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Another Tire Question (and I searched first)

  • Thread starter Thread starter WesV
  • Start date Start date
W

WesV

Guest
'81 GS450L
Current Tire on Rear:
Cheng Shin MS90-16

I need a new tire and everything I have come across says the MS90 translates to 120/90-16. On the same note everyone seems to think a 130/90-16 will easily fit. Well right now my chain gaurd is VERY close to rubbing the tire and I am positive anything wider will rub. I guess I could take the guard off and bend it so it would clear....

My choices for 120/90-16s are rather small in fact the only one I could find on the net that isn't a jap tire is Continential Conti-Blitz TKH 24 for about $70. Does anyone have any expirence with this tire? Does anyone think I ought to try and clear a 130 so I can get a Dunlop?

Thanks Guys
 
On a 450 I would probably stay with the 120 ????? MS ???? It may be oversized already MT90-16=5.00/5.10=130/90H16
 
No, don't go the 130 route. It will probably hit the brake stay rod or the chainguard. That Continental is a fine tire btw. Very reputable German company.
 
Cheng Shin makes a 120/90-16 HiMax. I use CS tires on my GS850, and I ride like a bat out of hades in all weather. CS used to make crappy tires, but the HiMax tires are good rubber at outstanding prices. I have close to 20,000 miles on CS HiMax tires.

The Continental would also be a fine tire.

By the way, Cheng Shin is a Taiwanese company, not Japanese.

(In case you're wondering, I know my GS850 doesn't use this size tire. My wife's Honda does, though -- I've been through the same search.)
 
Re: Another Tire Question (and I searched first)

WesV said:
'81 GS450L
Current Tire on Rear:
Cheng Shin MS90-16

I need a new tire and everything I have come across says the MS90 translates to 120/90-16. On the same note everyone seems to think a 130/90-16 will easily fit. Well right now my chain gaurd is VERY close to rubbing the tire and I am positive anything wider will rub. I guess I could take the guard off and bend it so it would clear....

My choices for 120/90-16s are rather small in fact the only one I could find on the net that isn't a jap tire is Continential Conti-Blitz TKH 24 for about $70. Does anyone have any expirence with this tire? Does anyone think I ought to try and clear a 130 so I can get a Dunlop?

Thanks Guys
Click to expand...

I've had experience with the Conti Blitz & put them front & back on my old 79 1000, I like the pattern & it worked fine in the rain. I also liked how the tread pattern would climb up the sidewall giving alot of tread at extreme lean angles________________Rick........
 
tires

tires

I had the conti- blitz's on my XS1100 I didn't like them they were real bad on bridge grates an real slippery going over road stripes when damp
 
Well I wasn't really wanting to go back to Cheng Shins because this one didn't quite last 10K, but it are also about 10 years old too so I imagine ther designs have improved. Thanks for the input! I will stick with the 120/90 and try to cough up the cash for the continetal
 
Didnt quite last 10K? :-) :-) Only in my dreams. The best I have been able to get on the 1150 rear tire is 2500 miles. The shortest lived was a Bridgestone battleax BT45 that lasted 1500 miles. LOL

Earl

WesV said:
Well I wasn't really wanting to go back to Cheng Shins because this one didn't quite last 10K, but it are also about 10 years old too so I imagine ther designs have improved. Thanks for the input! I will stick with the 120/90 and try to cough up the cash for the continetal
Click to expand...
 
I usually get about 8 thousand out of a rear tire on my 550. Less if I take a major ride of 2000+ miles with my camping gear. Looks like I'll be lucky to get 5 grand out of the latest rear tire, a Cheng Shin Marquis 130/90X17. But over 2200 miles went on it in less than 2 weeks with me and my gear. (can you say GVWR?) 8O :lol:
 
Whoa, so I should be calculating in a new rear tire every 7 months or so!?! (I put about about 1250 a month on them) That is a much bigger expense then I anticipated..... oh well. Maybe I will go with the Cheng Shins then.... Anything else I need to have done with the wheels off? Bearrings packed etc??
 
Wes, to be honest with the compounds they are manufacturing motorcycle tires from these days you are lucky to get 5 to 6,000 miles off a back tire. You don't want stiffer rubber since motorcycle tires are stressed far more than a car tire is. My ZRX gets only about 3.000 per rear tire and the front about 6,000 and I am not a hard rider. The road surfaces you ride on make a big difference on tire wear also. Concrete seems to wear them less than some asphalt aggregates do. Also a larger tire is not automatically a better tire. Using one larger than spec will affect the handling and steering of any bike.
 
Michael Falke said:
Also a larger tire is not automatically a better tire. Using one larger than spec will affect the handling and steering of any bike.
Click to expand...

This is correct!

