16" tyre recommendations (for a Honda... Gulp)

[salty_monk]

Just rode an 85 Honda Nighthawk S back 80 miles in the dark for a friend tonight!!

Nice bike, suspension works a treat. This one looks brand new. Typical Honda, all seems to work great. Shaft, hydraulic valves, 6 speed etc.

Tyres are due replacement due to wear not age. Has Battlax fitted but I haven't read much good about them although seemed ok tonight....

Wheel sizes are 2.5 x16" front. 3 x 16" rear. Recommended sizes are 110f and 130r.

Currently has 120f and 130r.

Avon has a front in the right size but no rear... Only a 120 or a 150. Rim size is marginal for the 150.. Not sure on clearance.

Shinko has a 712 in the right sizes. Anyone tried them?

Pirelli has Sport Demons but this guy is commuting 15 miles a day so want something that'll last a bit longer!

Any tips?

[Buffalo Bill]

I have 712's, but…

I just put Shinko 712's on my 1100G, but I only got about 100 miles on them before we got dumped with snow.
Still I was gaining confidence with them and took them through a tight hairpin twice.
But if I was to go on a track, I'd buy tires from a company involved in racing.
Bill

[twr1776]

Dan, I will put in a vote in for the Dunlop E3's. I have a set and they are excellent tires IMHO and you will get big mileage out of them. My set has 14K on them and probably would go to at least 18K but are due for replacement by age since I split mileage between bikes. Excellent in rain, maybe a bit less "feel" and a rounder profile than the Avons but they will lean over as far as you want to go and are very predictable. The tread pattern gets a bit rumbly and appears to chop slightly as they wear but is less affected by rain grooves than any other tire I have used (Avons, Demons) and still feels great in the corners. I think they are the best choice for big yearly mileage bikes or if you do not like to change tires a lot.

http://www.dunlopmotorcycle.com/tirecatalog_tire.asp?id=86

[Steve]

Dan, I will put in a vote in for the Dunlop E3's. I have a set and they are excellent tires IMHO and you will get big mileage out of them. My set has 14K on them and probably would go to at least 18K but are due for replacement by age since I split mileage between bikes. ...

Tim, why are you getting such low mileage?

I went through three sets of E3s on my Wing. Two of those sets went to 23,000 miles, the third set I changed at 20.000 beccause I was headed out on a trip of unknown duration and/or mileage.

My only gripe with the E3s is the noise. The tread blocks sawtooth badly. There is no noise when you are riding straight, but when you lean as little as it takes to change lanes, they sound like Monster Mudders on a Jeep. On the Wing, I just cranked up the stereo a little louder, you may have to sing a bit louder into your helmet to drown out the tires.

.

[Nessism]

Hey Dan,

Saw a couple of those Nighthawks on craigslist that looked interesting. Anyone I know buy that one?

Roadrider's come in the MT90-16 size. MT=130 so that's what you need.

[salty_monk]

Aha, thanks Ed, hadn't made that translation. It was the red one in Lancaster on Craigslist.
My friend Oliver bought it, not sure if you've met him or not.

Seems like a nice bike, should hopefully be low maintenance, comes with decent stoppers as stock too.

So now he gets a choice of Avon or Shinko's, I've tried the E3 too Tim, a good big mileage tyre as you say but I can get more than 15k out of an Avon!