MOtorcycle Tire Reviews.

[HIX]

I have been searching all over for a site where users have poste thier experiences w/ tires. Anyone have a good link? I just picked up a 87 ninja 750r for a commuter and the middle of the tires are so freeway flat that you have to toss it into a full lean just to get it to turn. It makes my VX800 feel downright nimble. . Anyway, I have been thinking about picking up some of those cheap ass Cheng-Shin C6000 Barracuda V. My ride to work is 25 miles of freeway so I would hate to buy a nice set of tires and just flat spot the center on them in 4000 miles. I was only able to find 3 reviews on the tire on a bmw site and they gave the tire a 3.9 out of 5 rating with an average miles before replacement of 12000 miles! But, you know how those Beemerguys are. Just curious if these tires would work for me or i they a junk. Anyone actually ride a set of these? Most of the people who have said they were junk have never ridden them.

[yakuza]

I think you'll have a hard time finding a site with all-encompassing reviews, it tends to be a bit of bits-n-pieces research from a number of places. I did some quick Googling, and came up with a few things:

http://bissex.net/paul/ride/750R/

The best tires I've found are the new Metzeler 330/550 combo. The Metzelers feel great on the street or track. They're also great in the rain. I got about 6,000 miles out of the rear and close to 8,000 out of the front, which exhibited minimal cupping. If these didn't exist I'd probably run the Bridgestone BT45. I can't recommend the Dunlop options (the GT501 or its predecessor the K591), because while they're good in the dry they are dangerously slippery in the wet. The same is true, to a lesser extent, of the Avon Supervenoms.

You could also try our friendly neighborhood guys at http://www.discountmotorcycletire.com Many of us have had good experiences with these guys, and they might have a recommendation for you. They also carry the C6000 tire you mention. Those are damn cheap (~$130 set!) so it obviously can't hurt to try them.

That's all I was able to dig up in about 10min of looking around, hope it helps.

[BladeRider]

Being an old Ninja guy (I still have my '86 ZX1000R), the thought of Cheng-Shins on one is killing me.

I'm amazed the bmw reviews are giving these such a high mileage rating. They must be bricks.

In your search, look into the Bridgestone BT45's. They're dual compound so the straight up commuting won't flatten them out as fast. Plus you'll still have some decent cornering ability.

Btw, I use to run Metzeler comp k's on my ninja. Cornering grip was great for a bias-ply tire but I'd square the rear out commuting. Since they're no longer made I was thinking of giving the Pirelli Sport Demons a try next tire change.

Tom

[rocktboy]

Cheng-Shins all the way baby
since you are using it for commuting only I'd just get the cheapest, hardest, longest lasting tire you can find.

[HIX]

I looked into the bt 45s anfd they don't make the sizes I need. This bike has a wierd set up that really limits my ability to choose the tire I want

The front can run 110/90 16 or 120/80 16

The front can run 140/70 18 or 150/70 18

Any suggestions?

[Hoopty]

Get some 17" inch wheels!

[HIX]

Get some 17" inch wheels!

What? and pay more than I paid for the bike? The tires alone are gonna cost me about half

[BladeRider]

Go to Discount Motorcycle Tires website, they have the sizes you need in the bt45's

http://www.discountmotorcycletire.com

120/80v-16 - $70
140/70v-18 - $82

Interesting setup. My ninja has all 16's. The 88-90 ZX10 has a 17 front and an 18 rear.

Tom

[HIX]

Great.

I am taking the wheels in tomorrow to get some new kicks...Kinda cool. I haven't ever had to put on new tires! I have 13k on my other bike and it still has another 1k on the tires, every bike before that I traded or sold before I needed to re-up on the tires. Should be interesting.