Tyre choise

[sbrumby]

Recient MOT on the big bike ,bike passed but tester pointed out the back tyre was on the limit. Must admit i hadnt noticed it as the outsides had plenty of tread. The rear tyre in question was a contigo, a tipical road tyre with slash cut treads. These tyres are always deep at the outside but not too deep in the center. So under normal road use the outsides dont get used a great deal but the center does which hasnt got much to start with. Now i have been looking at tyres with much more of a critical eye. I have come to the conclusion that tyres are more of a fashion statement than they are of a practical nature. Some have no tread in the center at all so you are riding on a slick in a straight line. The MOT garage wanted £106 for the contigo providing i took the wheel in not the bike. After some trawling the net i got a mitas E08 adventure tyre delivered £32 and some balance weights £2 and did it myself. I have yet to try it as its never stopped raining yet but it looks good with deep tread all across the tyre. As i do alot of rallies this should be better for wet mudy grass

[gilburton]

That's the price we all pay for grip at insane speeds on superbikes.
Soft,sticky tyres that only last 5 mins. and have more tread on the sides for grip at extreme angles.
As the diesel bike world spins at a much slower rate most city or standard old Brit type tyres are perfectly ok. I've always preferred all weather tyres.
I've seen an article where someone has come off on a roundabout in dusty dry conditions with one of these superbike tyres.
The dust acted like small marbles and,as you say, as the tyres don't have much tread on them in the first place there was nowhere for the granules to go so over it went.
If he had had a tyre with real treads it wouldn't have happened.

[Stuart]

Our Enfield has Dunlop TT100's and the Tiger is on Metzeler of some sort. I hear pilot road 4's are the best tyre for general road bikes presently with good longevity & grip.

[boutje]

I usually use bridgestone BT 45 tires.
Good grip , not too expensive and a good lifetime.

[sbrumby]

Now tried the Mitas E 08 and cant fault it seems to have beter grip than the contigo and at £32 would take some beating. I think most riders have an opinion on a type of tyre but how good that opinion is a bit debatable as most people have only had a couple of diferent tyres on a particular bike. I went for the Mitas as it was rated a 72T as the contigo was a 66V and being as my bike wont do 150mph i thought the extra weight capacity was more important. It is also important to say if your tyre is tubed or tubeless as this is a limiting factor on tyre choise.

[Stuart]

There was a time I was talked into fitting good but old tyres because they would be hard & last a long time. They did but were a bugger to fit
I put pilot road tyres on my Honda NC yesterday.

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[sbrumby]

How about this one, just got out my LE Vellocette out of the shed to do up and put on the road. It is old enough not to need tax or MOT. Anyway inflated the tyres which look good and stay up with no perishing bear in mind I have owned it for 53 years.

[Stuart]

[tappy]

BT45s are an excellent tyre considering their low price - good wear, good dry and wet grip, and only slightly nervous on very cold wet roads.
The Pilot Road 2 and 3 are also very good, but far more expensive. They're also lovely and floppy and soft so very easy to fit! I haven't bothered with the Pilot Road 4 yet - waaay too expensive.
I'd always caution against just buying something on price - there are some good cheap brands out there - such as Maxxis - but ultimately they're the only thing stopping you sliding down the road. Get something that suits your riding.