tires for silverwing 600

Does anyone have good information on what tires to buy that give the best milage for my silverwing?

Auto tire

I would also appreciate new input on this subject. I have read the older post but perhaps new experiences will reveal more.

Best for gas mileage:
Best traction on rain slick roads:
Best traction on gravel roads:
Longest wearing:
Smoothest on the highway:
Best Handling in the twisties:
Best overall:

LarryB wrote:

Best for gas mileage:

Darkside tire

1) Radial tire historically improved gas mileage

2) 165/70R13 reduces RPMs (more distance per revolution)

LarryB wrote:

Best traction on rain slick roads:

Darkside tire

1) Better water displacement

2) More contact area

LarryB wrote:

Best traction on gravel roads:

I would tend to believe Darkside tire ... there are a lot of variety of "gravel roads"

1) On grooved road the Darkside rear tire is far less susceptible to following the groove. I have even be on freshly grooved and gravel roads with no problems

2) I had to on very loose unpacked dirt with rocks. It was not a lot of fun, I had to stick my feet down a couple times as the front dug in ... but I was able to travel it.

3) I had to on packed dirt with rocks, I had to make sure not to make any turns and travel slowly

4) I even traveled and started right hand turn on either freshly tar'ed rocks or temperature so hot it melted the tar. Which was like driving on ball bearings. I was able to stop (thanks to the ABS) and stay upright ... though it did dig a groove into the rocks.

LarryB wrote:

Longest wearing:

Hand down Dark side tire ... 50,000 miles.

LarryB wrote:

Smoothest on the highway:

Hand down Dark side tire ... the radial tire absorbs shock. The amount of shock will vary based on your PSI.

LarryB wrote:

Best Handling in the twisties:

In the Texas Hill Country, a lot of the turns would have washed out rocks, sand or dirt ... where a lot of motorcyclist loose control especially after a heavy rain.

I could feel the rear Darkside tire slightly slide and then grab around these corner hazards ... a lot of times you could not see these washouts till you already in the turns due to hills and turns.

LarryB wrote:

Best overall:

For me it is the Darkside tire.

Bigbird says it best, you would need 6 tires. Everyone will have their own answer to this question as they do for oil and filter types.

I think it is safe to say that the majority of folks here like the Pirelli and the Metzeler products. Most of the preference here is from real road experience. Since we ride in all kinds of weather and road conditions I feel it is a matter of riding skill more than tire choice.

TWJ74 & Larry B,

I've tried Dunlop, Avon Vyper, Bridgestone Hoop, Mezler FeelFree & Metzler FeelFree Wintec rear tyres.
I've also tried Avon, Bridgestone Hoop, Pirelli GTS on the front tyres.

I ride the Silverwing in the UK commuting into London all year round and have done circa 130,000 miles on Silverwings (104k on a 2001 non ABS bike & currently 29k on a 2004 ABS bike). The trip is a 50 mile round trip daily. 25% inner city (heavy traffic), 25% suburb (traffic), 25% dual carriageway/motorway (70mph), 24% single track country lanes (40 mph on asphalt with mud/dirt etc.. from farm vehicles) & 1% off road (unmade dirt track).

I've tried all the tyres mentioned earlier in most combinations. The only tyre I would not recomend is the Avon tyre on the rear as it was a bit lively in the wet (and therefore did not inspire confidence) also its the only tyre I had a flat with!

Suprisingly, I can recomend the Pirelli GTS on the front. It had good grip & wear (I did 9,250 miles on the front). The Bridgestone Hoop is widely available in the UK but a bit expensive and an old tyre design now, which wears quite unevenly on the shoulders of the tyre once 2/3 worn. I have the Hoop currently on my bike but find it unpredictable when the road surface is dirty, muddy, or covered in snow. I did 9,300 miles on the last bridgestone Hoop front tyre (although others have told me they have done over 11,000 miles...)

