What about Bridgestone Sport-Touring Tires?

[ggreenfield]

In the interest of keeping costs of my bike as low as possible I was considering
these tires labled as Sport/Touring tires. I'm not touring, in fact most of my time is spent in town with an occasional ride of 100 miles or less. Any reason not to consider these tires for my 81 GS750? Free shipping from ridenow on orders over $100!

I've had Bridgestones for my cars before and was very happy with them. I do not care so much for the look of the Cheng Shins and from what I've read about the Kendas I'm not so sure that I want those. Any other good tires in the $100/set range?

[tkent02]

Try them out and let us know.
Bridgestones are usually good.

[bwringer]

The Bridgestone Spitfires stick just fine for a little while, but they don't last very long, and they get very squirrely as they wear. I was very happy with my set of Spitfires for maybe 2,000 miles, then they handled like crap.

Keep in mind that I am absolutely BRUTAL on tires -- most people get 1.5X - 2X the mileage I do and never notice the handling issues that make me crazy. Unless you also regularly drag parts in the corners, you'll likely be perfectly happy with the Spitfires.

Bridgestone's BT45 is a much better tire if you like Bridgestones, but it is more expensive.

If money is a factor, I recommend Cheng Shin HiMax every time -- they stick great in the dry and in the wet, and they last a reasonable amount of time. I've used up three sets of these, and got 7,000 - 8,000 miles a set. They're an unbeatable value on a great tire.

If money is not a big factor, Pirelli's Sport Demons are the absolute best rubber out there. They don't last very long, (I got 4,200 miles out of my last set, most people get at least 6,000) but they handle perfectly from day one until they're bald.

Avon's AM26 RoadRiders are also excellent, and a wee bit cheaper than the Pirellis. I got 6,400 miles out of my set of Avons, and I just mounted another set a couple of weeks ago.

[82Shafty]

Well you have bwringer's experience with taking these tires to the extreme and I think they are more for your weekend cruiser style rider.

I first installed a set of S11's blackwall on my SOHC4




I was able to lean the bike way over without any fear and granted I only put about a 1000 miles on them before selling the bike of to my buddy, I opted for a set of raised whites for my 1100GL. I felt they performed well enough for my riding style, but again, I don't think I'm as quarter as aggressive of a rider as Bwringer and I've never even met the guy. AT least he can vouch that if you want more of a sport tire, they are better choices out there.

I've been in the process of putting it back together so here is the rear tire installed.



I got them through:

http://www.americanmototire.com/catalog/

For the raised white letters they were 145 to my door.

I don't intend to get very silly on my bike so I figured they would suit my needs just fine.

[rgierer]

With all due respect the Sptfires are AOK for typical driving. I found them a solid rain tire and good all round tire. If you are into dragging yur pegs they may not be the tire for you, but otherwise they are a decent tire, IMHO

[QuaiChangKane]

Also check out the Bridgestone BT45 Battlax. Likely a bit more expensive, but well worth the cost - long wearing and about as sticky as any bias tire available, and made in a great variety of odd sizes...

I'm going to try the Avons or the Pirellis next go - not that I have any gripes about the Bridgestones, but rather that I've been spoiled by the Pilot Powers on my VFR and am still on the quest for the "perfect" bias tire...


-Q!

[KGB]

So you're not a real aggresive rider, which is ok.
You may be able to get by with a "cheaper" tire.

If you want something sporty and reasonable, try the Dunlop GT 501.
Look around, you can find them at a decent price.

[gs1150stretch]

those raised whites look really good, too bad they don't have my size.

[82Shafty]

I thought the RWL looked pretty sweet as well, but I believe they will only add value to a certain style bike.


I originally wanted them for my my SOHC4 but no luck. However, they had my sizes in RWL for the GL so when the time came, I ran with em!\\/

At least according to my 1982 Suzi brochure, the GL's came factory with RWL so I figured I would stay nastolgic. Plus my Dad's 82 liter GL came with the dunlop RWL from the factory as he is the original owner.

