Tire Suggestions for R1100S

[76990]

I'm looking for some suggestions regarding tires for my R1100S. When I bought the bike it came with Bridgestone Battlax 54R's, which I got close to 5000 miles on. I was pretty happy with the mileage and how they handled, but decided to try to Metzler ME Z4's to see if I would get better mileage. Turns out mileage is going to be about the same, and I wasn't as happy with how the ME Z4's handled. I felt the rear tire get a little squirrelly from time to time in turns, which did not happen with the 54R's.
I understand that the 54R's are no longer being produced and was looking for suggestions. I'm looking for a good balance between mileage and handling for somewhat aggressive riding. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[kbasa]

Hey there,

I've got an S as well (mandarin is the fastest color you know ) and I've been through the gamut on tires. I got pretty good mileage out of D205s and they were reasonably sticky. I do mostly sport riding on them, so my mileage may not be typical, but I got 7K out of them. I ran two sets of those. Next, I tried Metzeler Sportec M1s and got 2000 out of a rear and 4000 out of the front. They were extraordinarily sticky, warmed up fast, but wore quickly. FWIW, I didn't flat spot them, I wore out the sides first.

I've got MEZ4s on there now and the dealer suggested I run them at 40psi rear and 36 psi front. It seems to keep them fairly healthy and they're sticky enough.

I have Mac100s from Michelin on the VFR and they seem fairly indestructible. They stick well, but take a bit to warm up. They don't seem to be wearing at all, even with 4K miles on them.

YMMV, I guess.

 

[96073]

metzler M1 sportecs are the only choice!

having gone through many a sets on S's, unless you are PURELY a touring type, get the sportecs. if you are already getting about 5k out of the other tires and you are getting squirrly rear end (the bike mind you) then without a doubt get the sportecs. they can even be had for a great price from discount motorcycle tires online. about $80 for the front and around $100 for the rear. usually can go two rears to one front as well.

also not sure if you are aware of the pelican parts tech board specific to the S. been going on for years now. great resource, great people.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=24

good luck with a tire choice.

repoe3

 

[76990]

Thanks for the feedback. After doing some price comparison, I went ahead and ordered some Sportec M1's from discountmotorcycletire.com, which had the best price I could find. Sounds like they will be just what I need for my trip to Deals Gap in mid-May, although I hope that I don't go through the back tire in one weekend since I will be riding the bike down and up from central Virginia.

I will check out the Pelican Parts board you made reference too. And by the way, the Silver ones are pretty fast too!

 

[Shelby]

Tire replcement

Can you give me the web site for Discount Motorcycle Tires.

 

[76990]

The address is www.discountmotorcycletire.com. I also like Motorcycle Accessory Warehouse, www.accwhse.com, and Motorcycle Tire Planet. I don't remember the address for the latter, but if you type this in a search engine I'm sure it will come up. Good luck.

 

[96073]

they should last for the trip and then some

mine currently have a trip to daytona and back from northern virginia and a few weekend blitz through the hils/mountains around 211. keep the air pressure up while on the highway and lower it a just a bit when you hit the curves. you will never want to run anything else, unless you start doing nothing but sport-touring with the emphasis on touring.

repoe3

 

[76990]

tire pressure

At what PSI do you set them at for these different situaitons. I keep mine at 34 for the front, 36 at the rear. I think I got that from the owners manual.

So you ride on 211 sometimes - fun road. I'm not one to spend an afternoon at the same spot, but do like to include that stretch from time to time when I plan a ride for the day. What color's your bike, helmet, etc? I'll keep an eye out for you. I ride a Silver R1100S or Green K1100LT, silver helmet, black and grey First Gear coat, black textile pants.

 

[96073]

i would run those numbers while riding in the hills, as for touring, lots of highways, i tend to bump them up 3-5 psi to retain tire shape a longer wear especially if carrying extra weight. i think, believe it or not, the manual or the sticker on the bike reference specific brand and models of tire (the sportecs not one of them) and find tire numbers that i like and get good performance out of. have found running somewhat low air is great handling but will wear the tire out faster.

when we ride 211, we usually do a ride from alexandria to harrisonburg and back. makes for a nice day. last ride out we took some different routes back in hopes of discovering nice options. some panned out, some did not. we usually stop at one winery to pick up some wine.

my ride is an SBX (silver, of course), black helmet, various riding gear depending on the weather, blue/red leather jacket, black first gear hot weather jacket, or bmw savanna 2 blue and stone colored two peice suit. firebolter (bill) rides an SBX as well as shoe (jim) rides an SBX. there is smallj (jason) that rides a red S, heavily modified, but he is not back from his govt paid vacation to kuwait. we do lots of rides in that area. three of us have even done a trip to columbus and back (two days). that was a lot of fun.

what area of VA are you located?

repoe3

 

[76990]

I live in Greene County, which is about 15-20 minutes northwest of Charlottesville. Maybe next time you guys head down this way we could all meet up. This weekend I have prior obligations, but may be open the following weekend if I'm not tagging along with my friend to Richmond who plans to purchase a Ducati ST4.

Speaking of good roads - do you ever make it over into WV? That's where I typically head to when I have a good amount of time. It would probably be a fairly long round trip coming from Alexandria to make it worth your while, but there are some pretty fantastic stretches of road over that way.

 

[96073]

thats where i bought my first motorcycle...

ducati 916 from moto europa. know m. stubbs the (used to be) owner well, he adopted my greyhound when i moved from richmond up to alexandria. quick question, do they have an existing relationship with that dealer and where are they intending on getting service? not sure how well you know the gang there. good friend of mine used to be the restoration mechanic. have fun.

repoe3

 

[76990]

I know my friend has mentioned visiting the shop a handful of times over the last few years, beyond that I don't know how much interaction has taken place. I personally haven't had any contact with them.
I'm guessing he would have the bike serviced there as well, primarily due to a lack of any closer resources. (He lives in Waynesboro.) Do you recommend that he use their services?

 

[roundelrider]

Repoe,
Youre so close, yet so far! Im in the Greensboro NC area. Riding is good round here, just a few ppl to do it with! I know of at least one S round here, but i dont think he rides it much.......what a shame
Ride Safe

john
'03 R1100SBX