Tire help

[LingeringFungus]

I'm looking for some information on new tires, I just bought a 1982 gs850gl and it's my first bike. I'm just looking for some suggestions on what to look for or what tires people use. I live in north Florida so it's hot humid and rains a lot so I need a tire that has decent wet traction. The tire sizes I'm working with are: Front 100/90x19 Rear 140/90x16. Thanks in advance for any tips.

[bwringer]

Egads, another tire thread?

The correct sizes for your bike are 100/90-19 front and 130/90-16 rear. Not sure why there's a 140 on there, but you know what they say about POs.

Anyhoo:

Dunlop Elite III -- lasts a loooong time, expensive, work great. They use olde-fashioned letter sizing, so you'll want MM90-19 front, MT90-16 rear.

Avon RoadRider -- sticky, last pretty well, not quite as expensive.

Shinko 230 -- sticky, don't last too long, very inexpensive. Great tire for the money, but not long-lived if you ride a lot. The Shinko 712 works pretty well, too


There are many others -- Bridgestone BT-45, Michelin Pilot Activ, and Continental has a new tire for vintage bikes -- not sure if they make your sizes.

I'd avoid the Dunlop 404.

Do a search if you feel like reading endless repetitive discussions of tires...

[Steve]

I have Dunlop E3s on my Wing, they last almost forever. I have had three sets that went 20-23,000 miles each.
Then went through two sets of Michelin Pilot GT (a Wing-exclusive tire), they are discontinued, so I am back on E3.
Great tire, but like Brian said, not cheap.

Most, if not all, of our GSes are on Shinko 230s. Have not had them on long enough to see what life there is in them,
but we don't ride as hard as Brian does, so they might last a bit longer.

.

[bbjumper]

I have a set of Bridgestone Spitfire's on my "G" presently and have had good luck with them. Presdently they have been on a little over 9k and looks like I may have another couple of thousand left in em. The performance champions for me are the Michelin Pilot Activ's, those suckers were great and lasted 16k mi. When the Brigestones filally play out I'm going back to the Michelin's, even though they are pricy at about $ 230.00 a set if you figure in the cost per mile there a bargain.

Cheers

[azr]

The correct sizes for your bike are 100/90-19 front and 130/90-16 rear. Not sure why there's a 140 on there, but you know what they say about POs.

Anyhoo:

Dunlop Elite III -- lasts a loooong time, expensive, work great. They use olde-fashioned letter sizing, so you'll want MM90-19 front, MT90-16 rear.

Avon RoadRider -- sticky, last pretty well, not quite as expensive.

Shinko 230 -- sticky, don't last too long, very inexpensive. Great tire for the money, but not long-lived if you ride a lot. The Shinko 712 works pretty well, too


There are many others -- Bridgestone BT-45, Michelin Pilot Activ, and Continental has a new tire for vintage bikes -- not sure if they make your sizes.

I'd avoid the Dunlop 404.

Do a search if you feel like reading endless repetitive discussions of tires...

You won't find any better advice than that.

[gsgeezer]

Don't forget to look at Shinkos

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/3/31/401/6204/ITEM/Shinko-712-Front-Tire.aspx