Who knows tires???

[Sunburn]

Tire selection is limited these days on a stock 1983 GS1100E. LOL

Any tire recommendations? I currently have Bridgestone Spitfire 130/90/17 rear and 100/90/19 front. The price was right and the worked well enough. A little more stick never hurts or could it?

I?ve been told that modern sport tires would cause handling problems because they stick so hard they cause the weak frame/front forks of the GS to flex. How much damage could a pencil thin 130 do? Can you even find a sport compound in these sizes?


I?ve also been told that as tires age they get hard from all the short trips where you heat up the tire. Even if they have many miles left for tread they may not perform as well as they should. Annual replacement is recommended. My tires are 5 years old. I?ve seen real old tires that have cracked and hardened but only after many many years. I?ve always replaced them. But annually? In the past before the kids and old age, my tires never made it to a year before needing to be replaced I rode all the time so this is the first time I've ever had to think about the tires age


Input anyone?

 

[67fire]

I just replaced my Spitfires with Battelax BT-45's in a V compound, when renobruce comes over tomorrow I'll be giving them the test! They should be a little better. Hopefully last as long.

Eric

 

[Steve]

I have never heard the recommendation to do annual tire replacements, but that is what I do anyway.

OK, so it's just over a year between tire changes, but it's just something that has to happen about every 20-23,000 miles.

.

 

[67fire]

I have gotten up to 12,000 out of a rear Spitfire, more out of the front.
Never got more than 5-6,000 out of Continentals or Dunlops.
Something about that horsepower that makes them disappear.
I do not buy touring tires. I ride "spirited."

Eric

 

[Guest]

I love my Pirrelli MT66's. I recommend them to everybody.

 

[nisom512]

Tire selection is limited these days on a stock 1983 GS1100E. LOL

Any tire recommendations? I currently have Bridgestone Spitfire 130/90/17 rear and 100/90/19 front. The price was right and the worked well enough. A little more stick never hurts or could it?

I?ve been told that modern sport tires would cause handling problems because they stick so hard they cause the weak frame/front forks of the GS to flex. How much damage could a pencil thin 130 do? Can you even find a sport compound in these sizes?


I?ve also been told that as tires age they get hard from all the short trips where you heat up the tire. Even if they have many miles left for tread they may not perform as well as they should. Annual replacement is recommended. My tires are 5 years old. I?ve seen real old tires that have cracked and hardened but only after many many years. I?ve always replaced them. But annually? In the past before the kids and old age, my tires never made it to a year before needing to be replaced I rode all the time so this is the first time I've ever had to think about the tires age


Input anyone?

I would say the people that "told" you these things have a little bit of reading up and experiancing to do.

 

[Guest]

Stick with the Spitfires I say.I've tried a few different types but keep coming back . They wear well , feel "planted" and have never felt "loose" in the wet. You can (at least I do ) get them cheaper through a car tyre dealer than anywhere else. Cheers,Simon.

 

[Sunburn]

Stick with the Spitfires I say.I've tried a few different types but keep coming back . They wear well , feel "planted" and have never felt "loose" in the wet. You can (at least I do ) get them cheaper through a car tyre dealer than anywhere else. Cheers,Simon.

Never ride in the rain these days unless I get caught.

 

[bwringer]

Those sizes are correct.

The Avon AM26 RoadRiders are the most modern tires available, and they will transform the handling of this machine (in a good way -- it'll feel 100 pounds lighter). Highly recommended over the Bridgestone Spitfires, which are a very old design.

If you're doing track days or something, the Pirelli Sport Demons are also excellent, but they're softer and short-lived.


That stupid theory about not mounting up tires that are too sticky is just plain retarded. You want all the sticky you can get.

 

[Sunburn]

I would say the people that "told" you these things have a little bit of reading up and experiancing to do.

The guys at a local shop that I have been buying tires for the last 15 years tell me about the dangers of modern sport compound tires on a older bike. Funny thing is, same guys there the last 15 years.



