Hey everyone..Im looking to purchase some new tires for my ride . just wondering what is a good tire, brand, to go with? I was looking at the DUNLOP D404 tires but not to sure. I'll be doing a lot of long distance riding this summer and I would like a decent tire.. agn any Suggestions would be greatly appreciated
thanks .
Frank:smile2:
I personally like the Dunlop’s, some folks say the “travel” a bit over grooved surfaces etc, but I haven’t been riding long enough to make a ton of comparisons. BikeBandit.com sells the pair for about $165. They even have the whitewall version which IMO looks awesome. I bought a pair when I got the bike and just bought another rear tire because I ran over the biggest screw ever and I don’t trust leaving a plugged tire for very long. The other brand I hear folks talk a lot about is Shinko.
Hope that helps
My opinion, the next oversize tire is the way to go.
I got 6000 miles out of the Shinko on the rear of mine, still ride-able, but smooth except for the chicken strips. Wouldn't be afraid to buy them again, but I figured I would try the Shinko 777, it has a slightly higher load rating than the Tourmaster which I felt handled well.
Got the pair of Shinko Tourmaster for $125 on ebay.
Did a lot of shopping last year, but never did buy. If you dig enough, you'll see almost all manufacturers have a problem at some point. Avon, Continental, Metzeler, etc. have all had something at some point. People said I was going to die with the Shinko, but ...
I'll probably have to start over with shopping, all the tire models have probably changed. Dunlop must still have the 404 though.
Yep they still make em. Like I said I just got another one because of the plug. Should have the bike back tomorrow. I couldn’t justify getting the whitewalls because the front tire is less than a year.
Kenda Kruz K673 Motorcycle Street Rear Tire - 170/80H-15
I just ordered Kenda Kruz K673 Motorcycle Street Rear Tire - 170/80H-15 for $76.88 (w /free shipping) from Amazon.com on 1/31/20 and it arrived just a few days later on 2/4/20. Going to have it mounted and balanced today. The reviews on this forum as well as on Amazon were very positive. And the price was really great!
My local motorcycle shop will mount & balance for only $35 as I plan to remove the tire and take it to them. Also plan to relube the drive shaft splines and clean/inspect the rear brakes.
NOTE: my previous rear tire was a Michelin Commander II 150/90 B15 which came with the bike when I bought it used. I personally put ~12,000 miles on that tire. No idea how many miles were put on it before I bought it but it appeared to be quite new. It was a very good tire. I literally ran it down to steel belts showing in some spots before I realized how thin it had gotten (see pic). I would have bought the same tire but prices ranged from $190-$235 and I just didn't have the $ at the time.
I searched and compared prices with Amazon.com, bikeandbandit.com, revzilla.com and jpcycles.com. Amazon had the best prices and free shipping.
I opted to bump up from the 150/90 to the 170/80 but for no particular reason.
I would absolutely NOT recommend a size. The oem sizes are perfect for this bike. I would also not recommend using Metzeler ME880s. I had a rear one literally come apart. Half the tread came off while riding. It was properly balanced and nowhere near worn out. Also avoid buying tires from Dennis Kirk. They sold me a 4 year old tire. I installed it, and was unable to get the bead to seat. I took it to a local independent shop, and they couldn't get it to seat either. I watched them try. Then they checked the tire and found out it was 4 years old.
So a 160/90-15 rear tire would drop the freeway rpm's some? Sounds like more mileage to me. However I have not been able to locate any 160/90-15 rear tire.
IMO, the rear tire on the Vulcan 750 is already too big, and should have probably been a 130/90-15. I suspect it was used for looks back when those big fat tires were in style. I still 100% prefer a tire with a WIDE sidewall compared to a narrow sidewall. Many of the tires they are using on newer bikes and cars pretty much have no sidewall, just tread wrapped around a HUGE diameter REEHUUM (in ghetto speak) But a really big tire on a motorcycle is heavy, and creates a lot of rolling resistance. A too big tire on the front will have a negative effect on handling. Big heavy tires are also harder to balance properly. Just look at the tires on the original CB750. They look like bicycle tires compared to the Vulcan. 300mm wide rear tires got popular on those "custom built" choppers in the '90s. But look at a REAL chopper, like Peter Fonda's bike in Easyrider, and you will see a MUCH smaller rear tire.
The front tire I originally got for my '97 Vulcan 750 from Dennis Kirk was a Bridgestone Exedra G721, which I believe was the oem tire that came on my 2002 Vulcan 750, and I got 20,000 miles out of it. It turned out to be defective (and 4 years old) and the new front tire I got to replace it with was a stock size Dunlop Elite 4. It rides fine, only time will tell how it holds up.
