New Tyres (I Know "again" yawn)

I got my new baby (2012 Swing, 11,000 miles) on Friday.

Rear is virtually down to the "tell tale" front has 3mm - both Hoops.

I am probably going to change both, BUT what to replace them with?

I have gone through a lot of previous posts about which tyres are recommended but these posts are mostly from some years ago, so I reckon there must be some more recent feedback available.

I am in the UK so I'm more interested in the UK members opinions, but ALL comments welcome..

My riding is only for pleasure I don't commute. I am planning to do a bit of touring next summer (Scotland, possibly France if they'll let us in after Brexit)

I had Pirelli's on my 900 Hornet and they were brilliant, I've had bad experience with Michelin which I replaced with Bridgestone.

My research is drawing me towards the Metzeler FeelFree. But standard or Wintec?

Thanks in advance
JB

I don't think bike tyre experience really translates across to scooter tyres due to the construction differences.

Most bigger bikes are wearing radial ply tyres these days with softer and varying grades of rubber, often on the same tyre. I couldn't find a pair of radials to fit the Swing. They're all bias belted as are most scooter tyres. One company used to make them (Pirelli?) but none available when I looked.

I spent hours looking on forums and other places before I decided on the Metzelers. They seem to be the most popular at the moment with plenty of good reports and very little against. As I ride all year round, I went for the Wintecs due to the wet weather that we get in the uk.

Conti 365 were my second choice but they're recent and not much in the way of opinions yet.

I've just been out this afternoon and after nearly 200 miles on the Wintecs, I've been pushing them a little harder on the dry roads we were on today. Very pleased so far.

I have nothing say about the Continental ContiMove 365 tyres I had fitted a few months ago. They're an all season tyre with quite a chunky tread pattern and I chose them simply because my rear Bridgestone Hoop developed a blister on the bottom tread. I had the matching front tyre fitted at the same time.

IIRC Meldrew (Hi bud) is on Conti' 365's, I'm currenttly on Anlas SC500 wintergrip 2's grip is brilliant, BUT it looks like I'm in for three rears to a front, previously was on City Grip Winter's excellent tyre, two rears to a front, not sure on milage but took 18 months to wear out the first rear. Thinking of trying Heidenau K60 Scout next

Im interested in anything that will last longer than the current rear hoop. On new about 3.5k miles ago and Im approaching the wear indicators already...

I'm comfortable with the Hoops on my Silverwings.

They seem to work well, last a good distance with my riding-style and are readily available.

Looking back I think that, apart from the original tyres (IRS's or whatever they are), I've only had Hoops as replacements so I can't make informed comparisons.

I've had Hoops on five different maxi scooters and I tend to get 8500 to 9000 miles out of a rear tyre before changing them when there's about 1.8mm tread depth left. I often wonder why some riders only get 3500 to 4000 miles as the wear rate has always seemed fine to me. Apart from a rear puncture on my Helix, the rear squaring off on my 650 Burgman, and that blister on the rear tyre of the Silver Wing recently, they've always been a decent tyre. I may have had some of that 'cupping' too, if I actually knew what it was in proper British English!  

I've always shied away from fitting softer compound winter tyres like the Metzeler Feelfree Wintec because of the increased wear rate. If I believe the bumf from Continental, the ContiMove 365 all season  I have on now wear like a normal motorcycle tyre. But I suppose how long tyres last ultimately depends on how much of a throttle jockey you are, and how fastidious you are about regularly checking and maintaining correct tyre pressures.

I just changed the original rear hoop at 16,000km (close to 10,000miles). It was down to wear bar.
So pretty much the same mileage as Meldrew. Tire was replace with another hoop.
The tire was worn square. So I suspect previous owners may not have been checking inflation
on a regular basis.

I'm not sure how I've managed it myself Meldrew. I'm ocd about tyre pressures so that's not the problem, 95% of my riding is country A roads at 60 ish. Not hooning down motorways or drag stripping away from the lights!
Ah well, the tyres are cheap compared to 17" radials.

tires again----you might note, last new SilverWings in US came with IRC, owner's manual only recommends IRC---Last tire replacement, I put matched set of IRC-----they work fine.

HOOP--my experience with them----they wear square quickly. average with SilverWing I get about 10,000 miles from rear.

Had good luck on rear with Michelin Power Pure SC-----they last, don't slip and wear ROUND!!
For me horrible on front at low speed, give not confident steering at parking lot speeds.

Next for me, Michelin Power Pure on rear, IRC will remain on front.

My tire experience with SilverWing is nearing 80,000 miles.

Scooter/bikes feel better with round tires on edge.

Tyres for scooters are not particularly expensive - why try to eke out nine to ten thousand miles when within yourself you really know that the tyres are well by their best - stick to the well known vendors - michilin/metzeler/pirelli etc etc and you cannot go wrong

I have about 7,000 on my Pirelli Diablos. Looks like I have 2-3,000 miles on the rear and a little more on the front, but I'll replace them both at the same time. I really like the way they ride and grip the highway. My experience with them has been very positive.

OK, I have recently purchased a New, Old, 2002, SW 400 ex japan. Lovely bike with lots of paint cosmetic damage etc, just as you would expect Japanese city commuter to be . Only 13.000 k's but original Hoop tyre, AWFUL, so have just bought a new set of Metzelers, as the Pirellis weren't available, (same tyre, different name ) it was like I bought a new bike !!!

I had the opposite problem couldn't get Metzeler Wintec so went with the Pirelli Diablos. Very happy with them but not ridden in the wet yet.

JB

Ive had a pair of avons on for about 9 months, great in the dry not confident about them in the wet ( which in scotland is most of the time) dontknow if i'll get same again.

ZERO issues with my 2nd DS tire.....  also has a 60k mile warranty.

