cam_on_van_isle
Member
Yes, Avon Spirit ST's are available in 18" for the rear tire.
front: 120/70/17
rear: 110/80/18
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Metzler vs Michelin (please redirect?), R1150 R
- Thread starter alohagrit
- Start date
Yes, Avon Spirit ST's are available in 18" for the rear tire.
front: 120/70/17
rear: 110/80/18
Cam,
Thanks for posting, but my R1100RS Take a 160/60-18 rear tire.
I did find that size in the Avon Storm. Any thoughts on using the 120/70-17 Avon Sprint on the front, with the 160/60-18 Avon Storm on the rear?
Thanks for posting, but my R1100RS Take a 160/60-18 rear tire.
I did find that size in the Avon Storm. Any thoughts on using the 120/70-17 Avon Sprint on the front, with the 160/60-18 Avon Storm on the rear?
jnrugg
Member
I have been doing Michelin PR3 and 4 on my RT.
Long life and good rain performance.
Thought I would try the Dunlop Roadsmart III this time.
They also perform well, only have about 6k miles on them.
The nice thing about tires is if you don't like them they wear out and you can try something else.
Long life and good rain performance.
Thought I would try the Dunlop Roadsmart III this time.
They also perform well, only have about 6k miles on them.
The nice thing about tires is if you don't like them they wear out and you can try something else.
cam_on_van_isle
Member
From Avon Tyres website for the Spirit ST rear tire:
https://www.avontyres.com/en-us/tyres/spirit-st?searchtype=tire&cartype=motorcycle
160/60 ZR 18 (70W) R MT4.50 4.25-5.00 168 6.6 649 25.6 8
PhilR807
New member
I just put Metzler Roadtec on my 04 RS replacing 2 Michelin Pilots. Here is what I discovered
1) Brand new tires are 100% better than worn out tires
2) Apparently I had not been keeping them inflated properly which diminished their life
I choose Metzler because they supported the MOA at the rally in Lebanon and gave away a neat tank bag.
I think you can't go wrong with either.
1) Brand new tires are 100% better than worn out tires
2) Apparently I had not been keeping them inflated properly which diminished their life
I choose Metzler because they supported the MOA at the rally in Lebanon and gave away a neat tank bag.
I think you can't go wrong with either.
Tire comparison
1997 RT had PR3 on rear and PR4 on front. Handling excellent. I put 10K miles on the rear but don't know how much was on it when i bought the bike. Front I replaced at 7K of my use.
Front I put a Bridgestone Battlax T31 - Not as sharp as the PR4, but not slippery either. Just smoother transitions from upright to leaned over. Very predictable. Looking for better tire mileage without sacrificing wet or dry traction.
Rear I put a Metzler Roadtec Z8 Interact (18" wheel on mine, but they do make one for your bike too.) Only have a few hundred miles on it. This is another Rear Radial dual compound tire. Feel is excellent Too cold to hot rod and really, I don't do that anymore. Note that the PR3 rear is also a dual compound tire.
Can't tell much difference in ride quality, but I'm coming from having ridden Honda Pacific coasts for more than 25 years. The PC800 has a better ride quality and is way smoother engine. It doesn't handle as well as the RT. But the weight is also located low as the tank is under the saddle.
What did help ride quality on my RT was backing off the rear shock's rebound damper. If your's is stock, there is an adjuster. I put mine at the halfway point and backed the pre-load off some.
This isn't as much help as I would like to give, but it's all I have for now.
1997 RT had PR3 on rear and PR4 on front. Handling excellent. I put 10K miles on the rear but don't know how much was on it when i bought the bike. Front I replaced at 7K of my use.
Front I put a Bridgestone Battlax T31 - Not as sharp as the PR4, but not slippery either. Just smoother transitions from upright to leaned over. Very predictable. Looking for better tire mileage without sacrificing wet or dry traction.
Rear I put a Metzler Roadtec Z8 Interact (18" wheel on mine, but they do make one for your bike too.) Only have a few hundred miles on it. This is another Rear Radial dual compound tire. Feel is excellent Too cold to hot rod and really, I don't do that anymore. Note that the PR3 rear is also a dual compound tire.
Can't tell much difference in ride quality, but I'm coming from having ridden Honda Pacific coasts for more than 25 years. The PC800 has a better ride quality and is way smoother engine. It doesn't handle as well as the RT. But the weight is also located low as the tank is under the saddle.
What did help ride quality on my RT was backing off the rear shock's rebound damper. If your's is stock, there is an adjuster. I put mine at the halfway point and backed the pre-load off some.
This isn't as much help as I would like to give, but it's all I have for now.
From what I researched, the Metzeler Z8 Interact is not a dual rubber compound tire. Put simply, they wind the carcass belts with more space between the strands towards the edges of the tire to allow the tread to flex more and with less space towards the middle of the tire to reduce flex. This, according to them, allows the tire to grip in corners while still giving decent mileage.
"With the Z8 Interact, Metzeler technicians met those disparate needs not by adopting multi-compound tread but by differentiating the tension of the belts in the carcass to exploit the specific characteristics of the rubber compounds. The belts have a higher tension around the main circumference of the tire to keep the area less prone to flex. This means less heat build up, and reduced wear when traveling straight on the highway. Reduced tension in the shoulders is designed to induce higher temperatures, for better grip quality when the bike is leaning over."
I'm interested to hear more of your evaluation as the weather warms up.
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Metzler M5?
Recently found Metzler M5s in a combo deal from moss trading in MO. A package of front 120/70r17 and rear 170/60r17 for <$179. They appear to be made in China?! They seem to be targeted to the sport bike crowd, but the ad copy talks about commuting too. Has anybody tried these?
Recently found Metzler M5s in a combo deal from moss trading in MO. A package of front 120/70r17 and rear 170/60r17 for <$179. They appear to be made in China?! They seem to be targeted to the sport bike crowd, but the ad copy talks about commuting too. Has anybody tried these?
