| Author | Message | ||
     Oldog |
I have 2 bikes, x1 and an 1125r the x1 loves just about any thing, the 1125, does not work well with continental, road attack. I am looking for reasonable grip and long mileage, for the 25. the Bridgestone Battleaxe t30 sport touring rear is about gone at 4600 miles. your thoughts would be appreciated  | ||
| Jaimec |
Before I traded it in, I had a set of Metzeler sport touring tires on my 1125R, the Roadtec Z8 Interacs to be specific. They provided more than enough grip for the couple of track days I did with it, and (as sport TOURING tires) they'll last a lot longer than a pure sport tire as well. Give them a try. | ||
| Crusty |
Both my XT and my Moto Guzzi Norge loved Pirelli Angel GTs. If I could get them in the right size, I'd try them on my Roadster. I don't know how they'd be on an 1125, but I'd try them at the first opportunity, if I had an 1125. They impressed me that much. Now, somebody is going to post how much he thinks the Pirellis suck. Such is the nature of tire discussions. Very few people have the same tastes in tires. | ||
| 86129squids |
+1, Pirelli Angel GT's. I love Pirelli. Getting ready to have a new Avon put on back of the Beemer. | ||
| Etennuly |
My favorite all around have been the Michelin Pilot Road II. Nothing has come close. Dunlop 5,000 factory rear, several Pirelli Scorpion Syncs until they changed the casing with a new factory rears went 5,500 miles. Pilot Road I went 3,000 on the rear as did a Conentintal Conti 3. I got 11,000 on a rear Pilot Road II. The casing is slightly smaller in profile than the Sync was. Carcass and belts are far superior to the others(I had cut and compared them) | ||
| Mnscrounger |
HIJACK WARNING!! NON BUELL CONTENT AHEAD! Anybody got a recommendation of tires for a 73 CB 500K? It's my father in laws bike, (he bought new in 73). I've been rebuilding it over the last couple months/years and making sure its safe so he can ride it again before he's too old to hold it up. ( that day is quite a few years away hopefully) The bias plys were last on the road in 1992. 3.25x19F & 3.50X18R. They look "ok", but there's no way I'm going to test ride on minimum 25 year old tires. Were looking for a 80-100 dollar tube type tire to work with wire wheels, but has better handling, wet performance and braking, than bias plys of yesteryear. We now return you to Buell content.... | ||
| Ourdee |
If it was mine, I would shop online for tread patterns that come close to matching the old tires. I would shop Pirelli first. That's me. | ||
| Airbozo |
Why doesn't the 1125 like the Road Attacks? Only thing I use on my XB12R are the Conti Sport Attacks. Not a high mileage tire, but damn they eat up the twisties! | ||
| Cupcake_mike |
etennuly, I echo your recommendation...my experience is with a ulysses, though...gonna put a new one on next week before my 2 week 4k+ mile trip to the mile and the homecoming (with the east coast and great lake touring in between). I hate it, cause I only got 8k on it and its got at least a couple Ks left... | ||
| Shoggin |
I've had Conti sport attacks for a cheaper tire I thought was OK but didn't get a lot of mileage out of them. Maybe 6k or so?, Seems like every XB I buy has Pirelli Angel GT's on it, maybe they're old but they all seem to be squirrelly when laid over. Not very confidence inspiring and only 5k or so before they're shot  I LOVE the Pilot Road 5's on the STT. Unbelievable amount of wiggle free grip and after 5K miles they still look new! Like, NEW! | ||
| Ratbuell |
Pilot Road's on every pavement bike. Make sure to get the "touring" version for something with bags, like a Thunderbolt or a Uly. I'm loving my Avon Trail Riders on the Uly now. Dual compound just like the PRs, but a nice, meaty carcass with deep, thick tread grooves that grab very nicely on dirt and gravel. Excellent transitions, shoulder-to-shoulder, no grip issues at all. Still young, but loving every mile so far! | ||
| Ourdee |
I'm running Angels again. I think next go around I am going back to Rosso IIs. I really liked how sticky they were. | ||
| Tootal |
Pilot Road's with any number! I've had 2's and 3's and my brother has the 4's. Amazing tires with dual compound that really stick well and are great in the rain. I've run Pirelli, Metzeler and the Michelin's and the Michelin's have lasted longer and stuck just as well as the others. On the old Honda look at Metzeler, they used to offer the older style tires still and they work well. | ||
| Ourdee |
There is another choice that I want to try; Avon 3D-XM Suggested by: Crempel to have a possible 15k mi. life. | ||
| Oldog |
Why doesn't the 1125 like the Road Attacks? they tend to cause low speed head shake, coast at say 45 - 50 mph and let go the bars it gets exciting,  you can feel the vibes in the "bars" at most speeds. that surprised me as Contis have been my choice for years, I have Bridgestones battleax t30 sport touring, on now and they ride and handle well ( I don't thrash it any way ) but they are not durable at 4500 miles it wont pass inspection. | ||
| Jaimec |
I never got to see how long the Metzeler Roadtec Z8s would last because I traded in the bike before they were anywhere NEAR being worn. At that time I had put ABOUT 8,000 miles on them (including a day with Keith Code's California Superbike School) so that should give you a rough idea. They also worked very well in the few downpours in which I got caught which is another consideration to keep in mind. | ||
| Etennuly |
