Hi guys, I'm planning a 5.500 km long journey this summer (from Denmark to North Cape and back) and wonder if my current Metzeler Lazertec tyres will last for this trip. Front is 100/90-18 with 3,7 mm and rear is 130/90-17 with 5,6 mm. I need to have min. 1,5 mm in the end I guess in order to safely drive on wet roads. If not, I understand that many recommend Bridgestone rather than Metzeler - and - does a front Bridgestone go together with a Metzeler rear tyre and visa versa if only one is changed?

Cheers
/Finn

My experience with Metzler tyres is that you will be lucky to get that distance from that tyre. I found the best combination on the K100 was Bridgestone BT45 on the front and a Michilin Macadam on the rear. I used to get around 10,000km from that.

A Michelin Macadam could be a problem to find, as they ain`t produced anymore.
A pitty, did use them only when they was available, they did suit the K very well.
Have to look for others on the next change.

Inge K.

17 thousand ks on the "sport demon" on the front so far ...still got about 5 thousand left in it i recon ...

sensei wrote:does a front Bridgestone go together with a Metzeler rear tyre and visa versa if only one is changed?

Cheers
/Finn

When Mr Bridgestone is planning on building a tyre I think it likely that he isn't consulting with Mr Metzeler or Mr Pirelli about whether his tyres will work with theirs or Mr Michelins as well. With two credit card-sized areas of contact rubber on the road it is a very good idea to stay with one brand of tyre front and rear for the best adhesion and handling characteristic over that very small space.

The Michelin Macadam is now called Pilot Activ and though a different compound and different tread pattern it's the (though many years old itself now) replacement version of the original Macadam.

I got about 16-18000 kms from the front Pirelli Sport Demon and 13-14000 from the rear Sport Demon on a K100RS loaded down for touring. Straight up commuting mileage is less, but man, do they handle.

I disliked Bridgestone BT45s on my Airheads and though I never tried them on my K I think the pucker factor might be worse on that bike using them.

Metzeler's Lasertec (ME33, ME55, ME99, ME88, etc) is an OLD tyre now though using a 'modern' silica rubber content.

I think your tyre life over that trip will depend a lot on air pressure, road surface roughness, weight of the load carried, temperature of both the air and the road surface, how hard you twist the wick and how much you stomp on the binders.

This is my experience and opinions will vary.

Charlie 99 and |Guest don't spend much time with their front wheels on the ground, so discount those mileages. I had Metzlers and got only 5,000 from front and about 6,000 from the rear. Switching to Sports demons has improved the handling immensely, so I reckon whatever mileage I get is more comfortable and worth it.
RT

I've just washed my bike today so that means it'll rain the next coupla days. While wiping down the wheel rim I had a chance to have a good squiz at my tyres. They are the Pirelli Angel ST radials I whacked onto the bike after I swapped the wheels for three spokers. Some of you might recall the post from a previous lifetime. Two wheels are still better than four. But I digress. These radials now have just over 14000 kms on them and have just begun to flatten off in the centre. My bias Sport Demons were toast by that mileage! The front tyre is good for another 6 or 8000 kms, the back tyre maybe half that til it reaches the TWI (tread wear indicator). I'm stoked to see that my choice of radial rubber over bias ply has returned far greater mileage along with better handling. I've a set of Angels waiting in the wings (couldn't resist) for when this set reach worn rubber heaven.

if it keeps raining up there you need floaties not tyres
the rain has made it to my place will take it back dont need anymore

Hi
just thought I would post a picture of the tread on my rear Sports Demon.
The, er, added piece of wire I picked up yesterday, again, as a result of not doing mass at xmas .

Guess what I'm doing today, testing out that repair kit I've been carrying around.

Mass has nothing to do with it , You must have run over several chinamen.

It seems like Lady Luck isn`t at your side these days, RT.

Inge K.

aww sad news rt

chin up ol bean ... youve used all your bad luck for this year huh ?

On a k100lt often used 2-up, the front has done 12,100 miles in 20 months and looks good for much more . The rear fitted at same time lasted 9000 miles and wasnt too close to legal limit. They are good for me in wet and dry.

...and what brand of tyre has given you that wear-like-iron sort of mileage, Jonny?

sorry , it was the Avon Roadriders

http://k100rt.aforumfree.com/t1373-tyres

Of course, that would be why it's in the heading of your post! When using a mobile phone to access the forum not everything is visible.
Cheers.