It also affects wear. Part of the reason I'm expecting poor mileage from my current rear tire is it is a 130 instead of a 120/90X17. The 130 was the 'maximum but not recommended' size for my rim. Forcing that tire on to the rim distorts the shape, in this case it gives the tire a 'pronounced crown' (squeezes it together and makes it pop up in the center) so with a bigger tire I've actually a smaller contact patch with the road. (Hey, the parts house didn't have my size in stock and the window of opportunity was open for a major ride...and flies were getting in :oops: 8O :lol: )

Yes, Wes, I usually go thru 2 sets of tires on my 550 a year.
 
This all brings up a question for me. When I had my Nighthawk a few years ago, I put new tires on and away I went. Not a care in the world.
A guy I work with bought a new back a year or so ago and layed it down in the first week. He complained about being "New" Tires. I've also heard this before from others who warn to be careful on new tires. I'm getting new ones after the first of the year.

What's the deal?

Dave
 
Very good question Dave. New tires come to you straight from the manufacturer's mold. OK, they might have been in a warehouse for a while. The point I'm making is they come out of the mold and away they go. In the manufacturing process the substance that makes it easy to get the tire out of the mold is called, TA DA, mold release ( well on the forums that's what it's called, the industry may call it something else.) It is slippery. There is no step between mold and shipping, that's right, no cleaning, that is where the trouble lies. Until a new tire is cleaned/worn in...it's dangerous, because of this mold release. It 's not such a big deal with cars and trucks so the industry ignores it with bikes. Yes. I dumped a bike back in 1971 not 3 city blocks of mounting a new rear tire on it.
 
Dave,

The folks who provided my latest new tires, at SuperTireGuy/Subterranean Cycles in San Francisco, warned me from experience to be gentle for the first 100 or so miles on new road tires. Their reasoning is that there is a mold-release compound left over in the rubber from manufaturing that makes it more slippery; this works its way out and evaporates as the tires heat up during regular use in that first 100 miles.

Nick
 
Jimcor is correct.

I put a new IRC Durotour on my E model earlier this year.
The shop owner tolde me "be careful" it's new and slippery.
Before I left his shop, took a piece of fine steel wool and went
over the tire. He smiled as I was doing this.
And then told about the guy with the big money HD that dumped it in front
of the shop on brand new tires.
Guess he didn't listen to Al's advice.....


Also NEVER Armor All your tires, more slippery stuff.
 
Also it is good to remember that tires need to "warm up" before doing any serious maneuvers on them. Cold rubber will not adhere to a road surface properly. Give your tires a good ten miles or so before you try any canyon carving. Always always (did I stress it enough) keep your tires inflated to the recommended tire pressures. These are cold pressures. If your tire says inflate to 35 psi then don't run them at 28 because the original owners manual said to. More than likely you don't have the same brand and type of tire still on the bike (hopefully not after 20+ years anyway). Modern tires have to have the correct tire pressure to flex and dissipate heat properly to avoid compound separation and premature failure.
 
Michael Falke said:
Also it is good to remember that tires need to "warm up" before doing any serious maneuvers on them. Cold rubber will not adhere to a road surface properly. Give your tires a good ten miles or so before you try any canyon carving. Always always (did I stress it enough) keep your tires inflated to the recommended tire pressures. These are cold pressures. If your tire says inflate to 35 psi then don't run them at 28 because the original owners manual said to. More than likely you don't have the same brand and type of tire still on the bike (hopefully not after 20+ years anyway). Modern tires have to have the correct tire pressure to flex and dissipate heat properly to avoid compound separation and premature failure.
Click to expand...

Wow, you learn something everyday. Everything I have been told (of course all my expirence is with cagers) is that you follow the manufactures reccomendations and not the tires because the vehicle's maker takes into account the vehicle weight and all into consideration where are the tire companies have almost no idea what size vehicle it would be put on. I guess this is another way bikes are different.... :roll: Anyway, so ignore the sticker on my rear fender then when the new tire gets on and use steel wool to take away the form lube.

BTW, looks like I will be getting the Cheng Shin C907 Hi-Max tire for about $45 delivered. My front tire still has plenty of miles left on it, but is the old rib style tread, would it be a highly reccomended idea that I put the Hi-Max tire on the front too just so they match even though the old one still has quite a bit of tread on it (about 75%)?
 
Yes yes yes yes yes yes!

Put a new tire on the front, too!

It ain't about tread depth -- a new tire will be more flexible and the newer rubber will be much stickier.

Besides, it'll be even cheaper than the rear, and the CS HiMax fronts have that cool "imitation Metzeler Laser" chevron tread pattern.
 
Like I said, you are dealing with a motorcycle 20+ years old. Tires have come a long way in 20 years just as have motorcycles. Now if you have a modern motorcycle then the tires are probably radials and the recommendations of the owners manual are important and those recommendations are fine to follow. Also I used to tell people to try silicone lubricant on their tires and that is no longer a valid statement. The new rubber compounds will break down if you put any kind of automotive tire dressings or silicone to shine them up. All new tires simply require you to wash them with a good detergent and nothing else.
 
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