K75 RT rear tire

[kevnallen]

Time for a replacement tire in the back of my 93' K75 RT. I have a Metzeler 880 Marathon in front and a Bridgestone BT45 out back currently. The BT45 was fine, except I don't think I got very good mileage. The Metzler site recommends Lasertec instead of the 880. I live the the Dallas area.

Any recommendations?

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[breyfogle]

Debating tires is kinda like debating motor oil . But, IMHO the Lasertec is the best front tire for a K75. It steers well, lasts long enough, and sticks OK. For the rear, I used to use ME55's exclusively for many years and they were fine ( for my usage ). Recently, when I can not find an ME55, I have started to substitute the Bridgestone BT45. After using a couple of BT45's, I think I actually prefer the BT45 to the ME55.

 

[PHMARVIN]

Hi, Kevin,
The B'stone BT-45 is a fine tire, just not too long-lasting. When Harriet used them on her (now my) K75, I'd have to change them at about 6k miles. The Michelin Macadam 50 (rear) 50E (front) combination usually lasts me about 10k miles for the rear and close to 20k miles for the front. These are available in the correct (for later K75 bikes) sizes, 100/90V18 front and 130/90V17 rear. If you like the Metzeler ME880 rear, the 140/80V17 fits and works well on the rear. I have no current experience with Metzeler fronts.

 

[gregfeeler]

Time for a replacement tire in the back of my 93' K75 RT. I have a Metzeler 880 Marathon in front and a Bridgestone BT45 out back currently. The BT45 was fine, except I don't think I got very good mileage. The Metzler site recommends Lasertec instead of the 880. I live the the Dallas area.

Any recommendations?

Thanks,
Kevin

What kind of mileage did you get from the BT45 rear? Mostly flat land or twisties?

 

[roncooper]

What kind of mileage did you get from the BT45 rear? Mostly flat land or twisties?

I got 6000 miles on my rear BT 45. One up with only a few twisties. The ME 88 that I replaced it with got 12000 miles under the same conditions.

 

[rdalland]

I had a pair of BT45's on my K75RT.

I liked them a lot, very sticky - confidence inspiring.

Worn out after 3900 fast, twisty miles.

 

[gregfeeler]

I had a pair of BT45's on my K75RT.

I liked them a lot, very sticky - confidence inspiring.

Worn out after 3900 fast, twisty miles.

I'm trying my first set of BT45's on one of the K75's and I do like them a lot! 3,900 miles would bum me a wee bit, but 6k I could live with given the handling and grin factor.

 

[80125]

more on tires for k75

got very spoiled with dunlop k491 elite II's, 32,000+ on front, and 22,000+ on rear(no longer made, despite personal promise from factory rep that elite 3's would come in replacement sizes for all elite II's). 404's deliver about half the mileage for half the price. Any experience/ recommendations regarding bridgestone spitfire s11 or metzler me880 marathon, or any other brand? already read about the battlax bt-45. More concerned with mileage than performance now. Thanks. KGenn.

 

[rdalland]

The last set of tires I put on my K75RT were an ME88 Rear and a Lasertec front.

I had forgotten that I had tried Lasertecs before and didn't like them. The front is a bit squirrely for me on my RT.

I wore out the lasertec front at 5,800 miles and replaced it with an ME880. The rear which was installed at the same time as the lasertec has lots of life left.

I like the pairing of the ME88 rear and the ME880 front. They have a very smooth, solid, stable feel, with enough stickiness for my riding style. I plan to stay with these in the future.

 

[PGlaves]

We run the 880 front and rear on all 3 of our K75s and like the tires on those bikes.

 

[kevnallen]

I ended up getting a ME 88

All,

I ended up getting a Metzler ME 88 for my rear tire. There were many reviews on the internet that indicated an ME 880 front ME 88 rear is a good combination. I purchased the tire from the Motorcycle Superstore and will mount it at a friends house. Thanks for all of the advice!

-Kevin

 

[kychris02]

Going for a new set of Metzlers. Anybody do recent pricing for the best deal.

deal = $$ + service for me. Thanx.