Best tires for R3T

I ran a 880 front and rear on my T'bird and had no adverse handling issues used to throw it in to corners chasing my mates on sportbikes. I got about 17,000klm from both tyres alot of hwy straight riding. I then replaced the rear with a Michelin road pilot didn't really notice any handling difference between them. when i took my Rocket for a test ride I followed the dealer on a 2016 z10 through the Twisties scrapping the foot boards on most corners. When we got back he was a bit freaked out
That a: I could throw the bike around like that and b: was keeping up with him most of the way. I didn't know what kind of tyres were on the bike, when I did have an optic
Rear is a 880 Mezl and the front is a Pirelli night dragon, if I can keep up with a Z10 through the Twisties I'm happy

Tripps said:

I like the Avon Cobras, front and rear, I've had 2 sets each of stock and Cobras, all had good grip, but the Cobras turn in quicker and last at least 50% longer.

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I had a set of the Cobras, they ran great but I push the bike hard thru the corners and the rear tire lasted less than 6,ooo miles and the sidewalls had the cords showing.

I never got 6000 out of a rear Metz

Avon Cobra Rear 17500Klms so far not ready for replacement yet, Exedra Max BIAS front 12500Klms half worn ,but I am no boy racer that's why I ride a Rocket not a Busa JUST Cruising!

I've got over 3000 miles on the stock tires. I can feel the handling going already and I haven't really rode it hard. Seems like the majority of folks like the Avons. I know their more expensive but I've found you get what you pay for. Can anyone verify the tire sizes/ratings that are the replacements that everyone is using? I am asking because I've found front and rear but with different ratings. Along with AV72 rear, and AV71 for the front.

I changed my tires on my R3T yesterday. I ended up going with Avon Cobras front and back although it was a toss-up between those and the Bridgestone Excedra Max "V" tires based on comments here.

Anyway, I thought I'd mention how the job went in case someone else is thinking of changing their own tires on their R3T for the first time but may be concerned based on things they've read about the job. Maybe someone will find something here useful.

The job was surprisingly straight-forward and relatively easy. Maybe that's just because I had read some comments on this and other threads that said it was a really difficult job and some said they would never even think of doing it so I was mentally prepared for a tough job. And maybe it seemed easy because I've always done my own work on everything. But it really wasn't difficult even for this (almost) 68 year-old.

I broke the beads with C-clamps. The pads of the clamps wanted to slip away from the bead because of the Windex I was using as a lube so I inserted a thin piece of hardwood between the bead and the wheel rim when the bead was pushed fairly well down with another C-clamp. I then put the C-clamp on the piece of wood, which was inserted all the way into the rim. It didn't slip and it forced the bead down nicely and broke the bead. Lube well to help break the bead.

I removed and installed the rear tire using just spoons. It wasn't difficult - at least not as difficult as some say. Just some force and well-placed spoons were necessary. I did have some store-bought rim protectors and also some plastic from large soda bottles. The soda bottle plastic slipped into places where the rim protectors couldn't go and were very effective. In fact, you really don't need store-bought rim protectors at all.

I tried the zip-tie method on the front tire thinking it would help me avoid difficulty getting spoons around the rotors. It probably did make removing the front tire a bit easier but I don't think it helped installation that much. I had to use spoons anyway to get the tire finally popped on so I probably won't use zip ties at all in the future. It would have taken me less time without them but I'm sure they work better with some tires.

Zip-ties on the rear tire? Forget it! The tire was so stiff even after sitting out in the sun for hours that there's no way the zip ties could come even close to pulling the beads together. I suppose I could have used C-clamps to force the beads together and then put the zip-ties on but I didn't want to stress the tires with the force it would have taken.

It only took two or three minutes to install each tire once one side of the tire was popped onto the rim which doesn't require any tools at all. Just push it on.

I balanced the tires using a Marc Parnes balancer but I replaced the thumb screws with set screws because one recess of the rear wheel is deep enough so that the thumb screw on the cone hit the wheel. The wheel weights that I got from Mark kept falling off even after I thoroughly cleaned the place where they would go with alcohol. I ended up using a different brand of weights and cleaned the rim with lacquer thinner instead of alcohol. But after watching the weights fall off repeatedly, I took notes on where the weights were located and how much weight was used and I also took pictures showing exactly where the go for future reference in case they fall off. I keep that info in a file on my PC. If they fall off right away, I won't have to take the wheels off and re-balance.

