[Jokerman]

First of Al:agree:, a big thank you to Al on a previous post "Bridgestone vs. Metzler. After 20K miles, it was finally time to retread from the original OEM tires. I saw where Motorcycle Superstore had a great sale on the OEM's so on a whim I called my local Suzuki dealer for a tire quote. Turns out, they offered me Metzler 880 Marathons out the door for just 12 bucks more than what it would cost to get OEM Bridgestones shipped in from M/C Superstore & mounted up at their shop. I was skeptical since the back tire is a lower profile & the speedo would be off some more but after reading reviews on Metzler I said "go for it".
Wow, what a difference! Night & day, like going from a truck to a sports car!:clap2:
Previously, I had always felt that the back tire was "in charge" of the bikes handling & when I first got the bike had to "re-learn" how to ride as you have to throw yourself into a turn with the OEM tires. Not so with the Metz. Now the front & back tires seem perfectly matched. Just a gentle lean into a turn & you can feel the front wheel pull you thru like it should. The front end also feels lighter, a very welcome side effect as the 109 is very heavy in the front end. I think this is due to A) a more rounded tread contour & B) the lowering of the rear end due to the lower profile rear tire (I feel as if my feet reach the ground easier). It's as if I now have power steering. Don't know how the tread life will hold up but the ride is much softer now so time will tell.
Regarding the speedo being off, originally I figure I was off by about 5mph, now maybe 7-8mph. but I have a "trick up my sleeve" to correct this problem & will do a new post on it soon.
Any one else who went Metz, join in & comment. The rest of you guys, don't think twice about it!

 

[Ody.fs]

I was thinking about this exchange. But size does not Metzeler 55th According to the law in the Czech Republic it can be a problem in the control of police and accident insurance.
However, the debate will certainly be interesting.

 

[RadGen]

I'm a big fan of the Metzler 880. I've put them on all my bikes. And in the fall I'll put them on my C :a18:


Dennis Kirk

$176.99 - Front part #543227
$246.99 - rear part # 540746

shipping $10 as of 10/11/11

and with the mets you get a wider lower profile tire too boot:clap2:

 

[racer 50]

two brothers .com have the best price on the metz.

 

[VTwinrider800]

I'm getting a Metzler radial ME 880, original size, front. The original fronts, at reccomended pressure were worn badly at 2500 miles, when I bought it,..Now at over 10,000.... 3 months later,..it's done for. Rear still has life.

The Metz looked to probably handle the rain better,..and I got H rating instead of V rating, which should last longer also. (Seriously, who travels at over 139 MPH, for more than a few seconds?)

I have high hopes,..and will run pressure at 41 Lbs, which should also improve wear.

 

[Al]

I've been really happy with the metz tire on my C. I also noticed that I have much better traction when there is sand or gravel on the road. Have not ridden in the rain yet.

 

[warhorseman]

i just did this switch and yeah i have to agree this is absolutely amazing the difference in how the bike handles

 

[Jrgman]

Have not done the switch yet as my back tire picked up a nail from the construction in the Neighborhood and so the rear tire was replaced for free by my local dealer. So that has put off my metz change out. I have Metz's on the C50T and love the way they handle, have close to 9 or 10 thousand miles.
Looking forward to see what other people post on this subject.

 

[Top Cat]

Metz 880........there is nothing else.:bigthumbsup:

 

[ace4aday]

Have not done the switch yet as my back tire picked up a nail from the construction in the Neighborhood and so the rear tire was replaced for free by my local dealer. So that has put off my metz change out. I have Metz's on the C50T and love the way they handle, have close to 9 or 10 thousand miles.
Looking forward to see what other people post on this subject.

Me too. 4500 on the stock Bridgestones and the left side of my front tire is already looking pretty worn. I will probably have to replace it before I hit 7k. Not sure why it's wearing so fast. Maybe all the chip sealing I drive on during my work commute? Might have to try the Metzlers next time around. Better handling would be nice.

 

[BigggJack]

Might have to try the Metzlers next time around. Better handling would be nice.

while i was not happy with the wear on my first set of OEM Bridgestones, of which I will take a large blame for due to them being underinflated when I got the bike and running felony speeds across PA that way and me mis-reading the frame sticker. :redfaced:

I have absolutely no complaints on the handling characteristics of the Bridgestones after switching to 40-41 lbs in the front and 42-43 on the back.

 

[ace4aday]

I've been running at 41F/42R since I bought the bike. The handling is not terrible with the Bridgestones, but if there room for improvement, I'm willing to give it a try. Anything to get a safety advantage is how I'm looking at it.

We had the local track days Pirelli dealer come to a MC demo event that Intel put on last week. He said the max pressure indicated on the tire corresponds to the max loading on the tire (which is a per axle value). He suggested max pressure for 2-up riding, but dropping into the high 30's for solo riding. Most of my riding is 1-up. Maybe I should try dropping down a little and seeing how it handles.

 

[ace4aday]

Can someone explain the three flavors of front tire that Metzler makes in the C's size range? I can't find anything explaining their naming convention.

 

[ELI]

Can someone explain the three flavors of front tire that Metzler makes in the C's size range? I can't find anything explaining their naming convention.

I think this tire is sold as blackwall and white sidewall. My stock g852 Bridgestone has worn and left a sucked in middle despite 42 psi, never seen this type of wear, ordered the Metz, after considering a 235/55-16 darkside for half the money.240/50-16 is 247.00 at Dennis Kirk, hope I get more than the 6k the g852 got me:redfaced:

 

[biggy109]

I think this tire is sold as blackwall and white sidewall. My stock g852 Bridgestone has worn and left a sucked in middle despite 42 psi, never seen this type of wear, ordered the Metz, after considering a 235/55-16 darkside for half the money.240/50-16 is 247.00 at Dennis Kirk, hope I get more than the 6k the g852 got me:redfaced:

I had a very similar problem with my stocker but only 4200 miles. I just made the switch to the Metz and have about 300 miles on it. Absolutely love it!

 

[ace4aday]

Not exactly what I meant, ELI. Motorcyle-Superstore has 3 models of black walls listed for the size of our front tires. They are listed at HV, HR, and HB. I'm pretty sure they are forms of bias and radials, but I don't know much about tires. I'm wondering what the differences are and how the those differences relate to handling on a motorcycle. There is quite a spread in price also....

 

[ELI]

I believe the speed ratings are the differances you may be talking about. Our 109s should have v ratings for over 130 h is 130. r refers to radial b is bias,I think:dontknow:I would only use a v rated radial to match the rear radial.

 

[Blain]

Bridgestone

I have the RT model with the Bridgestone White Walls, It sucks that I cant find any other manufactures of tyres with white walls that will fit my bike! I called the dealer the other day, to find out a price on a newrear Bridgestone tyre and the dealer wanted $420 AU supply and fit? I am happy with the way the Bridgestones perform on the bike, but it means they have the control of the tyre market....:edit:

Blain

 

[ELI]

I have always avoided whitewall tires, if I bought a cheap set for my work car,Id flip the whitewalls to the inside, however some old bikes look good with them,white letters are cool tho dis-a peering it seems.:-\

 

[ace4aday]

I believe the speed ratings are the differances you may be talking about. Our 109s should have v ratings for over 130 h is 130. r refers to radial b is bias,I think:dontknow:I would only use a v rated radial to match the rear radial.

I wrote those down wrong. There are HR, VR, and HB. If you're correct, it means:

HR - 130mph radial
VR - 149mph radial
HB - 130 mph biased

And you're saying because the only rear tire available is a VR, they should be matched. Sounds reasonable. Thanks.