Mnsc, My then new 1979 Honda CB750F came with Bridgestone bias tires. Forget those! Never had any worry of getting the bike to hook to pavement with them! Made for a lot of easy smoking burnouts! Sucked in rain. Switched to Dunlop tour tires. Burn outs turned into wheelies! Never knew the bike could handle until I switched. | ||
| 1313 |
This thread will never hold air. I somehow thought that this was appropriate to post on this thread... YMMV! | ||
| Etennuly |
Oh get a grip! | ||
| Crusty |
Well; this discussion has gone flat... | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Dunlops. Made in America by Americans. | ||
| Airbozo |
Why doesn't the 1125 like the Road Attacks? they tend to cause low speed head shake, coast at say 45 - 50 mph and let go the bars it gets exciting, you can feel the vibes in the "bars" at most speeds. that surprised me as Contis have been my choice for years, I have Bridgestones battleax t30 sport touring, on now and they ride and handle well ( I don't thrash it any way ) but they are not durable at 4500 miles it wont pass inspection. I have had zero vibrations at any speed on my XB, but I use the Sport Attacks. And I use every bit of that back tire... I use the the Pilot roads on my S3T where lean angle is not as important and wet road conditions are OK. I tend to ride the XB pretty hard through the mountains, so paying a bit more for less mileage and better grip is OK with me. Not having to clear the mold release off is another benefit. (but by default I am always careful the first couple of hundred miles anyway).} | ||
| Zac4mac |
My first Buell. a 2003 XB9R had D207 then D208 Dunlops and they sucked really hard. dangerously bad tires. I did put some miles on the Dunlop dot race tires the RS came with. So soft and sticky, the rear flat-spotted in 80 miles. Next was a set of M3 Sportec Metzlers. wonderful tires, the same model is on my 1190RS now. Have been impressed with Pirellis on the 1125R and Uly. Gotta get another set of TKC80s for the ULY. Perfect setup for gravel backroads.   | ||
| Fresnobuell |
I ran those on my XB9SX for years. Loved 'em too. Worked excellent with the XB. | ||
| Two_seasons |
Bought Pirellis for my 1125r from AMERICAN Motorcycle Tire.com MADE IN CHINA Have yet to mount them...I was expecting Italian made tires.} | ||
| Crusty |
Yeah; tires are made all over, any more. When I bought a pair of Conti Motions for my Guzzi Norge, they were stamped MADE IN MALASIA. Now, Triumps are made in Thailand and Harleys are made in India and Hondas are made in the USA. Where will it all end? | ||
| Fresnobuell |
I am pretty sure Dunlops are still made here in the USA by American workers. Also, Dunlop supplies the Moto2 & Moto3 tires for the GP circuit. That always struck me as very interesting and feather(s) in Dunlop's cap. | ||
| 1313 |
and Hondas are made in the USA. Not motorcycles anymore... In June 2009, the Marysville Motorcycle Plant ceased production after almost 30 years, as Honda consolidated global production of specific large motorcycles at a new factory in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. | ||
| Oldog |
The Japanese have had hard economic times, no surprise they took the work home. I have seen contis, made in korea, then Germany etc. Air, by comparison I have a b-stone front on the 25 now its badly cupped and the head shake is no where near as bad ( slight ) I "Think" that the blocky tread pattern cups easily I have conti's on the x1 front and its fine the wheel and head bearings on the 25 should be ok. who knows.. Its always good to find Balance .. on the subject of tires, | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Can anyone explain the phenomenon of the leading edge of a tire sipe being worn as opposed to the rear edge? One would assume as the tire pushed the bike forward the rear edge of the sipe would get worn, but it seems like the exact opposite is true. Anyone? | ||
| Tootal |
The rear of the sipe just bends into the groove leaving the leading edge, which is supported by the rubber behind it, to dig in taking the edge off. It's like riding over a pot hole. The leading edge of the hole doesn't get much force against it but the far edge gets hit with the tire after it's dropped into the hole bashing it. | ||
| Airbozo |
After posting, I got home to the latest Cycle Gear catalog and a full set of Conti Sport Attacks are $189. This got me thinking about the different Sport Attack models and which ones you have tried Olddog. The models on sale at Cycle Gear _appear_ to be the sport attack hypersport models which are the original versions and they have the sport attack 2's (similar tread pattern) and the sport attack 3's which are a different style pattern. I have not tried the 3's, only the original and the 2's (which I _think_ are on the bike now (rained today, so I can't check until I get home). They also have the road attacks and while they lasted longer, I didn't like the grip, or lack thereof. The Road Attacks are more of a touring tire. Here are the different versions: Sport Attack Hypersport (original):  Sport Attack 2's:  Sport Attack 3's:  Since I am in need of replacing tires, I might as well try something different (so I can be more adventurous). Tell me the best tires to try. I commute daily, half mountain twisties, half freeway. I ride the twisties hard (there is maybe a 1/16" of non used tire on the rear and just over 1/4" on the front) and love the grip of the Sport Attacks. I also don't ride the XB when it is wet out, so wet weather performance is low on my list. |
