when you lean her over. It is dependant on what riding you do I love corners so I prefer a performance tyre like pirelle sport demons which also improve your stopping distance. Harder compound equals less grip + poorer stopping distance but longer km/miles so the choice is personal. I do love the fat rear tyres on our bikes though, it just makes them harder to tip into corners etc. Hope this help you consider your options mate best of luck cheers Ben Dickens
SCBonneville
Two Stroke
In sizes that fit the Bonnies?? Easy... Metzeler ME880's...
Not only does it have the harder cruiser/touring compound, it has a great tread depth too...
SCBonneville
Two Stroke
I hate to disagree on the stopping distance thing... but unless you're locking the wheels and/or exceeding the grip of the tire, there is no difference in stopping distance... The stopping distance on the Bonnie is determined by the efficiency of its' brakes...
And as for handling differences between different width tires... there are a couple of things that play into that too... one is the profile/curvature across the tire and another is the rotational mass/gyroscopic effect.. ie: a 140/80 tire has a larger diameter and great mass (weight) than a 150/70 tire and therefore can have a greater resistance to turning...
And while we're at it, is there any reason not to use radials at both ends? I'm currently running Tourances in stock sizes, bias ply front and radial at the rear. Since these will need to be replaced this summer, is there any benefit or harm in changing the front to radial also?
SCBonneville
Two Stroke
in a word, no... radials at both ends are fine. The "problem" that you will have, assuming that you have a 19" front wheel, is finding a 19" radial front dual sport tire.
For whatever reason, and I know Continental does this with their Trail Attack line, GREAT tires BTW... well priced and highly recommended, is that they make the rear tires with radial construction but their front tires are bias ply.
My best advice is to find tires that you are interested in and contact the manufacturer's tech line if you have any question about their compatibility.
American Motorcycle Tire is a super source for tires and their website has a lot of info on it.
http://www.americanmototire.com/catalog/index.php
radials first off as bias are a step back, you can correctly run a 140-70-17 on the rear. what our bikes need is a 3.5 F and 4.25 R rims so we could correctly fit a 120-70 F and a 150-70 R radials, you may need an 18" in front which i put on my sportster for the excellent mich 120-70-18 pilot road radial a 160-60-18 on my rear