1st DS tire lasted 12k miles still had 25% tread left.



then went to this one 4 weeks ago.
V-Netik VK101 165/70R13 79T 165 70 13 1657013 60K Warranty

RazorbackUofA you could not pay me enough to ride a bike with that tyre on !
I value my life too much and I'm surprised you're insurance companies allow such modifications.

(OK I've loaded the gun - Who's going to pull the trigger )

JB

My only gripe with Hoops on my SW was their performance on wet pavement wasn't impressive. Especially when crossing the white lines on the road when wet. Power Pures seemed a lot better in those conditions. Tire life was about the same for me. I liked the Power Pures enough that I put them on my GT as well.

Meldrew - 'Cupping' also known in the tire trade as 'scalloping' at least here in the US>

I've had Bridgestone Hoops on five different maxi scooters and wet weather riding and grip has generally never been a problem. Neither have white lines or rain grooves on some sections of autobahn that used to make my old MZ's twitch a bit. In fact the only times Bridgestone Hoops have gave me cause for concern were again both abroad.

A long section of very smooth asphalt on a road in Germany that made the rear wheel on my 650 Burgman squirm a bit in the damp or wet, and that may have been the tyre squaring off.

On the Silver Wing a couple of years ago I had to ride for miles on a motorway in Holland that had very wide 'tar snakes' where the road had been resurfaced. It was fine until I hit torrential rain then it was impossible to see the tar snakes for the amount of rain bouncing off the road surface. Then I had to feel my way along until the rain slackened off a bit.

The upside of riding in such wet conditions demonstrated to me how effective the laminated Gore tex fabric of my Klim Overland suit was at shedding even the heaviest prolonged rain, and then drying out in minutes.


I usually see my tyres as new, part worn, worn, and worn ready to replace, I'm not adding unnecessary American teminology like cupping or scalloping to that list.

The Hoops on my Silver Wing were replaced last year when the rear blistered at the bottom, my name for that tyre condition is shagged!

So I replaced both rear and front with Continental ContiMove 365's, simply because I wanted a change from Bridgestone Hoops, and they're designed as better all year round and cold/winter weather tyre for European conditions.

I would mention that cupping or scalloping is a term used to describe a specific type of wear on a tire. The term is not limited to American use as it is definitely used in Canada and a believe an Australian would recognize the term. On many brands of tire one can hear the the result of 'cupping' as a definite buzz or hum when cornering. I'm glad your method of determining wear satisfies you Meldrew but some prefer to be more definite and less subjective.

Personally I couldn't care less about what is definitive or not, I've never heard bikers and maxi riders talking about cupping, neither can I recall anyone going on about it when chatting about car tyres. Everyone understands what a worn tyre is. When we Brits regularly do start referring to cupping, it'll be just another Americanism that's crept over here like the word 'dude', the trend for putting pulled pork into everything, and back to front baseball caps.

You see we all know the legal limits for tyre wear as we have present our 2 and 4 wheeled vehicles for an annual MOT road worthiness check once it's 3 years old. Illegally worn tyres are also a convenient excuse for insurance companies to invalidate our cover, and Darksiders wouldn't get cover at all.

Rattlebars has some very good information on how motorcycle (and scooter) tires wear. There is one type of wear that depends on what side of the road you ride on. In North America motorcycle tires wear more rapidly on the left side than the right. In the UK tires will wear more on the right side. The linked article shows why.
It also shows what 'cupping' or 'scalloping' is and why it occurs. If there's a different terminology on the other side of the pond for this kind of wear, it would be appreciated if someone would let us know what you call it instead of ridiculing the terminology used in the US and Canada and much of the rest of the world.
http://www.rattlebars.com/tirewear/index.html

Do you have any terminology for premature tyre caused by owners ignoring Honda's recommended tyre pressures and over inflating them because they think they know better?

Yes indeed, premature wear.

OK

Having trawled for ages and appreciate it's "horses for courses" but the majority seem to favour the pirelli diabolo (or Metzler,same tyre different branding) if I read right.

Only QC on my SW today revealed I'm on the tread wear indicator and for me the bridgestone hoops are squirrelly on over banding and white lines (shame as I've always preferred bridgestone TW on my bigger bikes)

Scootypuff Snr wrote:

OK
...the bridgestone hoops are squirrelly on over banding and white lines....

I find that happens to me but I'm so used to it it doesn't worry me, especially since the Silverwing is so stable, 'self-righting', even - that I notice it but that's all.

Well visited several dealerships today and due to lack of availability I'm sticking with Bridgestones.

After riding in yesterday's flash flooding I want new rubber ASAP.

So having dealer do it I get to ride demos while I wait

Scootypuff Snr wrote:

Well visited several dealerships today and due to lack of availability I'm sticking with Bridgestones.

After riding in yesterday's flash flooding I want new rubber ASAP.

So having dealer do it I get to ride demos while I wait

You made the correct choice. Happy motoring lloyd 193.

Scootypuff Snr wrote:

for me the bridgestone hoops are squirrelly on over banding and white lines (shame as I've always preferred bridgestone TW on my bigger bikes)

Aren't all tyres a bit squirrelly riding over over banding, white lines, tar snakes, metal man hole and inspection covers, tram lines, frozen road surfaces, cow muck, wet leaves etc. Not because the tyres are at fault but because they're running over smoother patches of road surface that don't offer the of of adhesion of asphalt.

OK had my new bridgestone hoops fitted today (as I couldn't get an alternative brand locally)

Have to say (may be a placebo) but the handling,despite the new tyre (take it easy) is far better.

I honestly believe its because my bikes previous owner rode tandem whereas I predominantly ride solo and rubber moulds to its usage.

Time will tell