Topic: Tire questions

[riverfever]

I'm close to ordering new tires for my 550. I've been looking at the Avon Road Riders. Do most of you have tires mounted somewhere or do it yourself? I know if I try I will need proper spoons and that I'll have to balance the wheels. Also...here in the Rockies we get rain every afternoon. Will the Avon's be ok if I get caught out or is there a better tire for rain? Thanks.

[trueblue]

I can't comment on the avons, I've never had them. I currently have Michelin pilot activ's on my bike. They grip well, even in the wet.  They are also wearing well, they have about 8000km on them and are only just starting to show a slight amount of wear on the rear tyre. Front one is still like new. As a bonus they come in inch sizes, which these bikes had originally.

[Stev-o]

I have Avon Roadriders, love em, highly recommended. I have not ridden them in the rain though.

I don't mess with mounting tires, it's so much easier to do if using a tire machine.

I know a guy who mounts and balances for $20, thats a no brainer.

Be sure to order new tubes ans rim strips too.

Amazon sells em....

http://www.amazon.com/Avon-Roadrider-Front-Motorcycle-90-18/dp/B003YCFDV2

[grcamna2]

Stev-o,That deal the tire guy charges you $20 for mounting and balancing( Great deal  )does it have to be a tire you purchased from him? or w/ a 'walk in' ?

[Stev-o]

Stev-o,That deal the tire guy charges you $20 for mounting and balancing( Great deal  )does it have to be a tire you purchased from him? or w/ a 'walk in' ?

He's an ex-Honda tech, has a little shop in his garage with a tire machine. I buy the tires online, remove the wheel and drop off. He's 5 min from my office so real convenient. 

[goldarrow]

I used to dismount and mount tired myself.  I now upgraded myself.  Take wheels to shop and get tires dismount for $10 each. 

[bjbuchanan]

I usually take the old stuff off and get them mounted. Usually done for like 10$. Last time I had my front done it was 20$ and that included a tube. Don't overlook dirtbike places, still spoked wheels with tube tires

I will do the rear myself, much easier. The front, F^ck that, not again unless I'm in a real bind

[lucky]

I'm close to ordering new tires for my 550. I've been looking at the Avon Road Riders. Do most of you have tires mounted somewhere or do it yourself? I know if I try I will need proper spoons and that I'll have to balance the wheels. Also...here in the Rockies we get rain every afternoon. Will the Avon's be ok if I get caught out or is there a better tire for rain? Thanks.

Call the manufacturer of your tires. Many do not need balancing anymore and have no balancing dots painted on. If it has no markings it may not need to align with the valve stem.

[trueblue]

I'm close to ordering new tires for my 550. I've been looking at the Avon Road Riders. Do most of you have tires mounted somewhere or do it yourself? I know if I try I will need proper spoons and that I'll have to balance the wheels. Also...here in the Rockies we get rain every afternoon. Will the Avon's be ok if I get caught out or is there a better tire for rain? Thanks.

Call the manufacturer of your tires. Many do not need balancing anymore and have no balancing dots painted on. If it has no markings it may not need to align with the valve stem.

You talk out of your arse a lot don't you Lucky  , you always need to balance the wheels as an assembly.  Even if the tyre is perfectly balanced quite often there is an imbalance in the wheel.  Only takes a few grams out to create an unwanted vibration in the bike.

[Bankerdanny]

I put Roadriders on 2 of my bikes (the Enfield and the FJ1200) and was happy with the performance of both.

I have never had my wheels balanced and I can't say that I have ever felt like it was a problem over about 10k miles of riding the past few years.

[Jayelwin]

I got a cheap tire balancing stand from harbor freight. I got a micro gauge and use it to true when I respoked my wheels. I mount my own which gets expensive when I pinch tubes.

[riverfever]

I obviously don't know a ton about motorcycles but my concern was more with the 40 year old wheels creating balancing issues versus new tires. I'm going to call a local shop and see what they will charge.

[Duke McDukiedook]

Tires are something I am OK with paying someone else to go nuts over.
Not having a balancing machine has something to do with it.

[750K]

I have no complaints with my am26's on wet roads or in the rain, very sure footed feel to them in any condition. I'm in the PNW and wet weather is the norm around here.

[grcamna2]

I have no complaints with my am26's on wet roads or in the rain, very sure footed feel to them in any condition. I'm in the PNW and wet weather is the norm around here.

Do those AM26's come in the old in. sizes of 3.00 x 18" Fr. & 3.50 x 18" Rr. ?

[Stev-o]

I have no complaints with my am26's on wet roads or in the rain, very sure footed feel to them in any condition. I'm in the PNW and wet weather is the norm around here.

Do those AM26's come in the old in. sizes of 3.00 x 18" Fr. & 3.50 x 18" Rr. ?

Don't think so.  Does come in a 4.00-18


http://www.amazon.com/Avon-Tyres-Roadrider-AM26-Tire/dp/B000MQ8CF2

[750K]

I have no complaints with my am26's on wet roads or in the rain, very sure footed feel to them in any condition. I'm in the PNW and wet weather is the norm around here.

Do those AM26's come in the old in. sizes of 3.00 x 18" Fr. & 3.50 x 18" Rr. ?

Not sure, there's a metric size iirc in both front and rears but I wasn't lookng for those. I went with 100-90-19" up front and 120-90-17" in the rear. I'm on a 77 so I don't have an 18" rear.

[Stev-o]

I have no complaints with my am26's on wet roads or in the rain, very sure footed feel to them in any condition. I'm in the PNW and wet weather is the norm around here.

Do those AM26's come in the old in. sizes of 3.00 x 18" Fr. & 3.50 x 18" Rr. ?

Not sure, there's a metric size iirc in both front and rears but I wasn't lookng for those. I went with 100-90-19" up front and 120-90-17" in the rear. I'm on a 77 so I don't have an 18" rear.

And I have a 120/90-18 on the rear on my Z1. 

[Grnrngr]

I went with a 140 on the back and a 100 on the front of my 500, brand new Shinkos, rode 1120 miles from Portland to San Diego in 19 hrs, then came back stopping in Winters and Sacramento to visit family for a total fof about 2280 miles, mounted myself, unbalanced but lined up the dot with the air valve, no vibration below 85mph, not much above that, but thats about when my paranoia kicks in, so I didn't go much beyond that.3 or 4 hundred miles since then and these tires hardly look worn.

[Grnrngr]

Oh yeah.. Less than $200 for the pair.

[Grnrngr]

Oh.. Shouldn't make any difference, but that's on my  83 Virago 500 with alloy wheels.

[Stev-o]

Oh.. Shouldn't make any difference, but that's on my  83 Virago 500 with alloy wheels.

Oh, it would make a difference. Not a good thing to put a 140 on a 550!

[goldarrow]

My KO came with 5.00x16! And I'm about to let it go

[Grnrngr]

Stock rear on the Virago is 130, so it's not a big jump there, looks nice and rides smooth, but my speedo broke when I got to SD, so I haven't really been able to check my mileage, but I think it's better.

[krusty]

The shops I get my road bike tyres from include fitting and balancing.
 For my dirt bikes, I have always done them myself as balancing is not critical. Can get quite quick at doing them after having to redo them because of pinched tubes.  The two rim locks on rear wheels are a PIA as well as getting old, hard tyres off.