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Tire date

Oh boy! Another tire thread! Let's cut to the chase and get to the point where one rider says that Brand X is the best and another rider says that he wouldn't mount one on his wheelbarrow.

OK! On my K75s Metzeler bias ply 880s are hands down the best. On Voni's R1100RS and my R1150R Michelin Pilot Roads are hands down the best. On our G310GSs Continental TKC70 rear and TKC80 front are hands down the best.

That doesn't count cost, because I can always find cheaper tires, just not better tires.

That said with fervor and gusto, I am always open to experienced critical thinking testimony about what might work better - but I don't really have any interest in hearing about the wonders because something is cheaper stuff. I am well aware that certain Asians are fully capable of making stuff that almost works.

Let the games begin.
 
OK.. I posted something about this a bit back including the fact that the K75 was running on tires that were nearly 27 years old.

here is the kicker. Those tires were showing NO wearing AT ALL until a week before I replaced them.


BUT, I was having problems sticking to the road and the bike would feel like it was slipping sideways on turns.


personally, I would just replace both and not worry about it.

27 year old tires function somewhere as a cross between a steel wagon rim and a wooden wheel.
 
https://www.nomartirechanger.com/dealoftheday.asp

I need to replace 4 motorcycle tires 2 tube type on the airhead 2 tubeless on the oilhead. Cheapest tire change I can find in area $50 x 4= $200 which is a significant chunk of any of the no-mar machines, if the link works the deals of the day a good deal. I went by their place Tuesday on the way to the dentist ( less than a block out of the way)
I think I will get the pilot active tires for the airhead. Do you think if I took a tire and rim and a new tire to the showroom they would help me choose the machine I need?
 
Don't make it easy on them. Take the front Pilot Activ and the tube for the demonstration. I've had a NoMar Classic for years and this combination still challenges me to the point that I generally simply avoid it and take them to a local shop with a Coats RC-100.

Are the regular tubeless tires much of a problem? I have a 94 R1100RS that gets a set a year, the airhead I had the back tire put on by a dealer 8 or 9 years ago so not riding the wheels off it
So next May if I took bike and Pilot Activ tires to a airhead tech day even with the use of his tire changer it could turn into a angry project?
 
Tire Tread

Oh boy! Another tire thread! Let's cut to the chase and get to the point where one rider says that Brand X is the best and another rider says that he wouldn't mount one on his wheelbarrow.

Hey I sorta slipped into it I had a very legitimate question about the tire date code on one tire. :scratch :)
 
I’ve been using a NoMar for several years. Annie has a F800GS with tube tires and I regularly change tires on a friend’s Ural that uses tubes. They are a bit more difficult than tubeless but not a big deal. The narrower the tire the more difficult. The 90/90 21 on the F800 can be chore. It helps to have a valve stem snake and a Baja No Pinch to get the bead on without pinching the tube.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00J41H2DO?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd_title
 
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Are the regular tubeless tires much of a problem? I have a 94 R1100RS that gets a set a year, the airhead I had the back tire put on by a dealer 8 or 9 years ago so not riding the wheels off it
So next May if I took bike and Pilot Activ tires to a airhead tech day even with the use of his tire changer it could turn into a angry project?

The tires for the R1100, and any other tubeless radial, are duck soup with the NoMar. Bias tires are a greater challenge than radials, but I also use the NoMar successfully to mount tubeless Pilot Activs on my 1992 R100RS. With them, technique is more important. If you fail at the technique, you have to resort to tire levers to finish the install. Since tire mounting is a lot about technique and temperament , I am sure that there are some people who could mount a tubed Pilot Activ on the NoMar without losing their religion. But for that one, I don't think you will be "borrowing their machine", I think you will be looking for someone with experience to show you how it is done. Essentially the NoMar with tubes is just a very solid wheel clamp.


Regarding the tech day, I'd recommend that you ask the host first.
 
When I had a set of those Pilot Activs mounted on my 1978 R 80 a few years back my tire man mentioned that he hoped I never got a flat on the side of the road as he said I'd have a fight on my hands getting them off and on to change the tube.
That said they were very good tires!

They felt like they were really round if that makes sense.
 
Tires

While looking at all the choices for the size tires on line I noticed the Pilot Activ tires weigh a few pounds per more per tire than the other choices. I did not compare all but looked at the weight of the pilot actv’s vs some cheap Chinese ones and some continental’s that have similar tread pattern as the pilot activ’s I assume this extra weight contributes to the difficulty on mounting the tires, and perhaps the tire performance satisfaction people have reported .
 
While looking at all the choices for the size tires on line I noticed the Pilot Activ tires weigh a few pounds per more per tire than the other choices. I did not compare all but looked at the weight of the pilot actv’s vs some cheap Chinese ones and some continental’s that have similar tread pattern as the pilot activ’s I assume this extra weight contributes to the difficulty on mounting the tires, and perhaps the tire performance satisfaction people have reported .

They are definitely heavier and stiffer than most of the competition and that does contribute to the mounting difficulty. It is about like trying to pull your lower lip over the top of your head. I am less sure that it contributes to performance satisfaction. I am quite happy with the way the Pilot Activs perform, but heavier works against them in comfort and handling (higher unsprung weight) and I doubt that it helps much, if any, with puncture resistance or tread life. The tire is held in shape by air pressure and not sidewall stiffness.
 
Too hard to mount and to get the bead even for my liking, the Pilot Activs that is. I really like the Avons i have now, RoadRiders i think. All that said, both perform very well. Chunk.
 
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