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TECHNICAL MOTOBRICK WRENCHING In Remembrance of Inge K. => The Motobrick Workshop => Topic started by: Dan87 on December 10, 2020, 02:09:42 PM
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My previous bike had radial tires and I see I can runradial's on this 87 K100LT but a shim may be needed.
Those of you that run radials how do you like them, what kind of mileage do you get on the tires and, where does the shim go that I read about?
Do any of you prefer the bias ply over the radial for these K bikes and why?
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Which type of wheel is on your moto—Y-spoke or tri-spoke?
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I'll take a guess and say a Y spoke. I'm new to the K100's.
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I've found that the only radials readily available in the sizes our K bikes use are dual purpose "adventure" bike tires. Since it's crazy to me to take a K75 0r K100 off road, it doesn't make sense to sacrifice highway performance and mileage for some extra grip in the dirt.
The only bike I have radials on is my 16V K100RS which has wider wheels to take more modern tire sizes. On my other bikes I have embraced bias ply tires and found that other than a little wandering on rain grooves they perform quite well for me. As far as mileage, I get anywhere from 8-10,000 miles from a rear, and about 12,000 on a front.
As far as brands, I like Shinko Tourmasters for my RT, and 712's on my 1988 K100RS. On my 16V K100RS I am currently installing a set of Bridgestone Battlax radials. I think they are BT-45's.
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Dan, how heavy do you intend on loading the bike down.
You will find that Radials will have a lower load capacity rating, than the same size Bias ply tire.
Part of the issue with availability is that as our bikes get older, there are fewer of them on the road, so there will be fewer bikes needing new rubber.
Newer bikes aren't using the same size.
Manufacturers are in business to sell product and make money, they are going to make what's going to sell, not set on the shelf.
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Based on what I'm readying I think it's best that I go with the bias ply. With me, my co-rider and gear at times I could be over 400 lbs.
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Bias ply tires today are outstanding. You will be very happy with tires like the michelin pilot Activ's and others. I would not worry too much about the construction.
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I put a set on my 75S last year and liked them so much that I put them on my 98 Guzzi EV 1100 this year. Great tires. Doubt that you could tell a meaningful difference between these bias and radials.
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Sorry, the tires are the Michelin pilot active
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I've only ever run bias belted on any bike. However I've had both front and rear rapid deflation at different times and was able to bring the bike to a safe controlled stop. I have wondered whether the softer sidewalls on the radials would make it harder to stop the bike safely.
Regards Martin.
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I liked the the Michelin Pilot Activs. The only issue that I had was riding on metal grating. An almost total loss of control when riding across the five mile long Mackinac Bridge into the Upper Peninsula which has metal grating.
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K1300S and boxer.randy. It looks like the Michelin's tires are the one's I'm going with. A number of years ago I had a 96 GL1500 which had bias plies and I was very comfortable with them.
Martin, in a situation like you went thru I can see why you were glad you were on the bias plies, they do have a stiff side wall.
nw074, the grating can be a lit unsetting. I've learned to loosen the arms a little know the bike will want to go straight but...I also learned to keep an eye on what is going on. :)
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I bought my K75S with a newly added set of ContiGO! tires, so far they're pretty good but I haven't pushed the bike in any corners yet.
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I bought my K75S with a newly added set of ContiGO! tires, so far they're pretty good but I haven't pushed the bike in any corners yet.
I'm not familiar with the ContiGo tires. I checked the date codes on the tires of this K100 I recently picked up and one tire is 6 years old and the other is 10 years old. I'd say it time to replace them and I think I'll go with the Michelin pilot active for this set.
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For those looking for various tires, check chapmoto.com. They've been running a sale and I just bought a pair of Dunlop Trailsmart tires for my GS/A for $104.95 shipped.
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BT45's are bias ply...
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Thanks Milq and Brad-Man. Everyone likes to hear about sales. LOL