New Tires - Best price? What to avoid?

My back tires is a little on the bald side. Ok, maybe a bit on the 'unsafe to ride on' side of bald.

So I'm looking at some new tires. I figure I'll replace both the front and rear. I do care about quality, but I know there is a point in there where you jump from paying a little extra for a better tire to paying a lot extra for no real benefit(based on usage, etc).

I'm also flat broke at the moment. I _hope_ to have a little extra money after the next day where I transfer money from my employer's bank account to the people I owe (ha! like it ever gets to spend any time in MY account...). For this reason I would like to keep this as cheap as I can.

There is a line I'm not willing to cross, I do not want an unsafe tire. I understand the less expensive tires can't handle the speeds or lateral loads that the more advanced tires can, and I will ride with the new tires' limits in mind.

That said, I have found some Sheng Shin "Hi Max" tires. $137 shipped.
Front: 100/90 V19
Rear: 130/90 V16

Has anyone here used these tires? I haven't found a thread that says "These are the tires you should use."

I'd be happiest if I knew for sure they wouldn't rub, etc.

Any idea what a fair price to have them mounted and balanced would be?

 

I like the Dunlops I put on mine. I've not heard good things from the Chinese Sheng Shin brand, but they also have a sub brand called Kenda which I have heard good things about. The PO of my bike had the Sheng Shin brand and I replaced them because of cracking from sitting so long. The couple of times I road the bike before replacing them I wasn't impressed.

Anyway, here are the Dunlops.

$56 for your front and $69 for your rear. $125 shipped.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/3/ ... -Tire.aspx

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/3/ ... -Tire.aspx

Or the Kenda. $54 for front and $61 for the rear. $115 shipped.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/3/ ... &zmap=6098

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/3/ ... &zmap=6100

Best tires you're going to get are the Metzelers. They're pricey though. A friend of mine has them on his Vulcan. They were nice, but I wasn't impressed so much that I think they are worth $XXX amount more than the Dunlops or Kendas.

Mount and balance should probably run you around $100-140. A local shop here will do both for $60, but that's way below average.

 

Find a local MC shop in your area. They can order the same tires you see on the net and save you shipping costs. They will also gove you a break on mounting and ballancing them. Most shops will charge heavily to install tires they did not sell you. I purchased some Perrilli MT66 tires last fall for well under 200$ installed, I think it was in the 180$ range.

 

I concur with both of the above posts. Dunlop D404's will probably give you the best "bang for the buck" and are generally considered to be way better than those other two brands. Mounting/balancing in my area generally runs between $30-$40 if you carry in tires you bought elsewhere. In my case there is a local independent tire store that has a "motorcycle specialist" and offers pricing comparable to what I've found on the internet, and a break on mounting and balancing if you buy the tires from them.

 

google chapparal motorsports, pretty good selection/price for all tires.

I run Metzler LaserTecs, but my bike rides like a bat out of hell.
Drag pegs and real darn close to dragin knees.
~100 for front
&
~120 for rear

Maybe when your pocketbook, or adrenaline is full you can splurg for a pair.
I smile through every turn!!

 

Yamaha of Stillwater
Dunlop D404
Front - $98.95
Back - $113.95
Mounting - $37.50 x2

Mounting - $75 each if I don't buy the tires from them.

B.S.

 

I'm runniing the same size Chen Shing tire you are considering, and I think it is a pretty good tire. I have about 5K miles on mine and it is wearing pretty well. It holds in the corners as deep as I need it to.

On the rear, I am running a Kenda Challenger. 130/90 16. I have about 3K miles on it. It isn't wearing as well as the Chen, but it is still reasonable. Like you, I didn't have tons of $$ to spend, so I looked at overall value. IMHO, the Chen and the Kenda have been a very decent value.

 

I had a set of Chen Shin Barracudas on my 650 Maxim. I was very satisfied.

I put about 3K miles on them before I sold the bike and they were wearing just fine.

 

Dunlop D404's wound up on my bike. The price was right and they do just fine.

 

Bridgestone Spitfire's are also pretty good tires - work well on the Maxim - it's what I've got on there now and very happy with them. They're 'technically' a sport-touring style of tire. You should be able to get them for $110 - $130 a set + balance & install.

I'm also a really big fan of Avon tires - I had a set of Avon Roadrunner's on the bike before the Spitfire's, and if I could have gotten a set when they needed replacing, I would have gotten the Avon's again. The Roadrunner's are quite a bit more spendy however - you're looking at $200 - $220 a set for them, but they're the best tires I've had.

 

Maxiss, Pro Maxx have been the best tire I have had on my 700 in 5 years. I have had them on the bike for about 4 months now and am extremely impressed with them for the price I paid. I paid less than $100 for both the front and rear from Chapparall. They are a h rated tire (130mph), have excellent grip in the rain and I am confident pushing them to thier limit in turns. I can not say anything about wear characteristics yet as I have not had them on long. For the money, * +++.

 

I'm getting Maxxis classic white walls. Any one use these?

 

Go elsewhere kd or at least ask the dealership to be nice and use lube. An indie bike shop will beat the dealer price all day long. My local Yammie dealer wanted $70 to mount and balance each tire. It's a five to ten minute job for them for each tire. I was in, filled out paperwork, handed them the keys, had just enough time to eat a small bag of chips, paid and out the door in less than 30 minutes when I got mine done.

 

I haven't used the Hi-Max tires on my Maxim. But I did on my old Magna. I'll never run them again. The tires wore out too fast for my tastes. Handling was about par. That was until I installed a set of Avon's on it. Then the difference was night and day.

I'm currently running Chen Shin Marquis on my Maxim. Once again, they're ok. Handling is just fine for the size of the bike. I've been able to put about 6000 miles on them now. And they don't wear as bad as the Hi-Max's did on the Honda. I have run Donlop's on both bikes. I think they're a decent tire. But not worth the price compared to the Marquis. But, if I had the money, I'd definately go with the AVON's again. They have definately been the best tire I've ever run on a "standard" bike.

Just my $0.02,




P.S. Mounting and balancing your tires aren't that bad of a task. And can save you lots of money in the long run, if you intend on keeping a bike.

 

Wow, I paid $38 each to have mine mounted and balanced. You can get it done on the cheap at your local shop if you are not scared to get a little dirty and remove the wheel from the bike and take it to them.

 

F/R tires were both weather checked when I got my Maxim.. Checked with an independant shop just west of Portland, Or. Dunlop D-404's, both tires mounted and balanced for $170 if I brought in just the wheels. $50 more if I rode the bike in and they R/R'd the wheels.

I like 'em!

 

F/R tires were both weather checked when I got my Maxim.. Checked with an independant shop just west of Portland, Or. Dunlop D-404's, both tires mounted and balanced for $170 if I brought in just the wheels. $50 more if I rode the bike in and they R/R'd the wheels.

I like 'em!

 

Those prices were if I took just the wheels in. I need to do my rear brakes, figured I'd do it all at once.

 

A word on tire choice: A lot of where I ride is plagued with "grooved" or "combed" pavement. This dictates my tire choices as I stay away from tires that have a continuous center groove, especially on the front as they tend to want to follow the grooves. Dunlop D404's fit this parameter as do Avons, neither have a continuous center groove front or rear. Just thought I'd throw that out.

 

fitz,
I have started noticing those types of roads now that I'm on the bike. I hate them. Whoever decided to install pavement in that manor needs to be forced to ride a bike over it.

 

I have not really experienced any tracking with mine so far. I had assumed that with the center groove on my front that it would track horribly, especially here where all the roads are rain grooved. But I actually have experienced non.