Tire Recommendations, Ratings and Comparisons

1980 xj650

I have searched the site and am still confused about what tires I should buy.

Can you reply with something like this?

AVOID: Brand A, B, C (Reasoning)
Acceptable: Brand D (Reasoning)
Good: Brand E (Reasoning)
Best: Brand F (Reasoning)

Or maybe:

AVOID: Brand A, B, C (Reasoning)
Best Value: Brand D (Reasoning)
Longest TreadLife: Brand E (Reasoning)
Best Handling: Brand F (Reasoning)

Also, just to confirm the tire size on my bike is

100/90/19 front (3.25H19-4PR)
130/90-16

Correct? Thanks,

 

Talk to someone who sells multiple brands. Tell him what your normal riding conditions consist of, highway, city, both, aggressive, passive, is your ride used as a daily commuter or just on weekends, get the idea!
If the guy is any good he will tell you what tires are best for your situation. Everyone here has their favorites here so there will be no unbiased opinions given. What one member loves another will find fault with. As we ALL ride differently.

 

Well, it really is not that easy. A lot of things affect what is the best tire for a specific rider and a specific machine.

You have to consider if you will be taking luggage or a passanger.
What type of riding do you do? (Daily commuting or just weekend rides)
What is the majority of road surface you ride on? (Smooth pavement/rough tar mac/ dirt, etc.)
Are you looking for a tire that will last a really long time as compared to others? (Tires with a really long service life tend to lack grip)
Riding style? (Aggressive, carving the twisties/relaxed straight road cruising)
Do the roads you ride on in your area have rain grooves? (Avoid center groove tires for rain grooved roads)
Asthetics? (Some like certain tread pattern designs/whitewalls/raised white letters/raised black letters, etc.)
Price? (Is money no object, or are you on a tight budget?)

There are only 2 tire brands that fit all of the criteria I look for in a tire, but I stress that it is what I am looking for in a tire.

#1 Dunlop D404 (more expensive/ better grip)
#2 Bridgestone Spitfire (Reasonable price, raised white letter, and good mileage. Not quite as good a grip as the Dunlop, but really good.) **This is the tire I am currently running**

#3 Michelin If they made a tire in raised white letter that would fit my XJ...Michelin would be my only choice.

You must do the research and decide for yourself. My suggestion is go to one of the local biker hangout or gatherings and ask some of the riders what they prefer. They ride the roads around your area frequently and will have real world tested opinions.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I dont know any other riders with a similar bike or riding situation. I also dont know if I can trust the local guy or not.

I am looking for the best "value" tire. e.g. cheapest option that isnt a waste of money. That isnt to say I would be willing to spend an extra 10-20 if there is good reason.

I am primarily commuting on nice roads. No luggage, only occasionally 2 up. No aesthetic preferences. Thanks,

 

I was on a budget, but was also not wanting to buy cheap tires only to have to buy more cheap tires in 3 months (I put a lot of miles on mine, 4k in the last two months), and I found the spitfires mentioned above online for cheap (substantially less than $200 as a pair, like $140-$160 if I remember right), free shipping--and they are recommended by several forum members and my local trustworthy mechanic as a #1/#2 choice.

For quality tires that last substantially upwards of 10k, I thought that was a great value. The front tire does have the straight wear-groove on the front that seems to bother some people on some kinds of rain-grooved road, but I haven't had any problems with it, and I'm fairly sure there's some of that road on some bridges in my area.

Your sizes are correct.

I did also have D404's on my bike before, and even though they were a bit old (5 year old front, 7 year old back, good tread, PO), I had no complaints. Didn't notice a big grip change on my bike between the two, FWIW; I turn very sharp, have scraped a peg once or twice, ride fast, do lots of inner city and lots of highway riding. No wheelies or burnouts though.

Under those conditions both tires have done me well, though I did hit a scary patch of road while it was raining that almost threw my back tire once on the spitfires--not sure what the cause was (oil? had been raining for 24 hours, so probably not... tar patch? crack in the road? it was dark out, can't say), but I imagine probably any street tire would have had trouble with that.

I also went ahead and put Ride-On in my tires. I don't have any personal reason to recommend or not recommend it yet, but based on my reading, I think it's a good value--will help your tires last longer by keeping them at full pressure longer, and prevent a possibly costly towing fee. According to their website, the UN, US military, US Postal Service, and lots of other places use them--places where a flat tire is not an option on the job. Some reviews from people who have done long trips seem to have come out well, also. Youtube videos of them driving bikes over boards of nails, drilling into the tire, and still driving off are easy to find.

