Tyres

[Bingoronnie]

Hi Folks,
Had my 1990 XJ600 for around 1000 miles now, very impressed with it, does me well for my 54 mile round trip commute I must say. But now I need some advice - Has anyone any particular recommendations for tyres? I'm currently on Metzelers, is it worth going for the same next time or something else? I'm keen for something with reasonable life since the bike was intended as an "economical commuter" first and foremost. Your thoughts awaited...

[CD]

On my 600 I used Bridgstone BT45s which were ok on cost and I felt really suited the bike. I would avoid Avon Road Riders ok (maybe) for basic town commuting but grip isnt up to much.

On the 900 I've been happy with Continentals

[amorti]

Avon roadriders - awful in general and the pointy profile is no good on the bike. The most miserable 10k miles I have ever spent riding motorcycles.

BT45's - tried, tested and very good, on the D6 and generally on lower-powered bikes.

That's all I've tried on the D6

[Flymo]

Not sure why some people Knock the Avon Roadriders, i've covered 16000+ miles on them, i think once your used to the different profile (different to the BT45's) you'll be fine, they do turn in a little quicker.

The Avons are a newer tyre with newer compound i have Never [1] had any problem in the dry, and rarely in the wet [2], i'm still on my first front tyre, and on my second Rear, 1st rear gave me 9000 miles, probably got 1000 or so left on the 2nd rear[3]

i think Beebs has Avon Roadriders on his D6 too.

Flymo

[1] rider panicking and loosing control was in no way the tyres fault.

[2] just the odd squirm on greasy surfaces

[3] My D6 is restricted to 33BHP so maybe your milage will vary

[beeblemaster]

Jul 21, 2009 20:49:28 GMT Flymo said:

i think Beebs has Avon Roadriders on his D6 too.

He has indeed! ;D

I have had no problem with them either, would definitely buy again. The profile is a bit too 'V' for my liking, but get used to it easy enough.

They're good on the R80 RT too.

[CD]

I was so impressed with BT45s I put them on the Kettle - which loves them.
Sadly they didnt avoid a crash, but that wasnt the tyres fault. :-(

[metalforever]

I've had BT45's on three past bikes, an nsr125, gs500 and the divvy. i cant say ive tried anything else on the divvy but they are the perfect tyre for a 'sports-touring' bike.

They grip like you cant believe in the dry, for quite a firm compound, and i've had them almost all the way over, even with a pillion (Laura was not best pleased as i raced along the upper-A690 and a fast pace). In the dry wet had them sliding, infact just last week i found the rear end drifitng round but that was a torrential downpour, so much so i couldnt see properly.

Once theyre warm it's hard to lock them up as theres just so much grip, however ive noticed from cold they can be a pig under harsh braking.

They arnt ideal on uneven surfaces but to be fair half the places the divvy has been i should have had nobblys. Yes, the divvy does go offroad, alot. I've covered about 300miles off road alone since february which for a road bike is good going!

[Bingoronnie]

Cheers Gents - plenty of food for thought. Gut feeling (and your good advice) points me towards the Bridgestones, I think. I'm not too worried about their off road capabilities!

[mikestrong]

I've got a Road Rider on the rear of my D9 & find it every bit as good as the Conti RA it replaced.

Waiting now for the front Conti to wear out so I can match them up.

[cam7777]

BT45s get my vote on the XJ600....

Best all round tyre IMHO.

[pilgrim]

I'm on my second Dunlop Arrowmax GT501 rear, first one did nearly 7k (miles) and I'm having my second Dunlop front put on tuesday after more than 8k.

Very pleased with them and they are cheaper than Bridgestones, some times by quite a large margin. My last M&P catalogue had them at £90 the pair.

As you see they're not the most preferred tyre but I've no complaints at all.

[bighairymuppet]

another vote for bt45's never stepped out of line with me at all and i rode all year round with them (including the snow , but thats just stupid), even gripped enough when i did an involuntary stoppie one day on my way into work.

