Which tires for 1981 gs250?

[Brendan]

I need to replace the original 30 year-old tires on my bike. It uses a 3.00-18 front and a 3.50-17 rear. I found a mixed set of Pirelli tires on americanmototire.com:

Pirelli MT66 for the front - size 3.00s-18
Pirelli MT75 for the rear - size 110/80s-17

Here are the links:

http://www.americanmototire.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=4048

http://www.americanmototire.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=4068

Any risk in mixing a set like this? My other option I was considering are IRC GP-1 Dual Sport tires, but I ride 100% on the road, so that is probably not a good idea.

[tkent02]

You should probably list what you want, cheap, long lasting, a safe ride, or all out performance at high speeds....

No need to use old school hard rubber tires, there are great tires available now.

Avon RoadRiders are my choice, great handling and excellent traction wet or dry, (especially wet) with a moderate price.

Cheaper but still good are the Shinko 230 Tourmaster...

But anything newer will be 1000% better than thirty year old tires, please say you are not really riding on them?

[Brendan]

Yeah, I was riding on them
I would like those Avon's, I used to have them on an old Yamaha, but they don't make a rear tire that is 110/80-17. They make a 120/80-17 but I don't know if that would work.

I just want something safe that I can put a lot of miles on. I commute in the city every day. Thanks.

[tkent02]

Yeah, I was riding on them
I would like those Avon's, I used to have them on an old Yamaha, but they don't make a rear tire that is 110/80-17. They make a 120/80-17 but I don't know if that would work.

I just want something safe that I can put a lot of miles on. I commute in the city every day. Thanks.

These Avons are lightyears ahead of the Avons from a few years ago, they are incredible tires.
I bet the 120/80-17 would be OK but I don't know you rim width, wait for a tire expert on here to chime in. Is there a 110/90-17?

Another tire that performs great is the Pirelli Sport Demon.

[Brendan]

These Avons are lightyears ahead of the Avons from a few years ago, they are incredible tires.
I bet the 120/80-17 would be OK but I don't know you rim width, wait for a tire expert on here to chime in. Is there a 110/90-17?

Another tire that performs great is the Pirelli Sport Demon.

No they don't have that size. Avon does make RoadRiders Front tires in my rear size, but I read on here that it is not good to run a Front tire on the Rear, because Rear tires are designed to carry more of a load.

My tires are: Front 3.00-18 (or 90/90-18) and Rear 3.50-17 (or 110/80-17).

[tkent02]

NO, these tires are designed to be used on either end, that does NOT apply to these tires.

Go for it, they are wonderful tires.

[Brendan]

NO, these tires are designed to be used on either end, that does NOT apply to these tires.

Go for it, they are wonderful tires.

Ok cool, I'll give em a try. Thanks.

[Brendan]

UPDATE - Pirelli Tires for 1981 GS250

So I purchased the Pirelli MT66 Front tire, size 3.00-18 and MT75 Rear tire, size 110/80-17. They cost $140 on motorcycle superstore and I had them installed at Greater Boston Motorsports for $130, including the tubes.

They stick to the road very nicely and are much softer than the stock tires.
There are a lot of potholes in Boston and these tires soak them right up.
Also, the anti-tracking on the tires is superior to the stock tires - my bike no longer gets caught on the train tracks which run through a lot of the streets here. Highly recommended!