| Author | Message | ||
     Cmodtopgun |
The only problem I have with ordering tires online is that it appears next to impossible to get them mounted in the Chicago area if you didn't buy them there. From what I have read in Brit rags, it is not much of an issue there, but if the local Harley Dealer is putting new Buell owners off for 6 weeks for their 500 mile service, just how long do you think they would make you wait to mount and balance tires you didn't but from them? | ||
| Jmartz |
Fly: I'm not aware of any changes that will prevent the swap but the old S2 carrier/rotor sucks big time, you might want to rethink that one. | ||
| Bigblock |
I just put Avon AV39, AV40 Azaro Sport II on my 2000M2, wow what an improvement over D207's. Better stability, turn in, holding a line, and stand-up. Only thing, I'd say they are mainly a dry weather tire from the looks of the tread, but it probably won't rain again here till December. So far, after 1 track day and a few hundred miles on the street, my feeling is better mileage than 207's, as well. | ||
| Chuck |
Ray, have you ever tried the race compound D207's?They are very different from the street tires. | ||
| Drandall |
Race compound tires can be dangerous for the street; they're designed to need much greater heat to work properly, which street riding seldom provides. Motorcycle news in England found the Bridgestone 010s the best street-sport tire this year. Dave '00 X1RS | ||
| Chuck |
That's interesting, Dave. I wonder if any other knowledgeable sources are equally fond of the Bridgestones. I've not owned a street bike with as much torque as the M2; so its hard to compare accurately; but I'm constantly surprised at how easily the stock D205 breaks loose. I've sampled a few tires on different bikes on the track and on the street...and I have felt some differences. I've "cooked" the grip out of a set of Metzler race compound tires whose tread "looked" fine; but in general, with respect to top shelf race tires, I'd have to respectfully disagree that (in any dry condition) they could have less grip than street compound tires. Anyway, Bigblock just finished a session on the race track...and its my belief that in that environment, race compound tires are a necessity. | ||
| Chuck |
DISCLAIMER TO EVERYONE: you will all like me more, if you keep in mind while reading my posts that I can sometimes be a real ass hole  | ||
| Airborne |
Dave, that sounds to me like corporate advertising to start myths that aren't true in hopes of selling more tires at a cheaper price to drive up volume of sells and make more money and achieve false bragging rights. Kind of like the myths pertaining to claims for motorcycle specific oil that are used to make you buy more expensive oil that is nothing more than rebottled cheaper car oil. I've tried bridgestone and didn't like them. They wore out too quickly (1800 miles) and lost their grip rather easily prior to reaching the wear bars. Skipping over painted lines, stepping out under power coming out of a turn, too much rear end squirrelliness under heavy braking. The D207 has lasted me 2500 miles and still maintains grip under those same conditions listed above. Even darn near bald. (I ordered new tires today) I can even do 80mph on a wet interstate and still feel comfortable with the traction of the D207. I case you haven't noticed I'm hell on tires. I'm forecasting buying 4 rear tires and 2 front tires before this coming fall. I also plan on buying different brands to finish my comparison. If I don't like a tire I'll cook it off in the twisties and buy another one. Don't believe everything you read. Research it for yourself and cross reference it to other articles you read. | ||
| Blake |
Chuck: "... like me more...} implies we like you at all in the first place. heheheh  But ditto for me what you said. Same for Peter T, though he would never admit it. | ||
| Bigblock |
Chuck- No, I haven't tried the 207gp, but I'm hearing the 208GP is THE tire to run on the track. The Avons I'm running(AV39, AV40 Sport II) are their sticky street tire, the Supersport II is their track tire. These are not a rain tire, I was pleased with my 207's wet weather perf. I went through 207 rears in 1800 mi. The front don't go much longer, and after last time, I'll stick with changing both out at the same time. Now if I were to actually RACE, I would probably try the 208's, on advice of guys that RACE. But for dry weather street and the occasional track day, I am very impressed with the Avons, I'll keep you guys posted on tread life. Ray | ||
| Bradgross |
hey all, Got a quick question that in no way involves Buell. I'm picking up a motorcycle this weekend which I believe will be a new work-in-progress/money pit. (God I love those) See my profile to see the bike. (arvel you are gonna love it) Anyway it has tube type tires and what I want to know is how do I fix a leak in the tire? I've done bicycle tires many a time is the process the same? Do I just need a bigger tire iron? What about the rear and the fact that it is attached via a shaft drive? Sorry for asking the Buell folk here but it seems that most of you have 2 bikes and maybe some of you have this problem and I no one to really ask. Thanks, Brad | ||
| S2no1 |