[charlietbird]

Nothing wrong with BT45s. Iv'e always thought them to be a good tyre for a D6. Plenty grip wet or dry.

Charlie

[Fazer'd and Stunned]

I vote for the BT45's too, having just bought a replacement for the rear of my 600. They seem a good all round tyre for non-sports bikes, but still do well for those who like to 'ride' (you know what I mean!) although I 'tour'. Re the comments about them being good on a GT750, they are generally regarded as the best for Yam RD's too!

Andy

[General Gman]

Blasphemy ! you should only ever have Roadrunners on RDs......
BT45s are very good tyres for what they are - plenty of grip most of the time and it takes an awful lot of abuse to get them to break away.
I did fit a set of dunlops on my 600N, and they were fine - as much grip as you need on a divvy and they only cost me £20

[pilgrim]

I've kept a quiet line on Dunlops all the time thinking I'm wrong and in a minority, General Gman.

Not having tried BT 'whatevers' I can't compare, but no-one has repeated my thoughts on Dunlops.

Good on yer mate!

[CD]

I first came across the Bridgestone BT 45 when I wanted a "proper" tyre for my MZ Saxon 300. The front size is common enough but they have a 16" rear and tyre choice is VERY limited. So I took the MZ racer route and used a 16" front (meant for early fireblades) fitted the wrong way around. with around 25bhp I wasnt going to stress it too much.

The tyre spec was way over the top for the bike but WOW did it stick. :-) :-)
I could take bends at insane speeds and they never ever came unstuck. Unfortunately I could not safely take bends fast enough to really use the tyres and MZs are very heavy on the rear tread. It was stuffed in under 4000 miles.

When I got the Divvie 600 I put up with the original Macadams and replaced with BT45s. They really suited the bike and treads lasted well. Much better than on the much lower weight MZ.

[amorti]

Further note - I have had the D6's footpegs dragging on BT45's, but couldn't get anywhere near that on the Roadrunners, as you get to a certain point then "fall off" the tyre on the sharp V profile. Quite a frightening sensation on a heavy and cheaply-suspended bike like the divvy (it's not an issue on my fireblade).

[Bingoronnie]

Got some BT45's put on the bike a couple of days ago - two days of commuting in the most atrocious of weathers has convinced me these were a good choice. Brilliant even on the wettest of roads and whilst still scrubbing them off; great grip and pour themselves into corners. BCT motorcycles of Shipley, West Yorks are worth a mention for doing me the rubber at a good price

[nobby]

I have avon's
I dont like the bt45's

[shorty]

I had Avon Roadriders on my D6 but never felt totally happy with them. I always felt that they were ready to step out on me.

Following this thread i finally made the decision to change even though the Avons had only covered a couple of thousand miles.

So yesterday i forked out £166 and had a pair of BT45's put on.

The bike feels so much better (and planted) through corners even though the tyres aren't scrubbed in properly.

I wouldn't go back to the Avons even if they were half the price.

So thanks for the recommendation guys

[vanseagal]

Has anyone fitted dualsport tyres like Avon Distazias to the divvy600?

[amorti]

Why ever would you do that? The bike is so massively heavy and has awful ground clearance, surely you can't be trying to green lane on it? The single disc forks are going to be hugely overworked, too.

[CD]

It could be hes found some going cheap.

[HRHpenfold]

Sept 23, 2009 8:24:21 GMT CD said:

It could be hes found some going cheap.

If I had kept my D9 I was going to try a Tourance rear, made for big adventure tourers like my Gs, with 9mm tread when new, instead of the usual 6mm

[mikestrong]

I to thought of a Tourance.

As most of my riding is distance stuff with only about 30% on twisties wouldn't this be a good compromise?

[CD]

I wanted to try some Tourance style tyres when mine were due but they were all so costly I went for Contiforce (again).
Others seem to like Maxxis cheaper but ok grip we are told.

[kwik]

i put a avon supervenom on the rear (140/70/18) and it really is alot better then the bt45 it replaced.