Crappy Tires

Luckily mine say "made in Germany"...

tires

the back tire on my bike now is a avon venom. 140-70-18. i've run it till the cord or what looks like string is showing about an inch and a half wide. and about 16 inches long. this is dumb i know, but i'm poor and i love to ride. i had this tire at 90, yes 90, in a pouring rain storm, riding with one hand, cause at that speed rain hurts, really hurts, and it tracked true. i would love to have another, but like i said, i'm poor. don't know how many miles it has on it altogether, but i put about 7000 on it. good tire. gabby

I like Stones. I've run the sport touring BT020s on the SV and they handle quite well and are great on wet pavement. Most radials in sport sizes don't get too out of pocket over rain grooves and such, but the Stones simply ignore such things.

I was running an 020 sport tour on the back and an 010 sport on the front. When I wore out the last set, I had a set of race take offs a friend gave me for a track day. They won't last long, but they are hell for sticky Dunlop DOT race tires. I think I'm going to try those new Shinkos next, cheap. They might not be as good as stones, but I ain't as rich as in the past, either. I might score another set of race take offs, too, though, if I go corner work a CMRA race or something. I have lots of friends still racing.

The problem with the above advice is most cruisers don't use 17" sizes and the really good stuff is in 17" now days. I just run Cheng Shins (or as I call 'em, Cheap ****s) on my old GoldWing and live with it. Hell, they handle better than the Continentals I'd been running and last as long. I can shoe both ends of that wing for a C note. So what they're made of brick? :roflmao: Hell, it's an antique touring bike and only likes to go straight anyway.

In cruiser sizes and if I ever got serious about that old Wing, Avons have a good rep. I've also heard of 'em chunking rubber prematurely, so I haven't yet made my mind up on 'em. Seems like those that like 'em, love 'em and those that don't HATE 'em. I'd imagine if I was zippin' along out on I10 east of Van Horn near BFT somewhere and the front tire chunked its rubber, I'd have a poor opinion of a tire regardless of how well it handled. :roflmao:

I have always ran Dunlap on my Ultra. I have not had no tire problems with Dunlap but, I don't like the way they track on these GA back roads. They catch a groove and ride that sucker for ever. I heard the Metzler didn't have that problem. I have an appointment to put a Metz on the rear Thursday. After reading this post I'm having second thoughs. Reocn I have until then to decide if I want to stay with Dunlap or try a Metz on for size. :gah:

It also depends if your comparing Radials and bias ply tires. Radials will tend to follow road contours, but on the other hand give you better cornering, and next to no tire expansion at higher speeds due to the belt design. I have the dunlops with 10,000 miles and have alot of tread left with no problems in the rain, and here in Fla. we get alot of it. Also if you are near a Costco Wholesale and your a member they will do the Nitrogen for free..

I change tires as part of my job and inspect them on every bike that rolls on my rack as a courtesy to my customers as well as put the spec tire pressure in them. The worst tire for wear and cupping is the Metzler and the only tires that have come in shredded are from that same manufacturer. If you're running tires for LSR runs, I don't think you'd ever experience wear from underinflation as they are most likely checked prior to every run. The street is a different world and the meriod of riders and upkeep regimines vary widely. Check your tires every week for condition and inflation and you'll never experience uneven wear and see any problems before they arise. There's only 4 inches of rubber keeping your bike rolling, so make sure it's the best rubber available. The softer the compound, the faster the wear. The harder the compound, the more it will track road grooves. Find a COMFORTABLE medium and be anal about inspections!

I just got an 07 Street Bob. I had the 03 Sportster previously. The Dunlops on the Sportster were horrendous, although they showed no signs of wear on them. On crappy NYC streets they followed every groove in the street and made riding really hazardous,and I'm embarrassed to say, even throwing me and a passenger off one time at very slow speed when my attention had lapsed briefly. I was prepared to switch to another brand, but on the Dyna, it's a whole nother ride.

I know the bikes are different, but the Dunlops track beautifully on the Street Bob, no issues whatsoever. I'm not changing a thing now. I guess it varies from bike to bike and few of us have tried them all. That's one reason this forum is great, lots of experience being shared.

Thanks guys. You're good wishes and congratulations are really appreciated. I can tell you're sincerely glad to hear about a Bike Talk member getting a new ride. It's been a bit lonesome at my place lately and only a few people "get" my enjoyment of Harley bikes, or any motorcycle for that matter, so thanks for making me feel welcome. I still have around 7G's to pay off, but I'm really starting to enjoy the improvement in riding on city streets with my Dyna. Still need to practice my slow turns, even though the tires feel much better.

* I'll post a few pictures in my gallery, not sure how to post them here.

Thanks Chuck. If you're able to grab them from the gallery, please post them for me.

Don't want to hijack the tire thread. So after this, I'll start a new post. It's got Carlini bars and risers, relocated front turn signals, Vance & Hines Big Shot exhaust with fuel pack, Arlen Ness Big Sucker, custom bullet style headlight, HD custom pegs and grips, HD forward controls, HD seat that's seriously cozy, custom paint, (the color's somewhere between Harley's Vivid Black and Pearl Black), there's a subtle sparkle that doesn't show in photos that blends perfectly with the blackout HD painted parts. I just bought the quick release windshield and a chrome battery covering. I forget what the bar that goes across the rear fender is called, but I don't like the brushed aluminum, so I'll get chrome ones, although they might get covered over by saddlebags, so I'm still thinking about it. Any suggestions you guys may have are welcomed.

I'm thinking I'll need saddle bags for road trips, but I kept my Sportsters' throw over leather saddlebags, so they'll do until I figure out which bag style I prefer, and until I make some more cash I may eventually do the wide tire thing, since it's already compatible, just not sure if I want to risk changing the incredibly smooth ride I'm getting now. perhaps braided cables? I'll definitely put the chrome switch covers on the handlebars instead of the stock black ones that don't quite go with the custom bars.

I'm planning on doing longer rides next year, perhaps NY to Florida and NY to Montreal.

I love Texas, but usually don't have enough time for such long trips. Still, I've got years of riding ahead of me and who knows?

As for the tire thread questions, I personally don't care nearly as much about mileage as I do safety and the feel of the ride. If the better quality tire gave 40% less mileage, I'd still use that one. My life and my comfort's worth a lot more than a few hundred dollars extra every couple years. I'd cut back on something else if cash was tight, never my safety.

rest stop

hellboy, and any others, if your in this area(west central in.) let me know. my house is a dump, but i have a desent garage, and a set of tools to match. you can s--t, shower and shave, you know, take a break. hope to make some long rides myself. nice to have a safe zone. come on nice weather.