Brad, Tubed tires, oh yeah. Check out JC Whitless and order motorcycle tire irons the are about twice the size of a bicycle iron. Be very carefull not to bend the rim or break the bead either are real painful. Also check you play when you have a tire off and that the spokes are tight. The best patches I've had experience with were from vulcanized kits. A tad more expensive, but pyrotechnics are involved so they are more manly. More later. Arvel | ||
| Warp2 |
I'm trying to find a brake part. It's the 5mm allen bolt that holds the pads in the front calliper. I've had this part orderd for 6 weeks now from Buell. Thanks P.S. I switched from 205's to 207's and am much more happy. I'd like to try the Avon 39/40's but they sure cost alot more. Tires don't seem to last very long here in Phoenix. | ||
| Airborne |
Brad: I tried to look at your profile for the picture of the bike. No picture dude. Not only do I have the buell but I have a 81 Yamaha Maxim 750. That bike has a shaft drive. If the shaft drive is similar to mine it is actually pretty easy to deal with. 1. Loosen axle nut 2. Slide the axle out. (Note the Yamaha's axle can only slide in and out from one side) 3. A spacer between the swing arm and the rim should fall free when the axle comes completely out. 4. The shaft output (in may case) is splined to mate up with the rim. Nudge, bang, kick, scream and cuss the wheel to the side that the spacer came from, away from the shaft drive gear housing. 5. Have a beer. Get a Haynes manual or the factory service manual. It's worth the money. | ||
| Hans |
Warp2, Me is told that Suzuki uses the same callipers and, at least here (in Holland), their parts are delivered promptly. Just an hint. Hans. | ||
| Bradgross |
Airborne, The picture is coming next week. The way I figure is that I can use the Honda when I'm working on the future Buell because I know that this will happen. Anyway it will be a huge work in progress. Then again no bike is ever complete. I am going to be a fortunate lad this weekend. The wife is going to follow me home as the current owner has rented a Uhaul for the bike and we are meeting halfway. The fortunate part is that the wife is adept at handling a trailer so she can drive the trailer behind me. You know just in case. Its going to be fun weekend. thanks all for the help. If the work is about the same as a bicycle tyre then all I really need is some stronger tire irons than what I have, a patch kit, and a tube of CO2 for the inflate. Not too shabby. Oh yeah manual is coming next. But its going to be a next month purchase as I had to buy a helmet this month with my funny money. Thanks to all, Brad | ||
| Pammy |
Changing a motorcycle tube is nothing like changing one on a bicycle. Breaking the bead is the major hurdle(without a machine). Then (especially if it is an old bike) you need to inspect the rim, unless you know what made the old tube leak(check valve core first). If it is at all rusty, you will need to take the tire all the way off the rim and steel brush and possibly paint the inside of the rim. Make sure you have a good rim strap(electrical tape will work in a pinch). checking for leaks on the outside won't work cause in a tubed tire the escaping air will take the path of least resistance, which will be from around the valve stem. Hopefully the guy didn't use fix-a-flat, or the like.EEWWW, what a mess and the clean up sucks. And the killer would be RIM LOCKS!! No modern street bike uses them. but some older street, enduro, and dirt bikes use them....if it does have a rim lock, just take it somewhere and have it done, or buy several tubes. A side note for the virtues of having it professionally repaired: If you remove the wheel from the bike, it should only run from $18 to $20 to have it done(not including tube)this should include balancing. Your time is worth money, right? The shop (if half-way decent) will also check your rim for trueness or any other defects that might be evident. If they pop a tube during the repair, they have to pay for it, not you. Anyway that's just my view on things, Pammy | ||
| Blake |
Extreme distance Buell touring tire: Is there one? If you had to go 10K+ miles before a rear tire change, are there any options available? And I don't wanna hear about how you got 8K+ miles out of your D205's or Michelin Mac90's cause I certainly can't!! The most I EVER got from a D205 rear was around 5600 miles, and I rode it all the way home from Houston with chord showing! I tried a Michelin Mac90 on the way home to TX from Chautauqua, NY via Blue Ridge Parkway. It needed replaced after only 4K miles! And yes, I am diligent about tire pressure, and no, I don't do burnouts (at least not until the tire is ready to come off anyway ) I mean I feel that I am generally easy on tires. Oh yeah, the front brake gets 90% of the stopping load; this is corroberated by the fact that my rear pads are just fine thank you after over 13K miles. Any super long distance tire alternatives that would work on a Buell? Blake | ||
| Mikej |
I won't tell you about getting 11,000 miles on my D205's and still having comfortable tread left on them then ( they were thru the wearbars, but had probably another 500-1,000 to go before the threads/cord started showing.) Old rule of thumb, the longer the mileage, the less the stick. I do know that local road composition has a lot to do with tire wear. The roads around Sacramento and in the foothills seem to really wear out tires fast. Around here in Wisconsin they seem to be easy on tires. Sorry I can't be more help. I think it was Aaron who ran some of those dual-compound tires on one of his bikes (might have been someone else though), with the higher mileage center, and with the stickier edges. You might check around for those. | ||
