Thinking about New tires, What you guys think?

Im looking for some tires that have good high load capacity and very good cornering. The yamaha dealer by me suggested Dunlop D404 anyone have any experience with these? Anyone have any other suggestions on tires?

 

I have D404's on my '81 Seca 550 and they're great, plus by not having a continuous center groove, they don't "follow" freeway rain grooves.

I just put a set of Avon AM26 RoadRiders on my '83 Seca 550 and they are nothing short of awesome. However I haven't got very many miles on them yet so it's only a "first impression."

 

Thanks, I'll prolly end up going with the Dunlops seems like it is a really good tire.

 

I'll second that the Avon RoadRiders and RoadRunners are spectacular tires - on the higher end of price, but amazing tires.

I've got Bridgestone Spitfires on right now and they're quite good so far too

 

Anything but Chen Shin tires!

 

hahaha i saw a pair of those..... priced to kill literally :lol:

 

Not so much any more, with the GBP down against the USD, I got them for only about $3 more for the front and $8 more for the rear than the Dunlop D404's. One of the reason's I HADN'T gone with Avons over the last 30+ years was the price being so high, then I discovered it wasn't any more.

 

Not to threadjack, but fitz, do you recommend anyone in our area to get new tires from/installed and whatnot? I need a new set this spring and was curious who's got the best deals done right.

 

check with MiCarl from this board...

he runs ThunderValley Powersports in PLYmouth (has website)...

 

I live 'way over on the east side, I got mine at BlueWater Tire in Clinton Township; they're a regular "tire store" that has a motorcycle specialist with all the good tools and equipment.

 

I have the Dunlop D404's on my bike and they do well fo rme in the rain and hold thier own decent. I haven't really pushed the bike in the corners enough to say they are great for racings threw the turns but they seem stabil in the situations I have come across. I have no complaints on them at all.
Of course me being the way I am I bought mine and put them on and balanced them old school myself. We used to do Dirt and street bike tires all the time growing up so I just had to make a trip to the old man's house to pickup the tools.

 

I had a set of them on my Maxim and was very happy with them. I understand though that they have stopped manufacturing street tires.

I can do smoking hot deals on Bridgestone and Kenda if you decide to go with one of those.

 

I have a new set of Kenda K657's on my 750. So far so good.....

Have not read a bad thing about them

 

Shinko 712's if you are looking for a set under $100. Picked up my set for about $80.

 

thats what i just had MiCarl put on the 900R...

ive not ridden it yet because im trying to get some tiny fork parts made so we can put them back together, so i cant comment...

Kenda DOES have quite the website and it looks as if they have quite an extensive history in making tires albeit they have a lot of bicycle tires listed as well as motorcycle tires...

 

Running Duro tires front and back right now (IRC tires I think). Pretty happy with them for commuter tires. I've only got 2,500miles on them so I've still got a while to go before I can rate them against my beloved Dunlop 491 Elites... Now there was a long lived tire perfect for commuting. I regularly saw 20,000 miles out of them (replaced with like tire x2).

 

It all depends on what kind of riding you do. If your an aggressive rider (scape your footpegs on every corner) you should go with a stickier rubber compound used on sport bikes. Avon and Metzler are good brands. If you just cruise around, and don't get too nuts, you will be just fine with cheaper tires. I've used Cheng Shin and Kenda brands will good results. I like Kendas for what I get for my money and they seem to last well. I may even go with Shinkos and see what they have to offer. There are alot of tires that are just too high priced for what you get. Of course, I'm not running on a race track either.

 

with the gf on the back im not really looking for hard corning, I just dont want to put cheap tires on my bike but if most of u are happy with them i might give them a try just want to be safe!

 

I'm not suggesting you go with cheap tires if your conderned with your safety (or your G/F) All I'm saying is you don't need to spend a ton on expensive tires to get good ones. Just because a tire is cheap, doesn't mean it's not safe. You CAN get the same quality tire as a Dunlop without paying that price and some of them actually handle better. That's what I know. Dunlops may be just fine for you however. I just don't like the way they handle over other brands that cost less.

 

I put some Bridgestone S11's on my 86 XJ and do not have any complaints about them at all.

 

Ok, so I've heard somebody glowing recently about dynamic balancing, and I can't remember if that was here or on a trucking board. Anybody have any experience with dynamic balancers?



(And I think I'm using the right terminology, but I could be wrong. I think it referenced something you put in the tires to constantly balance the wheels...)

 

Your referring to "balance beads". There are alot of members on another forum I belong to that swere by them. I like to try them on my next tire change.
The balance beads are just poured thru the valve stem opening before airing the tire up and there's no other balancing process required - just ride. It only is suppose to take about 3 oz. per tire.

