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Oh No - Not Tires
- Thread starterabbienormal
- Start date
just James
Cruisin' Guzzisti
Craftsman motorcycle lift, $50 on Craigslist. Harbor Freight 24 inch tire irons, $6 each. Some liquid hand soap, and hillbilly rim protectors cut out of a plastic milk jug. Used my hydraulic wood splitter, and a couple of blocks of wood to unseat the beads of the old tire(worked great).
All told, it wasn't too bad of a job, but it did take a while. I bought some stick on wheel weights, but didn't even end up needing them. I do think that trying to unseat the beads by hand would have been a real struggle, as the original tire had probably been on the wheel for 4-5 years.
All told, it wasn't too bad of a job, but it did take a while. I bought some stick on wheel weights, but didn't even end up needing them. I do think that trying to unseat the beads by hand would have been a real struggle, as the original tire had probably been on the wheel for 4-5 years.
Do the rain covers come with the leather bags or are they available as a stand alone item?
Naked Dave
Just got it firing!
Rain tyres. There is a lot of great comments on mileage but I would like to know specifically what people have experienced with regards performance in the rain.
As it rains (a lot) in New Zealand I am especially interested in feedback regarding which tyres (tires?) perform best in the wet (and any that are truly awful and should be avoided unless you live in central Australia).
As it rains (a lot) in New Zealand I am especially interested in feedback regarding which tyres (tires?) perform best in the wet (and any that are truly awful and should be avoided unless you live in central Australia).
roadventure
GT Reference
I have been very happy with AVON tires. I have had good experience dry and when raining (which is also does a lot in the mid-Atlantic U.S.)
Smartleynz
Tuned and Synch'ed
Rain we have, I'm in Taranaki, I have Michelin Pilot Road 4 120 on the front, Avon 180 on the rear. I would have full Michelin PR4 set on but they don't do the 16 thing, but I am happy with the combo, don't really need to slow down in wet, have had slips on the shiny bits but nothing unexpected, in the dry good grip and milage. Going down in size has made huge difference in handling. I hear the new PR5 's are even better I will be getting one next time.
Naked Dave
Just got it firing!
Thanks for the feedback. Never thought about the idea of going to a 180 rather than the 200. Does the 180 have the same sidewall profile? Or is it simply the width that makes a difference?
Smartleynz
Tuned and Synch'ed
Don't know about sidewall profiles, I changed both some time ago, at the same time, then took of to Whangamonoma via the Wiremu Rd couldn't believe the difference the change made, way quicker transitioning, never gone back. Front Michelin PR4 GT 120/70/ZR18 Rear Avon Av72 180/70 R16. 0275245745 give me a call if you ever up the Naki
CBJoe
Tuned and Synch'ed
I put a Michelin Commander II 180/65-16 before setting out on my current trip. About 2K on it now and the wet dry handling has been great.
just James
Cruisin' Guzzisti
About a week ago, midway through a 400 mile ride, I noticed that the front tire was apparently dying of old age. There were cracks down in the grooves of the tread. Didn't make me very comfortable on the ride home, but I made it with no problems.
Ordered a new Avon, and installed it on Saturday. What a nice change it made to the way the bike steers.
Ordered a new Avon, and installed it on Saturday. What a nice change it made to the way the bike steers.
roadventure
GT Reference
About a week ago, midway through a 400 mile ride, I noticed that the front tire was apparently dying of old age. There were cracks down in the grooves of the tread. Didn't make me very comfortable on the ride home, but I made it with no problems.
Ordered a new Avon, and installed it on Saturday. What a nice change it made to the way the bike steers.
Aren't the AVON tires nice? I have been using them on multiple bikes over the years and have always been pleased.
just James
Cruisin' Guzzisti
Yeah, I am happy with the Avon so far, but I have only put about 50 miles on it.
I only had 7,500 miles on the stock Dunlop, but like I said, it was dying of old age.
My bike is a 2014, so the tire was probably made in 2013.
I went with the Avon because so many people on here recommended it.
I have a Darth Vader special on the rear, and the two seem to work well together.
Just about to replace F&R tires as the rear is looking a bit squared off and I'm beginning to notice on the road!!. Looking around, I *could* go with the OEM D251's as I've no real complaints with them. I don't push my bike too hard and the mileage has been good, but it's hard to compare with tires I've never ridden. Looking around on this thread Avon AV72's and Michelins Comm II's seem to get recommended, but my local Canadian supplier (Fortnine) cannot supply either in both front *and* rear OEM sizes (either out of stock or not manufactured), so was looking at ME888's which they have in stock for 200/60R16 and 130/70R18 (didn't really want to mix as I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to tires, they are just round and black to me - LOL)
Anyone have any opinions/experiences with the 888's and their suitability for a 1400 Audace, grip/life/comfort - usual sort of things. In particular comparisons with D251 would be helpful or the Avons/Michelins.
Anyone have any opinions/experiences with the 888's and their suitability for a 1400 Audace, grip/life/comfort - usual sort of things. In particular comparisons with D251 would be helpful or the Avons/Michelins.
Had 2 sets of 888's on my Eldo and had no problems with them, grip is good wet or dry. Original Dunlops lasted around 11,000kms the 888's around 15,000kms including a fair bit of 2up touring fully loaded. I'm just about to replace the 2nd set with Avons just to try something different but would happily put 888's on again.
This will tell you the age of a tyre. 1st 2 numbers week of manufacture i.e. 1 to 52 the 2nd 2 the year.
Attachments
just James
Cruisin' Guzzisti
Thanks for the info, but I already disposed of it.
just James
Cruisin' Guzzisti
There was something weird about the old Dunlop front tire. If I would turn loose of the bars the bike would head toward the right side of the road. It had done this ever since I got the bike (had just under 2,000 miles on it when I got it). The tire was also worn quite a bit more on the left side than the right when I replaced it.
