I'll apologise up front for another tire choice question.

[Rundle]

Hi GS'ers.

I still haven't come around to introducing myself properly; I'll get to it eventually, I swear. I just haven't had time to get some proper pics of the bike, and I know how much photos are appreciated here. The bike is an '81 GS1000GL that was 'left on my doorstep', so to speak, by an old room-mate's climbing buddy's brother. (I'll detail that short story when I post my intro...)
The bike needs (among other things) new rubber, so I've been web- and forum-searching for suggestions. The stock tire sizes, as I understand them, are fr 100/90-19 and rr 130/90-16 (or MM90-19 and MT90-16 according to a reply BWringer gave to question posed back in late' 08). PO had installed a 120/90 rear, which limited my shopping choices for a bit, until I learned that it's the incorrect size.
According to web-searching, forums and some dealers I've asked, I've got a few choices:

Dunlop Elite III; GT501; D404
Avon RoadRider
Metzeler ME880 Marathon; Lasertec
Continental TK16/17; TKV11/12; ContiGo!
Michelin Commander
Pirelli Sport Demon.
That's not the entire list, but it's the pool I'll likely choose from.

Now, I'm not cheap, but I'm not rich either, so cost is a consideration. I'm not looking for all-out performance; I've got sportbikes for that. I do want something that offers confident cornering grip. The two choices at the top of my list are the Dunlop Elite III and Avon RoadRider. From what I've read they handle really well and offer adequate tread life (RoadRider) or handle reasonably well and have excellent treadlife (Elite III).

As for personal info, I'm about 5'11", 170lbs fully geared up, 20+ years street riding, and have ridden 250 4-strokes, 350 2-strokes, 750 cafe bikes, 1000 sports, and a bunch of other stuff in between. Shaft dives, belt drives, chain drives; singles, p-twins, v-twins, in-line fours; I'm comfortable riding almost anything. My preferred style is cafe/sporty, so I expect I'll occasionally be riding more... ahem... spiritedly than would otherwise be suggested by a 600 pound, 30 year old shaft-drive cruiser. However, being a fine upstanding citizen, I'll likely behave myself most of the time.

Is there anyone here who has experience with any (or a few) of these tires on a similar model bike (maybe with a similar riding style) who can offer comparitive feedback? Any insight is fully appreciated, from anyone with two cents to chip in. And I'll gladly listen to suggestions of tires not on the above list.

Thanks a bunch,

-chris

P.s. Why does Continental have an exclamation mark on their ContiGo!? It must be a really exciting tire.

[tkent02]

If you have an "L" you can't be riding that hard, just get any good quality tire and enjoy the mileage.

[bonanzadave]

(I'll detail that short story when I post my intro...)

When you do you'll probably get the "Howdy" from Cliff. He has extensive tire info at his website.

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/

Welcome ! I hope you wear down your new tires in one season.

[piester]

get a tire in the stock size from a reputable tire manufacturer. thats really about it. your not going to be on the track right? then tire choice isnt going to be as big or an issue as you might think. look more for millage rather than performance. unless your going to be riding on a track. i got a set of cheap times from denniskirk and they are actually quite nice. but pretty much whatever you get will be an upgrade from whatever is on there. im guessing its been sitting for a while.

[Nessism]

Those Elite 3's are super durable, popular with the touring rider crowd since they can handle the weight of a loaded bike. For a regular bike I'd stick with something like the Roadriders or even some Shinko's. There is no reason to dump tons of money into tires on these bikes since just about any tire will frankly be just fine.

BTW, there are tons of tire threads in the archives so you might want to do a search (use "titles only" to limit the search). You can find the specific Shinko tire model that so many people rave about that way.

[bwringer]

Big, big fan of the Roadriders here...

If you ride a lot of miles, then the Dunlop Elite III will pay off for you.

[Rkt-Rch]

Loving my Shinko's... Becomming more and more popular, the shop where I bought mine is becomming a real fan. For the price and performance you can't go wrong. Funny thing when I bought mine last year from him I had to tell him about them and now this year when I visted his shop he had tons and tons of them and is now convinced. He says he been putting them on his ZX11 and various other bikes and has NO complaints. You can find them on E-bay also, I think I paid like $115 or so mounted/balanced .. what a deal !! Iv'e ridden them in the rain / snow (yes snow) and I have to say so far I am completly impressed.

