tire for beginner/city use

[boris]

the manual says that my '78 GS750 should have a 3.25 x 19 on the front and a 4.00 x 18 on the rear. Are 100/90 x 19 and 120/90 x 18 appropriate replacement tires for this bike?

rickt

i was asking about tyre sizes a few days ago and this link got posted

http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-tires/tire-data.htm

[Mysuzyq]

[QUOTE=rickt;565750

The stories of spending $300-400 for a set of tires seems rather "unbelieveable."
rickt[/QUOTE]


But Rick Rick Rick, I think you missed the gist of it...these prices we are discussing are to buy tires from local stores here in Canada...there is a huge difference in prices on bike tires here and over the border...apparently some price fixing going on ,and no competition between vendors to speak of.Having spent 2 bills for a Metzeler rear tire myself in the past, I am a believer in the gouging going on. The link I supplied (imotorcycle) beat the MAW price last year when I was shopping around, when you factor in their shipping policy/pricing to Canada...typically their prices I found were within a couple bucks of each other, but a flat $10.00 on shipping to Canada is hard to beat. . Also, a lot of US vendors are reluctant to go the extra mile and ship via USPS to Canada, preferring to use UPS or similar due to their convienience...I don't buy anything if they will not ship USPS.

Tony.

Tony.

[Commodus]

I've been putting tires on motorcycles for 35+ years and many of these posts with tire prices are I would say, entertaining. For years I have purchased tires from Motorcycle Accessory Warehouse and have never found anyone who could beat their price. e.g.
Cheng Shin 100/90 x 19 $31.95; 120/90 x 18 $38.95
Bridgestone BT 45 $71.95; $79.95
Pirelli Sport Demon $84.95; $91.95

The stories of spending $300-400 for a set of tires seems rather "unbelieveable." The local charge for mounting and balancing is ~$20-25 per wheel. I can't imagine a pair of top line tires mounted and balanced being much more than $225.

BTW - the manual says that my '78 GS750 should have a 3.25 x 19 on the front and a 4.00 x 18 on the rear. Are 100/90 x 19 and 120/90 x 18 appropriate replacement tires for this bike?

rickt

Well, everyone keeps telling me I'm paying too much, but no one's telling me how to get better prices. I went to that Motorcycle Accessory Warehouse and it lists the BT45s as well over $100, or in other words, more than I pay from my local dealer:

http://www.shopmawonline.com/productdetail.htm?productId=2499500&browse=13173&shopBy=2097&catalogId=213

BTW, $10 shipping is a fantastic price from that other site, thanks for that information! (not the quoted poster, I know)

[Mysuzyq]

Well, everyone keeps telling me I'm paying too much, but no one's telling me how to get better prices. I went to that Motorcycle Accessory Warehouse and it lists the BT45s as well over $100, or in other words, more than I pay from my local dealer:

http://www.shopmawonline.com/productdetail.htm?productId=2499500&browse=13173&shopBy=2097&catalogId=213

BTW, $10 shipping is a fantastic price from that other site, thanks for that information! (not the quoted poster, I know)

You are welcome.... imotorcyclestore.com beats the MAW prices here quite handily on the Bridgestones as well ....BT45 Rear Tire 139/90/17 for $103.95...the MAW price is $152.95 for the same hoop...do your homework,Commodus. Again, I have no vested interest in this store...have been extremely happy with their price/service, and am putting the word out.

http://www.imotorcyclestore.com/cgi-bin/dpsmart/products.html?L+ims+ngpc5872+_DCatNum_02S21BRI45V_01PageType_02ML_01

Tony.

[bwringer]

Since they ship in the US for free if you buy a set, I've never, ever been able to beat the prices found at Southwest Moto Tires:

http://www.swmototires.com

Great communication and fast service, too. Their selection is limited to certain brands, though.

For a much wider selection, excellent service, and also great prices, check here:

http://www.tiresunlimited.com

Both of these are REAL tire sellers, with huge warehouses full of inventory. They're not just some goober with a catalog selling tires from his Mom's basement. This is a very important distinction...

I dunno if they ship to the frozen tundra or not, though. It seems both Canada and the US are getting more and more persnickety these days about goods crossing the border.

[Commodus]

Yer, but that's still $200. +10$ shipping, so we're at $210, great price!

Oh, but I still have to pay tax, which is what, 7%? Huh, I actually can't remember, but let's just go with that, for a total of $224 (ish). Oh yeah, plus that crazy tire tax, do you have to pay that for imported tires? Well, let's just say you don't.

Plus install! Let's say it's $25/tire, for the sake of argument, though I think that's a little cheap. So, I'm at $274, which IS $26 cheaper, that's definitely a savings. I could buy two pitchers of beer for that!

Hmm, you have me thinking. But then I'd have to wait for my tires, and that would require WAY more forethought that I'm used to... :-D

[gsgeezer]

The better tires warm up quicker. If your tires are too hard, they won't warm up as fast. Cheap tires get higher milage, but if you do a 360 you may wish you bought the best tires you could get.

[rickt]

Try checking again

If you go to www.mawonline.com , then to tires, and then to Bridgestone, you should find BTs in both H and V types. The prices range from $70-$90 depending on the size of the tire. I think the prices shown in the site below must be full retail and not the actual maw price.
rickt

Well, everyone keeps telling me I'm paying too much, but no one's telling me how to get better prices. I went to that Motorcycle Accessory Warehouse and it lists the BT45s as well over $100, or in other words, more than I pay from my local dealer:

http://www.shopmawonline.com/productdetail.htm?productId=2499500&browse=13173&shopBy=2097&catalogId=213

BTW, $10 shipping is a fantastic price from that other site, thanks for that information! (not the quoted poster, I know)

[Pete's GS]

Try Avon Roadrunners. Metzeler Lasertecs might work too. See their fitment charts. I'd threw away a brand new Kenda Challenger before I'd ride on it.

[Commodus]

If you go to www.mawonline.com , then to tires, and then to Bridgestone, you should find BTs in both H and V types. The prices range from $70-$90 depending on the size of the tire. I think the prices shown in the site below must be full retail and not the actual maw price.
rickt

You are correct, they list different prices there...for some reason...and pretty good ones too.

That brings the price down to around the $200 mark, assuming shipping is reasonable.