| S2no1 |
Brad, What Pammy said. It takes patience and skill to change one without tearing it. I remember patching a certain tube 3 times before I got it right. Only difference is I used Duct tape for the rubber over the spokes and a hose for cleaning out the fix-a-flat. I recall the worst was chewing up the edge of an al. alloy rim. If they are al. alloy, use a shop. You don't want to learn on that type of rim. However, you can do it, it just may not be worth the effort. (For a cash strapped teenager it was time well spent) Pammy, Now you've really brought back some memories. Let's see was it the GT750 or the XS650? Arvel | ||
| Blake |
11,000 miles!!!???? !@#%!#$%@#$%@#%$!#$!$%@%^%$&#%^$% blue streak!!!! #@$%&*^%&(&*(*^%$# | ||
| Mikej |
Somehow I don't think I'll get that out of the new set. I'll probably have them worn thin after my July trip. | ||
| Raymaines |
Hello all, I know this sort of Q&A have been dealt with before but I just passed over all that information the first time around cuz I thought you all were just being too darn fussy. My humblest apologies. My M2 is the only bike I've ridden in the last 20 years so I might not know what I'm missing but I think the rear break works just fine. My bike has been in the shop for a few days getting a new rear shock and I've been riding my sons Y2K M2. His rear break really Sucks It's an OK hill holder but I'm not sure that piece of crap even slows him down. What can we do about this? | ||
| Tripper |
My brake is a hill-holder also, have never heard of a stock rear brake that worked on a Buell. | ||
| S2no1 |
Ray, First bleed the brakes. Instructions here Chuck's Brake Purification Procedure (Just what does Chuck do to know so much?) If that doesn't help, call Cap and order his replacment master cylinder. It's supposed to do wonders. Personally, I use my front brake to slow down, it works much better.  Arvel | ||
| Jmartz |
Just installed a set of Ferodo pads in the rear that claim to be made of a material that will increase friction and perhaps braking. Interestingly, unlike the factory pads, the "small" pad is twice as thick as the "large" one. If it ever stops raining I'll test them and report. Jose | ||
| Raymaines |
Thanks guys, I really think the stock pads are made of oil impregnated teflon. My bike is better but the boys bike is really pitiful in that department. How can we have such effective front breaks and such ineffective junk in the rear? | ||
| S2no1 |
Ray, If you read some of Keith Code or other texts on sportbikes you'll find that the back brake is not intended to be a strong. One book I read recently discussed that some riders would put air in the line to make the rear brake useless. Novices and people who learned to ride on the dirt alway use the back brake, novices because they don't like the huge dive from the front brakes and dirters because they know how to use that brake to control and stop the bike. I think the best procedure for the street is somewhere in the middle, you should use the back brake to set the suspension and control the stops, most of the stopping should be done with front brake. I use both of my brake when I stop, just like this. Rarely lock up the back brake and don't have problem. Use the back first to set the suspension and start stopping and then smoothly apply the front to stop the bike. I'll try and scan some of the sections from my recent reads for the board. Also, I haven't forgot about my physics lesson that Blake asked for, I'm just working mucho hours and every day. Haven't even had time to really ride or work on the bike. My wife thanks it's a very expensive garage dust gatherer. Somone posted that the relatively poor characteristic of the back brake are designed on purpose to promote proper brake use. Unfortunatley I've been spreading the rumor, sounds good to me!!! The problem is so prevalent that Honda developed the dual braking system. I sure your familar with that. Riders wanted to use the back brake and wouldn't use the front. The dual braking system works through the back brake lever and activates the front brake. For a full bore sportrider it's a nusiances. For a casual rider it'll probably save his life someday. By no means take what I say as gospel, I have a lot to learn about riding. Best thing to do is try and attend a Freddie Spencer school (or any other track school). There's a fellow that knows the gospel of fast motorcycle riding. Arvel | ||
| Raymaines |
Arvil, Thanks for your time and concern for this problem. Years ago I raced (ten speed type) bicycles and still have a basement full of old Cannondales and I have a good working understanding of the power and function of of the front brake. I'm not asking for much from the rear brake either, but honestly, the pedal feels like it isn't connected to anything. I just know this isn't the way it's supposed to be. On the other hand, it's my boys bike and he doesn't know any better so what do I care. I was just surprised at how lame his brake is compared to my M2. | ||
| Hoser |
Jose: Beware !!! Ferodo rear pads are too thick and will cause the brake to drag. This will overheat the rotor and pads. I have seen this happen more than once. Ferodo may have corrected this by now but old inventory may still exist. Go for a short ride , dont use the rear brake then stop and check the rotor ( try not to burn your hand ). Jeff |
