cheap vs. expensive tires, is there a difference??

[The Mighty Gryphon]

I think the Podium model is what they will recommend.  This is my second year on mine and they feel pretty sticky and look good.  They seem to be wearing well,too.  For less than $250 a set they're not a bad deal. 

[frankenduck]

I think the Podium model is what they will recommend.  This is my second year on mine and they feel pretty sticky and look good.  They seem to be wearing well,too.  For less than $250 a set they're not a bad deal.

I usually pay $250 or less for Bridgestone radials. Every spring, summer and fall Bridgestone usually has a $50 rebate. For example, last year I bought a pair of T32s for $272.  $222 after rebate.

Rocky Mountain ATV and Chaparral usually have the best prices on Bridgestones.

[rbm]

I'm happy with Bridgestone T32's both front and back.  Just changed tire this week, swapping out my worn and squared off T30's with new T32's.  110/80ZR18 front and 150/70ZR17 rear.  I got 25,400 KM and 7 years out of the old set. Unfortunate part was that in that time the tires had doubled in price.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

I think he's looking for tires right now.

https://www.bridgestonemotorcycletires.com/en-us/promotions

[KCinSB]

I didn't see that you have an 1100RS.  The series you want are the Shinko Podium radials.

https://www.chapmoto.com/shinko-006-podium-radial-rear-tire.html

https://www.chapmoto.com/shinko-006-podium-radial-front-tire.html

I'm running 150/60R18 rear  and 120/70R17 front on the 16 valve K100RS in my avatar.

Love 'em.

Rats,…… Front 120/70R-17 ……….  “OUT of STOCK”

[KCinSB]

I think he's looking for tires right now.

https://www.bridgestonemotorcycletires.com/en-us/promotions

I guess it’s just ME!  Every time I look for the tires mentioned, either no size or out of stock.
No R32 show in the Bridgestone front.

[pinhead]

Thanks, I was not having any luck finding my sizes in Tour Master radials. Are you using Radials/

https://www.chapmoto.com/shinko-006-podium-radial-rear-tire.html
https://www.chapmoto.com/shinko-006-podium-radial-front-tire.html
I'm running 150/60R18 rear  and 120/70R17 front on the 16 valve K100RS in my avatar.
Love 'em.


Thank you! The links are a big help.  Still waiting to see what Shinko offers in response.

The tour masters are radials I believe.  My BMW dealer will match price of internet ad for the same tire so I have to search first for the exact tire and price.  I noticed that some websites were not selling the Shinko Tour master size I needed for the rear.  But I did find one that did.  I brought the ads in and they gave me the same price.  The BMW dealer gets to gouge me on mounting and balancing so everybody walks away happy.........

[Laitch]

The tour masters are radials I believe.

Tires that are radial tires will have an R in their size descriptor, e.g., 130/60ZR16 or 150/60R17. TourMasters are excellent tires by all accounts; they are bias-ply tires.

[frankenduck]

Math is your friend.

Let's say I spend $50 more per pair on a pair of 10,000 mile quality radial tires vs. inexpensive bias ply tires.

The whopping cost of ownership has risen by a grand total of one half of a penny per mile.

Is it worth it to me to get a better contact patch, better handling and smoother ride for a half of a penny per mile? Yes.

[caveman]

Come on Duck! When is the last time you got 10k out of a set of tires, remember I've seen how you rip.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Just curious, but how can we tell we are actually getting better contact patches, and so on? 

Is it because the people who make these tires spend millions of dollars sponsoring racing teams and events, and buying full page ads in Cycle World and the other motobike mags?  How much of that extra 50 bucks goes for ESG in the home country? 

How far above the legal limit would I need to ride to notice the difference?

Like I said, I'm just a curious, cheap bastard. 

[KCinSB]

I find it curious that some K bikes use 17 front / 18 rear like mine, and others do the opposite? Regarding my original post, it has been frustrating searching tire vendor sites, eBay, and Amazon for a matched SET of tires! I find a Shinko front, but no rear, etc. Always one but not the other, Over and over again. What’s up with this, “supply chain”?    I guess quite possibly YES, but still seems odd. Really wanted to try Shinko Podiums or the Battlax T32, in the OEM recommended sizes: 120/70R-17 and 160/60R-18. Shinko does not list a 160/60R-18, really? Still looking………..    👀.  If anyone finds’em, I am not too proud to be shown where!!