It seems that there's a bad history with inner-tire sludge with bikers, mostly due to products like Slime, which are not a good choice; this seems to genuinely be different from my reading.

Other discount brands I eventually passed up were Kenda and some Sh-soemthing brand. No review on them; I hear they're sticky but not the longest-lasting.

My mechanic friend puts spitfires or battle-axes on everything he drives, btw.

 

All the sites I have checked have the spitfires at at least $110/each

http://www.revzilla.com/product/bridges ... ring-tires

Whereas the D404s can be had for $75 & $85

http://www.revzilla.com/product/dunlop- ... ront-tires

Am I looking at the wrong Spitfire somehow? 2 people so far have referred to the D404 as a comparable or better tire than the spitfire.

Thanks,

 

I just bought a rear Spitfire for my 750 Seca, size 120/90H-18 for 86.99 from Motorcycle Superstore. Added a pack of wheel weights to get above the free shipping threshold, total bill was 92.65 shipped.

I don't think I've ever explored the limits of grip of a motorcycle tire. The Spitfire replaced a Shinko Tourmaster that I wore out in 5000 miles. Haven't had it long enough to judge wear, but stability, especially over grooved pavement is astoundingly better.

 

I just bought Michelin Commander II tires for my XJ1100 and they are really amazing tires in all good ways. Reports have them lasting many people between 12-15K one report was 22K. I got them at motorcyclesuperstore but someone else may be better for you. I was going for the Dunlop Elite but after reading the mileage & handling reviews on the Commander II & the $10 less per tire swayed me.

Be sure to check out the reviews before deciding.

 

I bought spitfires from Bike Bandit. Free shipping. Bias ply. Blackwall. $142 for the pair. Expect 10 -15 k miles depending on how you ride. If money were not an issue, I really like Avon tires......

 

FWIW 300 miles on these this week end (brand new) and I like 'em: Metzler ME 880 Touring... let's see on the 650 size is front Size- 100/90H-19
and the one that motivates things 130/90HB-16

 

I probably sell as many Kenda Kruz as all other tires combined. I've never had a complaint, and many of them go on heavy cruisers and tourers. I run them on my Venture, which is a sport tourer. We're getting 12K miles out of them on heavy cruisers.

When it takes a lot of weight to balance a tire I can almost place money it's a Dunlop D404. I don't think that necessarily indicates a problem, just a PITA for me.

My Venture had the Metzeler ME880s on when I bought it. They're noisy in the curves but a great tire. I replaced them when the rear started to have the tread separate. That's a common problem with them on heavy bikes. I'm not sure if it's because they've been abused (too much weight, too low pressure) or if the quality just isn't there. I can almost guarantee you mine was overloaded on a very hot day when it started to come apart.

When I've installed Shinko's they just feel like they are a quality tire. I don't know how they wear.

I went with the Kruz on my bike for two reasons:

1) They're inexpensive (a nail will junk a premium tire just as fast as a cheap one).

2) In the size for the Venture they have a load rating that is only matched by the premium tires (Avon, Metzeler). Shouldn't be an issue on an XJ650.

Realistically, if you're like most riders you'll be satisfied by any tire out there.

If you go with a Metzeler or Avon use the inflation pressure they recommend (on their sites) for your bike/load. They require higher pressure than standard tires and the numbers from the Yamaha book will be too low.

 

I've got Kenda Kruz on mine. been real happy with them and they don't cost much.
The only brand that I wouldn't recommend: Cheng Shing = cheap piece of crap. My bike had new ones when I bought it, felt like riding in sand.

 

Chen Shin quit making street tires four or five years ago. Any you find will be old anyhow.

Having said that, I loved the Chen Shin Barracudas I put on my 650 Max.

 

I absolutely LOVE my continental conti go's

Have about 1k on them and no signs of wear.

no continuos center groove, great traction in the wet, and they are SO freaking stable and consistent around the corners. GREAT smooth rounded profile.

Paid 180 shipped from motosport for the pair.

 

My mechanic referred to Bridgestones as top of the line, and that's what I generally heard; Dunlops were considered good, but somewhat second rate. As I said, I didn't notice any grip difference, and the spitfires are known to be long lasting.

Check out that guy who mentioned the pair for $145 shipped, that's what I got--great deal.