120/90-16 Front & 130/80-17 Rear

[Rundle]

Nope, not intending to ride too hard. No knee dragging, no running away from any pretty flashing lights in my mirrors, no funny stuff. Like I said before, I've got sportbikes for that. This bike is for cruising, traveling, and taking the gf for nice rides in the country.
I guess what I'm looking for (like most people, I suppose) is the best value for the money, for the type of riding I'll be doing most often - brisk cruising. Something with neutral handling and good mileage, but not so hard that it'll start sliding if I take it into a few curves. I know that with today's tire technology, even budget tires can be pretty darn good.

Those Elite 3's are super durable, popular with the touring rider crowd since they can handle the weight of a loaded bike. For a regular bike I'd stick with something like the Roadriders or even some Shinko's. There is no reason to dump tons of money into tires on these bikes since just about any tire will frankly be just fine.

Nessism, by 'regular bike' do you mean a non-touring bike? When I was searching the forum before I first posted my question, I thought I saw someone who said they had run 21,000 miles on a set of Elite III's (although thinking back, I may have misunderstood. Maybe they had done 21,000 miles total, on a few sets). That's tread life I can appreciate, but not if it means I have to keep it perfectly vertical and tiptoe through corners. I like what I've heard about the Roadriders, but I wonder if they might wear out quickly on a heavy cruiser like the GL. I had Shinko (SR712? I think?) on my CB750 cafe, and really liked it. Hadn't thought about them for the GS, actually. I'll do a search to see what what people have to say.
Anyway, thanks for your responses so far.

-chris

[bwringer]

I reliably get 6,000 miles out of each rear and 12,000 mile out of each front Avon RoadRider on my GS850G, ridden VERY briskly and with my large, uh, self in the seat. You'll probably do better than that.

The nice thing about the Avons is how incredibly consistent they are start to finish. They don't get squirrely or strange at all, even when very worn.

Out of all the front-line tires in your list, the Dunlop E3s are the only other ones I'd consider. They stick very well, and if you commute and tour a lot, they'll last a long time.


Now, about those Shinkos -- I think they're definitely worth a try, especially since they're half the money. (RoadRider prices went up recently, so they're no longer as much of a bargain as they were) My V-Strom and my VX800 are wearing Shinko dual-sport tires and they're fantastic in the wet, the dry, and even on gravel and dirt. So I'm quite confident that Shinko makes good tires, and I'm seriously considering trying a set on the GS850G late this summer when I finally wear down the Avons. I just helped Larry D. put a set of the Shinko 230 sport/tour tires on his GK, and I'm very intrigued to see how they handle.

FWIW, it sounds like you're an experienced rider, and I think there are plenty of folks who'd like to hear your opinions of the Shinkos. Maybe you could try a set in the name of Science?


Hey, any of these tires are ten times better than the crap they had back in the '80s...

[twr1776]

#6 Today, 05:57 PM bwringer Big, big fan of the Roadriders here... If you ride a lot of miles, then the Dunlop Elite III will pay off for you.

+ 1, I tried a set of the Roadriders per Brians recommendation and they are excellent tires, I have not worn them out yet so I am not sure on total mileage.

I had a set of the Sport Demons and they were also excellent tires but I only got 4.5K out of them and they front got evil the last 1K or so even though the tread depth was OK.

I also have a set of the E3's and can recommend them as well, especially if you are going to be riding a lot of miles. I will probably get about 18K out of them them but since I split my overall mileage between bikes I will end up changing them before they wear out due to age.

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. Rundle,

Sorry I'm late to the party. Let me just say "Howdy!"...

Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", the Carb Rebuild Series, and the Stator Papers. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...

Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike!

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Steve]

When I was searching the forum before I first posted my question, I thought I saw someone who said they had run 21,000 miles on a set of Elite III's (although thinking back, I may have misunderstood. Maybe they had done 21,000 miles total, on a few sets).

That would be ME.

No misunderstanding there, 21-23,000 on each of three sets of E3s. Yep, that's about 65,000 miles, total. (That's about three years of riding.)

Granted this was on my Wing, which is not known as the ultimate corner-carving machine. I never had a single problem with traction, even when in the rain, just before time to change the tire. Only one set was run to (actually just past) the wear bars, the other two were changed because I was headed out and anticipated doing more miles than I though were left on the tires. Besides, 90% of tire problems happen in the last 10% or tread.

