Michelin Tires?

[wjduke]

I'm in the tire business, but not motorcycle. I'm not sure how the handling would be with all bias. I always thought Michelin made radials only, so that's surprising right there. I do concur on Indian using bias front and radial rear, another surprising thing to me. I'm sure Michelin makes a motorcycle tire that meets the bead fitment, so that shouldn't be a worry. It's the car tire that doesn't match a motorcycle wheel. Confidence wise, I wouldn't worry, but I would be on the side of using radials with this bike.

[BuzzzPhotos]

Back in the 70s I tested tires for BF Goodrich when radials first came out. Bias ply tires were rugged & tough & still run on tractors & heavy equipment vehicles. The issue was heat dissipation. Radials have thinner side walls and cool better, especially at high speed. Michelin coats ever strand of steel with rubber & they wrap their molds around the tire rather than smash it in a horizontal mold. So I run Michelin on every vehicle if I can. They run cooler & have better construction. But I still wouldn't go with Bias ply because their chance of falure is a lot higher at high speed. Not sure what I'll replace my Michelin CT Primacy with when it wears out.

[six2go]

UPDATE!
It's been about 9 months since I started this thread and I appreciate all of the input. A couple of weeks ago I put on a set of Avon Cobras. I had used them on my Valkyrie and got good service from them so I figured "why not?" give them a shot on the "6" also. I only have about 800 miles on them so not much to report. I had about 16.5 K on the OEM 'Stones and and they weren't done yet. I just wanted fresh rubber in case I woke up some morning and decided to hit the road to somewhere.

[F6Dave]

I just put a set of Avon Cobras on my F6B as well. They have been excellent on my 2 old Valkyries so I figured why not give them a try. I did wear out 4 rear/3 front of the OEM Bridgestone tires and liked them just fine. My only minor complaints were that they squirmed around a lot on tar strips, and they didn't last as long as I expected. So far I'm very pleased with the Avons.

I have had great luck with Michelins in the past on an old BMW. I like the idea of a 65% aspect ratio as a little bit more cornering clearance would be nice. The only thing that would hold me back is the bias ply construction.

[2wheelsforme]

I'm running Avon Cobras but would be happy with E-4s also. I have a Yamaha Venture which runs bias tires and no problems. I would not mix a radial and a bias front to back. Do not see much advantage to a 65 over a 60 series tire. What is that less than a millimeter?

[opas ride]

Breathing life back into this thread concerning running the Michelin Commander II bias ply tire on the F6B. I've looked back at older threads on the site but haven't seen anything that specifically addresses my concern. I was at the Hell's Canyon Rally in Baker City, Oregon and wore the rear OEM Stone to the threads after a few days running curves in 96F temps. Tire was shot at 13,000 miles which caught me by surprise as I've been careful to keep rear pressure at 40 psi. I really thought I'd get home to Alberta before needing to replace it. I had no other option but to put a Commander II on the rear. I grabbed the last one a vendor at the rally had ($$) as I wasn't about to risk running the worn tire on the interstate to get to a bigger town where more tire options would be available.

So the question. I'm pondering putting the OEM-sized Commander II on the front now for a match but I'm a bit unsure whether going to full bias-ply setup on a bike designed for radials is the best idea. Have friends running the Commander II on Victory bikes who speak highly of them and they rate really well in reviews for handling and longevity, My only concern is the bias setup and the fact the rear isn't a perfect size match to OEM (aspect ratio 5 mm higher). It also seems like a 'rounder' profile tire too compared to the OEM Stones if that makes sense. I noticed the bike wanted to stand up a bit sooner when leaned over in curves with the Commander on the rear. Nothing serious but different. I did read a comment on a Goldwing forum stating going bias-ply is a bad idea as the bead seal with a bias tire on our rims will not seat correctly.

Anyone have thoughts on this?

Cheers.

Personally, I would never consider different size/types of tires on my F6B period..Stick to what the factory recommends is the best way to go IMHO..(no offence to dark-siders)...I know you were "kind-of-stuck" at the time, but I would get some new Dunlop E-4's or Avons mounted ASAP and ride safe.....Regards

[six2go]

Personally, I would never consider different size/types of tires on my F6B period..Stick to what the factory recommends is the best way to go IMHO..(no offence to dark-siders)...I know you were "kind-of-stuck" at the time, but I would get some new Dunlop E-4's or Avons mounted ASAP and ride safe.....Regards

And don't even THINK of putting whitewalls on the F6B. Honda doesn't recommend them and you will surely die a violent and flaming death.

[F6Dave]

I have an old BMW airhead. It came from the factory with a bias-ply Metzeler on the front, and a radial Metzeler on the rear!

[crossbowme]

I traded in my 2006 ST1300 for the F6B and had Michelin GT on it. In my in my 55 years of riding they were the best tires I ever used. To bad you can't get them on the F6B.