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Gullous posted:Denniskirk has data! I put in 110/80-18 and this was in the specs: Wow, that's...extremely useful. I wish more places would list all that information. 90/100-19 ironically just brings up the tire that I'm trying to buy it for, but I sent them an email and will continue looking. Thanks! [e] there are bajillions of tubes that supposedly fit anything from a 90/90 to 120/90. Surely one of those would work. Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 05:55 on Mar 20, 2012 |
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Mar 20, 2012 05:49
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How important is balancing the tire? I couldn't find the markings on my pirelli MT75's for the heavy point and I guess normally I would match up the markings with the opposite of the valve stem, then add weights if it kept settling in a particular area when spinning. I seem to remember Z3n saying to not really worry about it, or adding beads, but I just want to double check I'm not misremembering things.
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Mar 21, 2012 19:29
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I haven't balanced a tire in ages, no problems, including track use. Beads are bullshit. However, this is on street bikes, running modern tires, no rimlocks/etc. And I'm also careful when I take it out at first in case there is a wobble from the tire being out of balance. Haven't had it happen yet.
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Mar 21, 2012 20:29
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Z3n posted:I haven't balanced a tire in ages, no problems, including track use. Beads are bullshit. However, this is on street bikes, running modern tires, no rimlocks/etc. And I'm also careful when I take it out at first in case there is a wobble from the tire being out of balance. Haven't had it happen yet. Awesome, I thought you had said that but I wanted to double check before I did something really stupid. Thanks 
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Mar 21, 2012 20:54
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Last time I got new tyres a balance was definitely in order. Front end started shaking like mad at ~50 mph.
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Mar 21, 2012 22:00
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Dial M for MURDER posted:How important is balancing the tire? I couldn't find the markings on my pirelli MT75's for the heavy point and I guess normally I would match up the markings with the opposite of the valve stem, then add weights if it kept settling in a particular area when spinning. I seem to remember Z3n saying to not really worry about it, or adding beads, but I just want to double check I'm not misremembering things. Wait what? My car tires have marks where the valve stem is supposed to go. Same with my truck's tires, and in fact, all the automotive tires I've ever dealt with. Please tell me motorcycle tires aren't different. No marks, I'm cool with, as that means no "light spot" to worry about. I suppose if the tire shows up and it has a mark I could just let the tire roll and settle in one spot, then put that spot opposite the valve stem, then see where the mark ends up.
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Mar 22, 2012 02:54
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:Wait what? My car tires have marks where the valve stem is supposed to go. Same with my truck's tires, and in fact, all the automotive tires I've ever dealt with. Please tell me motorcycle tires aren't different. No marks, I'm cool with, as that means no "light spot" to worry about. I'm not sure what the deal is. I thought Pirelli had 2 dots to look for and I looked everywhere and couldn't find it, maybe it got rubbed off in shipping, I don't know 
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Mar 22, 2012 03:57
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I've had multiple tires lose the dots at some point or another. Be it takeoffs, shipping, whatever, never had an issue with them going on willy nilly, although I try to match them it they're present.
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Mar 22, 2012 05:38
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Done 3 changes on the KTM now and I didn't even know about the dots, never noticed any vibration at speed on any of them but then this is a KTM, so it would be hard to tell apart wheel vibration from the rest of the vibration. Even then just our lovely roads would make it nigh impossible.
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Mar 22, 2012 12:29
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Whenever I mount tires I balance them. It's really easy to do, I just use the axle and 2 things sit it on so the wheel can spin. Usually the wheel will obviously fall to a certain side. Experiment with spinning it, find the exact side, tape some sticky weights opposite it. Reapeat by trial and error until placing the wheel at different rotations results in no spinning. Takes like 5 minutes. Done this with track and street tires and never noticed vibration. I've also never NOT done it and noticed vibration, so who knows whether I'm wasting my time or not. I can definitely say for sure that wheels are usually not in perfect balance after tire mount, and you can improve the balance and get them perfect less bearing friction using a few minutes and sticky weights.
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Mar 22, 2012 16:59
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The gap between my washer and dryer is perfect for wheel balancing. I may have even taken a pipe and a hammer and dimpled the top edge to hold the axle better and straight. If the wife asks though, it was always like that.... 
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Mar 22, 2012 17:03
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Infinotize posted:Whenever I mount tires I balance them. It's really easy to do, I just use the axle and 2 things sit it on so the wheel can spin. Usually the wheel will obviously fall to a certain side. Experiment with spinning it, find the exact side, tape some sticky weights opposite it. Reapeat by trial and error until placing the wheel at different rotations results in no spinning. Takes like 5 minutes. Done this with track and street tires and never noticed vibration. I've also never NOT done it and noticed vibration, so who knows whether I'm wasting my time or not. I can definitely say for sure that wheels are usually not in perfect balance after tire mount, and you can improve the balance and get them perfect less bearing friction using a few minutes and sticky weights. In the end, the reason I gave up on balancing was noticing the changes between an in balance fresh tire and one that had run another 100 miles or so of track time. If they go out of balance after 100 miles of track time with plenty of life still left, what's the point?
