Tire Basics

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Cycle Asylum > Tire Basics

Nerobro: Nov 4, 2005; Rider now with 100% more titanium!

8ender posted:

I just want to say that for old bikes Cheng Shin used to offer almost exact matches for the original OEM tires and they were great tires. I'm greatly saddened by their exit from the tire market.

Say what? I have CST's on my bicycles. And CST tires on my moped. You sure they didn't just pick a new name?

JebattoRocket posted:

This is probably a stupid question, but what are the advantages/disadvantages of running tires with tubes versus without? Are tubed tires more commonly found on dual sports and dirt bikes?

If you have the option, there's absolutely no reason to run tubes. Tubes are heavier, hold more heat, can be pinched, can wear holes in themselves, and make things just one step harder to deal with if you have a flat. On the street at least. Tubed tires have the advantage in backwoods riding. IN that you can put an enormous hole in the tread of a tire, patch the tire (to stop crap from getting in, and rubbing a hole in the tube) and patch the tube, and you're now at 100% riding capacity again. Also, tubes will often let you ride some really severely bent rims where a tubeless tire just won't be able to seal.

Shlomo Palestein posted:

Can you run tubeless on "tube" rated cast wheels?

Now this is a fun one. There are some very slight differences in construction between tube, and tubeless wheels. Tubeless wheels have a straighter bead step, this helps them seal on the wheel. Tube type wheels have a shallow angle there, and may not actually get a good grip on the bead. With cast wheels, they didn't consider leakage to be a problem, as they were tube type wheels. Modern cast wheels are coated to prevent slow leaks through the metal itself. You can coat rims to stop leaks due to inclusions in the metal. However, in your case, you have comstars, which I think are welded up rims, and shouldn't have that issue.

The GS people have been ignoring factory recommendations for years on this, and there's never been an incident. As long as you can get the tire to seat, you should be ok. However, I didn't tell you that. And if you chose to run tubeless on your tube type wheels, I didn't encourage it.

Raven457 posted:

I have a 1980 Suzuki GS850 GL that needs new tires

Bridgestone bT45's or perelli sport demons.

Now on the car tires on a bike thing... I don't really see the problem with running car tires on the back of a bike. Yeah, you've got a square tire, at least in my experience, once it's up on an edge, they handle just fine. And given that it's the back of the bike, having a little less traction is a lot less disastrous than the front.

The batbike from the latest batman film.... uses car tires. Sprint car tires, but car tires none the less.

EDIT: I should have joined this thread long ago...

# ¿ Aug 10, 2009 09:11

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 12, 2024 00:40

Nerobro: Nov 4, 2005; Rider now with 100% more titanium!

Z3n posted:

The problem with a square tire is this: The more you lean it, the more you reduce your contact patch. And once you lose it, and it starts to swing out, your chances of recovery are even lower as you reduce your contact patch more.

The batbike also drove up a wall and did a backflip. Pointing at movies as a safety guide is pretty stupid.

Contact patch size is more defined by sidewall stiffness and tire pressure than carcass shape. Car tires can have some really soft sidewalls. That said, you're going to end up with some wacky contact patch shapes with a car tire on a bike. "I" wouldn't do it. I was just trying to say it's far from suicide, especially if you chose a reasonable width tire (like a 130 or 140). The video posted of taking a 30mph marked corner at 45 isn't anything remarkable (my rule is thumb is taking marked corners at double the posted speed..) but it does show that the bike is sane and navigable.

Forgetting the stunt that the batbike did up the wall of the building, the bike was real. I have a review around here somewhere of the suntman who helped them setup, and eventually rode the bike. The scenes where you see the bike running among people, were not composite shots, and the bike was really riding through the train station at a fair clip. (in fact, it was lasalle street station IIRC...) they tried several variations, and in the end used a full, unmodified tire in the back, and a tire that had the treads clipped to be a more round caracas up front.

If you wanna be really silly, the batbikes lean angles just prove the wide tires, and low CG's make for radical lean angles at low speeds. Lesson here? Wider is not better!

# ¿ Aug 10, 2009 15:24

Nerobro: Nov 4, 2005; Rider now with 100% more titanium!

Z3n posted:

*square tires*

Square tires give me a really weird feeling while riding. I've had the "ahem" pleasure of riding square tires three or four times. It leads to some really wacky steering feel. I'd never do that willingly.

Have you seen they have 280 width tires now? They look like beachballs.

Now here's a thought for you... With a bike like a Rocket 3, or a goldwing. A bike that weighs 900-1100lbs. You'll be putting a load on a tire much like a car would. (mind a car like a festiva would have 550lbs load on each front tire) I think this is something we need to submit to the mythbusters. I"m just not willing to offer my hide to the experiment.

