Tire recommendation(s)?

[TicTac50]

Wow! You are getting about 2 1/2 times my tire mileage! I have never gotten even 7K from a rear or front!

wncbmw
My riding buddy has an 1150RT. He never had tires above 6K, since his bike is outfitted with special chip, cams, aftermarket muffler and the list goes on not to mention racing fuel sometimes. Last time he put on PR2's and got 12K out of the rear tire and 15K from the front. At 12K the rear tire still was OK but we were on the way from Gillette, WY International Rally to Alaska, and he decided to get a new tire. I was looking at his tire in WY and it did look like the tire had another 2K of life.
At the present time I have 12.5K on PR2's and they still look good.

[Biff's R]

Ahh but what sizes can i run??

i have a 020 on the rear at 170/60/ZR17 with a 120/70/ZR17 up front at the moment. looking at change, but a friend in th e trade has access to:

180/55/ZR17 with 120/ZR70/17 at £99 plus tax a pair.

Am i correct in that this slight change in profile will not upset the handling??

cheers guys

Digga, I had a friend who ran a 160/60. The rockster, and the R1200 series, have a 180/55 as standard, but the rear wheel is a bit wider. Maybe you could find a friend who has a Rock, or 1200 and work out a deal with them on the rear tire.

My personal preferences are:
1. Michelin Pilot Road 1-consistent wear and grip, great in the wet(WV turnpike with a worn out rear in a driving rainstorm good), and last 8-10k miles
2. Metzeler Z4-good grip wet/dry, lasted 8-9k miles(rear was retired early due to a nail). No longer available.
3. Bridgestone Battleax 021-great dry grip, even wear, so-so in the wet, but lasted 5-6k miles
4. Metzeler z6-good grip, but the rear always felt squishy. Ok in wet, but I hated the fact that you can go to the cords really quick.
5. Michelin Macadam 100-the rear tire was good, but the front scallopped really bad. It was a bad tread design for bikes with the telelever front end.

I have not tried the PR2, because I have heard of some folks not getting as good of milage from them, and they are about $50-60 more per set than the PR1.

If your local shop is having trouble getting the tire for you, ask if you can get the tire for them to mount( www.swmototires.com or www.ironpony.com will get the tire out to you quick)

[Ritchard]

I have just come back from putting a little break-in mileage on my new Mich PR2 rear tire. As PA Rider mentioned above, my new front is back-ordered for a month. Good thing the old front still has plenty of life left.

I am a relative newbie, having returned to motorcycles after a long childrearing hiatus. Is it possible that the PR2 rides more smoothly than the former Bridgestone Battleax (what a stupid name for a product)? It sure felt that way to me, that the rear tire was more somehow "composed" feeling that its predecessor. Anyhow I liked it. Looking forward to the front.

R

[Ves]

The Stradas are not Pirelli's sport tire. You wouldn't want to run them on the track. But they are suppose to wear very well, AND give good grip; an ideal blend of traction and wear. They do also have a steel belt in them, which could be useful for people who do the occasional back road treks and need an extra measure of puncture resistance.

[digga]

i can get the tyres cheap enough,but the fitting price is silly(IMO)
Is there a self fitting guide any where?

My mate has a tyre rig for off road tyres..guess i could use that??

Dyna beads sorts the balance side of things??

[Airman]

+1 on the Metzler Marathons (880s)
I am on my second pair now. ON the first I got 10k miles. I use my bike similar to your description, but I have done NC and CO and Ark aggressively with them and they were fine.

John

Doc, do you think the 880's are good in rain ? I used to hear reports that the 880's didn't perform that well in the wet.
I had the ME-Z4's on when new, then went to the Pirelli Stradas at 13,800. I now have 28,000 miles on the bike so i'm doing good with mileage, but starting to think about new ones again. I ride in the rain a lot and found the Z4s and the Stradas both good for that. The Stadas plowed some water for me last winter that I would have sworn should have hydroplaned me a bit.

[MattPie]

i can get the tyres cheap enough,but the fitting price is silly(IMO)
Is there a self fitting guide any where?

My mate has a tyre rig for off road tyres..guess i could use that??

Dyna beads sorts the balance side of things??

I've seen a few on youtube, check there.

I've heard various opinions on Dynabeads. I haven't tried them yet (or maybe ever). It isn't that hard to balance a tire with the weights, you just need a little time and have patience (maybe 30 minutes/tire, if you're anal like me). I've heard you can use a a pair of jack-stands to balance, but I've always used a stand*.


See also:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/Reviewed-mo ... /balancer/


* I lucked out and have access to a Coates 220 tire changer and a couple tire balancing stands thru a club.

[Dr. Strangelove]

I think they do ok in the rain.

I have had Mich PR, then Diablo Stradas, then the marathons x 2sets and I think they were similar in performance in the type of riding I do, BUT
BUT, I am really paranoid about sliding out, unreasonably so perhaps, so when it is wet I really pamper the tread. Not so much that I am holding up traffic, but, NO aggressive riding, just vanilla.

