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Need tire advice

5K views 29 replies 11 participants last post by  Latinrascal 
#1 ·
After 11K miles, the front Bridgestone Excedra Max tire is ready to go to tire heaven. Funny, the rear has ~8,000 miles, and still looks brand new.

In any case, I liked the Excedra Max a lot, and can't complain about the mileage, but shelling out $180 for a new one seems high.

There aren't many options for front tires in our size, but there are a few bias ply options at half the price. Anyone have first hand experience with those?
 
#4 ·
I have one of these ready to fit

Shinko 230 Tour Master Front Tire 150/80H-16
Yes, that is one of the tires I've seen on Amazon for less than half the price of the Excedra Max. But it is a bias belt, not a radial, and I don't know what that means in terms of ride quality, noise, grip, and treadwear.

Any experience/advice on this?
 
#5 ·
Interesting thought, though I have the C, which has an OEM size of 150/80 - 16. Maybe different from the M? There's not much clearance between the tire and fender, half an inch or so at rest, and not sure how much bigger I could go without rubbing at highway speed and beyond.

Is anyone successfully running a larger front tire on the C?
 
#8 ·
Alright, let's roll the dice together, the Shinko it is. Let's compare notes in a few months.
 
#10 ·
I'm sure they make a solid tire, I was mainly looking for wisdom around what would be different moving to a bias ply v radial, and also what handling characteristics might change in running a mix (Excedra Max radial in back, and Shinto bias in the front), as the rear tire has another 5K of tread left, at least.

I ride 5-6K miles per year, 80% of which is 80mph highway cruising. The rest is puttering around town, with a few excursions along the way looking for twisties. I haven't seen anything concerning in any review, so I'm taking the plunge. I'll likely have the new tire mounted by next week, and as soon as the s**t Ohio weather breaks, I'll see what happens.
 
#11 ·
Got the Shinko front tire mounted, and was able to put 80 miles on them yesterday.

Maybe I just need to get my sea legs back after two months of winter weather and no riding, or maybe it was strong cross winds, but I gotta say that at freeway speeds, the front felt like it was doing a bit of dancing, and not in a good way. Felt OK until 65 mph, but between 65 and 80, it felt like I needed to put in a lot of input to keep the bike straight and upright. Not a balance issue, not a wobble, no vibration, just drifting. Not confident inspiring.

In any case, looks like at least two more weeks before I'll be able to ride again and see if it gets better.
 
#12 ·
Got the Shinko front tire mounted, and was able to put 80 miles on them yesterday.

Maybe I just need to get my sea legs back after two months of winter weather and no riding, or maybe it was strong cross winds, but I gotta say that at freeway speeds, the front felt like it was doing a bit of dancing, and not in a good way. Felt OK until 65 mph, but between 65 and 80, it felt like I needed to put in a lot of input to keep the bike straight and upright. Not a balance issue, not a wobble, no vibration, just drifting. Not confident inspiring.

In any case, looks like at least two more weeks before I'll be able to ride again and see if it gets better.
You should not mix Radials and Bias Ply tires. The Bias ply will tend to want to follow ruts in the road where the radial will not do this. It's probably what you felt at 65 MPH. It is definitely not recommended or safe IMO

R
 
#14 ·
Got out again today for 40 miles, it felt fine all the way up to 90 mph. Must have been the wind on Friday, or the 100 mile break-in.

Triumph and the MoCo both specify a radial/bias mix for several of their models, there's nothing intrinsically unsafe about it.

The Shinto up front definitely has a different feel on the C compared to the Excedra Max, more communicative through the handlebars, and quicker turn in, both of which will take some getting used to. But beyond that, it didn't feel unsafe or unstable at all today like it did on Friday.

I'm going to give it a few more hundred miles. Stay tuned.
 
#23 ·
Got out again today for 40 miles, it felt fine all the way up to 90 mph. Must have been the wind on Friday, or the 100 mile break-in.

Triumph and the MoCo both specify a radial/bias mix for several of their models, there's nothing intrinsically unsafe about it.

The Shinto up front definitely has a different feel on the C compared to the Excedra Max, more communicative through the handlebars, and quicker turn in, both of which will take some getting used to. But beyond that, it didn't feel unsafe or unstable at all today like it did on Friday.

I'm going to give it a few more hundred miles. Stay tuned.
Maybe some manufacture's mix bias and radials, but Suzuki does not. I was in the tire industry with Goodyear for 25 years. A reputable tire shop will not install radials and bias ply tires on the same auto because it is dangerous! A bias ply tire will follow the ruts and curve of the road and the radial will not. I am fairly sure that is what you experienced with the bias ply on the front and radial on the rear. I'll bet it was scary at highway speeds. Glad you got it figured out.
 
#15 ·
I'm going to call the Shinko experiment a failure. I put a few hundred more highway miles on the bike over the past few weeks, and the phantom drifting is back. It is just fine at low speed, but at any speed over 65, it feels like there's an invisible toddler randomly yanking on the handlebars. Goddamned terrifying.

I took advantage of a righteous price plus a 20% off everything deal on eBay, and ordered another radial Excedra Max. Hopefully that solves the problem, though with another 2 inches of snow on the ground today, it may be a while before I can confirm.

Some folks have done this successfully, and YMMV, but for me it felt unsafe, certainly not worth the ~$65 difference in price.

That said, anybody want to buy a very lightly used Shinko 150/80-16 bias ply front tire for dirt cheap? ��
 
#17 ·
Another follow up...

Because swapping tires is a pain in the ass, I actually kept the Shinko on for another 500 miles or so. No change, still sucks.

I finally got to my dealer today to get the Excess Max mounted, and voila! Right out of the gate, a noticeable improvement in handling and stability. Got it up to 95 on the freeway, and just as stable as if it were on rails.

YMMV, but I for one will never try another bias tire on this bike, and don't recommend it for anyone else.

But if you do try it, please post your experience here... I'm curious, maybe I simply got a bad Shinko tire.
 
#19 ·
Acquitted was talking about a new Shinko tire.

As for the Bridgestones I went to a Metzler for the rear as there were no Bridgestones in Australia and the were waiting for a batch to be made and I gave up after waiting for 3 months for a tire.

As you would be aware the C is the only bike in the world to use a 240/55 16 tire and only Bridgestone Japan make them.

I went for the 240/50 16 as it was the closest tire made and up for the job as it also fits the Triumph Rockeet 3 and liked the reviews the Metzler got.

It was a instant improvement on the Bridgestone as it no longer had issues with groves and ridges in the road and it turns in much easier and smother with less trying to stand the bike up.

 
#21 ·
I agree. Nothing but Bridgestone Excedra Max tires on this bike from now on. I know a lot of folks like the Metzlers, but they cost 30% more, and the Bridgestone are just fine.

I'm going to turn the Shinko into a tire swing on the kids swing set, LOL.
 
#27 ·
Final follow up. I found a good use for the Shinko, one that won't try to kill me. The new owners have reported no issues with handling at speed.
 

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#29 ·
My Tires

Hi. These R my findings. U might find what I say different.
I used a Bias ply on my bike and when it wore out I switched back to a Radial.
You'll notice a difference in handling for sure. On grooved pavement or bridges and uneven surfaces even moving from side to side on pavement that has just been laid on one side of the road. A Radial tire takes up some of the discrepancies in handling on the road to give you a smooth ride.
 
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