I just finished installing a new front tire on the 'wing. I installed a new rear about three weeks ago when I found cord showing! The matching front was not available at the time, so I did one end, then the other later. Went with Metzler ME888's this time. Both set of Dunlops were less than reassuring in the rain, and the one set of Bridgestones while a little better, did not run very long. I only got 11,000 miles out of that rear that had cord showing, while the front was close to the wear bars. So far the rear tire I put on a few weeks ago has stuck like glue, as a Metzler should. Now that I finally got the matching front on, I am hoping to see a major difference in wet handling. Although based on past experience with Metzler tires on a couple BMW bikes, I won't hope for much more than 10,000 mile or so. I have 52,000 miles on the wing now :smile:
I'm back off the steel horse and traded her in for a new vehicle for my wife.
Too many deaths and personal close calls for me. As one of my friends recently said after recovering from a hellacious incident with some jackwagon that pulled out right in front of him; "I don't want another turn. Once was enough."
I couldn't agree more. I've been extremely lucky the las 8 years to have not incurred the wrath again myself. My heart was no longer in it. . . Especially with a very wet warmer months this year, and a forecast for an El Nino impact for the coming three. . .
I'm glad you can still brave the idiocy from the 4+ wheelers in relative comfort my friend. 8)
PH, sorry to hear you have given it up, but I totally understand. I did it myself many years ago after a close call of my own carelessness. After a few years I slowly got back into riding on the street, but it was not planned. I hope the wife is enjoying her new wheels.
Ole' Duke is still rackin' up 15000 or more per year on me various steel horses. I hope to continue to do so in the future. I recently put a set of shinkos on me 1986 Goldwing and so far they seem to be good in wet and dry weather and no compromise in handling. I thought I would give them a shot and will give an evaluation after their life is over.
Best regards,
Duke (ride often and ride safely) Jupiter
I've seen Shinkos advertised, but have not given them a try. I've had a two or three sets of Dunlops on the Hondamatic, as well as one set of Bridgestones still on it. All have been great on that bike. Of course the aforementioned Metzler's on a couple of beemers. I'll be interested in how your tires do. So far the Metzlers have not dissapointed, but I don't have many miles, yet. Keep me posted on how yours do.
My 1700 Vulcan Classic was eating the Bridgestones at 5000 miles (rear) I went darkside (car tire) and got about 12000 and now I am trying a Michelin Commander II so far I love the handling but have a way to go to see about endurance. My brother has had good results with the shinkos on his 1981 Suke GS 1100E. I will let you know how they do on my wing.
Quote from: Palehorse on August 11, 2015, 05:07:46 PM
I'm back off the steel horse and traded her in for a new vehicle for my wife.
Too many deaths and personal close calls for me. As one of my friends recently said after recovering from a hellacious incident with some jackwagon that pulled out right in front of him; "I don't want another turn. Once was enough."
I couldn't agree more. I've been extremely lucky the las 8 years to have not incurred the wrath again myself. My heart was no longer in it. . . Especially with a very wet warmer months this year, and a forecast for an El Nino impact for the coming three. . .
I'm glad you can still brave the idiocy from the 4+ wheelers in relative comfort my friend. 8)
Smart move. :thumbsup: After three close calls without a scratch I called it quits. One thing about a bike, the front wheel hits the car first, followed by your head in a microsecond. :waaa: :owned:
Duke, I considered going to the darkside this time, but decided against it for now. I may try it in the future. I wasn't sure I would like the handling difference when pushing the limits through the twisties. Although it should not be much different than riding on a squared off M/C tire. :rolleyes:
I crossed the double yellow at a Y in the road (the highway curved right and the county road went more or less straight, which was my intended path) while leaned over pretty good the other day. I felt the front move a touch, but nothing like it had in the past. So far so good, I just need to get caught in the rain for further evaluation.
Quote from: Mr442 on August 16, 2015, 05:26:52 PM
Duke, I considered going to the darkside this time, but decided against it for now. I may try it in the future. I wasn't sure I would like the handling difference when pushing the limits through the twisties. Although it should not be much different than riding on a squared off M/C tire. :rolleyes:
I crossed the double yellow at a Y in the road (the highway curved right and the county road went more or less straight, which was my intended path) while leaned over pretty good the other day. I felt the front move a touch, but nothing like it had in the past. So far so good, I just need to get caught in the rain for further evaluation.
Mr442 I had no problem darkside but I just wasn't getting the mileage I thought I would however I found that while riding darkside I did have to countersteer more due to opposition to lean angle but always felt safe riding darkside. Some folks say there is no difference riding darkside but I beg to differ. Motorcycle tires do turn quicker with less effort in my experience.
Best regards,
Duke (ride safe and ride often) Jupiter
Well, after somewhere between 4 and 5 thousand miles on the Metzlers, I am very happy. Been in some rain, ran over a few tar snakes and yellow lines, and they have never acted up. Handling is great and they stick like glue.
On the 4th of July week end, I replaced the tires on my 'wing again. Mileage was 67,500 this time, so that means I got a tad over 15,500 out of that set. I did not have the air showing this time, in fact there were traces of the tread still visible, if you looked real close. The Metzler 888's did not cup or wear weird at all, they did fine right up until the end. I was so happy with them, I put on another set.
The only changes I made were, a higher load range for the rear, and Dyna-Beads in the tires for balancing. I had always left the OEM weights on the wheels, and aligned the balance marks to the valve stems, and it seemed to work fairly well. The last time I didn't get the marks on the front tire aligned quite right, and I had a noticeable bounce as I neared 100 mph. So far the beads have done the trick, as it as smooth as silk well into the triple digit range.
That's good mileage. The Metzlers served you well. The Shinkos worked well on both dry and wet surfaces but didn't last long. Currently I have a Nexen car tire on my wing with a dunlop on front. The Nexen has 5000 on it and looks new with little wear. In my experience to prevent cupping on front tire I have to maintain at least 35# or more air pressure.
Best regards,
Duke (ride often ride safe) Jupiter