Where to get a front tire for a 1981 GS250?

[houldsworth1]

On an impluse I bought a 1981 GS250 last year for a tiny amount of money and a mad friend of mine now wants to ride it to LA and back in the summer (I am in NJ).

I have no problem with him taking the bike but I need to get a front tire for it as the old one won't pass the inspection.

I found a rear tire on ebay for $25 but the front tires (3.00-18 4PR) seem to be rare and the dealer wants about $80 for it - which just seems so wrong for such a small amount of rubber.

Anyone have a source for a suitable tire at a reasonable price?

If not - I know where I can get a cheap 3.25-18 - is that OK for that bike?

Thanks!

Barry

[snark]

Try Dennis Kirk. He has some low cost tires. I was able to get one for my GS450 for $35.

[houldsworth1]

Try Dennis Kirk. He has some low cost tires. I was able to get one for my GS450 for $35.

Thanks! I'll give them a try.

Barry

[JJ]

Allow me to preface this by saying that I am an employee of The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. We make Goodyear, Dunlop, Sumitomo, and several other regional private brand tires. I am not ashamed of recommending tires that Goodyear makes, because I have first-hand knowledge of the world-class technology and materials used in their manufacture.

Having said that, I have to say that it never ceases to amaze me how little thought people put into tire selection.

"Ummmm... They're all the same, right? Made of rubber and round. Just throw on the cheapest thing that you have."

Bzzzzzzzttttt..... Wrong answer!!

Cost should NEVER be the main consideration for buying a tire for ANY vehicle, especially for a motorcycle!! Tires are the number one safety item on any vehicle, period!

The cost may seem like a lot for a "small amount of rubber" to you. To me, when I see the engineering amd labor costs required to design a tire, design and make the mold, actually make the tire, test the tire design, make any required changes, marketing costs, etc..., it amazes me at just how little they can be sold for.

PLEASE buy the best tire that you can afford, regardless of what brand you choose. It is the ONLY part of your motorcycle that (safely) touches the road.

I'll step down off my soapbox now...

[Anonymous]

The Dunlop F11 (Goldseal?) did okay on my GS400EZ which uses the same size. It should still be available and cost a lot less than 80 bucks.

Steve

[bradleymaynar]

Allow me to preface this by saying that I am an employee of The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. We make Goodyear, Dunlop, Sumitomo, and several other regional private brand tires. I am not ashamed of recommending tires that Goodyear makes, because I have first-hand knowledge of the world-class technology and materials used in their manufacture.

Having said that, I have to say that it never ceases to amaze me how little thought people put into tire selection.

"Ummmm... They're all the same, right? Made of rubber and round. Just throw on the cheapest thing that you have."

Bzzzzzzzttttt..... Wrong answer!!

Cost should NEVER be the main consideration for buying a tire for ANY vehicle, especially for a motorcycle!! Tires are the number one safety item on any vehicle, period!

The cost may seem like a lot for a "small amount of rubber" to you. To me, when I see the engineering amd labor costs required to design a tire, design and make the mold, actually make the tire, test the tire design, make any required changes, marketing costs, etc..., it amazes me at just how little they can be sold for.

PLEASE buy the best tire that you can afford, regardless of what brand you choose. It is the ONLY part of your motorcycle that (safely) touches the road.

I'l step down off my soapbox now...

Very well said. Especially because you've (Barry) already stated that you'll be letting a friend take your bike on a cross crountry trek. While $80 does seem a little steep, it is well worth the piece of mind. If you know the make of the $80 tire, you should do some comparison shopping on the net. I used ronayers.com and found the prices very reasonable, though I'm not sure if they'll carry the tires needed for your bike. Also, see if you can't get your friend to split the costs with you. It'll at least lighten the load on your wallet.

Brad tt

[first timer]

Allow me to preface this by saying that I am an employee of The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. We make Goodyear, Dunlop, Sumitomo, and several other regional private brand tires. I am not ashamed of recommending tires that Goodyear makes, because I have first-hand knowledge of the world-class technology and materials used in their manufacture.

Having said that, I have to say that it never ceases to amaze me how little thought people put into tire selection.

"Ummmm... They're all the same, right? Made of rubber and round. Just throw on the cheapest thing that you have."

Bzzzzzzzttttt..... Wrong answer!!

Cost should NEVER be the main consideration for buying a tire for ANY vehicle, especially for a motorcycle!! Tires are the number one safety item on any vehicle, period!

