front tire (radial question)

[vmaxrooky]

come on now fire -medic so if I have winchester gun I can't run remington ammo? :bang head:lol... The manufacturer tells you that because they want you to buy both tires from them...unk: So if I have kirby vacuum I have to run kirby vacuum bags I can't run a cheaper aftermarket bag?:bang head: Come on now guy... A full out race tire will hold you to the road point blank a street race tire in the back will hold pretty much as long as the front sticks.. Most of us can't afford a $600 set of tires for a 2000 mile run with them... Radial and bias tires I get that yes but mix and match manufacturers tires no problem....They tell you that to make more dollars off of you...:clapping: Then in your thinking I should get rid of my michelin truck tires and go back to the low milage cheap tires my truck came with?:bang head: Aftermarket stuff some not all is better than stock hence racetech and progressive wouldn't be in business.... neither work cardassia wheels for the VMAX.....Same like tires dif man is fine would i bet my life on it I have...unk: power pro up front bridgestone BT016 on rear 30mph corner at 102mph on my knee no problem on my 929 VMAX don't think so maybe 60mph hopefully:eusa_dance:

 

[vmaxrooky]

again you were talkin about a stock junk tire up front thats the first thing I change on my bikes get rid of stock or cheap junk tires thats the single most best performance upgrade u can do to a bike if I ever bought a new bike thats the first upgrade I'd do... Yes stock litre bikes already have good tires on them but a michelin power pro or race slaps the s#$t out of them..My personal favorite is a race slick then have my buddy groove it with his tire iron 30mph corner at120mph is nice....

 

[vmaxrooky]

That worked for you on that bike w/one combo, good for you. Ask a tire engineer and they will recommend against mixing among their own tires, much-less another manufacturer's. There are different types of radial construction for-instance, and having tried to 'mix & match' on a OEM radial tire-equipped 1000 cc sportbike, I am gonna tell you, you can really louse-up your handling by mixing manufacturers. Even when you think you are buying 'comparables,' you may make a bad mistake. I was so-unhappy w/my choice, once, I took the front off long-before it was worn-out, and matched the rear. If you go to a dealer and try to do that, many won't mount your choice. Liability.

Did you not read my post? I had a Michelin pro race tire up front and my first rear tire was a bt016 wore that one out then my 2nd rear tire was a dunlop Q2 on the rear... Two rear tires to one front tire front.. Front tires wear slower than rears and I ride a lil harder than the average guy so I wore out two tires to one front then replaced the front with a bt016 and and had a new bt016 on the shelf after my dunlop Q2 was ready why both front rear bt016 on my last set they were on sale at Front was $100 otd rear was $120 on ebay hell ya they are good tires and cheap..My buddy runs harder then I do and if he ran bt016 on his bike I'm sure they would be good enough for me. Plus the price was crazy cheap as fast as I wear em out in the hot twisty Cali crappy roads. Those aren't speed bumps thats just good ole Cali roads our taxes go to welfare not to fixing these roads that the working man drive on everyday....sad sad sad but so true

 

[Fire-medic]

Hey, if it works OK for you, 'good on ya,' as the Aussies say. I was just relating my experience w/my designed-for radials sport bike which handled really crappy when I wore-out a rear & tried to go to another manufacturer for its replacement. It made the front end handle horribly! Remember it was the rear I switched, not the front. I used it for awhile & changed it before it wore-out because of what it did to the handling. As I said, 'my experience,' anecdotal evidence.

And if you think differences in tire construction don't make a difference, next time you go to the races, go to the tire changing/sales area and ask the guys from the tire manufacturers about the differences in 0-degree radial construction versus oblique-angle construction, and what mix & match can do to handling. If you have good experiences with doing it, great, but I'm not going to follow your example. That's all I was saying, based on my past experience. There's more to it than trying to get you to stay w/their product. Why do manufacturers spend time w/the tire suppliers to get a specific tire design for a particular bike? To maximize the bike's handling (sportbikes) or longevity as in the case of a tourer.

Use what you like, and share your experience, as has been posted. We can make-up our minds according to our individual priorities.

 

[gamorg02]

i would NOT put anything more than a 110 radial on the front. i had a 120 and it felt and looked awful, changed it immediately.

even a 110 in my opinion is probably too wide for the short sidewall.

 

[vmaxrooky]

ya i.m gunna run a 110 up front on the stock wheel don't like the idea of squeezing a 120 on there and have my contact patch to the road smaller...

 

[gamorg02]

ya i.m gunna run a 110 up front on the stock wheel don't like the idea of squeezing a 120 on there and have my contact patch to the road smaller...

aside from taking 45m to get it mounted the bike wanted to fall over to the left way to easily.

 

[Traumahawk]

This is an Excel Vmax Stock Tire Spreadsheet I updated that includes the BIAS Tires that are currently made and fit :

This is GREAT!! thank you for posting.

 

[DMAN999]

This is GREAT!! thank you for posting.

You're Welcome.
If you use any of those tires listed please leave your feedback here:
http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=26416

 

[dutyhole]

ok so im new this since I just bought my first v max 2 days a go right now their are bridgestone g526 on front and back and see the radial is way better since I love the twisty roads they look brand new with no cracks but I want the best tires for my bike with the way I ride and advise and links and prices id appreciate ty im 5'10 weigh 185 ...

 

[gamorg02]

ok so im new this since I just bought my first v max 2 days a go right now their are bridgestone g526 on front and back and see the radial is way better since I love the twisty roads they look brand new with no cracks but I want the best tires for my bike with the way I ride and advise and links and prices id appreciate ty im 5'10 weigh 185 ...

Stock rims? Radial s are a no go, try Metzeler marathons or Shinko tour masters.

-garrett

 

[fmcandrew]

I'm running a Metzler Roadtec 110/80ZR18 radial on a stock rim. On the back is a Metzler ME880 radial.

I've had three different sets of high quality bias tires and none even came close to the radial setup I have now.

Just my $0.02

 

[gamorg02]

I'm running a Metzler Roadtec 110/80ZR18 radial on a stock rim. On the back is a Metzler ME880 radial.

I've had three different sets of high quality bias tires and none even came close to the radial setup I have now.

Just my $0.02

what rim do you have on the rear?

 

[fmcandrew]

I have a converted Vrod 18" on the back...

 

[Traumahawk]

I have a converted Vrod 18" on the back...

If I remember right...didnt you get that off of ebay???

 

[fmcandrew]

Yes...everyone looked at the pics and complained about the abundant offset...I inquired and the seller was very responsive & knowledgeable...he told me that he did nothing to minimize the offset...I added the adjustable pivot on the other side and got great results (thanks to those that experimented before me!!!). The bike handles very well...almost effortless in the corners...kinda like it lost 100lbs. Did it loose a bit of neutrality...yes, of course, but then again I'm not big on driving without my hands on the bars...For the money, including decent 180 rubber, it just made sense. It's 18"...that made keeping the stock front 18" a no-brainer...without a doubt the least expensive path to radials...which is a massive improvement to handling...not an opinion, but a true seat-of-the-pants experience.

 

[Traumahawk]

I'm glad that it worked out, and opened up other options for radial rubber on vmax's.

 

[Fire-medic]

One of the new H-D's runs a bias-ply front & a radial rear, the Breakout.

 

[RamTec]

Not a radial but you can use a 120 80 18 Avon Roadrider II on the stock front rim. It's sold as a rear tyre but you can reverse the rotation to use it up front. Profile matches a 170 80 15 Michelin Commander Ii very well. Compounds are very similar between the two. I'm not a fan of oversized tyres but this combination works well for those who want the wide tyre look at the back.