Annual replacement came from advise a buddy of mine received from Freddy Spencer after he spent a day in his riding school.

 

[Sunburn]

You want all the sticky you can get.

Amen to that brother!!



That's the direction I'm going. but I want to see if anyone knew these "issues" had roots or not.

 

[Nessism]

The guys at a local shop that I have been buying tires for the last 15 years tell me about the dangers of modern sport compound tires on a older bike. Funny thing is, same guys there the last 15 years.



Annual replacement came from advise a buddy of mine received from Freddy Spencer after he spent a day in his riding school.

Annual replacement may be applicable for a track bike using race compound tires but a street driven GS is completely different.

 

[bwringer]

The guys at a local shop that I have been buying tires for the last 15 years tell me about the dangers of modern sport compound tires on a older bike. Funny thing is, same guys there the last 15 years.

Then they're idiots with experience in idiocy, but they're still idiots.

Annual replacement came from advise a buddy of mine received from Freddy Spencer after he spent a day in his riding school.

That's actually not a bad idea, in a couple of ways. First, you need to ride more if your tires last more than half a season. Whaddya doing, sitting around watching TV? RIDE MORE, DAMMIT! It's good for your skills, your bike, and your mental health.

Secondly, I have noticed that tires definitely feel and grip differently with time and heat cycles, even if they're not worn. Even if I had a vast fleet of motorcycles, I would personally never stretch a set of tires beyond two years, even if they're not worn. Three years is generally considered OK, and five or six years is right out.

 

[willie]

A valuable lesson learned from my weekend at the WV Rally. Don't install a Korean tire on the rear. I have a ChengSin on the back of one of my 1100s and a Kendra on the back of the other. Both felt greasy on even moderately damp roads. Either they're coming off my bikes or I will not ride on curvy wet roads with either bike.
Willie

 

[sparki]

pirelli sport demons are good..... like has been said they make the old girls feels a lot younger on their feet

combine that with the fact they're stickier, you'll be able to replace em sooner and not worry about old tyres on yer ride too

and freddie spencer.... what does he know anyway... lol - he was a honda rider

 

[Big T]

Sounds like someone can't separate race tires from street tires

Race tires can only be heat cycled a low number of times before they "go off"

Street tires can be heat cycled until they are bald

The compound in your Bridgestones is no where near what MotoGP riders use

I don't think Freddy Spencer rides on the street

 

[solo 2]

Here's the way I see it, back in the day (mid 80's) on my CB900F and my brothers CB1100F we used to drag the hard parts of the bikes regularly, sometimes riding them right off the wheels, usually due to the said hard parts wanting to go further into the road, tires usually were not the problem. No one can tell me that ANY modern, high quality sport tire isn't sticky enough for these bikes (big GS's), I run BT45's, the only limits anymore are age, smarts and fear (not necessarily in that order). If you are dragging parts all the time, you're replacing your rubber often anyway, if not I think 5 yrs is probably OK as long as there are no cracks in them and they don't feel like plastic.

Too sticky? The only place I can see this being a problem is in very high speed sweepers where the obvious limitations of the frame and suspension are really noticed. Tires will only hold a flexing, tank slapping, high siding bike on the road for so long.

Ride smart, know your limitations and enjoy!

 

[67fire]

I hear what you are saying about dragging hard parts on these older bikes.
Probably about 26 years ago, I had to take off my case guards because they were dragging. And that was with bad tires!
I never felt safe with them on ever again! Just a little bit more lean and off you go!

Eric

 

[tkent02]

Avon Road Rider, the rest is all bull****.

 

[spyder2120]

i have pro maxxis on a 79 750l and they are great. the only problem was the guy who ordred them liked to never tracked a set down. he said they were disconntinued. i put them on the middle of last season and they still have plenty of tread and grip. i guess they have about 5,000-6,000 mi on them from these slick, curvy wv roads and have held up. i can hit a wet kiss your but curve with 9% grade going 75-80mph and be confident. wish i could still get them. if you ever happen across some they would be worth the purchase.