[tkent02]

I just looked at my 750, it came with these Bridgestone Spitfire tires on it, they are nearly new. Not overly sticky, didn't inspire much confidence. OK I guess. Haven't ridden it much, nothing aggresive as the bike runs like crap, and now the top end is disassembled.
I would give it about a four to compare with the Avon Roadriders eight or nine.
Wouldn't buy a set, might even pull them off for something better. We'll see.

[derwood]

they're fine, the rear lasted about 6000 km. I wouldn't get put another set though but they're fine for the money, at least they are round and they balance out ok. better than squared off and cupped old ones.
come to think of it I never had a set, just a rear, had a lazer on the front , don't think you can get a 16 in frt spitfire.

[chef1366]

I also like the Dunlop GT501. I did not like the Bridgestone Battlax. The rear lasted as long as the Dunlop but the front scalloped out in less than 4,000 miles.

[BassCliff]

They work

Hi Mr. ggreenfield,

I put on a set of Bridgestone S11s almost 8000 miles ago. Most of my miles are commuting miles. I get into some twisties once in a while. I managed to get up into our So. Cal. mountains to take the long way home one day last week. I was still able to scrape a peg or two. If you don't ride like you're on a race track all the time, I think you'll like them. They serve me well. I don't ride nearly as hard as Mr. bwringer. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get at least another 3000 miles out of these tires, maybe a little more.

That's my story. Mr. bwringer speaks the truth about his tires. :-D

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[82Shafty]

Hi Mr. ggreenfield,

I put on a set of Bridgestone S11s almost 8000 miles ago. Most of my miles are commuting miles. I get into some twisties once in a while. I managed to get up into our So. Cal. mountains to take the long way home one day last week. I was still able to scrape a peg or two. If you don't ride like you're on a race track all the time, I think you'll like them. They serve me well. I don't ride nearly as hard as Mr. bwringer. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get at least another 3000 miles out of these tires, maybe a little more.

That's my story. Mr. bwringer speaks the truth about his tires. :-D

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

Cliff, I was starting to wonder if the board contained only peg scrapers, which is good if I ever get a sport bike and need a tire testimony.

On the other hand, I knew there had to be an occasional cruiser amongst us who had enjoyed these tires for at least 5G+ miles and who also had a positive testimony; looks like your a winner!

Here's some external opinions on the S11's

http://reviews.bikebandit.com/3400/3392/reviews.htm

They all look to be pretty positive.

Bridgestone Spitfire S-11 Sport Touring Tires Dual Tread construction. Resilient center rubber compound delivers high mileage and low rolling resistance while shoulder compound delivers sport-quality traction when cornering. H Speed Rated (130 mph). 4-ply casing. Zig-zag and angled outer grooves provide wet-weather performance by throwing water to the sides, yet still resist rain-groove wander. Available in Blackwall or Raised White Letters (RWL).

GT501's appear to be a hot item on here... Here is the bio on them:

The V-rated GT501 features bias-ply construction and incorporates a radial-style tread pattern for contemporary styling and a larger footprint.
An optimized profile creates a larger contact patch for increased cornering confidence and smooth side-to-side transitions.
Increased tread-to-void ratio delivers superior grip in dry conditions and a high level of grip in wet weather.
Increased center-tread depth provides improved wear characteristics and enhanced water clearance.
Rear compound increases wear resistance and grip.



I did a quick price comparison and I can't say they are in the same league.

S11's bw 130 90 16 for 61 dollars and the 501's (same size) go for 103.

[DanTheMan]

I personally like my Perreli Scorpions. They're 90% on road, 10% off road. Large aggressive tread design, real sticky, my front one has 15k on it now with a season's worth of wear left from the looks of it, I just put my new rear tire on to start this year out with, didn't have much center tread left on the old one I put on last May. Around here, it's always quite likely that you'll end up on a gravel road, and these ones don't squirm around in that stuff, and behave well on pavement and twist roads as well. Oh, did I mention high mileage tires, 15k on a rear tire is awsome!!!!:-D