I have stuck with Bridgestone BT-045's thus far front and rear on both my K100RT and K1100LT, they seem to offer a good mix of grip and longevity on our British roads. Tyre pressures are critical to stop "scalloping". I have found that 38PSI Front and 40PSI Rear gives the best all round experience and lifespan for both tyres and rider

krambo wrote:I have stuck with Bridgestone BT-045's thus far front and rear on both my K100RT and K1100LT, they seem to offer a good mix of grip and longevity on our British roads. Tyre pressures are critical to stop "scalloping". I have found that 38PSI Front and 40PSI Rear gives the best all round experience and lifespan for both tyres and rider

I do agree with you and I like them too.
I will add that the tire (North American spelling ) pressure is critical as the BT45s are dual compound rubbers. The center is hard and the sides are softer. If riding under-pressured, the soft compound will be in permanent contact with the ground and will were unevenly.

Because of their round profile, the bike seems lighter and easier to tilt.

CF

So, nobody uses Conti? I mean, the German Continental tyres constantly win comparative tests for both summer and winter car tyres.

When I bought my new-to-me K75 several years ago, it came with a new ContiTour front and a bald rear. I put a matching Conti on the rear and got about 7000 good miles off of it. I liked the handling of the bike with this tire (but really had nothing equivalent to compare it to--my first K bike and all that. Everything was an improvement over the ol' Honda!)

Have since replaced front and back with inexpensive Dunlop 404 tires, which were very soft and tacky (meaning, they were terrific for about one season) but rear is ready for replacement after about 6000 miles.

Well gang, I've just replaced the rear on mine after 7500 miles, the front should have about 4000 left.....
Front pressure 33, rear 37.
Not too fussed on longevity, just grip as the priority !

sensei wrote:So, nobody uses Conti? I mean, the German Continental tyres constantly win comparative tests for both summer and winter car tyres.

I whacked Conti Road Attack II radials onto my K100RS last year and covered about 5000 kms round town and down to Vic and back to Qld. They looked very good front and rear with minimal wear before I placed the bike in storage whilst away from OZ for a year. I loved the way they handled, albeit, a bit more 'twitchy' (easier to 'fall' into to corners on) than the Pirelli radials I had used prior. I suspect that when I return they'll be good for another 6 -10,000 kms. That's better than the mileage I used to get from the prior prior bias ply Pirelli Sport Demons, which I would use again exclusively if I was on the skinny stock wheels again.

I tried 2 contis on the rear on my Rt. I don't know if they were a bad batch, but both seemed to weaken in the sidewalls, the second one after a thousand k's. Swapped to the over size pirelli sport demons, got 15000 out of the rear with freeway commuting. 900klm a week. Love 'em

Hello to everyone!

Is time to change my rear tyre, of black k100rs from 87.

I read almost every topics from the forum respect to tyres and i´m reflecting on them.

I have already tried michelin, bridgestone, shinko, metzeler and i can´t ride more than 10000kms with the rear tyre!

You tell very good things about pirelli sport demon and i´m tented to buy this one.

I ride a lot with 2 persons and with luggage and with constants speed 140 km/h in highway.

What tyre you recommend? Should i buy Pirelli or other one?

In what size? 130/90-17 or 140/80-17? I never tried last one size. Is it better? It will ride more kms?

In front i have now BT 45 in 100/90-18.

Good Curves

For bias ply tires Continental has the TKV11 front and TKV 12 rear sized of the narrow rims of early K100s and K75s. This is a resurrection of a 1980's Continental performance bike tire. I used them once in the mid 1980's and liked them except for their tendency to track pavement grooves and they were kind of exciting on steel grate bridge decks like one used to find in abundance in the Pacific Northwest.

My strong recommendation is to use Avon radials on the old narrow rims. You can use a Storm ST front sized 110/80ZR18 and an Azaro rear sized 140/80ZR17. In my experience, these wore about ten thousand miles front and rear (my K-bike has always worn front and rear tires down at the same rate, don't know why) making their cost per mile competitive with notionally less expensive bias ply tires that wear out sooner. They are very good wet weather tires and give the bike nice neutral steering. They do not track pavement grooves at all.

Two Wheels Better wrote:I think your tyre life over that trip will depend a lot on air pressure, road surface roughness, weight of the load carried, temperature of both the air and the road surface, how hard you twist the wick and how much you stomp on the binders.

Well said that man.

Back in ye olde days I used to run ME33 & ME55. It may be just my dodgy memory but I used to get much better mileage out of my tyres in the early 90's (20,000km front, 15,000 rear) than I did in the early 00's (10,000 front, 7-8,000 rear). They were a good tyre and had great grip in the wet.

I used to like the Z6's on my TDM850 - what are they like on the K?

The past 4 years I've been running Tourances on the V-Strom and now the R-series. I think they'd be good on the K too.

Two Wheels Better wrote:They are the Pirelli Angel ST radials... These radials now have just over 14000 kms on them and have just begun to flatten off in the centre.

