Not yet, but will as soon as the new Conti RA3 radials arrive.
- Ciao Guest, The owner of this website and GTMotoCycles.com lost his home completely on the morning of January 8th in the L.A. Wildfire Storm. Most of his neighborhood is gone, and a few friends were killed along with their pets. The GTM SHOP and STORE are functioning normally, but we DEMAND EXTREME PATIENCE on orders as we are a SMALL business and Todd usually has his hands on nearly every order before it goes out. You can find more info on a post named L.A. Wildfires in the USA section. Our heart and best go out to everyone in this horrific disaster.
Vagrant
GT Reference
Exactly! I too was at the triumph dealer only 15 minutes from my house 2 weeks ago with checkbook in hand. I love the look of the bonni but the thruxton has the suspension and power. 15 large but i would have bought it. BUT! there they were, tubes! I left.
free towing does no good when you are 2-4 hours from the tow truck and 100 miles from the closest dealer of any kind. also it always seems to go flat on Sunday afternoon and the dealers are closed on Mondays. I'm not putting up with that BS!
cadyfatcat
Just got it firing!
TL;DR - I fitted my bike with a radial tire (Pirelli Scorpion Trail II) on rear and the stability, comfort, and handling have improved markedly.
If you decided to read on, I thought I might start by giving some context for the discussion:
A year ago a buddy and I flew down to Florida in the heart of winter to do a long weekend riding from Tampa down the Overseas Highway to Key West. Since we flew down we both rented rides in the Tampa area. Harley dealers were the only thing we could find, so we both ended up getting different flavored Sportsters for the ride. While trying out one another's bikes we agreed they had very different handling and comfort characteristics. It wasn't just the suspension or the seating/handlebar configuration, something else was at play which made one model much better handling, more stable, comfortable, and just better mannered and more confidence inspiring. Eventually we pinned the difference on the fact that one model had been fitted stock with Michelin radial tires, while the other still maintained the traditional bias-ply. The subsequent research I did seemed to indicate that Radial tires are slowly but surely taking more of the market for motorcycles; most legitimate sport bikes already use them and every year more bikes in other categories begin to use them as stock rubber.
I won't go into all the reasons you want Radial tires here, but if this interests you do some research. Sufficient to say that I was very compelled to get a pair of these for the V7ii Stone next time I needed new tires. That day finally came, and due to a lack of options for radials on both back and front, I actually ended up settling on a radial rear and bias front setup (which is fine, but radial on front and bias on back is not recommended).
I bought a set of Pirelli Scorpion Trail II tires in the original stock sizing of 100/90B18 (Front) and 130/80R17 (Rear). Mounted them this past weekend and got out for 100 mile ride yesterday. The difference is night and day. The stability on highway over rougher surfaces/concrete is so far improved, as is the quickness entering a corner, cornering stability and just general comfort. The Pirelli Sport Demon tires this bike came with were very decent tires, but they are bias ply. From now on when choosing tires I am certainly going to exercise a very strong bias, towards getting radials.
If you decided to read on, I thought I might start by giving some context for the discussion:
A year ago a buddy and I flew down to Florida in the heart of winter to do a long weekend riding from Tampa down the Overseas Highway to Key West. Since we flew down we both rented rides in the Tampa area. Harley dealers were the only thing we could find, so we both ended up getting different flavored Sportsters for the ride. While trying out one another's bikes we agreed they had very different handling and comfort characteristics. It wasn't just the suspension or the seating/handlebar configuration, something else was at play which made one model much better handling, more stable, comfortable, and just better mannered and more confidence inspiring. Eventually we pinned the difference on the fact that one model had been fitted stock with Michelin radial tires, while the other still maintained the traditional bias-ply. The subsequent research I did seemed to indicate that Radial tires are slowly but surely taking more of the market for motorcycles; most legitimate sport bikes already use them and every year more bikes in other categories begin to use them as stock rubber.
I won't go into all the reasons you want Radial tires here, but if this interests you do some research. Sufficient to say that I was very compelled to get a pair of these for the V7ii Stone next time I needed new tires. That day finally came, and due to a lack of options for radials on both back and front, I actually ended up settling on a radial rear and bias front setup (which is fine, but radial on front and bias on back is not recommended).
I bought a set of Pirelli Scorpion Trail II tires in the original stock sizing of 100/90B18 (Front) and 130/80R17 (Rear). Mounted them this past weekend and got out for 100 mile ride yesterday. The difference is night and day. The stability on highway over rougher surfaces/concrete is so far improved, as is the quickness entering a corner, cornering stability and just general comfort. The Pirelli Sport Demon tires this bike came with were very decent tires, but they are bias ply. From now on when choosing tires I am certainly going to exercise a very strong bias, towards getting radials.
