Topic: Beating the dead horse... Tire and Wheel questions!

[DiscoEd]

O.k. Yes, I know I'm risking a tounge lashing here by bring this topic up but I'm not very bright so here it goes anyway....

Took the 75 550 out for maiden voyage... all seemed pretty well except for some shaking going on. I was trying to get a feel where it was coming from while going down the road but I couldn't decide if it was from the front or the back wheel.

Tonight I did some checking of runout, etc. What I found was troubling....

The rear rim has about 0.060" of runout (left to right). Is this o.k. or not too bad?

The rear tire sidewall on the other hand has a lot of run out. Something on the order of a 0.25" This seems really bad to me.
I think the tire must have been sitting in one spot for too long and now the shape is distorted.

I found similar results on the front tire as well.

The rear is a Chin sheng (whatever) Barracuda V and I think it's dated 1802 (18th week of 02?). The tire seems pretty good but I'm gussing that it's too stiff to ever return to shape. Any oppinion on this?

Anyway, Bad part is that I'm about out of coin for the bike this summer, I've read a bunch of the tire posts on here and learned a lot. From what TwoTired say's I need a 90/90-19 or 3.25x19 on the front and a 110/90-18 or 4.00x18 on the rear. I really would like a set of tires that has a modern appearence to it but is reasonable in cost. Any recommendation's on a tire that might work for me? Also, I'm in Pennsylvania so I'd like to get tires from somewhere that won't kill me in shipping charges and that i can get as soon as possible.

I'm starting to feel like I might miss out on some good riding!

Regards,
DiscoEd

[Quail "Owner of the comfortable k8"]

First China does not like Japan or the USA.  This means the tire is trying to wreck your bike and kill you.  HA HA

I would let the air out of the front tire and break down the bead and soap the rim good and remount.  The tire could have been damaged when mounted with to much air if so this will not help.  Cheap tire = no quality  You are just hoping the tire bead is not fully seated and a remount will cure it. no you really can't see a poorly mounted tire.  I do not know why you cant see it but after mounting let say 100000000000000000000 tires in my life i have seen this occur and a remount fix it.  Flat spots do happen but heat normally will cure them.  if it is a flat spot a good 20 minute run would heat the tire up and putting it up on the centerstand when hot would prevent it from returning.    BLa bla bla bla......................

[DiscoEd]

First China does not like Japan or the USA.  This means the tire is trying to wreck your bike and kill you.  HA HA

Quail, I think I'll try heating them up a bit and then on the cycle jack to se if that helps. I'm really thinking that maybe it is too late and the tires are too hardend to take on a new shape.


Regards,
DiscoEd

[bryanj]

Best tyres for that bike Dunlop TT100's in 410H19 front and 4.25/85H18 rear BUT the rear will only last 4-5,000 if you is lucky and careful

[cb650]

The tire should have a dot that lines up with the valve stem.



                     Terry

[DiscoEd]

I'm guessing that the TT's are fairly expensive.

What I'm wondering is that for someone who is putting on maybe 100 to 150 miles per week for four months of the year, would the Cheng Shin tires be o.k. or are they just not worth taking the risk?

Regards,
DiscoEd

[csendker]

I'm starting to look also, and I have a similar 550.  These guys seem to have good pricing and a thumbs up or two, but I've never used them --> http://www.americanmototire.com/

I'm running Bridgestone Spitfires, and I was thinking of replacing them with the same, but...they come in 90/90-19 fronts and 110/90-18 rears.  The specs actually calls for:

3.25-19 front
3.75-18 rear

My rear is worn in the middle with major chicken-strips.  I'm not sure if it's because I'm a woose driver, or they are just too wide for the rim.  So, I'm thinking of finding some real 3.75's or 4.00's.  My tires still have some life left, so I'm not in a big rush.

And if you order them, don't forget the rim-bands and tubes.  And someone to mount them if you're not going to do them.

[csendker]

Here's a work in progress...I'm still looking.

[TwoTired]

I bought an new Toyota in 1984.  The original tires on it lasted over 70,000 miles!  I could not find exact replacements in the US.

Why?

It seems that countries outside the US use a different material in the composition of their roads which is naturally more abrasive.  Harder compound tires are required to get any longevity.  And, when matched to that road surface, give good traction as well.

US road surfaces are less abrasive and softer compound tires can be used to get the 40,000 mile tread life rating as a US paved road does not offer the traction capabilities as those found in say Japan or China.

Could it be that Cheng Shin tires are a harder compound actually intended for use elsewhere but are simply imported as is to the US?
As such, their tractive performance could be lacking on US roads in general.  But, would last and work quite well on gravel roads or coarsely paved ones that normally wear down Standard US tires rather quickly.  Where will you ride?

Is it safe?  Well, you don't lean over very far on gravel roads.  But, a hard composition tire on a smooth hard road will slide before a soft compostion one does when that car pulls out in front of you.

Life is risk.  You decide on the risks you are willing take.  And, how much you are willing to pay to avoid risk.

Best Regards,

[bill440cars]

My rear tire is worn in the middle with major chicken-strips.  I'm not sure if it's because I'm a worse driver, or they are just too wide for the rim.  So, I'm thinking of finding some real 3.75's or 4.00's.  My tires still have some life left, so I'm not in a big rush.

And if you order them, don't forget the rim-bands and tubes.  And someone to mount them if you're not going to do them.