I had Angels on my Harley (XR 1200) and the rear lasted less than 10 000km - if I remember correctly. Must check on my files when I'm at home. K came with really old tyres and I choose to replace them although they had some track left. Michelin Pilot Active was my choice since I really have liked Pilot Road and Road II tyres. Still winter here so experience yet with those.

But what about the air pressure? I have 2,3bar front and 2,6bar rear. How does that sound to you? Tyre size is original.

AuntieBB wrote:[

Back in ye olde days I used to run ME33 & ME55. It may be just my dodgy memory but I used to get much better mileage out of my tyres in the early 90's (20,000km front, 15,000 rear)

I totally agree as I had ME33 and ME49 and had almost identical mileage...am hoping that the Demons do similar.

Tenox wrote:But what about the air pressure? I have 2,3bar front and 2,6bar rear. How does that sound to you? Tyre size is original.

It's weird - here in Oz we still do wheel diameter & tyre pressure in imperial. Pretty much everything else is metric. We also use a . for the decimal point. I do think a , is better - less ambiguity.

Let's see 2,3 bar = 33.3 PSI & 2,6 bar = 37.7 PSI which sounds fine to me. I've always run slightly lower: 32 PSI (2,2bar) & 36 PSI (2,5bar).

I sure someone will now jump in and tell us how & when tyre pressure should be measured and then show us a table of pressures v. different ambient temperatures.

I run pilot road 2 on the K1100 with the RS rims and have to run the rear at 38-40lb or the road noise is really bad. I've done 12000k on both and would say that they are less than half tread depth so I would consider that another 8000k to 10000k is quite likely.
Unfortunately most K100s cant run them.

With my ex BMW R1200S I used to have 2,6 bar front and 3,0 bar rear. People here are saying that if you put in a little overpressure tyres will last longer. But tyre size on R1200S was much bigger (it even had bigger rear wheel option, and Öhlins and Akrapovic from factory... I miss that thing a little). It had Metzeler Z8:s.

i think wear patterns are a good indicator to rider weight and riding style ...then adjust air presures to suit ...
i think TWB supports this theory
of corse raging round corners on weekend sprints is vastly different to cruising speeds and expectations on comfort and handling .
just a thought to add to the mix

I have a 100/90 Dunlop Arrowmax GT501F on the front which has lasted for just over 12000 miles, but is well worn and of dubious legality at this stage. It should really have been changed at 10000, but the finances are bad at the moment. The rear is a 130/90 Avon Roadrider that has about 9500 miles on it, with probably another 2 or 3 thousand left in it. I run the front at 36 PSI and the rear at 40 PSI.

Maybe someone can chime in on this?
I am 66 years old and have been away from K's for 18 years until my recent acquisition of the K100rs.
Hence my riding skills have deteriorated immensely.
My needs for tires are:
#1 Stock original size front & rear.
#2 ease of handling.....especially Least tendency to fall over in the corners.
#3 sticks well in tight corners....like when I screw up & get in a bit too deep.
#4 H rated
#5 Good for two up riders
#6 German if possible
#7 Long mileage is not a concern. & cost is not the primary concern
#8 Matched set front/rear
I've always thought that the Avon's traded a harder less sticky tread rubber for exceptional longevity. Best for heavy tour bikes & Harleys. (Not Me)
In my past life, I always used the Metzler's & was very happy with them.
I think I also ran some Conti's that seemed fine.
Ok .....wizards.....considering all the items above which tires in ORIGINAL size brands & models will best suit me?
I don't know anything about radials on motorcycles, but I'm guessing there is very few radial options for the original K100 wheels. I'm guessing that Bias (as always) will be the type?

Needing a new rear tire.
Followed someone's advice to go here, (Rick?)....Well, whoever it was that pointed in this direction, Thanks!
Anyway, shall put a 140 on instead of a 130 and stick with the Battlax, obviously.

http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/49/-/181/750/-/19426/Bridgestone-Battlax-BT45-V-Rated-Rear-Motorcycle-Tire

$109.99 USD delivered?!..in the US.

Guess that I'll play with the radials later.

Regards,
Jim...use my bike as a horse to get from here to there and not my F-150, (13mpg!)...unless that thing is making me money...or getting me.....dated.

Suggest that you get an H rated one instead of a V if it is available and (obviously) less expensive.
I seriously doubt if you need a tire that is rated for "sustained" speeds above 120 MPH. (V)
Regards, ibj...

sensei wrote:Hi guys, I'm planning a 5.500 km long journey this summer (from Denmark to North Cape and back) and wonder if my current Metzeler Lazertec tyres will last for this trip. Front is 100/90-18 with 3,7 mm and rear is 130/90-17 with 5,6 mm. I need to have min. 1,5 mm in the end I guess in order to safely drive on wet roads. If not, I understand that many recommend Bridgestone rather than Metzeler - and - does a front Bridgestone go together with a Metzeler rear tyre and visa versa if only one is changed?

