Tire recommendations

Sold a Yamaha Majesty, and bought a 2007 Silverwing. The tire tread is worn, and I wanted to ask for recommendations on new tires.

Sold the 2006 V Max in Dec..
the Silverwing looks good next to my favorite, the V65 Magna...

Terry O (Marsman)
Mars, Pa

Terry,

I started with the OEM Bridgestone Hoops, and then 2 sets of Diablo's, and now I have the Metzlers. I think the Metzlers are a bit better (but not much) then the Diablo's, and the Diablo's and Metzler's are much better than the Hoops. IMO. I get about 10,000 miles on all of them but the Metzlers and Diablo's seem to stick to the pavement much nicer and are better and smoother in the turns.

I will never go back to Hoops unless I have to. They others are just much nicer IMO.

Hello Terry O (Marsman),

Welcome to the forum.

After reading all the information on this forum, I decided on running a Diablo on the front and a Metzler on the rear.

Thanks fellows, I'll go with the Metzlers... appreciate the help....

Former
CH80 past
CH150
Reflex
Majesty
ST1100
VF700s Sabre
V Max
VFR
FZ1000
TDM850

now Silverwing
V65 Magna
some day - BMW R1200GS

Go to the DARK SIDE Marsman......

x

I Don't recall what the OEM's were,but I tried the Diablo's and couldn't be more pleased! A much sportier tire! And at $50 ea, a great price!

I think OEM's are usually Bridgestone Hoops. My first set where Hoops, and I think they probably last maybe a couple of thousand more miles, but the Diablo's are much nicer and I still go 10,000 miles out of them.

Dennis,

How did you come to that combination? Did it just happen since the front generally last longer or did Gary put you up to that. He talked me into putting a Darkside on the front...and then he laughed !!

I recently bought a Silver Wing rear wheel from 'The Market Place', an online selling site for employees of the company I work for. After emailing the seller he arranged to bring the wheel in to work and we arranged a meeting.

He explained he'd bought the wheel from an insurance write-off Silver Wing and had a special tyre fitted, he'd used it for a year then put the original wheel back on when he sold the Swing.

When he handed the wheel over I realised it was a car tyre, an ITTP a make I've never heard of. Right I thought, that's coming off but it looks practically new and I'm tempted to try it out.

I have 2 points here. #1 Honda says Hoop or IRC, I had both on SilverWing---they are/were tested/approved by both tire maker/bike maker and perform well. I think I liked IRC better by a little. Pirelli Diablo worked great/handled great on my Reflex. I have a spare pair in my shop, waiting to go on mynew Burgman in about 6 weeks---price very good, $115 US for pair delivered to front door(Dennis Kirk) local dealer should be able to do about same with tires from Parts Unlimited. Older bike, replace tires in pairs for true enjoyment and performance.

POINT #2 : Meldrew, please put car tire/wheel on, put all safety gear on, ride around a little and give experienced rider impression. I think you will find rear behaves "funny" Now stupid reading for the day---I just read car tire fan, thinks he stopped quicker with car tire on rear with GoldWing, so much quicker he avoided accident---idiot doesn't realize GoldWing brakes are Linked balance of braking forces used to be about 70% from front and 30% from rear, I suspect 80/20 balance on newer bike---wonder if the idiot even added more front by using lever.

Meldrew wrote:

I recently bought a Silver Wing rear wheel from 'The Market Place', an online selling site for employees of the company I work for. After emailing the seller he arranged to bring the wheel in to work and we arranged a meeting.

He explained he'd bought the wheel from an insurance write-off Silver Wing and had a special tyre fitted, he'd used it for a year then put the original wheel back on when he sold the Swing.

When he handed the wheel over I realised it was a car tyre, an ITTP a make I've never heard of. Right I thought, that's coming off but it looks practically new and I'm tempted to try it out.

Good for you,have a open mind and at least try it.

john grinsel wrote:

I have 2 points here. #1 Honda says Hoop or IRC, I had both on SilverWing---they are/were tested/approved by both tire maker/bike maker and perform well. I think I liked IRC better by a little. Pirelli Diablo worked great/handled great on my Reflex. I have a spare pair in my shop, waiting to go on mynew Burgman in about 6 weeks---price very good, $115 US for pair delivered to front door(Dennis Kirk) local dealer should be able to do about same with tires from Parts Unlimited. Older bike, replace tires in pairs for true enjoyment and performance.

POINT #2 : Meldrew, please put car tire/wheel on, put all safety gear on, ride around a little and give experienced rider impression. I think you will find rear behaves "funny" Now stupid reading for the day---I just read car tire fan, thinks he stopped quicker with car tire on rear with GoldWing, so much quicker he avoided accident---idiot doesn't realize GoldWing brakes are Linked balance of braking forces used to be about 70% from front and 30% from rear, I suspect 80/20 balance on newer bike---wonder if the idiot even added more front by using lever.

You must know him REAL WELL to call him a IDIOT !!!!!

pancho wrote:

Meldrew wrote:

I recently bought a Silver Wing rear wheel from 'The Market Place', an online selling site for employees of the company I work for. After emailing the seller he arranged to bring the wheel in to work and we arranged a meeting.

He explained he'd bought the wheel from an insurance write-off Silver Wing and had a special tyre fitted, he'd used it for a year then put the original wheel back on when he sold the Swing.

When he handed the wheel over I realised it was a car tyre, an ITTP a make I've never heard of. Right I thought, that's coming off but it looks practically new and I'm tempted to try it out.

Good for you,have a open mind and at least try it.

ITTP = "I'm Taking The Piss", and it's April 1st.

I must be a SUPER DUPER IDIOT! Cuz I'm going on my 4th Car Tire on my Goldwing (and a SNOW tire at THAT!)

Meldrew, you little tinker, you had me going for a minute there. I thought oh no! Meldrew, what are you thinking of, you know they are illegal in our country.

I see there are two types of diablo....70S and 70P for silverwings. What's the difference???

If it's the speed-rating, go for the 'S':

http://www.nice-wheels.co.uk/tyrespeed.html

As Mike said, go for the "S". This is rated to 112 mph and the P is a bit slower so I would go for the S.

thank you. Just bought them. My rear tire popped while I was riding today...time to get it replaced.

How in the world are you all getting 10,000 mi on the tires. I am only getting maybe 2000 mi on the Hoops. Please let me know how... it is getting expensive buying tires... and thanks for the tip on the Diablo and Metzlers.

Mrpegleg,

If you are only getting 2000 miles on the Hoops there is something very wrong. I changed out my OEM Hoops at 10,000 miles and I might have been able to get a 1000-2000 more miles. This is for the rear since the front lasts longer, but I always change both tires at the same time.

I'm not sure what would cause your tires to last only 2,000 miles. I'm sure you check the air pressure and make sure they balance them, but I would think even with not checking your pressure you should get way more than that. I have found I only had 25 lbs in my tires but I have always gotten pretty good mileage out of mine. Are the roads in Michigan that bad, or does salt on the roads in the winter effect your tires? Just curious.

I just installed a new IRC tire,my swing came from the factory with them on it.I changed it at 10,000 miles,I could have gotten 11,000,I am expecting more miles next time because I have stopped starting off like a bat escaping from hell,I found it too hard to resist because it was so much fun,I am settling down now,so more miles are expected this time.

mrpegleg wrote:

How in the world are you all getting 10,000 mi on the tires. I am only getting maybe 2000 mi on the Hoops.

In Texas, I would get 8,000 - 8,500 miles on my Hoops and 40,000 miles on my Sumitomo Darkside car tire

Some of the key factors on tire life
1) Tire pressure (with higher pressure tires run cooler)
2) Road construction material
3) Ambient road temperature
4) Riding conditions

I'd look at your tire pressures if you're only getting 2000 miles on a rear tire. And if they read correctly...double check that pressure with a second tire gauge. Often the tire pressure you get on a service station pump, or even one of the inline gauges on an electric pump, can be off by as much as 9-10 psi. The tire gauges at service stations get dropped repeatedly.

Chris

I got 6000 miles out of my first (OE) Hoop rear but I do ride quite hard on indifferent road sufaces. At least the tyres are much cheaper than bike tyres and removing the rear wheel wasn't any more difficult than the same job on the Deauville I had previously !

