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Recommended tires for '76 R90S

D

dodge1chevy2

New member
I continue to work to make the bike roadworthy. The tires that came with the cycle are Metzeler ME880 Marathon. I'm guessing that they are very old and should not be retained. I am building a house in Florida and hope that I can actually ride this bike. There will be no long journeys as the arthritic hands will not permit. A quick perusal indicates that numerous manufacturers offer tires for this bike. Would appreciate recommendations for good quality, reasonably priced replacements.

rickt
 
Check the date stamp on the tires for their age. Five years is generally the factory max before replacement is needed. As for tires, I have Michelin Pilot Activ’s on my R90/6 and my R100s and I really like them. Can’t comment for durability as they don’t have that many miles on them.
 
Avon Road Riders are also very nice IMHO
Its interesting that those tires have no steel or metal belts in the tread, as most tires do.
 
Last edited:
dualsportgs said:
Check the date stamp on the tires for their age. Five years is generally the factory max before replacement is needed. As for tires, I have Michelin Pilot Activ’s on my R90/6 and my R100s and I really like them. Can’t comment for durability as they don’t have that many miles on them.
Click to expand...

second for Pilot Activ's. I have them on both my K75S's. outstanding for ride, grip and wet performance. they were even good on track days!
 
I've used, and still do use the Pilots and Road Riders on airheads and K's. Great choice on either, IMO. They work great and are very affordable.
 
Avon Roadriders have worked on the /6 for about 8 years now.

I had tried other brands and sized tires, and determined that the advice that others had given was correct as to Airheads handling suffering with non stock sized tires.
The straight line handling isn't affected, but it's noticable in the twisties.

Rumor has it Avon is coming out with upgraded Roadriders soon.

I recently put Continental Road and Trail attacks on a K1100 & R100GS and will try them on the R90 if they have tires sized for /6 Airheads.
 
You want OE inch-sized tires, so 3.25 x 19 front; 4.00 x 18 rear. A narrow range of metric sizes can be fitted, (your Metz ME880s are almost certainly metric), but are sub-optimal for handling, stand operation, and appearance, IMHO. These inch-sized tires decidedly limit the range of tire manufacturers available, but that’s the deal for these antiques. After a couple of decades as a Metzeler Laser/Marathon loyalist, I’m another who’s come to favor Michelin Pilot Activs. Great handling, and wet traction, and, for me, they have been quite long-wearing. They’re also reasonably-priced at about $230/pr. from your favorite supply house. Metzeler, Avon, Continental, Heidenau, and Bridgestone also have inch-sized offerings, as others have cited. You should also replace the inner tubes, and inch-sized, non-“heavy-duty” editions of those are similarly constrained.
 
Rickt. Both the Avon, and the Michelin Pilot Activ tires are excellent choices for your airhead. I don’t remember if the R90S has spokes or snowflake wheels, but in my experience it makes a difference. The Pilot Activ tire is very stiff and difficult to get seated on the snowflakes. The Avons mount on snowflakes much easier. Either will mount on a spoked wheel without a lot of work. They are both great handling tires.
 
R90S tire recommendations

Indeed the tires that came on the bike are 10+ years of age. I took the consensus and ordered a pair of Michelin Pilots. Now I will await the snow melt.
 
Tire age is one of those things that becomes hard to manage as one acquires multiple vintage machines. I put Conti Twins on my R90S when I got it back on the road a couple of years ago; the tire mounting guy pointed out that the tires had a 2014 mold date.
 
swall said:
Tire age is one of those things that becomes hard to manage as one acquires multiple vintage machines. I put Conti Twins on my R90S when I got it back on the road a couple of years ago; the tire mounting guy pointed out that the tires had a 2014 mold date.
Click to expand...

For what it's worth, the last set of Avon's i bought for my K75 came from Bike Bandit and were the current year date code, I always check the date on new tires. They had the best price too.
 
My memory continues to fade

I set about removing the front wheel as my friend has kindly offered to install the new Michelins. The bike is still on blocks following the front brake rebuild. I can’t get the wheel free of the calipers. It would appear that I’m missing something very simple. Does at least one of the calipers need to be dropped to get the wheel off?
 
wheel removal

Hi, pull the wheel out of callipers then pivot them out to allow the wheel to be removed hope this assists Jimmy
 
r65lsk75c said:
....................... I can’t get the wheel free of the calipers. It would appear that I’m missing something very simple. Does at least one of the calipers need to be dropped to get the wheel off?
Click to expand...

Yes, move both calipers off the rotors and the wheel will roll out.
 
Rim Tape

I should have known that Rim Tape was required in order to install the new tires. I would welcome recommendations for size and brand so that the new tires can be mounted.

Thanks
 
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