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Mar 22, 2012 17:06
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Took my Road Pilot 3's out today in Seattle's first dry day since I put them on. Didn't have time to do any serious roads, just a little personal favorite of mine and some entrance ramps. Boy howdy do they inspire confidence. The narrower rear makes the bike transition faster and I still have plenty of grip. Thank you CA
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Mar 24, 2012 01:45
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Looking at Bridgestone S11 Spitfires in 100/90-19 and 120/90-18. Trying to replace tires on 2 matching CB750's. Coming from Continental Challenger front and Dunlop 404 rear and aged out garbage on the other, would like to match tires at least per bike. I can get 2 sets of spitfires from DK for less than 300 bucks. Are they decent enough tires to run until I have another Honda Pyre?
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Mar 31, 2012 04:02
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Love the Bridgestone S11 for older bikes and they handle quite well. I had no problem dragging knee on my 82 750F and they showed very little wear. That is until it was totaled 
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Mar 31, 2012 05:06
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My friend has an 81 CB650 and a 79 KZ650 he needs tires for. He wants to know if the Spitfires are any good for that type of bike. He's looking for something that will wear well, but with some grip for the twisties. I told him that I really like the PR2's, but not sure if they would be the best for early 80's UJM's. Any suggestions?
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Apr 1, 2012 23:41
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Mcqueen posted:Took my Road Pilot 3's out today in Seattle's first dry day since I put them on. Didn't have time to do any serious roads, just a little personal favorite of mine and some entrance ramps. Boy howdy do they inspire confidence. The narrower rear makes the bike transition faster and I still have plenty of grip. Thank you CA Mine are going on tomorrow, so excit- http://www.bom.gov.au/nsw/forecasts/sydney.shtml Dammit, gently caress off rain. Really don't want to have to bed in new tyres and new brakes in the wet.
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Apr 2, 2012 03:27
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I've got 6 year old tires that have been through hundreds of day/night heat cycles (parked on the street for most of those 6 years) and they feel hard as rocks. What are my odds of a lowside if I ride it into the shop to get new tires? Will reducing the pressure for the trip help? It's 3 miles of city riding from here to the shop, but there are some very steep / long downhills along the way.
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Apr 23, 2012 21:43
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frunksock posted:I've got 6 year old tires What are my odds of a lowside if I ride it into the shop to get new tires? Just ride like you're on a wet road with cut grass all over it and you should be OK.
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Apr 23, 2012 21:49
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Opinions on BT45s to replace the lovely tires on my 75 RD? Haven't heard of or found any other tires in stock sizes. 90/90-18 front and 110/90-18 rear. Although a 120 will fit apparently.
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Apr 25, 2012 01:05
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Great tires, for what they are. I'm on my 3rd set between two bikes, and I've never had any troubles with them. They have admirable rain performance, last forever, and are sticky enough for most situations you throw at them. I even ran them on my first trackday and had nary a hiccup.
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Apr 25, 2012 02:56
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Rain performance is huge for me. I live in Guam. It rains every day, and the roads are terrible. Either shoddily maintained blacktop, or coral mixed with concrete.
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Apr 25, 2012 05:31
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Help! I went ahead and bought a replacement rear tire from motorcycle-superstore.com at the end of last month's sale, but now I can't get anyone to mount it for me. (Bridgestone battleaxe for my '05 Ninja) The reputable shop in town (Eugene, OR) won't because of liability issues (long-winded explanation of bad experiences they've had with mail-order and finding tire damage halfway through the process and not wanting to be responsible for something not coming through their supply chain and on and on) which I respect, fine. The cheap guy on the recommended vendors from the site let me make an appointment, but now won't answer the phone or return calls. So... if I follow a how-to guide (I have tools and an air compressor and string), just how badly can I gently caress it up? What other avenues can anyone suggest (maybe somone knows someone local, because my local sportbike forum hasn't updated in five years)? The hunt via phone has been exhausting and I'd rather guarantee I can get the work done if I have to ride with the tire strapped to my back to a shop.
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Apr 25, 2012 09:52
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I need some help choosing tires for touring as Iīll be doing a trip now in june thatīs going to be around 5000 kmīs. I bought a 2008 Hornet a little less than a month ago and it came with a brand new Pilot power 2CT on the rear and the front is the OEM Pilot power tire and is marked as being produced in 2007. The front still has a lot of thread left as the bike hasnīt done more than 6000 km total but I assume it would be a good idea to replace it before such a long trip anyway. My question is whether the Pilot power 2CT is a good tire for long distance riding and what should I replace my front with ? On my last bike (FZ6) I ran Pirelli Diablo strada tires and they usually lasted 5-6000km before needing replacement. Can I expect the Pilot power 2CT to last longer than that ?