Cheers
/Finn

Finn, I have no personal opinion on this, but the local crazies at Magacin like the BT 023's for our cool Northern climate. The conditions in OZ and USA are not really relevant, as they experience really hot conditions, which you will not find here in DK or on the trip to Northcap.

Jesper

It seems that I've not seen anyone talking about Continentals. Why?

My experience with Continentals is that them and a redhot aussie road dont mix well. I put one on the rear of my R80RT and it was gone within 3000kms, to give the devil his due it did hang on well while it lasted.
I used them many years previously on my Z1300 Kawasaki and with the same results.

Red Hot meaning high temperature or High speed???

High temperature, it's not uncommon for the police to close roads untill after dark because the tar is melting and will destroy your tyres.

We get up to 122F. here (50C) & we think that's pretty hot. Certainly, I wouldn't be out on my bike for very long, if it's much over 100F
Perhaps we have better tar?

Hi, I wonder if anyone has any experience with dual or triple compound tyres as opposed to a single. I am sure that some of the brands and models mentioned above are at least double.
I seem to recall images of people on their bikes with the rear worn flat down the center line and the rest of the tyre in almost perfect condition.

I guess that my question is ... is it worth seeking out a rear tyre that has a very hard compound in the center and soft around the edges... I imagine that this would benefit long distance tourers who may spend a lot of time on straight roads.

Most of the major freeways etc are the type of surfacing that is like ashfelt but the stuff that melts is what is actually sprayed hot tar and then has pea size crushed gravel rolled into it and is built up with several layers and it is more dureable when traffic volumes are low but melts in the heat. The surface that is used on the freeways needs the high traffic volumes to keep working the material which keeps it pliable. I am only repeating what was explained to me years ago by a guy who works for the roads authority here.

Hi,

I have already a new tire in my bike!
I choose Pirelli Sport Demon on size 140/80-17. I only have made about 750 kms but until now i have to say that i´m very happy with this choice. It grabs very well and the trajectories are very good. I had never tried this size but the motorbike is more stable with this one. I´m using 2.7 bar on it. what do yoiu think about it? I ride always with my side cases full.

Now i have to change my front tire. This one i don´t expect to change now but it´s not safe ride with is surface.

It is a BT45 and it only have done 5930 kms! Here´s a picture of that.



As you can see, the right surface is with more detrition than the other side. I don´t think its normally and i´m thinking if its only provocated by the curves and for the way i curve. Could it be? Or should i look for other cause?

one more thing, i thinking choose the pirelli sport demon for the front too.

Thank you.

It is a little amusing that we debate the pros and cons of bike tyres. Check what our brothers at the Goldwing discussion board grapple with :
http://goldwingdocs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=15560#p80927

It is a long post and it does have some relevant info about tyres in general.

Thanks for the link Ned it's good info and I intend to pass it on to some of the geese that ride cruisers with car tyres and one idiot that has a car tyre on his FJR 1300 jamjar.

abbocath wrote:Hi,

I have already a new tire in my bike!
I choose Pirelli Sport Demon on size 140/80-17. I only have made about 750 kms but until now i have to say that i´m very happy with this choice. It grabs very well and the trajectories are very good. I had never tried this size but the motorbike is more stable with this one. I´m using 2.7 bar on it. what do yoiu think about it? I ride always with my side cases full.

Now i have to change my front tire. This one i don´t expect to change now but it´s not safe ride with is surface.

It is a BT45 and it only have done 5930 kms! Here´s a picture of that.



As you can see, the right surface is with more detrition than the other side. I don´t think its normally and i´m thinking if its only provocated by the curves and for the way i curve. Could it be? Or should i look for other cause?

one more thing, i thinking choose the pirelli sport demon for the front too.

Thank you.

I'm only picking up this thread now Abbocath. Your tyre is worn the opposite to mine because of the road camber and we drive on opposite side of the road. The handling on my bike has deteriorated a lot and I started testing the head bearings etc but found it is down to uneven front tyre wear and a bad rear shock absorber. The tyres (Pirelli sport Demons) transformed the handling when new and have done just a little over 10,000kms but most of it on cold wet back roads and there is still 2.7mm of thread left so that's just over half way to a safe minimum amount of 1.5mm for wet roads. I will probably change it because I don't like the bike handling different to one side than the other. The back tyre is the same age and just begining to square off, I recommend them as a tyre choice (paid €275 for the pair fitted and balanced) in 2011

88

Hi All,
I'm not sure how old mine are but when I bought it the word was they were good for another year or so.
Time is running out but I reckon I'll get another year out of them.
Must take a couple of photos later.
Have only done a couple of k'miles on them in the last year .

Rod

Until they let go?