new tire time...

so i just rolled up on 19000 miles and summer is coming up fast
Im ready for tires so it looks like most guys either have not racked up enough miles for tires or just use the bridgstones from honda
I realize since this is my first goldwing I may get flamed for this so here goes
Im not comfortable with the dark side option,i believe car tires go on cars
does either dunlop elites3 or michelien have a better option?
i ride freeway every day a lot of straight line stuff but am looking for the best overall tire experience
im asking for help here because you guys probaly have more experience that I
Thanks in advance
SmokinJoe

I have not run Micheliens so cannot comment. I have run Dunlop Elite 3's and I prefer the Briidgestones over that brand. 19000 miles is a good amount of miles on a motorcycle tire and I replaced both of my tires with Bridgestones on my F6B.

I'm glad I bought this spare wheel and tire off Ebay, that cold, dark, winter night. 250$ for the new condition wheel and mounted tire. Did I say, "I hate nails!" Flat tire has 6k miles.

I am not there as far as wear….but I will look at Avon, Cobras if they will fit!

Michelin doesn't make the Commander II tires for the GL1800.

I did a write up a while ago when I replaced my tires at 18k with the Dunlop Elite 3's after another member I know recommended them. I have about 2500 miles on them so far and I love em. The bike feels much more sporty and grips like glue in the curves. I definitely recommend them too.

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Here's my original post. Found it in a search.

http://hondaf6b.com/showthread.php?1...lite#post26827

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Originally Posted by Steve 0080

I am not there as far as wear….but I will look at Avon, Cobras if they will fit!

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Someone I know with a full wing recommended the Avon Cobra's, but I already bought the Dunlops. Not sure on the length of wear on either but time will tell.

I had the Cobras on my Rune...they were GREAT!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hiflyer

I'm glad I bought this spare wheel and tire off Ebay, that cold, dark, winter night. 250$ for the new condition wheel and mounted tire. Did I say, "I hate nails!" Flat tire has 6k miles.

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I got a nail in my tire at 7200 miles, less than 3 weeks and 900 miles later I grabbed another one. Many curse words were uttered. All of this happened after putting one of those cutesy "warning, if this bike is on a trailer it is being stolen" stickers on it. :icon_doh: It was promptly removed and appologies were offered to the tire gods for angering them.

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Originally Posted by F6BPDX

All of this happened after putting one of those cutesy "warning, if this bike is on a trailer it is being stolen" stickers on it. :icon_doh: It was promptly removed and appologies were offered to the tire gods for angering them.

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:bowdown:

I used E3's on my Shadow Tourer. The front was Goldwing and the back was Valk. and I tried a GW rear tire once. I averaged 8000 - 10000 miles on the rear and got up to 18000 on the fronts. This was on a 625 lb bike and I weight in at 280. I really like the stock F6B tires so far, and 19k is impressive too me for bike tires.

As far as the dark side, I have not tried it, but the people I ride with who have, swear by car tires on the rear. I've been offered to ride a friends GL1800 with a CT, but have not yet.

Mike

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Originally Posted by mike2000t

I used E3's on my Shadow Tourer. The front was Goldwing and the back was Valk. and I tried a GW rear tire once. I averaged 8000 - 10000 miles on the rear and got up to 18000 on the fronts. This was on a 625 lb bike and I weight in at 280. I really like the stock F6B tires so far, and 19k is impressive too me for bike tires.

As far as the dark side, I have not tried it, but the people I ride with who have, swear by car tires on the rear. I've been offered to ride a friends GL1800 with a CT, but have not yet.

Mike

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after talking to my local stealer im convinced he is full of crap
so with that being said...
i shoped non honda tire shops,found the price way cheaper and the labor less for a stock bridgestone excedra..
after going back and forth about the rear tire i bought a general c/t will try to get it installed on my TRIKE tomorrow and a local repair shop
tire was 78.00...how can i not try it??
total for front AND rear tires is less than the front tire at the stealer
miles was right btw.. my loyalty has been forsaken,again

Nothing wrong with trying a CT,, You might just like it.

The 'sporty' feeling described by Bobby can in part be contributed to the more-rounded profile of the E3's rear tire. Stupid-easy to lean and the rear tracks out wider in curves than a tire with a flatter profile. That type of front/rear geometry 'wants' to corner.

The OEM G704 is pretty ~flat~ across the tread area,,, The flatter the rear tread, the tighter line the rear takes compared to the front,,, More prone to under-steer.

(I won't include CT's in this comparison as it wouldn't change anyone's opinion, and besides, not everyone's goals are the same.)

From everything I've read on the Wing forums, the OEM Stones are about the best 'all-around' tire.