[quote="pancho"][quote="john grinsel"]I have 2 points here. #1 Honda says Hoop or IRC, I had both on SilverWing---they are/were tested/approved by both tire maker/bike maker and perform well. I think I liked IRC better by a little. Pirelli Diablo worked great/handled great on my Reflex. I have a spare pair in my shop, waiting to go on mynew Burgman in about 6 weeks---price very good, $115 US for pair delivered tofront door(Dennis Kirk) local dealer should be able to do about same with tires from Parts Unlimited. Older bike, replace tires in pairs for true enjoyment and performance.

POINT #2 : Meldrew, please put car tire/wheel on, put all safety gear on, ride around a little and give experienced rider impression. I think you will find rear behaves "funny" Now stupid reading for the day---I just read car tire fan, thinks he stopped quicker with car tire on rear with GoldWing, so much quicker he avoided accident---idiot doesn't realize GoldWing brakes are Linked balance of braking forces used to be about 70% from front and 30% from rear, I suspect 80/20 balance on newer bike---wonder if the idiot even added more front by using lever

Provocative comment deleted by moderator.

I put my another car tire on my Goldwing this week. I got 21,000 miles out of an $87 dollar tire vs $220 tire which would yield about 10,000 miles. My new tire on the Wing is a Dunlop Wintersport Run Flat.

For my SW, I just ordered and expect delivery tomorrow on a Michelin Pilot Power Pure SC Rear Tire Size- 150/70-13. It was $51 delivered to my door.

Thanx for all the replies. I am in Florida and do not know if the roads just eat up the rubber but it is just killing me buying so many tires. I ride the swing all over and put on 10,000 - 12,000 per year so 5 - 6 tires per year make it expensive to use. I will try another brand like IRC or Pirelli and see what happens.

You might want to try the Michelin Pilot Power Pure SC. It's new on the market with a dual-compound tread. The center section is designed for longer wear. http://tinyurl.com/dy45quv

Price is not outlandish either at $53.

Chris

Daboo wrote:

You might want to try the Michelin Pilot Power Pure SC. It's new on the market with a dual-compound tread. The center section is designed for longer wear. http://tinyurl.com/dy45quv

Price is not outlandish either at $53.

Chris

It is on sale right now too.... I got mine delivered to my door for $51.

It was just now delivered! I have an appointment for Friday to have it mounted.

I went and ordered the Michelin F&R and will receive them Monday. Will have them mounted on Tuesday and hope they give me better wear. I am liking that Motorcycle Superstore website. Although I keep spending more and more mon$y when I visit it. Just ordered new grips & windshield.

larryinseattle wrote:

Daboo wrote:

You might want to try the Michelin Pilot Power Pure SC. It's new on the market with a dual-compound tread. The center section is designed for longer wear. http://tinyurl.com/dy45quv

Price is not outlandish either at $53.

Chris

It is on sale right now too.... I got mine delivered to my door for $51.

It was just now delivered! I have an appointment for Friday to have it mounted.

I've got the Michelin Pilot SC (no mention of power pure) They were put on last year and still have some nubs on the edges. So far they feel great. I'm usually a Dunlop or Metzeler rider but I'm going to see how these last.

mrpegleg wrote:

I went and ordered the Michelin F&R and will receive them Monday. Will have them mounted on Tuesday and hope they give me better wear. I am liking that Motorcycle Superstore website. Although I keep spending more and more mon$y when I visit it. Just ordered new grips & windshield.

larryinseattle wrote:

Daboo wrote:

You might want to try the Michelin Pilot Power Pure SC. It's new on the market with a dual-compound tread. The center section is designed for longer wear. http://tinyurl.com/dy45quv

Price is not outlandish either at $53.

Chris

It is on sale right now too.... I got mine delivered to my door for $51.

It was just now delivered! I have an appointment for Friday to have it mounted.

I am in south Florida also and was wondering how those new Michelins were working out? The hot pavement does tear up tires down here but it shouldnt be to the extent u mentioned. I just got my 2009 silverwing about a month ago and commute daily from lakeworth to coral springs. I used to ride a Kymco 250 with Michelin pilot sports and only got about 3500. I went with a hidenau tire which got me to about 5000 miles. I now am in the market for a rear tire for the silverwing an was thinking about the Pirelli but would like your feedback on the Michelin down here in Florida in wet and dry conditions

Guys...I read this thread on tire opinions and I am going to replace the 10 year old tires on my newly purchased 03 SW with 6600 miles...but

I see one can buy the tires at a great price at places like Motorcycle Super Store. How do you then get them installed by someone who knows the Wing? The dealers will only install what they sell at full price...Thanks Dan

Any CT dealer can install a MC tire . I go to a small one man shop operation and they charge me $10. plus $20. for balancing beads. I remove the wheel,myself. It take 10 minutes to do it.

If you do not do your own tire work---have Honda dealer who is familiar with SilverWing and has balance capability, many don't.

I use "Ride On" as balance deal.

There is time involved, especially removing rear wheel----muffler has to come off---ten year old bike, Make sure dealer has exhaust" packing" in hand or orders before work is done.

I say support local dealers---we need them to stay in business.

IRC worked better for me on SilverWing.

The last couple of times I have changed tires, my tire of choice has been the Metzler. They seems to work well in all weather conditions and last between 8 and 10 thousand smiles. I am an aggressive rider. . .but, I do not abuse my Silverwing. It gets the best of care and maintenance and is always inside when I am not riding it. I do not allow it to sit in the "sun" if possible. Sun is very hard on all vehicles.
Old Dave, in Western Nebraska U.S.A.

Look on sticker on bike----hoop or IRC----Metzeler.de does say Feel Free is ok. ... based 250-400 replacement tires in my riding life----I would stick with Honda's choice.

I can't think of any substantiated opinion for not choosing a top notch tyre brand other than these 'recommended' by Honda. After all Honda is a Japanese brand, using Japanese tyres as OEM. You can't expect them to advise using Metzeler, Michelin or Pirelli...

The Metzeler Feelfree after the initial incident with the tire going flat ended up giving me no more trouble after that. I only got 6000 miles on the rear. I just replaced both tires at around 12,500 miles and now have a Metzeler Feelfree on the front and a Pirelli Diablo on the rear. I am in south Florida so anxious to see how long the Pirelli lasts down here on the hit pavement.

Quite happy with my Viper Strykes m'self. In very wet conditions they are not the best but here in the desert southwest that's pretty much never a problem. Excellent grip on dry roads. I'm convinced they saved my life on the hairiest near death experience I ever had on a scooter.

Iam currently on Diablos front and rear, after the original Bridgestones i tried Metzelers. They were okay but not that good. I don't care for these Diablos much, we get a lot of rain in England and i ride on back country lanes usually, i find the Diablos side walls don't flex very much going around the curves and it make for a hard ride. I shall be going back to Bridgestones very soon.

john grinsel wrote:

Look on sticker on bike----hoop or IRC----Metzeler.de does say Feel Free is ok. ... based 250-400 replacement tires in my riding life----I would stick with Honda's choice.

400 tyres in 200000 miles works out at 500 miles per tyre. That is some serious scrubbing there John!

Cheers,

Okay, here is a dumb question. But I am going to ask it anyhow. Warm to hot pavement year round. What should the tire pressure be on the Diablo, Metzler or Michelin be in warm to hot weather. Should I run the pressure higher or lower. I am actually going to order the Metzler I think this time for just the rear. The front look like new.

I suggest you talk to the guys at competition cycle center down in Davie. I am sure they will be able to set you straight.

Yahooie... Is that the one off of Old Griffin Road?

To correct on 400 tires----I have ridden over 1.5 million miles on 2 wheels since 1955----right now near 300.000 on rubber band drive scooters included in that----my use of tires has been somewhere between 250-400.

Yes off if old griffin. They willing and balance the tires for u also. They generally get the best prices in tires.

Thanx yahooie.. this should make my decision a little bit easier. Maybe they can tell me why I am only getting 2500 - 3500 miles per rear tire.

Where do you live yahooie... maybe we can get a ride in sometime.