# ¿ Aug 10, 2009 15:46

Nerobro: Nov 4, 2005; Rider now with 100% more titanium!

JebattoRocket posted:

One of the batbikes had what looked like Super Swamper TSL's (dualies maybe?), which I had on my jeep at the time. They are lovely on the road and supershitty in the rain. Totally stupid.

At any rate, to add another question, are bike tires pretty much always bias? are there any radials?

I said what the tires were. The tread is obviously ia packed dirt tread. I can't remember if they are goodyear or firestone. But they are pure race tires.

# ¿ Aug 11, 2009 02:49

Nerobro: Nov 4, 2005; Rider now with 100% more titanium!

Z3n posted:

It can definitely be done. I've got angle ones on my trackbike. I'd just have a shop do it for ya.

He's got tubed tires. He'll need to buy tubes with angled stems. Those don't exist as far as i'm aware.

# ¿ Aug 12, 2009 06:36

Nerobro: Nov 4, 2005; Rider now with 100% more titanium!

Z3n posted:

They get harder to turn, not easier, when they flatten out. But I'd guess that you had spent so much time fighting the bars because of the low PSI that when you filled it back up to a proper spec, it felt like it always wanted to turn because you weren't relaxed and off the bars.

And by riding at low pressure all the time, he's cupped his tires. It's the less obvious version of squaring them off.

# ¿ Sep 8, 2009 15:37

Nerobro: Nov 4, 2005; Rider now with 100% more titanium!

So, here we go.

I have four bikes in the garage that need tires.

1979 GS425E - 18x3 front 18x3.5 rear
This bike has two brand new tires on it. But they were brand new in 1981... There will be a 5 minute long burnout in the driveway to take care of that rear tire.

1980 GS550E - 110/90-19(19x3.25) front 120/90-18(18x4) Rear
There are two of these. I have BT45's on my GS5/650, and I like them just fine, but I'd like to try something else. Provided I don't get "good" suggestions I'm going with sport demons. Since I have so many to play with, I"m happy to experiment here, any suggestions? IRC? Cheng Shin? Shinko? etc?

1983 GS550ES - 100/90-16 front 120/90-18 rear
I'm actually running 120's front and rear on this bike. BT45's, and they're wearing like rocks. I can scrape pegs with them if I try... But I don't try often. I'm fairly certain I'll go with more BT45's on this. But i'm open to suggestions.

# ¿ Sep 21, 2009 08:01

Nerobro: Nov 4, 2005; Rider now with 100% more titanium!

So, I got answers from the GSR.

http://www.tiresunlimited.com/ALL%20TIRES/AVON/AVON%20MC/avon_am26_roadrider.htm

Avon Roadmasters are the hot ticket this year for bikes that don't have 17" wheels.

# ¿ Sep 21, 2009 20:06

Nerobro: Nov 4, 2005; Rider now with 100% more titanium!

The treads on my bikes almost always get worn into wedges from braking. At least on the tire centers.

# ¿ Oct 18, 2009 16:57

Nerobro: Nov 4, 2005; Rider now with 100% more titanium!

PestiferousTrollop posted:

D'oh! Its an 82 Suzuki GS450 with cast wheels, so tubeless I imagine.

Actually, it's tubed... But you can run them tubeless if you're so inclined.

No, 130's aren't going to fit. 120 even sounds like a size up from stock. On the 550, the stock size tires are 110's.

16" wheels are hard to find tires for...

You want avon roadriders. They stick better than demons, and last longer. And they're available in your size.
http://www.tiresunlimited.com/ALL%20TIRES/AVON/AVON%20MC/avon_am26_roadrider.htm

# ¿ Mar 30, 2010 21:35

Nerobro: Nov 4, 2005; Rider now with 100% more titanium!

Saturday Tsaven Nova, Skreemer, and I went to a tire changing party. It's amazing how fast tires go on with proper tools.

I'll let Skreemer and tsaven speak for their own tires, but I went ahead and put a set of Avon Roadriders on my 1982 GS650E.

This is the third kind of tire I've tried on an old GS. (Well third kind of new tire, I've had old sets..) Usually new tires make a bike feel tippy. Strangely enough this had the opposite effect. The bike did not want to turn in, and is a little bit vague on center. That said, once turned in, the bike sticks like glue.

Now that the tires have 50 miles on them or so, they're not quite as vague on center. And cross over from left to right without the hickup crossing center.

I would definitely recommend these, they're pointy carcass tires, so have lots of grip mid corner.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2010 05:51

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 12, 2024 00:40

Nerobro: Nov 4, 2005; Rider now with 100% more titanium!

word to the wise. Don't leave 75psi in your tires after you mount them... it makes the handling feel weird.

# ¿ Apr 15, 2010 16:29

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Cycle Asylum > Tire Basics