Time to change tires? Need advice

[dbutton12]

Touring & car tire??

I'm gonna be in the market for a rear tire soon also. I absoutely hate the Metz primarily because of the braking (or lack of it, I mean). I have heard several of you comment about various car tires that you have experimented with, but I think these were mostly on roadsters, etc. Has anyone tried a car tire on a touring? If so what size? I also would like to hear from someone who actually has done some higher speed cornering with the car tire. We do some mounain riding up in Vermont, NH, Maine and I would have some concern about the lack of cornering surface on one of those tires. I suppose dropping air pressure would help, but I don't know how much. I'm not into smoke shows (only occasionally) or drag racing, so if that is the main benefit of running a car tire I'm not interested.
If that is not an option, I'm liking what is said about the Avon, but what size should I shop for on the touring....looks like I can go both wider and taller which would help in the braking dept.

 

[dbutton12]

Ahh, shoulda read the entire thread....

Well, after reading what was just said about the CT and handling/safety I'm not headin in that direction. We do too much cornering around here to take chances like that.

I do have to say, though that the braking on the R3T is inferior to many other bikes I've riden including the 03 America that I still ride alot. The last Harley Street Glide I owned can out brake the R3T by a good stretch. I know because I still ride with the feller I sold it to. It really can't be blamed on my riding ability because I feel it lock and ease up now, but with the heft of the bike and size of rear tire it really shouldn't be that sensitive. We switch back and forth on each other's bikes and all agree that the braking SUCKS. One of our crew has a new Gold Wing,,,,you wanna have brakes buddy??hang on!!!! (of course that is with a real high-tech ABS system also) I have blamed the Metz, but that may be the wrong thing to do.

So anyway,,,,,a 200 series Avon may be my best choice for a MT????

 

[Macrider]

Dbutton, I have a 205/60 /16 car tire on my R3T and it corners just fine, in fact it corners better than the 2 MC tires I had before.
Yes, 2 ,thats how fast they wear out.
The MC tires would "slip" in hard cornering but the car tire does not do that.
I will never go back to a MC tire.
Anyways I do not want to open a can of worms here.
This is an old tiring debate.
To each his own.

 

[TriumPhil]

I totally agree with Mac's last sentence and completely disagree with the balance of his post.

As I am an avid fan of science rather than science fiction and fact vs. opinion, I'll just say that it is impossible for a CT to outcorner a MT, provided that the MT has adequate tread remaining to do what it was designed to do. The comparative amount of rider input and countersteering required to put the same bike through the same turn at the same speed, is night and day, with the MT being far more neutral and effortless to maneuver.

That's not to say that one can't slam a CT through the twisties, I have done so on three different bikes, including my R3, however, when you really start to push the envelope, the CT becomes a bit like a bull ride - it begins to ride you rather than vice versa, while the CT just starts to slip to the point of losing traction.

That said, to each their own. If your perceptions say otherwise, who am I to burst your bubble?

 

[atomsplitter]

Well, after reading what was just said about the CT and handling/safety I'm not headin in that direction. We do too much cornering around here to take chances like that.

I do have to say, though that the braking on the R3T is inferior to many other bikes I've riden including the 03 America that I still ride alot. The last Harley Street Glide I owned can out brake the R3T by a good stretch. I know because I still ride with the feller I sold it to. It really can't be blamed on my riding ability because I feel it lock and ease up now, but with the heft of the bike and size of rear tire it really shouldn't be that sensitive. We switch back and forth on each other's bikes and all agree that the braking SUCKS. One of our crew has a new Gold Wing,,,,you wanna have brakes buddy??hang on!!!! (of course that is with a real high-tech ABS system also) I have blamed the Metz, but that may be the wrong thing to do.

So anyway,,,,,a 200 series Avon may be my best choice for a MT????

How much front brake do you use? Since 85% of the braking is in the front (hence 2 disks vice 1 in the rear) locking the rear tire is incredibly easy, even with a car tire. I know I have a 225 car tire and I can lock it faster than you can read this sentence. As Triumphil says science vs. science fiction. When you brake you shift weight bias from the rear to the front REGARDLESS of the brake you deploy. Don't believe that? Ask yourself why the handlebars dive when you mash ONLY the rear brake. That pesky weight shift is unloading the rear tire, losing you traction as it does so. Rear wheel lockup can be avoided by having overly crappy brakes and pads so the efficiency of the brake is reduced so a panic stand-on-the-pedal will not lock up the rear wheel. That Honda with ABS automatically shifts braking power TO THE FRONT the harder you stomp on it. The problem with Triumph brakes isn't they are too bad, it's the rear is too powerful for the size of bike. Next time you're going through the twisty stuff, don't use the rear brake at all. You'll actually go faster.....

 

[TriumPhil]

Here, here to our own mad scientist!

 

[CanberraR3]

Lessons in Sanity.

 

[kblahetka]

I really hate french toast. It's something about the smell I think. I legg eggs, i like bread, cooked together like that and it's appaling to me and makes me gag. In fact, no other food I've come across in my life has seemed so disgusting to me.

All that said, i've never felt the need to walk into a cracker barrel and tell people they should be eating pancakes.

 

[TriumPhil]

Of course, such choices and selections generally have no impact upon lives or limbs, do they?

 

[HansO]

Pretty sure they're made in Japan mate. The one I just had fitted was.

Probally just stamp it Japan so they can charge more......


It will be interesting to see if the tyres the guy imported from USA are any different to locally bought tyres, reason I say this is that the Americans keep quoting what would be consider outrageously good mileages on their Metz tyres ... Are they a different spec to the Auss tyre


Just kidding about the Japan stamp ... I think you you will find that Aussie spec tyre are probally made in Japan I remember looking into why the original Bridgestone tyre fitted to my yamaha 650 lasted heaps longer that the one I bought after wards, was told that the original was a factory special made for general world std but tyre bought was made to Auss, this 20 year ago don't know if things have changed.
Any way I see this thread has degenerated into another Darkside mud slinging match so I will refrain from commenting except to say .....





.......catch me if you can keep up