Safety: Be sure the bike is solidly supported! I used a Harbor Freight motorcycle floor jack which works fine. In fact, I use it to keep the bike off the floor in the winter. But you have to ride the bike up onto a couple boards to raise it enough for the jack to slip under the bike. It's their jack with two support bars. You have to put a thin board on one of the support bars because of the shape of the engine.

I used one very heavy ratchet strap around the waist of the bike (with the seat removed) passing through the floor jack rings for that purpose. I then ran two more heavy duty ratchet straps - one on each side of the bike - from the frame under the seat to heavy stationary machines in my shop. Finally, I ran two light straps from the forks to machines in my shop to keep the front end centered and steady. The bike was so solidly held in place that you couldn't budge it if you tried except for a slight bit of teeter-tottering from front to back which was actually useful when removing an replacing the wheels.

I only drove the bike a mile or two this morning to my Post Office so I can't judge the tires yet. Also, I was taking it easy because they're new and need to be scuffed up a bit but it seemed like I had a softer ride - in a nice way. Maybe it's just my imagination. It's too soon to really tell. But t seemed to handle bumps more smoothly. I'll know more later this week when I take it on a long ride.

ksquared said:

Haven't noticed a lot of love for the Avon Cobras on the R3T in this thread, so I thought I'd chime in with my $0.02 on this.

I am a complete convert to the Avon Cobras on my Touring. I will never forget the first time I switched over from the Metz 880's to the Cobras. I felt like Valentino Rossi! Immediately I picked up several degrees of highly stable and controllable lean angle. The ride was seriously improved; it felt like the tires had become an active partner of the suspension; harshness decreased and stability increased - and markedly so.

As for "skittishness" in the rain; I haven't noticed this. Down here in Fla. we've been known to have some pretty significant rain pop up and my Cobras have handled this rain with aplomb. Of course, I recognize the power differential between my Touring and a standard R3, so this might not translate over very well.

I have 6K on my current set and they're not showing much, if any, wear. Should be good for at least 10K.

I run 40/40 cold.

All things considered - I think the Cobras are the absolute BEST tires you can run on the Touring.

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ksquared: I just changed from the original Metz tires to Cobras this weekend and I completely agree with your assessment although I haven't ridden on them much yet. But I immediately noticed a difference in ride. When I took my first short ride, I didn't know if it was just my imagination but I just took it for a longer ride and the difference is pronounced. My wife was on the back and she immediately felt the difference. She has minor back problems and she said that specific bumps in the road that used to hurt her back didn't bother her at all with the Cobras. The ride definitely is better. I haven't had the bike out at high speed or curvy roads yet so I can't comment on that but, even at slower speeds, the bike seems to steer much better. I'm just a cruiser and don't push extreme leans so I may not fully feel the improvement of these tires like someone who is a more aggressive rider but I definitely like what I've experienced so far.

First impressions of Avon Cobras vs. Metzler 880 tires:

I rode about 150 miles yesterday and have some first impressions of the Avon Cobra tires on my R3T. As I mentioned, the ride seems to be smoother - handling bumps less harshly. But the thing that really stands out is how the tires want to make the bike drop into a lean rather than having to force it. I got used to having to put some force into turning with the Metzlers so it was no problem. The Avons, on the other hand, seem to WANT to lean over in a curve. They're definitely more responsive. In fact, they startled me a couple times when starting out from a stop while making a right-hand turn and even in the first higher speed curve. Rather than having to put some force into the turn, the Avon's just dropped into it after it reached a certain point. I almost had to hold them back! A couple times I had the weird sensation that the rear wheel was sliding out but I know it wasn't. It was obviously just the tire leaning over so easily. I do have to get used to this but it will mean better handling when I do. These tires say, "Come on! Let's lean this thing over!"

I was just wondering if there is any issue with mixing and matching the max and the metz. my front metz is at about 60% and the rear is one step from showing cords. Took a corner on a wet road last week and weeeeee. Ive stuck with the stock tire now for 6 times in 30k. I'm not a hard rider but Ive had enough.