Tire Sugestiosn for a 1980 GS850L

[brs127s]

I replaced my Dunlop Elite with a Dunlop 404 on the front 2 years ago. After 6000+ miles it still had about 60 - 70 percent tread left. When the back tire wore out, I put a 404 tire on it so the tires were the same brand/model. They handled well and always had good traction on wet and dry pavement.

[nycs10011]

So I priced out a pair of Dunlop they come to $220 and a pair of the Cheng Shins for $87. Big price difference guess I'm wondering what kinda mileage difference you guys see, and performance in the rain, which I'll be seeing a lot of around here.
Thanks again guys big help for a greenhorn like me

[Planecrazy]

If you're planning to do a lot of rain riding then look at the Pirelli Sport Demons or the Avon Roadriders. I LOVE my Sport Demons, and Brian (BWringer) has used both - he is a VERY spirited rider and if he says those tires are sticky (he does) you can be sure that they've been well tested!

I can't comment on the other recommended lower priced brands, but if price is a consideration the Avons are a very good choice that gives you nearly the same performance (according to Brian) as the more expensive Sport Demons we've both used. To my way of thinking a good set of tires is very cheap insurance so don't skimp on them, especially if you anticipate more than average riding in less than ideal conditions. Both the Pirellis and the Avons perform very well in the rain.

Regards,

[nycs10011]

Ahh decisions decisions. I don't want to skimp on my tires but funds are tight. Hmmm, I'll do some more reading...

[flyingace]

I have Dunlop Elite 3's on my '81 1000L. They look great, handle great, and last forever.

Not only is it the absolute best tire for your bike, but many who have E models are jealous because they only make them in the right size for our 'L's.

Bought mine from Chaparral (www.chaparral-racing.com). I live in Lower Slower Delaware. They're in San Bernadino, CA.

Yet when I ordered them over the phone (1-800-841-2960), I received them the very next day (they shipped them out of a warehouse in the Philly area).

Can't beat the tire or the service.

I have a rear Dunlop Elite II I got 12K miles ago. If it is even 1/4 worn, I would be surprised. You have to consider not just initial purchase price, but how often you have to to buy them. I wouldn't even consider any other tire than Dunlop Elite.

[Planecrazy]

I have a rear Dunlop Elite II I got 12K miles ago. If it is even 1/4 worn, I would be surprised. You have to consider not just initial purchase price, but how often you have to to buy them. I wouldn't even consider any other tire than Dunlop Elite.

...And the flipside to this statement is that I took some Dunlop 491's off of my bike when I replaced them with the Pirellis ... I will never put Dunlops on my bikes again. The 491 had plenty of tread left ... but the tread had become very hard and performance was VERY squirrely. Now, to be fair I don't have any experience with the Elite series and it may be quite a bit better than the 491's BUT all it takes is one bad experience. I also don't take into consideration how often a tire needs to be replaced because to me the more important concern is performance. After all, those two tiny patches of rubber are the most important part of ANY bike's components, bar none...

Brian has said in the past that his Avons are not only VERY close to the Pirellis in performance, but also seem to last longer (in addition to being less expensive). In my mind, if price is an issue it pays to find a tire that bridges as many gaps as possible. In this case, the lower price, longer wear, and excellent wet weather performance would seem to give the Avons the edge over the Pirellis for purposes of this thread's comparison.

I'm on my second set of Pirellis and didn't hesitate at all to spend more money for what I consider to be the best insurance against my life ... very high performance rubber, BUT I've indicated that next time around I might consider the Avons based on Brian's high praise. I've seen the way he expertly pilots both of his bikes around the twisties and I consider his opinion to be well backed by experience. I enjoy being a (and am a capable) corner carver as well, so I feel pretty confident in personally recommending the Pirelli's, but the cost savings of the Avons are significant enough to be worth consideration, given that the performance is so similar between the two.

Anyway, I hope the additional insight is useful!

Regards,

[chef1366]

Gawd, a three page tire thread. Will it never end????


IRC Duratour is a good bang for the buck.
I used to swear by Dunlop GT501s but I was eating two rears a year.

[dwfranke1]

has anyone used the continental GO, i just saw the in a tuker rocky book and wondered if anyone has used them

[Ghostgs1]

has anyone used the continental GO, i just saw the in a tuker rocky book and wondered if anyone has used them

Haven't used them yet, but plan to put them on my new project. Don't know how long that will be though. Ray

[Steve]

Gawd, a three page tire thread. Will it never end????

Three pages? It's only half-way down the first page for me.

Open the User CP, go to Edit Options, scroll down, select the 40 posts per page option.
Makes reading longer threads MUCH easier.

.

[Nessism]

Three pages? It's only half-way down the first page for me.

Open the User CP, go to Edit Options, scroll down, select the 40 posts per page option.
Makes reading longer threads MUCH easier.

.

Thanks for the suggestion Steve, just switched to 40 myself.

[chef1366]

For the next oil thread I'll switch to 100.

[Steve]

For the next oil thread I'll switch to 100.

I would have done that long ago, but seems the board will not let you set a number over 40.

Oh, and it's not thread-specific. It applies to all the forums on the GSR site.
.

[highmileage]

I have a rear Dunlop Elite II I got 12K miles ago. If it is even 1/4 worn, I would be surprised. You have to consider not just initial purchase price, but how often you have to to buy them. I wouldn't even consider any other tire than Dunlop Elite.

I've had several sets of Elite II's. The Elite 3 is a very different and very much superior tire.

But Planecrazy's statement above is also true - tires get hard with age. If you do not put a lot of miles per year on your bike, you will find that such a 'highmileage' tire as an E3 may be hard and ready to replace long before the tread is worn down.

As I recall, those Cheng Shin Hi Maxes are very lightweight tires - not exactly the heavy duty tire that I might want on my ride if I expected to hit a lot of potholes such as I've experienced in NYC.



I plan to put a set of Bridgestone S11's on my CBX soon - they are not the highmileage tire that the E3 is, but they are relatively sticky and quite inexpensive.

If you don't plan to put so many miles on your GS-L, they may be what you want...

[psyguy]

so, you guys dont get Metzeler (Lasertec) tyres over there?
or Bridgestone BT45?

both very good tyres with metzeler being more of a touring tyre and bridgestone a sportier type