do I need a new tire?

[joeadams]

I was looking over my front tire today and noticed that not only is it low on tread but also starting to dry rot. It is not too bad but it is there. Both in the sidewall and in the outer tread. How bad is this? and How much can I expect ot spend to get a new front tire?

[Anonymous]

Joe, if it occurred to you to ask yourself this question, then you already know the answer.

I get my tires on eBay, which is a process that requires patience and taking advantage of the right opportunity. Obviously, you need this tire pronto. Therefore, check your local dealers, or go to an accessory mailorder place that advertises in national magazines.

As I write this, I have a brand new front tire and a brand new rear tire already installed on rims, waiting to be installed on my GK. Off with the old, on with the new, at the appropriate time -- no downtime required. By planning ahead, one can save a lot of money and time. Same with brake pads and cables.

Nick

[Anonymous]

tires

Look at it this way the tire is what keeps you from kissing mother earth in a hard way and keeps you out of the ER, don't buy cheap tires, its faults economy, try www.discountmotorcycletire.com click on street tires the prices will match any thing on ebay and you know what you are getting, and have a wide choice

[Anonymous]

the prices will match any thing on ebay and you know what you are getting,

I don't think you can get a Metzeler rear Marathon 880, 130/90-16, belted, for $50 (including shipping) from any mailorder. I bought it in November of last year.

I knew what I was getting, and got it. Was the only bidder.

Don't put down buying tires on eBay. The deals can be phenomenal, if one has the patience and a little bit of luck. The key is not to need the desired item right away.

I agree that mail order houses like the one you mention offer good deals, but don't tell me the deal is any better than what I can get on eBay.

Same with brake pads, oil filters, and such consumable items.

Cheap Nick

[joeadams]

I replaced the tire tuesday. I ended up buying one off of the shop that mounted it. I got a Dunlop F11. They come stock on Viragos. My uncle had one on his virago and it lasted a while and never gave him problems.

[bwringer]

Nick, what search strings do you use on eBay to find the correct size tire?

Everyone seems to use different combinations of spaces and punctuation to express tire sizes. Any magic to your method, or do you just plow through them all?

Of course, if you don't want to divulge your secrets, we'll understand...

[Anonymous]

All I do is type in the brand of tire. For example: Metzeler (some yoyos who can't spell often post them on eBay as "Metzler", so I search them both.

For brands like Metzeler, Avon, Continental, Kenda, etc., the selection is usually one or two, at most three pages. So I scroll down and look for my size. I know what tire size I'm looking for at a give time, so that's no big deal. I also know that a Dunlop K491 MT90HB-16 rear tire is the same exact item as a Dunlop for Harley D402, size 130/90B-16. It's funny how a Dunlop for Harley tire starts out considerably more expensive than the equivalent K491, simply because it says "Harley".

For Dunlop, there's usually a good number of pages, so I narrow it down to the diameter tire I'm looking for at the time. Say I'm looking for a front tire; I search for "Dunlop 19".

No big secrets. Try it. Right now I'm not looking for a tire, so you'll get no competition from me. As I write this, in my garage sits a Cheng Shin 130/90-17 installed on a rim from one of my old 850's -- ready to go on the bike. I also have a Metzeler front tire on a front rim, all set to be installed. It's nice to have extra tires on rims; it cuts down on "down time". Off with the old, on with the new.

I also have a full set of brake pads ready to be installed -- front and rear. Save money by planning ahead and bidding lowest when there's no pressure or hurry to get the item.

Nick

[joeadams]

Thanks for the tips Nick. I'll remember this for next time.

[Wingnut]

Re: do I need a new tire?

I was looking over my front tire today and noticed that not only is it low on tread but also starting to dry rot. It is not too bad but it is there. Both in the sidewall and in the outer tread. How bad is this? and How much can I expect ot spend to get a new front tire?

I had 2 rather bad experiences with older tires. Never again! The rubber gets old and hard and traction is greatly reduced, especially in the wet. I just threw away a rear tire that had 2/3 tread left because it was several years old. In IMHO tires are cheap insurance. Not that you need to pay big bucks for exotic brands, but you can't beat fresh rubber.

bob

[Mysuzyq]

When buying tires on ebay too you need to be careful, as some of these great deals on'brand new' tires are actually tires that have sat on the shelf for years, and are difficult to sell in stores, as they are not as soft as fresh tires......I too got a great deal on a 'new' front Metzeler Lazer, which upon arrival I found to be semi-hard (which is never a good thing ).....it made installation on the rim (getting it to bead properly) more difficult than usual. It also took way longer to break in.....in fact more than 1000 km. before the consistancy softened up..... Metzeler tires have a date-code on the sidewall (not sure if other brands have this?) which revealed my brand new tire had been on the shelf over 3 years, so it might be wise to ask questions before bidding.

Tony.