          Just a note I'd like to add here is "if your tire has too much air pressure, it will wear in the center of the tire whether it is the right size or not. Also, if the tire pressure is too low, it will wear on the outside areas.  I didn't see that mentioned and thought it should be. Later on, Bill

[csendker]

Very good point.  The air pressure was low when I bought it, but the PO said it had been sitting for a year or so.  I've been checking the pressure and keeping it on spec, but I have no idea what the PO did or how many miles were on them before I bought it.  Nonetheless, I'm not sure if the wear is actually normal or if the center is worn excessively.  Regardless, is the wear a function of size, driving habits, maintenance or past unknown history?  I'm thinking of changing them both out to nice, new rubber that I can know & trust.

The site I posted has Spitfires at a pretty competitive price, so they look attractive.  But if I'm going to fry the rear out early because it's a 110 instead of a real 4.00, I'm thinking twice.  I'm not really sure how big of a deal it is using metric in lieu of inch tires.  No rush here, so I keep digging.

[DiscoEd]

Here's a work in progress...I'm still looking.

Hi CS,
So if I'm interpreting your chart correctly for the CB550 and Bridgestone Spitfires I would need to order 90/90x19 for the front and 110/90x18 for the rear. Do I have that correct?

Regards,
DiscoEd

[csendker]

Ed-

You got it right.  I have Spitfires and those are exactly the sizes that my bike is wearing at this very moment.

The metric sizes I listed are the closest equivalent to the proper English size tires.  The 110 seems to be a bit over the 4.00, which is a bit over the 3.75 spec.  And it may be that a couple of bits here and there might lead to an early demise by wearing out the crown.  On the other hand, just over a hundred bucks for the pair is pretty attractive. 

The original excel spreadsheet I have has a couple of additional columns: "cost", but I still need to add: "store".

[DiscoEd]

Well, I ended up ordering the Spitfires! 90/90H19 for the front and 110/90H18 for the rear. Hopefully I'll get them soon and can get them put on without too much hassel.

Regards,
DiscoEd

[csendker]

Ed- It just hit me on the way home tonight as I navigated some slippery white 'stop' lines at an intersection.  When those Spitfires come in, don't forget you have to dress the tires before you ride it.  They come with some sort of coating that makes the slippery as hell - I remember a thread where someone dumped it on the first turn with new tires.  I'll have to dig that one up as it gave some good ideas on the proper pre-ride dressing.

Edit: Found it - it was later posted to the FAQ's --> http://www.sohc4.us/forums/index.php?topic=368.msg87423#msg87423

[radman]

A liitle late here since you ordered the tires already. I had those chen sing tires before and they absolutely suck. Real bad on wet surfaces. I replaced them with a dunlop copy tread made by Kenda and they have performed great on my cb650c. They have outhandled me so far. Modern tread pattern and if I remember correctly they came in many sizes more for older bikes. I paid about 46 bucks for each from some motorcycle web site a few years ago. I just did massive amnounts of searching on the web till I found the price and size and tread pattern I was looking for. But you will probably do great with what you ordered.

Conrad

[chippyfive50]

have you had your wheels balanced lately? I just had it done and SMOOOOOTH...rollin'
cheers..

[DiscoEd]

Ed- It just hit me on the way home tonight as I navigated some slippery white 'stop' lines at an intersection.  When those Spitfires come in, don't forget you have to dress the tires before you ride it.  They come with some sort of coating that makes the slippery as hell - I remember a thread where someone dumped it on the first turn with new tires.  I'll have to dig that one up as it gave some good ideas on the proper pre-ride dressing.

Edit: Found it - it was later posted to the FAQ's --> http://www.sohc4.us/forums/index.php?topic=368.msg87423#msg87423

Hey CS,
What the heck is that "sugar soap" that Bob is refering to in his post? I've never heard of that stuff before? Is there any alternatives that someone is aware of?

I did get the new Bridgestone S11 tire on the back. It was a pain getting the old rubber off. Took me like 2.5 hours to get it off of there. Putting the new one on took only about 15 minutes tops. I did my best at truing the wheel up and balancing it. I took it for a quick loop around the gravel driveway, but haven't cleaned the tire yet. Need to do that tomorrow.

Regards,
DiscoEd

[Bob Wessner]

What the heck is that "sugar soap"

http://www.fresh.com/html/ingreds/sugarsoap.htm

Ask and ye shall receive. 

[DiscoEd]

What the heck is that "sugar soap"

http://www.fresh.com/html/ingreds/sugarsoap.htm

Ask and ye shall receive. 

Bob,
Just my luck! I just used the last of my "TETRASODIUM ETIDRONATE".

Do you think good old run of the mill Potasium Phosphate would be good to use?

Regards,
DiscoEd


EDIT: I meant to say Trisodium Phosphate not Potasium Phosphate

[Bob Wessner]

I would think a good scrubbing with almost any strong detergent would help, along with scuffing as well as taking it easy for a bit.

[csendker]

Geeze, I don't know what any of this stuff is - it's all greek to me.  I just remembered you have to do something.  But the FAQ is chock full of 'tyre', not 'tire', so who knows, it may be an overseas thing.  I don't know what the preservative is, but I'm kinda with Bob here, probably any good grease-cutting detergent and some fine-grit wet/dry should cut off anything they leave on at the factory.  I should probably grab a beer and head next door as my neighbor works for Dunlop - see if he knows what the stuff is and what to do about it.

[Bob Wessner]

and head next door as my neighbor works for Dunlop - see if he knows what the stuff is and what to do about it.

Be sure to report back.  I really didn't give this much thought after putting new tires on mine a while back as I was putting around the neighborhood trying to sort out the carbs and me  after a long break from riding.