Tires
 

I use Metzeler or Pirelli touring tires on all my bikes. I'e gotten great mileage in the past (8 to 10k on a set) and they have great straight line & cornering grip.

The set I just put on the GZ was a Pirelli Route on the rear ($107.65) and the Pirelli Sport Demon ($90.57) on the front. (the Route model was not available in the correct front size) The tubes were $8 each.

I have a couple of pals with the Cheng Shins that have had sidewall problems, so I stick two the above mentioned brands.

:tup:

It might be a good idea to list every available tire for the bike somewhere on here...
And possibly add photos of the tread pattern...

Tires and Jacking up the bike
 

I'm just gona make me a sling and use the front end loader on the tractor to jack my bike up with. One of the benefits of farming :tup:

tire questions
 

My local Suzuki dealer got 2 new Cheng Shins for me that they are putting on, (with tubes, rim strips, balancing, etc, for $169) but the front tire, instead of being a 110-90/16 is a 120-80/16. They are telling me it really makes no difference in the handling, ride, etc, to change to a slightly wider, lower profile tire, and that they would have a hard time getting the other size and it would be more expensive. Anyone have any experience with putting on this other tire or any comments about this? I doubt it would make a significant difference with the speedometer reading but it should read a little higher with a slightly smaller diameter tire.

Those two tirse sizes will end up being fairly similar. I ran the numbers through a tire size calculator and this is what it came up with:

Specification----Sidewall--Radius---Diameter---Circumference-Revs/Mile---Difference
110/90-16-------3.9in-----11.9in------23.8in------74.8in------------848----------0.0%
120/80-16-------3.8in-----11.8in------23.6in------74.0in------------856----------1.0%


http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
Scroll down and use the calculator at the bottom

Re: tire questions
 

Bunch of crap. They want you OUT the door....minus your money! :cry:

There might not be MUCH difference in handling but there surely will be SOME.
I think tread pattern probably makes a bigger difference that size.
Please let us know what YOU think after a ride or two.

The last time I changed to a different brand of tires, I could have sworn that it was a different bike. O_o

FYI for those looking for the Cheng Shin tires starting next year.
from http://www.tiresunlimited.com/ALL%20TIR ... _tires.htm

"Please note: Starting the Fall of 2008, Cheng Shin brand motorcycle tires for street/highway use only will be very difficult to get, due to Cheng Shin's decision to quit producing motorcycle tires for street/highway use only, effective January 2009. Thank you."

Well that just sucks. Now we will have to pay twice as much for a tire that isn't any better.

I was just about to place the my order online today for tires, tubes, and rim strips at http://www.kgmotorcycletires.com/ and decided to call to make sure they had these in stock:

M906602 Cheng Shin C906 110/90H16
M907501 Cheng Shin C907 130/90H15

It turns out that they DO NOT and WILL NOT have them anymore! The guy told me he used to be able to get them from 5 different distributors but now he can't get them at all. My guess someone is buying up all that are out there so they can sell them for more.

Bad news for all of us who want a decent, inexpensive tire. So far I can't find anything for less than $95 in the right size for the front (110/90-16).

Is it a bad idea to buy different brand tires for front and back, for example Kenda rear and Avon front?

It's not really "bad" as long as get the same style tread pattern.

You want to know that the front and rear of the bike will maintain the line similarly in a turn or when you hit those staight grooves in the road. It can be pretty scary having one end on the bike twitching around while the other stays in place.

I really do think that the smaller front would be OK, but I just can't say for sure and I don't want to put anyone in a bad spot if I am wrong. I'd hate to cost someone the money and, very doubtfully but at least possibly, put them in danger.