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May 7, 2012 21:02
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I'd just match front and rear, the Pilot Power tires should be A-OK. You might chew the center up a bit and they probably won't be as good in the wet as the Pilot Road 2 or 3, but there are way worse tires to tour on.
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May 7, 2012 21:30
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I'm thoroughly intimidated by the thread so I'm sure this has been asked before, I just cringe at the thought of trying to find it. I'm picking up a 2009 Triumph Speed Triple in the near future. The PO didn't realise - he was very distracted with intercontinental emigrations - that the rear tire is in need of replacement and has offered to replace it for me. I don't intend to track the bike and I think the tire he was using is very much a track tire. What recommendations does CA have for Tires that are good for commuting and hold up to long distances (around 90 miles per day) and the horsepower of the bike? He's recommending a Michelin that he finds "very sticky" but I have a feeling that a very sticky tire is also going to be a very short-lived one. Again, I have no desire to track it, and should I ever, I would look at getting a tire specifically for those days. Thanks!
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May 9, 2012 09:37
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sildargod posted:I'm thoroughly intimidated by the thread so I'm sure this has been asked before, I just cringe at the thought of trying to find it. Any modern sport-touring tire will do. Michelin 2CT, PR2, PR3, Metzeler Roadtec, Dunlop Roadsmarts, etc.; the TriumphRAT guys have tried and recommend pretty much everything out there. Lifespan is heavily dependent on road conditions, riding style and throttle fever; if you're twisthappy expect the rear to have half the life of the front, regardless of what you pick. If he's just replacing the rear and the front is a race tire, just have him give you the cash and put roadier tires on both. I've got Metzeler Racetecs on mine (stock) and I don't really like them - too hard to get/keep warm on the street and worrisome in the rain. I plan on getting Sportecs for my next set, but I'd do Roadtecs instead if I was commuting that much. E: Unrelated to tires, if you're doing that much commuting on an S3, if it's at highway speed or higher, look at getting the flyscreen or an aftermarket windscreen if it doesn't already have one. Snowdens Secret fucked around with this message at 10:25 on May 9, 2012 |
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May 9, 2012 10:15
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sildargod posted:I'm thoroughly intimidated by the thread so I'm sure this has been asked before, I just cringe at the thought of trying to find it. Like Snowden's Secret said, anything sport touring is absolutely fine for the triple. Modern sports touring tyres can cope with a hell of a lot of power and handle like track rubber used to back in the day, with the bonus that they generally have super-fast warmup. I would add to his list the excellent BT023, which is slightly less fashionable (= expensive) than the Roadsmart etc. On my second of these on the Tuono and they work perfectly. I also liked the Pirelli Angel ST, but found they tended to go "off" at about 50% wear. I did try a set of Roadsmarts on my old Hornet and really liked them, but they were a much more "fidgety" tyre on that bike - fine if you don't mind a quick steering feel and a touch of instability, though not sure if that would manifest on the Triple.
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May 9, 2012 13:58
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Any thoughts on Bridgestone S20 tires? They're new and I think they're doing some sort of promotional pricing as a local shop has them priced lower than I can get Q2s online for. http://bridgestone.com/products/motorcycle_tires/products/battlax/s20.html I won't need tires for another ~800-1000 miles or so but these are on sale now until Saturday so I am thinking getting them and just keeping them until I need them.. These are for primarily weekend rides, with a few track days per year (previously fast novice, next time in intermediate.. so I'm not exactly 'fast'). I'm not overly concerned with longevity as the bike is for pleasure only and not commuting etc.
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May 10, 2012 00:51
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GanjamonII posted:Any thoughts on Bridgestone S20 tires? They're new and I think they're doing some sort of promotional pricing as a local shop has them priced lower than I can get Q2s online for. Well the product page says they replace the 016 pro, so they're a fast street tyre. I've had no issues with the grip levels of the BT023s on the road and they would work just fine in the intermediate group, so I would have thought those would be a better bet for a road bike, but these may be cheaper than 023s with the promotional price. If you're "not exactly fast" in your own words I doubt you would need the extra grip of the S20, albeit it's always nice to have something in reserve at the front end.
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May 10, 2012 09:57
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Saga posted:Well the product page says they replace the 016 pro, so they're a fast street tyre. Last time I rode track there was a guy on speed triple with BT16/23 combo and he was running same pace as me without any issues, so I believe it can be done. I have have the front push wide on the street a couple times so it would be nice to have that extra grip in reserve, but I rarely ride that pace. That said, the prices from the shop for S20 are the same as BT023 online so I am kind of leaning S20. I can't see the BT023 in 190/55 which I am kind of keen on trying out. I think I'll probably post a S20 review in a couple months.