My name is Jeff
Cruisin' Guzzisti
Hey Cady I think the radials are definitely the go.
The sport demons that come stock on the v7 were not good on my bike.
They made my V7 have this twitchy loose feeling in the twisties and would find nearly every rut in the road surface.
The BT45s v rated made a big improvement so I'm excited to try the radials when the Bridgestones wear out.
The sport demons that come stock on the v7 were not good on my bike.
They made my V7 have this twitchy loose feeling in the twisties and would find nearly every rut in the road surface.
The BT45s v rated made a big improvement so I'm excited to try the radials when the Bridgestones wear out.
cadyfatcat
Just got it firing!
For anyone wanting a radial option right now I do highly recommend the Pirelli Scorpion Trail II setup I am running with Bias front Radial rear at stock sizing. Just did another 400 miles on it in the last two days after work. I stick by my original comment that the performance of a radial tire is really just on another level. One thing I didn't anticipate really was just how much the added grip, stability, and confidence have resulted in less fatigue during a long ride
Photos of the valve stem on a V7III Stone and a Stelvio - which is tubeless:
They look the same to me.
Last edited:
Vagrant
GT Reference
I just got a look at the dealers too. the 15 Stone had a 90 degree stem. the roamer and the bobber still do. why they changed the stone to this one I don't know. it is also about 1/4" shorter than the tube stem on the specials.
roadscum
Cruisin' Guzzisti
I was speaking with Jim Hamlin (hamlincycles.com/ ) the other day and he confirmed that the V7 III are indeed tubeless. It was what I wanted to hear.
Paul
Paul
Vagrant
GT Reference
new problem I have today is I saw the 2017 blue special in person. CRAP! I like chrome, I like blue and the wheels are sure pretty.
I might just go back and research the people that were making the spoked wheels tubeless by siliconing the spoke ends. Lust can be a PITA!
I might just go back and research the people that were making the spoked wheels tubeless by siliconing the spoke ends. Lust can be a PITA!
roadscum
Cruisin' Guzzisti
I too have that same infliction.... the only cure is to park a blue one in the garage!
Paul
My name is Jeff
Cruisin' Guzzisti
I've been looking on line and it seems that every dealer I looked at is waiting on stock.
There still isn't any in Australia either.
There still isn't any in Australia either.
Sounds like a nice tire combo. How's their cornering perfomance and grip on wet roads?
Wild Bunch
Just got it firing!
I just put conti road attack 2 on my daughters 2016 v7 ll. I rode it 20 miles to the shop and then road it back home after the new tires. The new tires are magnificent, before it was nervous feeling. Now it tracks arrow straight. I was even trying to find grooves to unsettle it. Held true. Love the new tires.
I have mine on order! (through Todd!)
Good to read that you're loving them!!
Good to read that you're loving them!!
drawnverybadly
Just got it firing!
What size tires did you spoon onto the wheels? The Road Attack 2's don't seem to come in the exact size for the front tire.
I'm not seeing an 18 for the front -- is that what we're waiting for?
Yes. I don't think the RA2's are radials. The RA3's are, in stock sizes. New ship date in my TR online ordering system is 7/31. Hopefully they don't push it again.
Phillip Lin
Just got it firing!
Hi Todd,
When will the wider radials be available at your store for purchase and install?
So, any sign of Road Attack 3 tires in the US yet?
Myself, my rear tire is due (10000 km's), so I really wanted to try the radials you're talking about. But I had a hard time finding a dealer with the right dimension for the rear tire. Several online sites(european)had the front tire (the 100/90-18, not the suggested 110 width.) in stock, but no one carried the 130/80-17 rear tire. But now finally a site offers the pair. They are on order, and estimated delivery is august 23rd. Can't wait!
Hopefully the riding season in Norway still has some life to it, so I may be able to try'em on.
Myself, my rear tire is due (10000 km's), so I really wanted to try the radials you're talking about. But I had a hard time finding a dealer with the right dimension for the rear tire. Several online sites(european)had the front tire (the 100/90-18, not the suggested 110 width.) in stock, but no one carried the 130/80-17 rear tire. But now finally a site offers the pair. They are on order, and estimated delivery is august 23rd. Can't wait!
Hopefully the riding season in Norway still has some life to it, so I may be able to try'em on.