| Author | Message | ||
     Mhfirebolt |
Who knows anything about the Shinko tires? Along with that, what are the good tire brands to buy for the XB's.  | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
I don't know about the Shinko Tires. Tires that have done very well in comparative tests, and have been reported to do well on Buells, sport street and track day riding are: 1. Dunlop Qualifiers. I use these. They are the least expensive of the top tires, handle great, don't seem to wear too well. Front tire currently not available due to a strike that recently ended at Dunlop 2. Michelin 2CT Pilot Powers. Excellent tire, has two rubber compounds on the rear tire. The edges are softer for extra grip. Mostly useful on track days. The regular Michelin Pilot Powers are great too. Less expensive, good wear. I used them before the Dunlops. 3. Pirelli Diablo Corsa lll. Also a dual compound tire. Highly rated, expensive, excellent for track days. Other Bad Webbers have favourably rated Metzlers M-3's. Once I pick a tire, and tune my suspension for it, I tend to stick with that tire, because they all handle a bit differently, so constantly changing from one brand to another does not help learn about the handling of one's bike. That being said, any new tire, ( Except Dulop 207's of course), is better than any old tire. I find that many riders run their tires way past the wear marks, and tend to use the same front tire when changing the rear. Both these techniques save money, but I have come to believe it just isn't worth it considering how much one has invested in the bike. Fresh tires, changed in pairs, really enhance the Buell experience, expecially if you like to have a go in the twisties. Commuters have a different problem, and road tires such as the Michelin Pilot Roads, and Pirelli Diablo Stradas give about twice as much milage as their sporting cousins, and have plenty of grip for sane riding on the road. Not recommended for track days though. Just my .02ยข Good online sources for tires are Ron Aryes, and Tire Express, among others. (Message edited by gentleman_jon on January 26, 2007) | ||
| Nutsnbolt |
As a side note, if you aren't gonna be hitting the tracks, I would go with the diablo stradas. You get a lot more longevity out of the tyre and you don't sacrifice in the handling and warming up and stickiness of the diablos. So far, the Strada is the best tyre my money could buy. Now, if i was going to a track day.... I would change this advice and stick with what GJ said. I ran qualifiers and I loved em and hated em. Loved em cause they were sticky as hell, However, I ran through them in 1200 miles. The 208's SUCK (stock dunlop for most xb's). The 207's... I didn't mind so bad. Had those on my Ducati, and loved em. Took a while to warm up, but once they did, they were one of the most dependable tire out there. Pilot powers are bitchin. I would use them before Dunlops as well. metzlers. Had some experience with them and wasn't that impressed. I ate through the M1's. If I had to pick an overall brand, I would say Pirelli. Diablos , Diablo Stradas, and Corsas. Another tire outfitter is American Tire, and southwest moto (buy 2 and they ship for free) Mark | ||
| Jaimec |
Does Cheng Shin make tires that fit Buells? | ||
| Josh_cox |
The Shinkos are a popular tire for stunters and drag racers. AKA people who tear through tires quickly, need the to last as long as possible, and be as cheap as possible. If you are concerned with cornering ability, I would check elsewhere. | ||
| Daves |
get the 2CTs | ||
| Tx05xb12s |
I ran through three sets of D208's before I finally got smart and tried something else. They were slippery at best even at operating temperature and were showing wear after just 500 miles. At 500, the front was already cupped. At 2000, I typically was beyond the wear markers on the rear. Now I run Pirelli Diablo Corsa III's on the street. I mostly ride my bike rather aggressively just for entertainment on twisty backroads. I seldom commute since I am close enough to the office to walk (minimal superslab riding), so I don't mind that here are longer-wear tires out there. So far, they are lasting twice as long as the D208s and really didn't cost THAT much more. The dual compound seems to help both with cupping and extra grip in the corners. | ||
| Mhfirebolt |
Thanks a lot to all of you for the info. I'll probably pick the Pirelli. I'll be putting a 200 on the back for now and of course a chain conversion. Bought a used XB rear rim to have widened to 8.5 to put a 240 on. Will be doing that this year. Hopefully by Myrtle Beach bike week. Look for a black '04 firebolt with a fat ass. I admit it, I don't do a lot of corner carving. I like to cruise a lot and go on longer rides. Do some street drag racing from time to time. If I was to start racing on a track I'd get another Buell. No matter what each person likes to do to their Buell, it boils down to the fact that we all love these bikes. Yeah I know, why don't I buy a cruiser bike? Because I absolutely love Buells. To me it's THE most awesome motorcycle on the street or track for that matter. I ran ricers for a number of years and wasn't completely happy until I got my Buell. USA Baby!!  | ||
| Cixyx_pilot |
Pirelli Scorpion Syncs on my City X work great. I would not think twice about putting on an other set when they wear out!  | ||
| Olinxb12r |
I've been running Conti's for a while now and I'm really happy with the grip and tirelife. I get them for about $200 for the set. I've had the Conti Road Attacks, and I just put some Sport Attacks on last week. | ||
| Brineusaf |
I run the Pilot Powers. They are a great improvement over the stock dunlops my bike had. I do quite a bit of corner surfing, and I don't have ANY hesitation laying her down with these rubbers, unlike the dunlops these seem to give awesome feedback, good wear, and build confidence. It's really HARD to choose a bad tire. All of the top brands are TOP brands for a reason. | ||
| M1combat |
Oh... you're putting on a 200  . Not too many people around here have done that as far as I know. I'm not saying don't do it but only letting you know what to expect... It should steer slower JUST after the initial input, but just a tad quicker just as you move the bars. It will probably like to stand mid-turn if you use the front brake at all. Rear brake shouldn't pose much trouble. I use the Metzeler M3. Metzeler and Pirelli are the same company so the same carcass and rubber technology is used. They just use different tread patterns. I prefer the Metzeler tread patter on the rear and the Pirelli on the front wrt how they look, but I don't mix them. They are dual compound as well. I've used them for a track day and they seemed to hold up well. They would be at a sticky temp after a little less than two laps of a pretty short road course. I would estimate they were around 105-110F on the track and were sticky at that temerature. They never got greasy (I've gotten the D207's and the Metzeler M1's hot enough that they were greasy, but it took about 45 miles of hard canyon riding to do it). They seem to be a bit stiffer than the others when cold though. I've got one trackday and about 3500 freeway miles on the M3's and i'll probably get another 1000. |
