Tires

OK, So everyone has their favorites!

How about some feedback as to where the best place is on the internet to order tires?

I need to put a new rear tire on and figure the places we have in our area are too incompetent or wont toch older (classic) bikes even if it is just a tire change.

 

Got a recommendation here on the Shinko's. Put them on, and I have no complaints so far. Got the set of the 712's for ~$80 from Bike Bandit.

There was a thread on the Avon's recently.

 

This can be tough.

I have a customer that didn't like the price I was able to give him on a tire so he ordered it from Dennis Kirk and had it shipped directly to the shop. The tire was 3 years old the day it came in the door. On the other hand I have another customer that gets all his tires from them and to my knowledge he has never got an old one.

I had a guy in my shop last year and pointed out that his front tire was four years old and he should plan on replacing it soon. He told me he'd bought it on the internet and it had only been on the bike for six months.

If you want Kendas and are willing to drive up here I can get you a set priced competitively with the internet sellers. The oldest Kenda I've received from my suppler was six months old. I'll mount and balance them for you for $30/wheel and can aim you at a nice place to have lunch while they're done.

 

+1 for Carl...

ive got new Kendas on the 900 (havent put it on the road yet though) and im liking them so far...

if the place for lunch is where i think it is, its definitely a good place to eat...

 

I'm aiming for the test ride Tuesday.

 

i was kinda thinking that too. after work though because i got to get money to pay for all of this!

actually ive got some errands to run late morning/early afternoon so i really hoping it works out...

 

I got a lot of bikes and use a lot of tires.

I change my tires at home myself 'cause I don't trust anyone working on my bikes at all.

I mainly order my tires from American Motorcycle Tire.

Reasonable prices. Quick shipment. Never a problem. Will continue to do business with them.

 

Just ordered Shinko 712's for the 900 based on the reviews from this site and from bike bandit. Can't wait to see how they perform. I have to admit they have a lot of expectations to live up to!

 

Shoulda said that my tires on my Maxim and SR500 are Bridgestone Spitfires.

Since those bikes aren't driven aggressively, the Spitfires work just fine for me.

Hope your Shenkos work well for you.

 

If you want something really sticky... battlax bt45... feels soft as an eraser when you push on them.. very sticky, im sure it is a streetbike compound, i love it very much.. i want one for the front also

 

bikebandit.com, chapparal-racing.com can't go wrong with either. Remember AMA members get 10% more off at BikeBandit.com!!!

 

How can you tell a tire is a few years old? If its been stored inside/out from the weather is should still look brand new aside from some dust, shouldn't it?

 

There is a standardized date code on every tire manufactured after 1999. The tire will sidewall will say "DOT wwyy", where ww = 2 digit week of the year (01-52) and yy = 2 digit year number (00 - 09 so far). The date code seems to be an insert in the mold so it usually has an oval of flash around it.

So a tire that says "DOT 2306" was made in the 23rd week of 2006.

Tires that have fewer than 4 digits or no date code at all were manufactured prior to 2000.

There seems to be some indication that tires more than 5 years old can exhibit some weakening of the bond between the carcas and the tread, regardless of the external appearance of the tire.