With the new Avon, the bike tracks straight if I let go of the bars. I hope the new tire will wear more evenly.
With the new Avon, the bike tracks straight if I let go of the bars. I hope the new tire will wear more evenly.
Ive had avon tyres on a couple bikes ( suzuki gsxs1000, Kawasaki gtr 1400 ) the mileage and the grip in wet or dry is better than any I remember, my choice after 48 years riding bikes is avon!
I'll start this with my basic question, to keep it short and to the point.
To any of you people with Eldorados, that are running a Dunlop American Elite front tire, could you give me a fairly accurate width measurement of the mounted, inflated tire?
Now, the long story. With about 15000 miles on it, my rear tire was worn down to the cords. Without purposefully inspecting the tread, that big rear fender and low hanging license plate managed to conceal the excessive wear from me. Thankfully, I caught a glimpse of it before disaster struck. The lack of grip of the Dunlops, particularly on those strips of crack sealer on asphalt roads, led to me being very cautious on leaning into turns, particularly on unfamiliar roads. Doing searches online for tires with wide whitewalls, and better grip, didn't turn up much information. I decided that the only way to find something better would be to try something different, and hope for an improvement. I purchased a pair of Metzeler 888 Marathon Ultras through Cycle Gear, and had them mounted at my local store. The problem I have is with the front tire only. After installing the wheel only, calipers still hanging to the side, torquing the axle to spec., the tire was making a rubbing sound when spun. My first thought was a wheel bearing going bad, but found the tire rubbing the inside of the fender, near the fork tube, at certain points of it's rotation. The wheel is very slightly out of true. I was thinking of attempting to adjust the spokes to true the wheel, but decided not to, mainly out of concern that I would possibly enable the rim to leak. (People seem to be amazed that Moto Guzzi managed to create a tubeless, spoked rim, myself included. I can't see anything special in the construction, but, I assume there are seals on the spoke adjusters that I'm afraid may start to leak after being disturbed) The clearance on either side of the tire is very close, not much room for error. I never bothered to look at the clearance of the original tire, but am left wondering, is there a difference in tire width between these brands, even though the stated tire size is the same? The measurement I get on the width of the Metzeler is 5 27/32 inches.
The fix I applied involved removing the fender (which can only be done with the wheel off). The fender itself was not rubbing the tire. The plastic fender is sandwiched between the fork tubes and a metal inner brace. What I (and anybody else that encounters this problem) should have done is to grind away some metal from this brace for clearance. Not having a suitable grinder, and being an impatient person, I decided to try dimpling the brace with a hammer and punch. Although this did provide enough clearance between the brace and tire, it apparently caused the fender to distort. The fender was now rubbing the tire, at the lower right side of the fender. I experimented using a screwdriver to pry between the brace and the fender, and found a point that caused the fender to clear the tire. I inserted a rubber disc, which I found in my junk bin, between the fender and the brace at that point, which seems to have solved the problem. It's not a very professional repair, but it works. Not much riding time left before cold weather arrives, so, I did what I had to do.
To any of you people with Eldorados, that are running a Dunlop American Elite front tire, could you give me a fairly accurate width measurement of the mounted, inflated tire?
Now, the long story. With about 15000 miles on it, my rear tire was worn down to the cords. Without purposefully inspecting the tread, that big rear fender and low hanging license plate managed to conceal the excessive wear from me. Thankfully, I caught a glimpse of it before disaster struck. The lack of grip of the Dunlops, particularly on those strips of crack sealer on asphalt roads, led to me being very cautious on leaning into turns, particularly on unfamiliar roads. Doing searches online for tires with wide whitewalls, and better grip, didn't turn up much information. I decided that the only way to find something better would be to try something different, and hope for an improvement. I purchased a pair of Metzeler 888 Marathon Ultras through Cycle Gear, and had them mounted at my local store. The problem I have is with the front tire only. After installing the wheel only, calipers still hanging to the side, torquing the axle to spec., the tire was making a rubbing sound when spun. My first thought was a wheel bearing going bad, but found the tire rubbing the inside of the fender, near the fork tube, at certain points of it's rotation. The wheel is very slightly out of true. I was thinking of attempting to adjust the spokes to true the wheel, but decided not to, mainly out of concern that I would possibly enable the rim to leak. (People seem to be amazed that Moto Guzzi managed to create a tubeless, spoked rim, myself included. I can't see anything special in the construction, but, I assume there are seals on the spoke adjusters that I'm afraid may start to leak after being disturbed) The clearance on either side of the tire is very close, not much room for error. I never bothered to look at the clearance of the original tire, but am left wondering, is there a difference in tire width between these brands, even though the stated tire size is the same? The measurement I get on the width of the Metzeler is 5 27/32 inches.
The fix I applied involved removing the fender (which can only be done with the wheel off). The fender itself was not rubbing the tire. The plastic fender is sandwiched between the fork tubes and a metal inner brace. What I (and anybody else that encounters this problem) should have done is to grind away some metal from this brace for clearance. Not having a suitable grinder, and being an impatient person, I decided to try dimpling the brace with a hammer and punch. Although this did provide enough clearance between the brace and tire, it apparently caused the fender to distort. The fender was now rubbing the tire, at the lower right side of the fender. I experimented using a screwdriver to pry between the brace and the fender, and found a point that caused the fender to clear the tire. I inserted a rubber disc, which I found in my junk bin, between the fender and the brace at that point, which seems to have solved the problem. It's not a very professional repair, but it works. Not much riding time left before cold weather arrives, so, I did what I had to do.