[Laitch]

If anyone finds’em, I am not too proud to be shown where!!

T32 tires in your sizes seem to be available here right now, but will not necessarily be available when you get around to looking for them later.

[Laitch]

Just curious, but how can we tell we are actually getting better contact patches, and so on?

According to what I've gleaned from the Web, it takes years of butt-sensitivity and remote cognition development plus single-minded devotion to exercises for those skills—some of which might not be agreeable to the ordinary rider—and the ability to obtain a number of motorcycles fitted with the appropriate sample tire combinations to allow the reviewer to leap from one tire-set trial moto to the next while butt-sensitivity is at its highest level.

[KCinSB]

T32 tires in your sizes seem to be available here right now, but will not necessarily be available when you get around to looking for them later.

  Yes Thanks!  I do see them listed.  Also found the T32 set available (listed) at Dennis Kirk.
https://www.denniskirk.com/bridgestone/battlax-t32-sport-touring-tire.pfp546364.prdf?fs=546373&rs=546380

Shinkos are a size no go, but the T32 set is still significantly cheaper than the Metzler tires I have been using.

[rbm]

Come on Duck! When is the last time you got 10k out of a set of tires, remember I've seen how you rip.

I can't talk to Duck's riding habits but read my post above.  I got 25K on my last set of Bridgestone T30s.  But I don't rip.

[Laitch]

I got 25K on my last set of Bridgestone T30s.

Kilometers?

[rbm]

Yes.  Still that's 15,500 of those mile things so still beats 10,000.  When are you guys going to go metric??

[Laitch]

When are you guys going to go metric??

I'll check my watch and get back with you.

[milq]

When are you guys going to go metric??

When they pry our cold dead hands from our 6 inch steel scales!

I actually work in both (typically in decimal fractions for imperial) and regularly tell people that measuring in metric is easier, it's just that we don't have a mental frame of reference for metric measurements since we've been taught imperial since birth. Most in the US can mentally think about what 10 inches looks like but ~250mm doesn't register. I just ordered a proper metric feeler gauge the other day, the imperial ones marked with thousandths of inches and dual marked with mm just grinds my gears because the mm are never nominal values.

Then you have those weird Civil Engineers who use tenths and hundredths of inches for some strange reason. I somehow ended up with a civil engineering 6 inch scale a few years ago, totally useless in machine shop. 

[The Mighty Gryphon]

When do we get the metric calendar and time?  Ten minutes in an hour, ten months in a year, ten hours in a day, ten days in a week.

[frankenduck]

Then you have those weird Civil Engineers who use tenths and hundredths of inches for some strange reason. I somehow ended up with a civil engineering 6 inch scale a few years ago, totally useless in machine shop.

My undergrad degree is CivE. The reason for the 10ths of an inch thing on rulers is that it was easier to scale things back when drawings were drafted by hand.  The tape measures are for surveying because it makes the math and trigonometry easier.

[frankenduck]

Come on Duck! When is the last time you got 10k out of a set of tires, remember I've seen how you rip.

On a K75 I can get maybe 9K out of a rear since a K75 doesn't have that much torque.  The front always has lots of tread left but I replace in pairs.

The K1600GT is only good for maybe 6-7K. (I use the Bridgestone GT version on that bike since it weighs so much.)

[frankenduck]

Just curious, but how can we tell we are actually getting better contact patches, and so on? 

Is it because the people who make these tires spend millions of dollars sponsoring racing teams and events, and buying full page ads in Cycle World and the other motobike mags?  How much of that extra 50 bucks goes for ESG in the home country? 

How far above the legal limit would I need to ride to notice the difference?

Like I said, I'm just a curious, cheap bastard.

I can tell the difference at 60 MPH. The stretch of US 101 that I live on has both 50 and 55 MPH speed limits. i usually ride at 8-9 over to avoid getting a performance award. (ticket)  The bike feels more "planted" and smooth in the turns.

When I'm touring and doing sweepers at 90ish the difference is much more noticeable. On bias ply tires the rear end of a K kind of floats around, on radials it's like raiding on rails.

The contact patch has to do with how a tire flexes, both in the tread and the sidewalls.

This guy explains it pretty well:

[Laitch]

This guy explains it pretty well: . . .