I installed a Bridgestone Exedra G526 in the stock size on the rear. It went on fine and feels fine. Since the front tire was 4 years old, the rear one may be too. I haven't checked. It IS the same tire that came stock on the 2002 model, and like the original front, lasted 20,000 mostly highway miles. I doubt I will ever wear these tires out, I can't do long distance riding like I used to.
IMO, the rear tire on the Vulcan 750 is already too big, and should have probably been a 130/90-15. I suspect it was used for looks back when those big fat tires were in style. I still 100% prefer a tire with a WIDE sidewall compared to a narrow sidewall. Many of the tires they are using on newer bikes and cars pretty much have no sidewall, just tread wrapped around a HUGE diameter REEHUUM (in ghetto speak) But a really big tire on a motorcycle is heavy, and creates a lot of rolling resistance. A too big tire on the front will have a negative effect on handling. Big heavy tires are also harder to balance properly. Just look at the tires on the original CB750. They look like bicycle tires compared to the Vulcan. 300mm wide rear tires got popular on those "custom built" choppers in the '90s. But look at a REAL chopper, like Peter Fonda's bike in Easyrider, and you will see a MUCH smaller rear tire.
The front tire I originally got for my '97 Vulcan 750 from Dennis Kirk was a Bridgestone Exedra G721, which I believe was the oem tire that came on my 2002 Vulcan 750, and I got 20,000 miles out of it. It turned out to be defective (and 4 years old) and the new front tire I got to replace it with was a stock size Dunlop Elite 4. It rides fine, only time will tell how it holds up.
I installed a Bridgestone Exedra G526 in the stock size on the rear. It went on fine and feels fine. Since the front tire was 4 years old, the rear one may be too. I haven't checked. It IS the same tire that came stock on the 2002 model, and like the original front, lasted 20,000 mostly highway miles. I doubt I will ever wear these tires out, I can't do long distance riding like I used to.
Comparing Henry Fonda's chopper or a first generation cb 750 to any motorcycle made after 1980 is like comparing grapes to the empire State building. A 140 tire isn't really that wide, as a 170 isn't either
This isn't a huge increase in tire weight, we're not talking Super Swampers.
I've always up-sized when I bought new tires, never regretted it, even on Honda CBs. The oversize that fits this bike is nowhere near 300mm which is almost 12". I've yet to see anyone say that the next size up ruined their handling, but many have said they liked the new handling.
I wish I could see a side-by-side comparison of the 170/80-15 next to the 150/90/15. If that's what you run Spockster then I know it'll fit mine as mine still has the factory tire-to-fender clearance.
I'm also curious about the difference in tire weights.
The main thrust behind making such a change for me is to get better freeway MPG/range.
There's some comparison pics in the thread I linked earlier, they're fuzzy now but you can see the height difference.. I see I haven't restored the pics I put in there.
If you search around the web, there may be some tire weights listed somewhere, I've used them for atv tires.
There would be some rpm drop with a taller tire, but I don't know if it's enough to give much change in mpg. Don't think anyone has made that comparison.
Because of the minimal diameter change I think the MPG change probably wouldn't even be noticeable. I'll probably stick with the stock rear tire size then, but I do run the 110/90-19 on the front anyway.
I'm right on the edge of deciding to change mine out before I go down to the annual HCMR. I'm at 6K on this set and I think they are expected to see maybe 7K longevity. I'd hate for them to crap out so far away from home even though right now they seem to have lots of tread left. I'll put on much more than 1K between now and then.
This is a good thread for me also to think about different brands aside from Frank, the thread starter. Since the past two years have seen me getting in more miles per year than the previous years I might just opt for a longer lasting tire set.
I've not noticed any detrimental changes to handling (due to tires) at all since putting the current set of tires on (6K miles ago). The only time I did notice a handling change was solely due to the less-than-ideal positioning of my loadout at that time. Repositioning of the load cleared that up.
I'm not concerned about a 110/90-19 tire on the front and stock on the back. In fact I think it handles better with the larger front tire. It no longer reacts to tar snakes or ruts, or at the very least reacts FAR less with the 110 tire on the front.
As for the rear tire, since you, Spockster, said that you run the larger tires, have you noticed that it rides better?
Well if you want the best mileage, a skinnier tire would be better than a fat one do to rolling resistance. But then a taller one would lower your rpm at a constant speed. But then you’ll need more fuel to get there.
Keep in mind here we are talking 2-4 mpg differences at the most. So unless you’re traveling cross country you’re not going to save much $$ per mile.
I’d easily trade a few pennies for better traction and better braking you get from
a wider tire.
Hard for me to say, I only rode about 3 miles before doing all the mods.
On tire width, keep in mind, the actual contact patch of the tread is approx. 3" or so at any given time, this is how we get chicken strips. The tire would have to be flat to be using the full width of the tread on any tire, except a Darkside tire.
Thanx for the heads up..I found a place in Quebec, thats reasonable.. and I can go and have them installed instead of mail order..
cheers!
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