The cost may seem like a lot for a "small amount of rubber" to you. To me, when I see the engineering amd labor costs required to design a tire, design and make the mold, actually make the tire, test the tire design, make any required changes, marketing costs, etc..., it amazes me at just how little they can be sold for.

PLEASE buy the best tire that you can afford, regardless of what brand you choose. It is the ONLY part of your motorcycle that (safely) touches the road.

I'l step down off my soapbox now...

i second a well said.


-ryan

[Anonymous]

Inexpensive tires

The J.C Whitney motorcycle catalog has a large selection of inexpensive tires.

[houldsworth1]

...I have to say that it never ceases to amaze me how little thought people put into tire selection.

"Ummmm... They're all the same, right? Made of rubber and round. Just throw on the cheapest thing that you have."

Bzzzzzzzttttt..... Wrong answer!!

Cost should NEVER be the main consideration for buying a tire for ANY vehicle, especially for a motorcycle!! Tires are the number one safety item on any vehicle, period!

Strange as it may sound I will also second that ?well said? and I have said as much to other people on exactly the same subject.

However, I think there are a number of factors to consider here.

For $80 I can buy a good quality front tire designed for a high performance motorcycle. That tire will need to have a high speed rating, can be expected to perform well at extreme lean angles and, due to the fact that it will be on a modern machine, will be wide (i.e. a lot of rubber).

The GS250 weighs next to nothing, has a top speed of about 65mph, a tire width about the same as a zip tie and will not be making any extreme lean angles since hard parts are going to drag before that happens.

With that in mind, does it really make sense to you that it should cost the same as a high performance tire?

I am not saying that I want to spend $10 and end up with something with all the grip qualities of a kitchen counter but I want to spend an amount of money that is appropriate for the use ? does that sound unreasonable?

And just to put it in perspective ? my friend is a current motorcycle instructor, I used to be a motorcycle instructor and between us we have probably covered in excess of 500,000 miles ? a good part of that off road. So I don?t think either of us thinks that all tires are the same.

However, I see where you are coming from and will therefore re-phrase my original question to ?Does anyone know of a source of good quality rubber for a reasonable sum of money??

Thanks.

Barry

[earlfor]

Thanks for the elaboration. Too often, someone is looking for a cheap tire and intending to combine that with high speed and extreme handling. One never knows. :-) J.C Whitney has some very reasonable tire prices. and some older style widths.

Earl

[quote="houldsworth1"]
However, I think there are a number of factors to consider here.

For $80 I can ............................

[snark]

Cheap is not good. The right tire for the right price, that's good. It pays to shop around.

[Anonymous]

Your friend should be able to get a good deal on a tire seeing as he is an instructor. Around here the instructors do all of the work on the bikes so they have accounts to get cheap parts. The tire size his course bikes use will be the same as the tire he needs to buy. He ought to be able call in a favour somewhere and get it for cost.

Steve

[houldsworth1]

Your friend should be able to get a good deal on a tire seeing as he is an instructor. Around here the instructors do all of the work on the bikes so they have accounts to get cheap parts. The tire size his course bikes use will be the same as the tire he needs to buy. He ought to be able call in a favour somewhere and get it for cost.

Steve

My friend is a motorcycle instructor in the U.K. so I suspect that a local discount won't be easy.

Regardless, he e-mailed me yesterday to tell me that he had found something reasonable for $53 including shipping so I think we are good.

Thanks for all the advice.

Barry

[IanFrancisco]

Check www.parts411.com for some reasonable prices on tires. Beware that there is a 20% restocking fee so be sure before ordering. I got a Dunlop GT501 Arrowmax in 100/90X18 for my GS450 front wheel and it was WAY too big, over 4in. wide. OEM tires on my bike are Continental 3.00-18 front and 3.50-18 rear. There's a Maxxis MAX-PRO MAXX 90/90-18-F for $33 there. Maxxis may be made by Cheng Shin. The tire looks like a decent tire w/ a modern sporty tread pattern. I also have a '78 XL175 that I put a Kenda DOT certified dual sport tire on for $28 and have been very happy with. At speeds under 60mph the tire has tons of grip even on wet asphalt. Dennis Kirk has a selection of Kenda tires but in general the site is a little pricey...

[Anonymous]

That's a good point. The 3x18 Cheng Shin DOT knobby is actually smaller than a 100/90 Dunlop K491 so there won't be a clearance issue. The knobby will wear out quick during the heat of summer but it'll make it through the trip described. They are also cheap.

http://chat.carleton.ca/~srivett/Betty%20Outdoors.jpg

Steve