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Tire recommendations

9K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  KCW 
#1 ·
Hey everyone. I've got about 7500 miles on my 950 and just noticed the rear wheel is down to the cords. Obviously need to get a replacement, but looking for recommendations based on your experience.

I live in San Diego (so no extreme weather) and drive 80 miles a day to and from work. I need a good hard compound tire that will last for a long time in a daily commute.

What should I look at, what should I avoid. Is there a website for best prices?

Thanks in advance
 
#2 ·
Shinko. The 777 is the most heavy duty tire they make. You can most likely get by with a less heavy duty model. I am gonna run the shinko 230 for my 650. My dads electra glide got around 10k miles out of his shinko 777. You can get a 777 for around $120-$150 depending on your size tire. Also, I use https://www.bikebandit.com/
Michelins are great, pirelli is great, but you are going to be spending a lot more $$$. I can buy 2 rear shinkos for the same price I can buy 1 rear Michelin. I've never had good success with dunlop. I have a dunlop now and have only gotten 5k miles out of it.
 
#3 · (Edited)
On a 650 the two OEM tires that might be on the bike when its new are Dunlop and Bridgestone.

Ive ridden with both and like the Bridgestone. They weigh more which makes the steering more stable (heavier gyro effect on the wheels) and Ive gotten 15k miles on the back tire.

I ride my 650 pretty benignly, most people would say Im puttering around.

From what Ive read Michelin commander 2 appears to have the longest life, but they are more expensive. I might try them the next time I have to change both. Im getting twice the mileage out of my front tires, so I have another rear Bridgestone to go through before I need to change the front. I hope I can find the weight of the tires before I try them, it makes a big difference.

With the dunlop tires I could not take my hands off the grips, they are too light.

Ive found the best prices and free shipping from BikeBandit - but that may change from year to year - tires are a very competitive market for on-line sales. The only drawback for BikeBandit is they may have the tire you want in the size you want, but if you tell the website to show you all the tires that fit your bike, it may not show you the ones you want (even if they have it).

You have to search by tire size.
 
#5 · (Edited)
yes, stock on the 650 is Bridgestone Exedra G702 tube version.
the front is a G703, which had me going in circles for a while, the tread pattern is opposite on front and rear tires.

If you ride your bike hard, or favor your rear brake over the front, you can cut the life in half on your rear tire.
 
#7 · (Edited)
On my second set of Michelin Commander II. Got 22K miles on first set and will get at least that on this set. They may cost a little more but not having to change them as often really nice. No issues or concerns and ride better than original Dunlop. By the way, I'm a daily commuter in Houston of 52 miles round trip. That's why I went with a higher mileage tire.
 
#10 ·
Dunlop Elite 3's on my 950. ... 30K miles.no cracks or worn down tread. ..

how is that possible on a rear MC tire?!

Is the tread an inch thick on a new one
or is the tire made of 100% kevlar?!
 
#14 ·
Just bought a replacement exedra for the rear on my v star 950. Same as what was on there. Bike had about 9k miles on the odometer, so I'm assuming that was the original. Everyone says not to expect to get 10k miles which is a bit of a shock considering the price of these tires.

I'll be interested to hear how your Dunlops work out. I guess we'll know in a couple of years.

BTW, my front looks almost like new. I bought the bike with less than 5k miles on the odometer. (2010 v star 950). So either the front is going to get around 20k miles or it had already been replaced when I bought it. I doubt that is the case.
 
#15 · (Edited)
front tire normally lasts twice as long as the rear.

Your weight is more on the rear and it gets shear from both acceleration and braking. Also you can spin the back tire and lock it up when stopping quickly. If you lock up the front brakes you go PeterPan over the handlebars.

Keep that in mind if you are thinking of switching from one tire to another - best to change them both at the same time if you are going to a different type or tread pattern. Wait till the front and back are both down to the wear bars at the same time.
 
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