The only complaint I had with them was NOISE. The tread would saw-tooth within a few thousand miles and would sound like monster-mudder tires any time you departed from straight-up vertical. (That departure could be as little as a lane change or just moving to the other track in your current lane.) In spite of the saw-toothing, they wore consistently across the tread. With the riding I was doing, there was more highway time than usual, but there were enough curves to balance that out, too.

When I say the tread would "saw-tooth" I don't mean "cup". Cupping will wave in and out, usually hitting every other tread block, often waving from side to side. These tires put an angle on every tread block, on both sides of the rear tire. The front tire was also affected, but not nearly as much.

I think if the tread had not worn funny, I might have gone over 25,000 miles to the wear bars.

.

[Rundle]

Twr1776,

have you had any experience with your E3's saw-toothing the way Steve had on his 'Wing? Also, did you have them mounted on your L, or on something else, and what kind of mileage have you got on them so far? Any problems/concerns/issues?

I'm leaning heavily towards trying the Shinko's, but I'm rather intrigued at the thought of 25,000-ish km on a set of the Elite III. However, if they're going to get all noisy, well, that would drive me right 'round the bend, I think.

And whatever I get, I think I'll try my hand at installing them myself. Around here, you're looking at about $35 per tire for installation and balancing. And that's usually only if you buy the tire from the shop doing the install, and bring in the wheels off the bike. Wheels on the bike is an extra $10-15 per tire, and if you bought the tires someplace else, you're out of luck. (I used to have a friend who was a mechanic at the dealership around the corner from where I worked; he'd give me barely used, stock OEM sportbike tires that the local street-racing squids would take off their bikes [nobody races on OEM tires, they can't be any good!], and install them, all for a case of beer. I miss the good old days.) I'll pick up some tire spoons, some balancing weights, and give it a go. Might learn something.

Cheers, folks.

-chris

[twr1776]

Chris, I agree with Steve that the E3's are noiser than most tires but I do not find them too loud to be worth the mileage you will get from them. I would base your decision on how many miles a year you think you will put on them. I do not know how the Shinkos will do for mileage but if you think you will ride about 7K a year I would lean toward the E3's, you should get three seasons from them IMHO. My current tire mix is the 850 & 1000 with Avons and the 1100 with the E3's. Unless something changes drastically I will probably keep this mix.

I can say that contrary to some views here the L's will drag parts if pushed and the E3's are VERY consistent and confidence inspiring when you are leaned over. I have run them pretty hard at the Dragon, Galena, and on numerous weekend trips to Brown County chasing BWringer. Last year on the way to the BC rally I ran them through a horizontal rain storm and they were excellent in that as well. I also find them better than the Avons or Demons on roads with rain grooves for stability, the tread pattern seems better in this respect than the others. My current set with over 14K on them is a bit saw toothed in the front and fairly squared off on the rear from the crappy roads in my home area but when I get to play in BC with them they do not handle like they have any toothing or squaring when you lean them over.

I just started doing my own tires year and it is not too difficult with the proper tools. I would suggest getting new valves for your rims and when you have the back tire off pull the hub spline out of the rim for a proper inspection, they can look decent from the outside but all the wear is on the inside and harder to see.

[Steve]

To give you an idea of the noise, I have found a video I forgot I had posted. There is some wind noise, but not enough to drown out the hum from the tires. You will notice it especially in left-hand turns because the camera is on the left side, and you will notice that it virtually disappears when the bike is vertical.

I posted this video when there was a discussion going on over exhaust volume. While viewing this, you will notice a distinct lack of exhaust noise, but you will hear some birds right at the end of the clip.




To give you an idea of stability, here is another clip, this one is on the Mackinac Bridge, going into Michigan's Upper Penninsula. The right lane (the solid concrete lane) was closed due to maintenance, so I had to use the left lane with the metal grate. Not much to worry about, though, it's only ABOUT A MILE LONG. I set the cruise control, grabbed my camera and shot a video of the upcoming bridge, then panned down to show the water and bridge supports through the grate. You can see that the bike is not weaving on the grate. Remember, just one hand on the handlebar and towing a trailer. Don't try this at home.



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