| Author | Message | ||
     J2blue |
This question is kind of a spin off of a recent newbie question about high speed handling and how the Dunlop tires are mostly to blame for the squirrelly feeling and not the front fork. On my stock rear tire I looked at the profile and noticed it had more of the shape of half an octagon than a smooth curved arch. I'm just now getting to 1800 miles on the bike. Maybe it was an optical illusion. But I wonder if this is what causes me to flinch when rolling over a bit and accelerating; it feels like the back end is about to slide out. It stabilizes if I hold the lean angle gentle enough. My first reaction is to want to get off the throttle when I feel that abrupt shift in the rear, but that doesn't bode well for the front if it is a tight turn. Is it possible I just need to practice leaning on the rear and wearing the tire into a better feel? Maybe sideways burnouts?  | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Creepingme: I hadn't considered scooter tires in my response! I imagine finding a radial in a front size should be easier than the rear since there are a lot more front tires available to fit the Blast (not stock sizes though). | ||
| Ezblast |
Ditch the stocker Dunlop - period EZ | ||
| Rockstarblast1 |
what j2 blue said is EXACTLY how i feel! all will be fine and then when i try taking a turn a little faster i feel like the ass end is gunna fly out from under me so i have to back off the throttle... im thinking going with the avons that are a little larger then stock and "fixing" the rear swing arm so it fits lol | ||
| Xgecko |
the fix is easy and the feel of larger tires is so worth the change | ||
| Joshuasanders |
My tires (at 3.4ishK) for my 2003 Blast apparently need replacement. Given that I ride conservatively (and often, but with a short commute), why shouldn't I go with stock replacements? What are the noticeable differences for the upgraded tires (Pirelli v. Dunlop v. others mentioned)? Bear with me, but I am just looking for a succinct comparison of the pros and cons for the various replacement tires that do NOT require any other modifications to the rest of the bike. As Bartyles and James would say, Thank you fer yer support!! Happy Fourth all!!! JDS | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Pirelli's are stock on the new Blasts and probably cost half as much as the Dunlops. The front shouldnt need replacing at 3500 miles, you should be replacing (at least) 2 rears for every front. The Pirelli's usually wont last as long but are a far superior tire to the Dunlop, except in the mileage dept. You will notice a difference in the ride. | ||
| Reuel |
For gentle riding that doesn't involve immediate high energy cornering while tires are still cold, Avon tires last quite a bit longer than Pirelli tires. Once they're warmed up, you can carve corners as much as you want. Pirelli tires stick better sooner. Dunlop tires might last almost as long as Pirelli tires, but cost a bunch more. | ||
| Ezblast |
Dunlops suck! EZ | ||
| Reuel |
Don't hold back, Ed. Tell us how you really feel! | ||
| Ezblast |
They are unsafe and should never have been used as a stock tire! They slide in moisture, follow grooves, and ruts, and have little if any stickiness to them! There - now I feel better!  EZ | ||
| Reuel |
I had my rear tire slip once the whole time I've had my Blast. It was the Dunlop, too! Beautiful, sunny day in Missouri. Wind picks up, black clouds swoop in, rain comes down, rear tire scoots to the right, I almost crap myself, recover, and get off the next exit. | ||
| Magicman22 |
Dunlop to pirelli swap question. I just did the rear tire swap from stock dunlop to the pirelli mt75. Just had a chance to get a very quick test drive in and noticed that all of my normal "commuting" speeds that I used for shifting seemed too low. Example, I normally would shift into 5th when I was just above 50 mph and it would be pretty smooth, but now seem to get pedal vibrations in 5th at 55mph. Other speed/gears seem different now too. Would the tire make a difference? Shifting too soon? Just noticed after tire change. Thanks | ||
| Magicman22 |
More info to above post: I notice this footpeg and maybe some handlebar vibration more as soon as I shift into forth and then it smooths out a little as speed increases and then shifting to 5th it gets stronger and then diminishes some as speed is increased. I have the dunlop stock on the front. Could that be causing this? | ||
| Ezblast |
Yes - ditch the Dunlop. EZ | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Well, the Dunlop does suck and I'd ditch it asap for the MT75, but I dont see how it could cause this problem. The vibrations yes, but not in relation to engine rpm  Sounds like your shifting too soon. Maybe because the Pirelli runs smoother now you notice it? | ||
| Berkshire |
Yes, the Blast runs best when you accelerate at full throttle and shift as follows: 1 -> 2: 35 mph 2 -> 3: 50 3 -> 4: 65 4 -> 5: 80 Also, a worn out tire is a wee bit shorter than a new one, so it gives the effect of lower gearing - it shouldn't make a BIG difference, but it does account for some of it. | ||
| Magicman22 |