Rear tyres are easier to recommend. The Bridgestone Hoop on the rear is widely available and the last tyre lasted me 5,800 miles. The revelation and real find was the Metzler FeelFree rear. I bought this tyre (delivered) for under £60 which has to be 20% cheaper than the Bridgestone. The performance of the tyre is very good. Grip is good (no loss of traction to report in the wet), its not noisy, its very good and what makes it great for me is that it has good wear. The last set were changed when they had done 6,350 miles (10% further than the Hoops).

I was so impressed by this tyre I decided to fit a new scooter tyre Metzler have developed called the Metzler FeelFree Wintec. It is suposed to be a winter tyre so better suited to rain, snow and ice and is also the same price as the FeelFree (standard). I have done 1,500 miles so far with the Wintec and think it is great. Very good grip levels indeed (no snow encountered yet). The tread depths appear to be a little bit deeper than the standard. Time will tell wether it has good tyre wear. So far it looks good on wear.

If it gets anywhere near 5,500 miles then I will use these tyres all year round and be done with it; as technically the performance/grip levels do not fall below the grip levels of the standard tyre until the temperature is 30 degrees centigrade (which is not often in the UK when I ride mornings & evenings to & from work).

I will also fit the Metzler on the front as this new product seems like a step forward in tyre technology for big scooters.

I have attached a copy of the Metzler Catalogue. Go to pages 32 to 35 and see the Feel/Free Wintec spec for yourselves.

Hopefully this will help make an informed choice. Don't just take what the garage will flog you!

Regards,

UK Wing

My current Metzelers have delivered 9200 mi, albeit they are down to the wear marks and will be replaced after its long winter nap. They have held air consistantly, play nice in the wet and do not wobble. I will have to try the wintec's, thanks for the tip UKW!

Anything I've read about running winter tyres all year round says they wear out a lot faster if you keep them on during the warmer summer months. That's why in some European countries tyre fitting depots have 'Tyre Hotels' where car owners pay a rental to have their winter tyres stored for most of the year, then they come in and have them fitted before the onset of snow and ice. Their all weather or summer tyres are then stored during the winter months, and refitted again in the spring. Other drivers fit winter tyres to steel wheels they've bought cheaply, and swap them round at home.

I know I'm referring to car tyres here, the only time I've seen winter tyres for scooters getting a mention are Heidenau tyres, and winter tyres were offered as an option for the Piaggio Mp3 three wheeler scooter. They might have been Metzelers too.

UKWING:
Thanks for that excellent post. That's what I was looking for.

Could someone recommend a place on the web, preferably on the east coast, where I can order Metzler tires? All the sights I find either don't have them or have just one.

Thanks

Hello Darkside Riders, The posts in this topic (and other posts in this forum) have convinced me to give the 'darkside' a try (down the road when my tires have worn out). I don't go fast through the turns/twisties - so I should not get into too much trouble. I am a pretty conservative rider. It has been stated that extreme leans and sitting more upright makes for a more stable darkside ride. I have some concerns that I may lean too much and find myself in trouble - so I have some questions regarding this matter. How do you know that you have leaned too much? What exactly happens if you lean too much? Can you feel that you are approaching the 'leaned too much' point - or is it just upon you with no advance warning? Thanks for your opinions regarding this matter.

For LarryB & others,

I got my last pair of Metzelers at http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com

Front

Rear

They do not list the Wintec in our size on the site, but the Metzeler site shows that they are available and can be ordered by anyone who sells their tires. I haven't called MSS to see if they can do this but I will.

Dimond wrote:

I have some concerns that I may lean too much and find myself in trouble - so I have some questions regarding this matter. How do you know that you have leaned too much?

Here is a great video of a Honda Silverwing with a Darkside tire leaning through turns https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olGqUIqevnQ

Dimond wrote:

What exactly happens if you lean too much? Can you feel that you are approaching the 'leaned too much' point - or is it just upon you with no advance warning?

https://www.silverwing600.com/t1847-get-your-sumitomo-tire-for-no-shipping-cost#15848 (Read the section "I felt the tire react differently one time ..."

Thanks Honda_Silver for the links as these more than answered my questions about the DS tire. I definitely will (someday) give it a try!