Time to kick the hornets nest...opinions on tires

Hey all,

So the season (at least here in WI) is coming to an end, It's time to start planning all of my maintenance for the Winter, I also need to start budgeting my purchases.
I'm going to be needing new tires and I'm looking for your opinions on tires. Just a little clarification....I'm am just getting back to biking after a 35 year hiatus, so I'm not looking for the "Max" cornering tires on the market. I'm looking for a comfortable, long-lasting, stable tire (oh, yeah....cheap to).
Now I come from an autocross background and we're fond of saying; "You can go cheap, you can go fast, you can be safe....Pick two".
My riding (in nice weather) will be a mix of daily driving the back roads of Wisconsin (32 miles round trip) and weekend highway trips (max would be an 8hr. trip to visit my kid at MIZZOU).

So....what do y'all think....what's you're favorite tire (tires to stay away from too)....and where to buy them.

Finally, is there anyplace that writes an (on-line) review?

Thanks

 

Well.....you can have long-lasting or cheap. Pick one.

My recommendation is the dunlop 404's. I really like them. For me they last a decent time, stick well to the road, and don't have a crazy high price.

Dave Fox

 

So far I've been happy with dunlop 404's.

I change the rear once a year at around 12000 miles.

The front last for two seasons.

 

I have a Metzler 889 marathon on front. Starting its third season. An inexpensive Kenda Challenger on back. Great combination as I ride this bike to work every day(85 miles round-trip). Had one time I needed to make the bike dance & if I was riding any of the other bikes I had I was doomed. Now I swear by the Metzler front. Got it off E-Bay about 20000 miles ago.

 

Sorry Typo. Will be Metzler 880 marathon... Sorry.

 

I have the 404s on mine for two seasons and it's a well behaved tire that wears pretty well.
This year I put on a set of Perelli Night Dragons...got good reviews online BUT I gotta say I'm not that impressed. I seem to slip more on the occasional gravel patch, they feel square until they are warm, and just not living up to my expectations.
I think I will go back to the 404s next time for a decent all around good tire. Unfortunately I only put about 3k miles on this year so they might be on the bike a while.

 

Dunlop's are great, but if your budget is lower Kenda's are good. Ive had my Kenda Cruz 671's for 3 seasons now with no problems.

 

Stay away from the Chen-Shins.

Dunlop 404, Kenda Cruz, Bridgestone Spitfire (this is my choice when I replace this winter), and Metzler are all good tires

 

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Kwiski wrote "I have a Metzler 889 marathon on front. Starting its third season. An inexpensive Kenda Challenger on back"


I just had Dunlop 404's installed on both front and rear at the stealership. I bought the bike with a Dunlop on the rear and a Continental tire on the front. I just wanted to replace the rear tire, but the service tech said that they had to match the rear tire to the front and they did not stock Continentals so I had to buy both front and rear to get it done in one day.

I took it to the dealership because I don't have much experience with tires so I did not want to try to change them myself, plus I needed to get the bike Pa State Inspected.

So did I get taken, or is it normal to match front and rear tires?

Big T

 

Chen Shin doesn't make a street tire anymore. Loved the Chen Shin Barracudas I had on my 650 though.

Theoretically it's best to run a matched set of tires. I've put a lot of one off tires on for customers and ran an unmatched set myself for about 6 months. No problem with mine and I'm not aware of any customer having trouble either.

You probably want to avoid a front tire with a continuous center groove. It'll only make the tendency of your XJ to follow every defect in the road even worse.

Personally I think the Kenda Kruz is a much better value than the D404. We get excellent performance and life from the Kruz.

 

No to Pirelli's they wear too fast. Dunlop is likely your best bet for good price/good tire. Metzler is the best for traction but costly. Michelin's are good but pricey. Many swear by Avon but I've never tried them. Kenda's are good deal, Shinko are inexpensive too, both will wear faster than most. I would stay away from center groove cruisers, and be sure and ride some curvy roads so you don't just wear the middle.

 

I wouldn't necessarily generallize that ALL pirelli's wear too fast, or Metzler has best traction etc.
Each manufacturer has different compounds that have vastly different properties.

I've know of Pirellis that stick like glue and last 2K miles. The next pirelli might last 20K but handle like a rock.
I've had michelins on my car that go 75K and then next michelin on the list might get me 25K

Each brand tends to be known for the properties of it's most popular tire but that doesn't mean every tire behaves even remotely the same.

Just sayin.

 

[quote="BigT]...is it normal to match front and rear tires?

Big T[/quote]

Not only is it "normal" it's a VERY good idea.

 

^^^^^
Exactly, and that's why I'm asking....I've been looking at tires and the prices are all over the place ($52 - $152).

A lot of good info....keep it coming guys.

Pat

 

I had Metzlers (old ones) on my bike. I didn't like them at all. I went with Dunlop D404's. I really like them. They stick well, the price was reasonable, they balanced nicely, and they sealed up well. My Metzlers constantly leaked. I only wish the 404's came with raised white letters like the old dunlop qualifier.

 

I use a Bridgestone Spitfire S11 on front and back. These tires are great! Awesome at low and high speed. Show hardly any wear after two seasons. I got the pair online for 140. That was a couple years ago though..........

 

I wasn't trying to generalize across the board because that would mean I have owned every model of all those tire brands. Sorry if I wasn't clear but what I was reporting was either my personal experience or a fellow rider's. I have owned both car and bike pirelli's and they all were sticky but wore fast. My cousin put Metzler's on his Interceptor and they were much safer through the racing turns (on a race track in Oklahoma) we both took the bike through than 3 other brands we had on there (+10mph in peg dragging sweepers). So I was only trying to relate an opinion of a limited but consistent experience with various tires.

Just to state the obvious it's almost impossible to find a "bad" tire, but you will find tires that better fit your riding style and comfort level. And proper installation, inflation and wear patterns also influence the "good" vs "not so good" outcomes. So it's a subjective argument at best no matter what.

 

gday, funny thing how these turn things turn out,i too put perelli night dragons on my bike about 8000 k's(5000)miles and they are everything i hoped for them to be, go around corners well enough for me and are wearing well, i can hardly notice any wear, i cant say what they are like in the rain as i dont ride in it nor do i ride on gravel, probably different riding styles as you mentioned, good luck.