Choosing tires ...

I need to tires for an xj700 and I am trying to decide on what to get. So many varieties, brands, etc., it is tough to choose through all the advertising BS and I haven't found a good apples to apples comparison/review.

My tire requirements:
1) very good grip in dry and wet conditions. I don't need the type of thing a street racer would use, but great traction/handling for a non-envelope pusher on normal roads.
2) Modern long tread life polymers
3) and of course, as inexpensive as possible. I will not trade price for safety and quality.

We don't have many (if any?) of the roads with the tracking lines down them so that shouldn't be a big concern. I run into them if I take the freeway to visit my brother in the Chicago area, but there are other roads I can take to avoid them. So tires which help tracking might be beneficial ...

From the exploring I have done, it would seem that the Avon Venom's would be the type of the tire I would want, but they are a tad on the pricey side and would prefer something I can get around $200 for the set, if at all possible.

So please, opine away with your experiences and preferences ...

 

Mike,
You get what you pay for these days so cheap isn't the way to go at all.
If you want a great tire it is going to cost you.
I recommend Metzeler ME880 Marathon's.
I have found these tires to be great!

 

That is understood, which is why I said I won't sacrifice safety or quality for price. When I aspired to be a photographer, there were no Canons, Pentax, or other cheap stuff, it was Nikon all the way with real Nikon metal barreled lenses instead of those cheap plastic barrels that drooped ... I am the same with pretty much everything: Pay for what will last up front and you save in the long run. My Nikon F, FM, and FA all work as well today as the day they rolled off the assembly line, despite rather rough use at times. I used to travel a lot.

 

Front or Rear?

I just got a Rear Bridgestone S11 Spitfire 130/90-16 for my Maxim for less than $80 delivered. Only had it around 300 miles, but WHAT A DIFFERENCE! The tire that was on there was almost completely bald though...

 

Both front and rear. Also, this is for a Maxim X. I believe that I have different wheel size(s) than the 650/750 ..

With any opinions, please provide rationale - pro's and con's, why one tire over another, etc. just getting a list of different tires won't help much ... Thanks all ...

 

Without rewriting the Magna Carta....

The Bridgestone has a long running history (Might have even been an OEM tire)...it was a decent price and was a tire suited to my style riding...I'm not going to be dragging my pegs anytime soon, and I don't load my bike up for cross country trips...basically just to and from work with an occasional weekend 300 - 400 mi ride.

I chose a Kenda front tire because it did not have the center rib (although there are not a lot of rain grooves where I live)...also numerous members had given the thumbs up to both tires for a good compromise between cost/comfort/and safety.

 

Patandmac,

Bridgestones were the OEM tires, I forget the model, but a lot has changed in the past 30 years as far as tire technology. You say you got a Kendra for the front, which one?

Compromise between cost/comfort/safety? I don't want to compromise on safety, comfort is obviously nice, cost I have to put up with, its just sometimes there are ones that are "sleepers" so to speak, that don't cost as much as others but are every bit as good if not better ... I was hoping someone might point something like that out ... Few of us have the luxury of being able to test multiple tires to evaluate performance and handling. I was hoping someone here might have had some exposure to such.

Thanks for your input.

 

i got a set of spitfires for my bmw because you can't be seen with cheap kendas on a beemer the front had to be returned because of a thick spot in the tire i noticed putting it on (that's why i mount my own)
replaced with no problem, probably one in a million.
3000 miles later the tire was cupping like i never saw before, replaced it with a kenda and 2000 miles later it's still going strong.
the back spitfire at 5000 still has some miles left, no problems.
i know the kendas on the seca will drag the pegs and thats good enough for me

 

Tumbleweed...seriously?

While the tire may have been OEM back in the day, do you really believe that there has been no R & D at a company like Bridgestone in 30 ?

Go out and get the Nikon of tires....you won't be disapointed...but check out Jake Wilson.com...they have fresh tires and low prices

 

Dunlops wear well and are good in the rain, not susceptible to being "cold blooded" and are a very good value for the price. The D404 works well on these bikes, and gives good tread life.

I'm running Avon RoadRider AM26's on one of my Secas; they're "stickier" than the Dunlops, and even better in the wet, but the treadlife leaves a bit to be desired. The Avon Venom is a very nice tire; but I wouldn't expect a super long service life with those either.

Bridgestone's current line of motorcycle tires are light-years better than their OE tires of 30 years ago; however I would recommend the Battlax BT45 over the S11 Spitfire, primarily because of the front tread pattern.

Metzeler, Continental, Pirelli and Michelin all make excellent motorcycle tires as well; but they tend to be quite pricey compared to Dunlop, Bridgestone or Avon (and Avon is getting up there, price-wise.)

I haven't mentioned brands like Chen-Shin or Kenda because the only experience I have with those is taking them off and throwing them away to buy Dunlops or Avons. I'm sure some folks have gotten great results with them as well.

I would also STRONGLY recommend a matched set of tires; playing mixy-match with tire brands can work fine sometimes; sometimes not so much.

Here's a good resource for shopping and comparing: http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/photos/t ... /index.htm

 

You made me laugh Fitz. Good comment!

Also as Fitz said, buy two at at time, as in matching front and rear. I am running the Dunlop D404's on my XJ and I like them. I am running Dunlop Sportmax's on my ZX and I like those too, but those are entirely different tires subject to entirely different amounts of power. What I'm saying is I'm happy with Dunlop.

 

I picked up some Pirelli MT66 tires on sale for around the price of cheap brand tires. When they came in I checked the date code and ran my hands over the tires to make sure I wasn't getting some sort of seconds or anything, and everything came out right.

On weekends I live in the 6K+ RPM range, lots of curves, hard on the brakes and throttle into and out of corners. On weekdays I commute and do home visits (about 3 hours per day of riding, including highway and city).

Haven't had a hiccup out of the tires yet. Maybe not quite as sticky as I'd like on the weekends, but good wear characteristics for the weekdays. Overall a reasonable balance.

 

I have decided to go with the Bridgestone Spitfires, more so because I want the RWL. Dunlop makes a tire with RWL too, but the're about $100 more for a set.

 

ANY tire can have RWL...

http://www.tcpglobal.com/spraypaintdepo ... Kgod3WpXBA

or RRL, or RYL...

 

Anyone ever use those tire pens? How long does the color last? Does it crack or chip, ect?

 

Thanks Fitz. I have tried that stuff in the past, and it will eventually wash off. I have used the older versions of Spitfires before, and some of the Dunlop previous lines. With the mix of riding I do, I really could not find a discernible difference in performance, so it comes down to price for me. As for the center groove, it is not a big deal for me as the only areas with rain groove around my neck of the woods is on the Interstates, which I do not like to ride on.

 

WHY,WHY,WHY do tire sites insist that the front tyre/tire on the XJ750 are 18 in. ? When everything says they are 19 in.! I'm going to buy a matched set of Metzeler 880's for the bike. Just looking for the best price!

 

I appear to have failed to communicate well. I was intending to say that I would not expect the original tire to be safe enough, even if it were still in production today, given the advances in tire science. Implied therein is the advancements made by Bridgestone as well as others. I apologize for any confusion.

 

That is true; back in the day, we used to throw the original Bridgestones away immediately and replace them with Dunlops or Avons...

 

You mean the old "Mag Mopus" Bridgestones?