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what's a good tire?? what sucks A$$??

  • Thread starter Thread starter snowbeard
  • Start date Start date
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snowbeard

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So what is the concensus for crap tires out there?? I'm coming due for a rear, and would rather not pay out the wahzoo, but I don't want to buy something that's gonna drop me in a curve. any suggestions? warnings?

I'm a new rider, not really railing on it yet, but I might as well have the best performance I can afford!!

thanks!

sorry for the performance mods cross post, but I thought I'd go for the gusto!! :wink:
 
YEP!! thanks for the answer too!

I'm kinda used to my ski forum where there're so many people they don't always browse all the forums... sorry! 8)
 
Re: what's a good tire?? what sucks A$$??

snowbeard said:
I'm a new rider, not really railing on it yet, but I might as well have the best performance I can afford!!
thanks!
:wink:
Click to expand...

How much can you afford to spend ? (if you haven't priced good performance tires yet you might be if for a bit of sticker shock) 8O
 
I realize I'm in for at least 150, then I still gotta buy someone some beer to mount it for me (or is that just ski bindings...) I think right now I just need to find out what to really avoid when I see $103.11!! maybe I can find out what's best and get it on eBay or at the salvage...
 
I get the GT501's for my bikes at about 1 bill for a front tire and about 120 for a rear.

But I get free mounting and balancing too :)

Preferred customer :) Well, maybe he just knows it will get me out of the shop sooner 8O
 
My preference is Metzler 33 on the front and a Metzler 550 on the rear. For more milage on the rear, the Metzeler880 is a good choice. However, the 880 does not have quite the stick that the 550 has. All of them handle exceptionally well in the rain. Dunlops are very good also and I have no complaints of them, but the Metzelers have a better feel to me.
A set of Metzelers from ronayers.com will cost about $200.

My opinion is save money in other areas, not on tires. The grip and handling of the tires is the only thing keeping your face off the asphalt. :-)

Some people like Cheng Shin. They are inexpensive, but I feel they are acceptable for moderate, straight line riding in dry conditions only. (opinion again).....
I found them to be scary dangerous in rain and I replaced an almost new set because of their horrible handling. I have not heard anthing good about Kenda either. Neither was I happy with Michlens handling.

Earl
 
I have Cheng Shin's. They are good for the money. If pushed hard they will slide a little. But we're not talking about a GSXR1000. I have 4k or so on mine and they show little wear. If you want a more conservative/ higher mileage tire they are good. I paid about $70 for the pair and installed them myself, never noticed any problem without balancing
 
earlfor said:
My opinion is save money in other areas, not on tires. The grip and handling of the tires is the only thing keeping your face off the asphalt. :-)


Earl
Click to expand...

Dittos...(it costs alot more to replace skin than tires)... I have run nothing but Dunlops on all my bikes for the past 25 years. Never had any problems and they seem to grip pretty well (however, I have nothing to compare them against) :roll:
 
Dunlop GT501 tires front and rear.
Great grip, wear well, and good in the rain.
Braking performance did not suffer at all.

Don't buy crap tires. Spend a couple extra bucks, it's worth it.

Someone talked about Chengshings,,,,,they slide a little, you're a new rider. How are they in the rain? crap....
What do you do when it slides? you don't need that burst of adrenaline. 8O
( we don't have "butt clenching" smiley)

www.mawonline.com decent prices.
Play the game, Dennis Kirk said they beat anyone's price by a buck.
Price around then see if they'll beat the price.
 
Cheng Shin are crappy, no offense to anybody! Don't go cheap on your rubber.

Metzelers are the way to go man. Get a Metzler 33 Laser on the front and a Metzler 55 Metronic on the rear and you will be safe and happy! Just my $.02
 
You guys place too much value on skin... LOL Just trying to give the guy a cheap SOB perspective :lol:
 
I would not use Cheng Shin period, they feel like they were made for a bicycle. Very thin sidewalls. There upgraded Maxxis Maybe. Loved my last set of Metzlers Dunlops are good too. Everyone has there own preference but you can't go wrong with either Metzler or Dunlop
 
Whats the word on Continentals? I believe thats what I have and I was told they are good but no one has mentioned them here.
 
SqDancerLynn1 said:
I would not use Cheng Shin period, they feel like they were made for a bicycle. Very thin sidewalls.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't use them on my bicycle either :twisted:
 
They are higher in price than the Metzlers and Dunlops, are a touring tire
 
joeadams said:
Whats the word on Continentals? I believe thats what I have and I was told they are good but no one has mentioned them here.
Click to expand...

I used those on my Turbo many moons ago. Not a bad tire but not a good one either if you ask me. I didn't like the tread pattern, the feel or the wear for what I paid. After I burnt up my second pair of them (they were what the Yamaha dealer was putting on my Turbo as recommended) I went to Dunlop's from a recommendation and have been with them every since. I am so pleased with the Dunlop's that I have never tried the Metzler's which I only ever hear good things about. My mechanic tells me that Metzler makes a slightly better tire than what I can get from Dunlop but they would run me about 60-80 more for the pair and they are only marginally better so I have never tried them. Maybe I'll just have to do that one of these days :)
 
For the last three years I've been experimenting with different tires on my GK, both front and rear. I've had Continentals, Avons, Metzelers, Dunlops, Bridgestones, and the cheap ones: Kendas, IRC's, and Cheng Shins.

Lest y'all think I baby my GK, let me assure you that I don't. I ride rather aggressively compared to most "touring" riders. My riding includes lots of curvy mountain riding in the MidAtlantic States.

Not once did I ever experience any problems with any of these tires, whether top line or el cheapo. All gave me good adhesion, predictable handling, and decent wet pavement performance.

The only difference was in mileage. The cheap ones didn't last very long. The Dunlop K491 rear gave me many more miles, for example, than the Kenda Challenger.

At this time I have a Harley Davidson Dunlop clone, a 401, on the rear of the GK (long story behind that one...). This is essentially a K491 with H-D stamped on the sidewall, and sold for too much money at Harley dealerships. On the front I have a Bridgestone Spitfire. Both are doing fine. I had a Conti Blitz up front before the Bridgestone, and it did very well also; handling on these two is different, though not necessarily one better than the other.

Moral of my story -- in my experience, all tires available for our GS bikes are good performers. Not all will give you the same mileage. Good rear tire mileage comes particularly from tires like the Metzeler 880 or the Dunlop K491, both of which are belted.

So, in my opinion, you may shop for tires while being assured that you'll be safe on any of them. Again, not once have I felt insecure or unstable while riding on any of these brand tires. I wouldn't buy another rear IRC, simply because I only got 4,000 miles out of it. So, value for the money is at issue here.

Nick
 
I've run everything from Metzlers, to Dunlops and Cheng Shins. I'm not a knee dragger, or one to ride long distances in the rain, but I've been riding for 15 yrs. and I have not noticed anything but slight differences in any of my tires, except in mileage. Dunlops seemed to last longer, Cheng Shins were the shortest, but not by too much.

Anything you'd mount now-a-days is better than anything these bikes had on them when they were showroom new.

I'm no expert, but I'm going to run counter to the opinions on this post - I 've not had any bad experiences with Cheng-Shins and I tend to want to replace my tires on both my bikes every 2.5 or 3 years whether they are worn, or not.

I know guys with $300 tires on their bikes that have had them for 6 years that won't change them because of a looming $300 price tag that would be better off with a new set of $100 Cheng Shins changed more regularly.
 
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