Ez - Gearheaderiko - Berkshire, Thanks for the help. Also wondering what would an out of balance tire on the rear feel like? I used a homemade balancer with the axle supported on bearings to try to balance the tire. It originally only had one 1/4 ounce weight on the rim and it didn't even line up with what seemed to be the heavy spot. It took five 1/4 ounce weights to cancel out the heavy spot. Additionally, my old tire wore more smooth on a small area than it did on the rest of the tire. | ||
| Berkshire |
If you check it multiple times and keep getting the same result, then it's probably accurate. The test: if it doesn't vibrate at high speed, then consider yourself an expert balancer! | ||
| Luke_sidewalker |
I did my own tire change/balance on Saturday. Bike had severe vibration at speeds over 70 mph. Vibration felt like harmonic resonance beginning in front wheel and moving back through frame to rear wheel, and then repeating. Kind of like the whole bike was doing the wave. It wasn't a constant vibration, but more of a pulsing sensation. I changed the rear tire with a set of spoons and balanced both front and rear. Mine took one ounce on each front and rear. | ||
| Reuel |
That's definitely a balance vibration. | ||
| Swampy |
LukeSidewalker, Check your front isolator. When they go bad you will get all sorts of vibrations. | ||
| Reuel |
Mine went flat on me. Vibrations seemed to go right through my feet when I was getting above 75% of rev limitation. With a new isolater, the vibration was much more constant. | ||
| Toniportray |
Berkshire, "1->2: 35 mph, 2->3: 50, 3->4: 65, 4->5: 80" You can't be serious... Yet it seems your comment has been taken seriously from others posting... My Blast would explode if I rode like that. Not to mention I wouldn't be able to achieve my record high mpg's with that kind of riding. | ||
| Toniportray |
So I've yet to see much opinion about how bald "too bald" is. I like to make sure I ride my tires 'till I feel like I've got the longest mileage on them without significantly comprising my safety as a rider. In the first picture is my previous Dunlop tire when I decided it was time to change it.  Is this dangerously too much wear? After feeling the thickness of the center of the tire (where the wearing is) with it off, it seems like I could have squeezed another 1k miles out of that tire even though it's pretty bald. My current stock rear has 6000k miles on it and I expect to get at least another 2k out of it as I watch it carefully. Here's where it's at right now at 6k.  I plan on running it until it looks like the first tire. What sort of opinions do riders here have on riding a tire tread down? And why does my Yamaha 600 get over 14k on the rear stock Dunlop tire, whereas my stock Buell Dunlop tire only gets around 8-9k? What the crap? Same manufacturer but one lasts way longer. | ||
| Ezblast |
Dunlops suck! EZ | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Down to the TWI (tread wear indicator) bars is considered safe. Some say 3/32 tread depth. You can run them bald if you want. The less tread the faster they wear. You can go from bald to cords showing in a short afternoon. However, if you hit some water, you are going down fast. Also, running a crap front tire is penny wise and pound foolish. Sure, you're saving money, but I hope those savings are being spent on insurance. Rear tire slide=fun. Front tire slide=accident. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
"Berkshire, "1->2: 35 mph, 2->3: 50, 3->4: 65, 4->5: 80" You can't be serious... Yet it seems your comment has been taken seriously from others posting... My Blast would explode if I rode like that. Not to mention I wouldn't be able to achieve my record high mpg's with that kind of riding." That is full throttle shifting. Frankly, mines more like 1->2 40mph, 2->3 60mph, 3->4 75mph, 4->5 90mph. It wont blow up (but you'll need a little modification to do 40mph in 1st gear). | ||
| Berkshire |
Toni, yes I am serious, and don't call me "Shirley"!  I feel that full-throttle acceleration is a safety issue: Cars are a menace, and I'm safer if I leave them FAR behind! ...and when riding twisty roads with guys on XB's and crotch rockets, the only way to keep up is to use the sweet part of the powerband. My bike hasn't exploded yet, but it's nowhere close to retirement age either - we'll see how it does. With stock cams I was averaging about 52 mpg, but now it's gone down a little. CAUTION: The various law-enforcement agencies DO somewhat frown upon this style of riding, and... ---> new riders should be VERY careful not to get in over their head - always ride within your abilities! <--- Still, it should be said that the factory & riders-edge recommended shift points are just ridiculously low! IMO, you need good throttle response to twisting in BOTH directions (faster or slower) for safe maneuvering in traffic and corners, and you just don't get that at low revs. To be quick on your feet, you need to have a little momentum. | ||
| Swampy |
Toniportray, Why in the world would you still be running Dunlops seeing they suck so much on the Blast? Next question, How in the world did you get 6,000 miles on a stock Dunlop that sucks on the Blast? I have only gotten about 3,000 on them, ever. I usually order new tires when they start to have no tread, and then I usually don't get the chance to change them out until after the cords start to peek through. |