 

"Thinking about New tires, What you guys think"? I personally think new tires are GREAT. I'd get a new set every month if she'd let me. It is an amazing difference when you dump the old shoes for new ones. Your bike will ride quieter, steer easier, and generally boost your overall confidence.

I wear D404's on my regular riders and have had no problems with them. It seems they were around $175 for the pair plus installation. I will most likely stick to this tire in the future as far as possible. They have a pretty good look to them too.

 

What happens when you stop? Are the tires then out of balance say, first thing in the morning until the beads all do their thing again? I dunno, sounds questionable to me...
I personally recommend professional mounting and high-speed spin balancing for pure safety and peace of mind.

 

ya the dunlops arent that expensive, prolly be getting those this weekend!

 

Again, another person who is doubtful about a product that they haven't tried. I was sceptical also, until I found better proof.
The balancing beads have been tired, tested and proven. The trucking industry uses them, as well as many auto and truck drivers all over and will not go back to the conventional balancing techniques.
I have several friends who use them with great success. Beats the hell out of having someone else do it for you and saves money in the long run. Your tires never go out of balance. Yes, they settle to the bottom when you stop...when you don't need them balanced !(DUH)
Just do a search about them and you'll see what I mean.

 

My concern would be the ratio of the weight of the beads COMPARED to the overall weight of the wheel/tire assembly; plus the fact that motorcycles LEAN whereas cars and trucks do not.

If you try them, be sure to let us know how they work.

 

I have Dunlop D404's as well, no real complaints, but I have heard there are better tires out there. Before I switch I want to see how long the Dunlops last.

One word of advice though, consider putting a 90 degree valve stem on the rear tire. I wish I had, would have made checking/adjusting air a lot easier.

 

I also have the Dunlop 404's. They are decent overall performers. They are not as sticky as I would like in the corners - but I really like to push hard into the corners. Other than that, they really are good tires. They wear fine, and give nice handling at highway speeds. At 80mph I feel just as comfortable with them as at 55mph. I've been over 110mph with them several times and no issues. I'm with nurse padawan about the 90 degree valve stem - it would make it much easier to air 'em up.

 

I just priced a Kenda brand tire for my front wheel today. $62 for the tire and $12 for mounting! Can't beat that.
If I get the balancing beads in mine, I will post my findings for ya too.

 

Guys I now have about 200 miles on my Kendas and I feel they are every bit as good as the D404's and the Spitfires I have had in the past. And to echo what BF said about the center groove, the Kenda does not have one and I never really realized how much the tire groove followed the lines in the road until mounting these Kenda's.

Highly recommended

 

OK so i bought the Dunlops D404s yesterday! and took the wheels off my bike, called a few places to see how much to mount and balance the tires, 40 bucks a tire is bout the price iv been hearing, My friend who i sold my XJ750 to has a friend who mounted tires on his own bike and my friends bike and said he would do it for like 20bucks for the set. I thought hell ya! then so i asked him does he balance them too? My friend said no he doesnt, Every pair he's done hasnt needed balacing. Is it just me or does this sound crazy that he wouldnt balace the new tires?

 

Ok also I am going to use the Dyna beads to balance! theres a dealer down the street from my house so for less then 15bucks for the bit im gunna give it a try! i'll let u guys know how it works.

 

i went through the whole bead thing last year, let me make a few suggestions
before you do the beads, take a nice ride with the new tires
now do you feel that your tires really need balanced ?
now put the beads in and go for another ride and see if you can tell any difference
without a before, a after is irrelevant

 

so ? are u saying there not worth it or u saying they are lol

 

link
you try it , see what you think

 

Haha funny stuff, But after i get my tires mounted and i ride with them with out the beads i will see if i need to get them balanced or not, just didnt sit well with me not balancing tires. And for 10-15 bucks for the dynabeads to balance it myself didnt seem like a bad idea. Oh well we shall see what happens in the next few days!

 

Just because you can't "feel" a vibration doesn't mean it isn't there.

These are tubeless tires, and you only have two of them.

I ride at high speed on freeways populated with big trucks.

Having them professionally mounted and high-speed spin balanced is simply a matter of taking no chances, period.

 

took the wheels off on friday night, bought the tires on satruday(dunlops) and mounted them on sunday(no balance yet), put back together on monday, Hopefully ride it Tonight!! :twisted: more then likley im going to take them back off again and get them balanced either dynabeads myself or at a shop and then prolly do the rear brakes since its all apart anyways. But We will see how it rides first.

 

just curious, what did you decide on ?