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May 10, 2012 22:34
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I have a 190 BT023 on my bike, so they are out there. But yeah, for the same price I would certainly be willing to try an S20 on the front. Actually getting the completely hosed 2CT on the Tuono's front wheel swapped for an 016 Pro today as I couldn't find a part-worn 023 front. Now I can turn right again, praise allah.
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May 11, 2012 07:34
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I just got charged $90 to mount two old distanzas on skinny WRX rims. Never again. I'm going to pick up this bead breaker next month, any recommendations for a tire spoon kit? I also really suck at reading tires and can't decide if these are good for another sumo event or not. They look pretty bald to me, especially the front. They just moved the event up to the 9th and I'm broke till next month.  
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May 22, 2012 23:19
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Saga posted:I have a 190 BT023 on my bike, so they are out there. Just for informational purposes, BT016 Pro front and BT023 rear combo working well so far on the Tuono. They're obviously a good match, handling wise, and the sport touring rear should eke out a few more miles. It does appear that the BT023 has a harder time on the back of the Tuono than the BT016 does on the front - the back starts to ball up a bit after a few passes around the roundabouts and slip roads near my work so is definitely getting worked, whereas the 016 pro is barely bedded-in. The 016 is an OEM tyre I got barely used from a KTM owner, so it might be one of those rumoured special OEM compound tyres made from granite.
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May 23, 2012 12:40
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Oh man I need help. Debated asking this in the off-road thread instead but unfortunately the tire never even made it off road. I mounted a new Shinko 255 dot trials rear tire on the DRZ on Saturday afternoon after reading great things about the tire from another goon. Added an OEM bead lock to the rim at the same time. Unfortunately the next morning as I'm headed out to do some dirt riding, I notice there's something wrong. At 40mph on the street, the rear end end of the bike starts to wobble back and forth. At 50, it's wobbling back and forth far enough that it feels dangerous. You can believe that made corners fun as I limped it back home. Strangely, the frequency of the wobble did not seem to directly correspond to the period of the wheel's rotation. Meaning the wobble felt like one or two per second at a speed where the wheel would be rotating 9 or 10 revolutions per second. Speed seemed to have a much more pronounced effect on amplitude of the problem rather than the frequency if that makes sense. If I pulled over and let the tire cool down for a while, it would then ride normally at 40+ mph for a minute or two before the wobble started again. Other details:
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May 29, 2012 06:27
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^^^^ Possibly it's nothing more complicated than the fact that ou're running an MT21 on the front that has a completely different tread pattern and construction. GanjamonII, how is the S20? I'm thinking of getting a part-worn S20 in preparation for a track day, as my BT023 is rapidly evaporating in early-summer cornering fun.
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May 29, 2012 11:43
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Saga, what kind of mileage are you getting from the BT023? I got one this past weekend on the basis that it's supposedly longer lived than the competition?
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May 29, 2012 13:01
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sildargod posted:Saga, what kind of mileage are you getting from the BT023? I got one this past weekend on the basis that it's supposedly longer lived than the competition? It's not quite clear to me yet because I usually buy take-offs (i.e. used rubber). The current 023 is from a track bike, so came with a couple mm off each side and a little less off the middle. What I can say is that it hasn't gotten any squarer in about a 1,000 to 1,500 miles of use. In fact, if the good weather continues, it looks like the right hand side is going to hit the wear bars first. That's pretty unusual for the Tuono, as rear tyres tend to get killed pretty rapidly by the power delivery. Grip levels are really good for a touring tyre plus quick warm up, so for road use it's ideal for my bike.
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May 29, 2012 13:38
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MonkeyHate posted:Oh man I need help. Debated asking this in the off-road thread instead but unfortunately the tire never even made it off road. Balance the tire. Adding a rim lock is one of the few places where you're adding enough weight to throw things off. Also 33psi is pretty high for a knobbie, could be contributing. Also check for missing spacers.
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May 29, 2012 15:30
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Saga posted:It's not quite clear to me yet because I usually buy take-offs (i.e. used rubber). The current 023 is from a track bike, so came with a couple mm off each side and a little less off the middle. I'm on my third set of BT-023. I'm getting about 9,000 from a rear and 12,000 from a front. This has been about the standard between a SV650, R6 and Daytona. I'd expect to get about the same amount of mileage as that. The flipside is that I do a *lot* of highway mileage as my work is 23 miles from my home and I use the bike to commute to school. Seconding the grip levels comment as well. My only complaint is that the front does not handle heavy braking as well as I would like. Granted, it's predictable when it will break traction and is really under only very heavy braking that it will. All-in-all, definitely my favorite tires so far. that one guy chad fucked around with this message at 18:01 on May 30, 2012 |
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May 30, 2012 17:58
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