Cobra's handle good,
E-3s wear great, but may cup/howl,
Metz are great, but a few seem to be going through some 'trials and tribulations' with quality,,,

OEM Stones are about 280 a set, shipped, from AMT. A rear Cobra alone will cost dang near the same,,, :shrug:

I have run Metzlers, Dunlop E3's and Avons on my Valk. 9000 miles max out of a rear tire and about 17000 miles on a front no matter what brand. It was really hard to tell the difference in tires but I like the Metzlers the best. So........if I can get 18000 miles out of these Bridgestones on my F6.....you can bet I will put Bridgestones back on this bike! :biggthumpup:

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Originally Posted by Westernbiker

I have run Metzlers, Dunlop E3's and Avons on my Valk. 9000 miles max out of a rear tire and about 17000 miles on a front no matter what brand. It was really hard to tell the difference in tires but I like the Metzlers the best. So........if I can get 18000 miles out of these Bridgestones on my F6.....you can bet I will put Bridgestones back on this bike! :biggthumpup:

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i got 19000..like i said,i am going new bridgestone front and the gmax rear,at 19k my front tire still looks good,but my habit is change both
the idea of the car tire put me off at first..all my buddys say its danderous..
well riding a bike is dangerous,splitting lanes is dangerous.
so the gmax is v rated..the riding i do is mostly freeway with a few turns..so i decieded what the heck
its a c note experiment..
we spend more putting lights and grips to make us more comfortable..
its an all weather tire,and it looks great to boot

Quote:

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Originally Posted by smokinjoe187

i got 19000..like i said,i am going new bridgestone front and the gmax rear,at 19k my front tire still looks good,but my habit is change both
the idea of the car tire put me off at first..all my buddys say its danderous..
well riding a bike is dangerous,splitting lanes is dangerous.
so the gmax is v rated..the riding i do is mostly freeway with a few turns..so i decieded what the heck
its a c note experiment..
we spend more putting lights and grips to make us more comfortable..
its an all weather tire,and it looks great to boot

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The General G-Max is a great alternative to a stock OEM MT! The directional thread/tread has some exceptional sipes which do a great job of channeling water during heavy rain storms! I know from first hand experience! Make sure you inflate the tire to 41/42psi which will provide the "sweet spot" for the G-Max. Unlike run flats which have multi ply side walls and can be run as low as 32/34psi, the Max has a 1 ply side wall and requires the higher pressure to stiffen the tire. The maximum recommended pressure for the G-Max is 51psi so there's ample room for adjustment!

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Originally Posted by bob109

The General G-Max is a great alternative to a stock OEM MT! The directional thread/tread has some exceptional sipes which do a great job of channeling water during heavy rain storms! I know from first hand experience! Make sure you inflate the tire to 41/42psi which will provide the "sweet spot" for the G-Max. Unlike run flats which have multi ply side walls and can be run as low as 32/34psi, the Max has a 1 ply side wall and requires the higher pressure to stiffen the tire. The maximum recommended pressure for the G-Max is 51psi so there's ample room for adjustment!

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dam..thats quite the collection of spares!!
i found an alternative shop to mount it today 25.00 and shopped the front tire stone exceda for 125.00,should be done tomorrow. i measured the tires last night after my bike turned 19k..enough is enough
ill keep you posted...thanks for all the help and info...
Smokinjoe

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Originally Posted by smokinjoe187

dam..thats quite the collection of spares!!
i found an alternative shop to mount it today 25.00 and shopped the front tire stone exceda for 125.00,should be done tomorrow. i measured the tires last night after my bike turned 19k..enough is enough
ill keep you posted...thanks for all the help and info...
Smokinjoe

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Joe! You have yourself a great rear tire! The G-Max loves the super slabs! I had more than enough occasion to run with traffic on I-75 in Florida over the winter and the tire was superb at 75/80 MPH. You'll have no problems adjusting to the CT. Make sure you pop the pressure to 41/42 psi and you'll be eating up the interstates like you never have. You'll realize the Max to have a smoother ride than the stock Stone.

Ride Safe

Bob

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Originally Posted by hiflyer

I'm glad I bought this spare wheel and tire off Ebay, that cold, dark, winter night. 250$ for the new condition wheel and mounted tire. Did I say, "I hate nails!" Flat tire has 6k miles.

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Thx Hiflyer for a previous thread where you mentioned the takeoff wheel & tire combo from eBay. Free shipping & it is balanced & ready to go. Received it yesterday.

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Originally Posted by BuzzzPhotos

Thx Hiflyer for a previous thread where you mentioned the takeoff wheel & tire combo from eBay. Free shipping & it is balanced & ready to go. Received it yesterday.

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That's what's cool about this forum. Phantom led me to that spare on Ebay. I've taken advantage of a lot of things this forum presents.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Steve 0080

I had the Cobras on my Rune...they were GREAT!!!

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I had the Avon Venom tires on my Valkyrie Interstate and they where incredible running tires! Most likely going to run same on Bagger! :icon_razz:

Another vote for the stock Bridgestones. Great all around tire, not prone to cupping like the E3 or quality problems like the Metz and better than the other Dunlops out there. Michelin doesn't make anything for our bike I don't think. I'm willing to bet 80% either run E3's or Bridgestone G-series (stock tire on the 12 and up) the other 20% are a mix of everything else. Speaking in general terms of course... Personally i think the Stones are smoother than the E3's but the E3 does have a bit more aggressive profile for cornering, maybe why the damn things cup so quick and start to howl.

Motorcycle Superstore has the best prices. If you can hold out till fall, you can save 30%-50% on end of the year pricing. They have a list of dealers that will do installs locally at much better than dealer pricing. I used to take the Harley to the Ducati dealer for tire mounting, $35 a tire, best deal in town (leastwise in Seattle), Metzler 880s, awesome tires.

I put a Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position RFT with 31 lbs and I love it. This is my first CT and it wont be my last.. I love the ride and handling :icon_biggrin: