GS850 tires?

[GS1000S]

Hello,

I'm looking to put a new set of tires on my 79' GS850. It now has Dunlop 491 Elite 2 in a mm90-19 front and a MT90B-17 rear. I've been happy with these tires but it appears they've been discontinued by Dunlop. Dunlop has a D404 replacement tire in a 100(90)-19 and 130(90)-17 available. Anyone know how these would work or have any recommendations for replacement tires?

thanks, Pat

[mark]

Dunlop has a D404 replacement tire in a 100(90)-19 and 130(90)-17 available. Anyone know how these would work or have any recommendations for replacement tires?

thanks, Pat

That's the set-up I have on my '79. I don't have too many miles on them yet, but very happy with them. Few would argue that it is not a quality tire......may not get the milage as other tires however.

[DanTheMan]

These are what I'm running on mine, and I like them the best of any tires I've had on the bike.......
Pirelli MT-90 Scorpions. Here's the link http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...Rear-Tire.aspxThey're 95% on-road, 5% off road, I've got nearly 6k on mine since I put them on and they've got lots of tread left. I've been told they look like snow tires... I've been through major thunderstorms with 4" of water and hail on the road and they've performed flawlessly. Also, I live in a very rural area where gravel/dirt roads are common, they don't squirm at all on them. :-D On Edit: Found them again, they made them harder to find on their website for some reason.

[BassCliff]

Tires are like opinions...

Mr. GS1000S,

I think the 404 is an inferior tire to the 491 (Elite II), not bad mind you, just not as good. And the Elite III is not (yet) available in a 17" rear, or else I'd be using those. I like the way my Bridgestone S11 Spitfires are wearing so far, but I do get just a slight wiggle in the front tire on some of the deeper rain grooves on the freeway. The Avon tires are spoken of highly by my buddy Mr. IanFrancisco on his VX800. The Perilli Sport Demons are spoken of very highly, but you may not get a lot of miles out of them. There's lots of opinions about tires all over the forum. Feel free to read what's already been said.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[longgreensilverado]

I use the metzler lazer tech tires on my 80 gs850. They stick like glue in wet and dry. i commute 90 miles a day so performance is a must. the rear you will get 8,000 miles out of (+/- conditions). I will be getting the metzler marathon 88 since i have heard it will last much longer. also the rear is a real pain to change so spending teh extra on a good long lasting rear is important so you save time in the shop.

[scotto58]

FYI the tread pattern on the Elite IIs and 404s are identical. I just picked up a set of the Elite IIs (already mounted on GS wheels) to replace the 404s on my 79 850. I ran in to a couple issues with mounting the rear wheel from a 82 850L(16") to a 79 850G(17"). The main thing is I need a brake rotor off an 82 or newer 850 or 1100G.

BTW I only got about 5,000 miles out of the 404s. I got twice the mileage out of the Cheng Shin HiMax aI ran before the Dunlops.

Scott

[bwringer]

The 404s are less expensive than the 491s, and much softer. They do stick quite well at first, but they evaporate quickly (I got about 3,600 miles out of my set, and they handled miserably for the last 1,000).

The 491s were a long-lasting touring tire -- great stick and handling, and they wore like iron. I'll miss 'em... Too bad they stopped making them.

I got 12,000 miles out of my 491s, and they would have easily gone 15,000 if I hadn't been so impatient to try the Pirelli Sport Demons.

The Pirellis are pure handling magic, but my set only lasted 4,200 miles. They did handle beautifully all the way down to the treadwear indicators, though. Wonderful, light and neutral feel, very communicative.

I'm 3,000 miles into a set of the new Avon RoadRiders now, and I think they'll outlast the Pirellis by a goodly margin. They're $60 a set cheaper, to boot. They also handle beautifully, and are even more neutral in corners than the Pirellis. They have a bit different profile, so turn-in is a bit sharper. Handling is a bit different than the Pirellis -- not worse or better, but a little different. They seem to stick just as well in the dry and wet, too.

[ironsheik]

These are what I'm running on mine, and I like them the best of any tires I've had on the bike.......
Pirelli MT-90 Scorpions. Here's the link http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...Rear-Tire.aspxThey're 95% on-road, 5% off road, I've got nearly 6k on mine since I put them on and they've got lots of tread left. I've been told they look like snow tires... I've been through major thunderstorms with 4" of water and hail on the road and they've performed flawlessly. Also, I live in a very rural area where gravel/dirt roads are common, they don't squirm at all on them. :-D On Edit: Found them again, they made them harder to find on their website for some reason.

Those look awesome. The next big trip I take I'm going to mount a set of these puppies. I often take my bike places it has no business being with my street tires. I dropped my old Nighthawk in the mud and grass a couple of times riding on some ridiculous "roads" looking for a place to camp. Nice recommendation.

Josh
'79 GS850

BTW: Right now I have the Avon AM26 roadriders and love them.

[dpep]

I have been satisfied with Continentals on my yellow 850 for the last couple of sets. "Tour" on the back; "Blitz" on the front. 12,000+ on the mileage. Handle well. I'll probably stick with them.