In SE Louisiana we get a similar amount of rain as you, but we have no hills. And I am still a relative novice--38K+ miles and counting, so ymmv.

From the thread here, I have become interested in PR2's and and the Road attacks. I am gettng ready to leave for Deal's Gap--woo hoo--Thursday morning and I think I will have to change tires after that trip--I think. Then I will have to decide also.

Let us know what you ultimately decide and all tires are temporary.

John

[lake_harley]

Wow! I didn't expect so much participation in my question. Thanks very much!

After trying to digest everyone's input I think I've narrowed down my tire choice to the Michelin Pilot Road 2's or the Metzler 880's. I didn't exactly do a count on the recommendations but they both seem to have a lot of support for being good tires overall, with good mileage figures. When I called my local BMW dealer the prices for a pair of the Metzlers or Michelins were within $1.00. Can't really make a call on price at that rate I think I'll probably end up with Metzlers but I do need something soon. My slow leaking rear isn't so slow anymore.

Thanks again.

Lynn

[bikermeow]

My last minute entry ... Metz Z6s. Good life on them.

Cheers

[bmwdave52]

There is a BIG difference between the 880's and the Michelin Pilot Road 2's.
880's are what you use on your Gold Wing.

[Dr. Strangelove]

880s are used on GoldWings and PR2s may be a sportier tire, but using 880's on the roadster is not heresy and it is a very good tire, esp for the riding you described

[scottybooj]

a bloke called 'lynn'? huh?


the conti road attacks are by far the best handling tire i've had on this bike to date. had the stock dunlops, metzler Z4s, metzler z6(the tire is a huge disappointment in all aspects).

can't vouch for the treadlife yet on the road attacks, but if i could elect the conti road attacks for prez, i would.

[lake_harley]

[quote="scottybooj"]a bloke called 'lynn'? huh?


quote]

Yeah, Lynn. I understand in Wisconsin there are men named Laverne. I prefer Lynn.

[Airman]

[quote="lake_harley"][quote="scottybooj"]a bloke called 'lynn'? huh?


quote]

Yeah, Lynn. I understand in Wisconsin there are men named Laverne. I prefer Lynn.[/quote\]

I went to a lecture series last summer by a couple from Seattle Pacific University who were named Les and Leslie. The male half, Les, said actually they were both named Leslie, but they he used Les to help avoid confusion. In the US there are actually quite a few "dual use" names when you think about it.

[wncbmw]

metzler z6(the tire is a huge disappointment in all aspects)

Not that you care Scotty, but that would probably be a minority opinion. I have no doubt the Contis are good tires, but enough people have favorable opinions of the Z6s (including myself) that I would not call them a disappointment. In fact, I believe they came in first in MikeCam's poll of recommended tires!

That said, my next set, will probably be the PR2s, since my beta tester (DSKYZD ) has given the thumbs up!

[kantuckid]

It's a fact,"dual use" names are common in eastern KY. It's a fact ,Dyna beads work great and are easy to use. You do have to learn how to overcome the static that wants to prevent them from dropping through the valve stem, but how simple does it get-you only need a plastic bottle and a short piece of plastic tubing! The plus factors are perfect balance all the time and there are no weights to fall off . When I googled the subject of wheel weights I also came up with the huge environmental factor of lead wheel weights as introduced into the environment-Subaru is one mfg that has made the move toward non lead weoights and I had never known that in some locations they are banned for the same reason. I read here or on ADVrider that the soft air pellets work just as well-this includes car wheels. Dynabeads claim that lower profile tires don't work as well with the product & I haven't tried the air gun pellets. On your "safe society" island they may not sell the pellets,huh Digga?

What I want to hear about is -has anybody tried Shinko tires-Podium or Advance Raven??? They are a good looking design of tread and they use Yokahama equipment , so I've read , and are cheaper!!! Ebay $145 per set. Seems to beat worrying when my Z6 rear will show its butt!!!

[Chuxter]

Well here goes...let the yuks begin. I had a set of Z6's on my r1150r, one of the best mileage tires Ive ever used. Now being a retired older guy, and not too aggressive in riding. Dont ride in rain, unless caught in it, but do take longer 400/500 miles. I read about the Shinko tires so Cheap Chuck gave them a test. I have 8500 on the front and 7500 on the back with the 009 Raven. I cant cut them short as they have done a fine job. So fine in fact that I bought another set from Ebay and the retailer in Ohio. All have been well for me with these tires. I change them myself and country balance them. For the price and quality

de Chux

[kantuckid]

YUK!

[D.B.]

Are ContiForce tires still available?.... I've gotten really good milage from them..6,000 miles so far, and good tread left. These are touring tires, and not for the sport crowd..(the r1150r is a touring bike..isn't it?... ).

D.B.