may need new tires

[gtp3800]

So my back tire is getting low, so this winter im going to get new ones. Any suggestions? I was looking at pilots. But before that I had a question. My front tire (pirelli scorpions with 8K miles) is about 10 psi low every two weeks. Are the sidewalls bad? leak? Id like to get the rest of the season out of these tires! about another thousand miles.

will I be ok?

[browland]

sounds like a slow leak to me... my experience in cars is where there is a slow leak there will be a flat its just when... that said how do you feel about a blow out on a bike?

I'm fixin to throw some shinko ravens on mine heard good things and they are cheap. [up]

[BKKBuell]

Slow leaks can be dangerous as a sudden failure might be fatal on the front. I would change it.

[konarider94]

dunlop sportmax q2. same to better performance than pp 2ct's with a much lower cost. great treadlife. i have 4-5k miles on mine this summer and they are still doing great, i take highway to work a lot and it resists flatspots very well. I can see wear on the rear but it has a good amount left in it.

[gtp3800]

sounds dangerous. Ill do a good inspection and get some opinions. I havent had any different tires on this bike, so im open to suggestions. whatever you guys recommend.

Ill take a look at those ravens!

[burgurboy]

i personally did not like my shinko raven rear. it was hard, would slide a little on hard corner exit, and i did not like the shape/ turn-in of the tire. I couldn't kill it though. I SHOULD have replaced it when i bought the bike... 3 thousand miles ago. I made it last until 2 days ago.

Some people like them some people don't. If you're just commuting, its a great tire. I would never recommend it for a track day though.

I vote for michelin pilot road 2 or 3's. great tread life with the bonus of softer edges

[RT Performance]

Fill a glass cleaner bottle with dish soap and water and fill the front tire to max psi
Spray on tire and valve core find leak.
I have dunlop roadsmarts on my Xb good tire great milage 10k rear 15k out of the front
Michelien pure powers on my 1125r 4-7 k front and rear they wear out close to the same time.

[kbwood1008]

I have Metzler Z8 Interacts on my 2009 XB12XT and love them. They are more stable than the OEM and give greater confidence in the turns

[Tad Ghostal]

Power Pure = absolutely fantastic tires & worth every red cent.

[redrider]

I used the ravens for about half a season and replaced them they are ok for what they cost but suck for aggressive riding they have less then a thousand miles on them call me if you want to see them.Pilot 2s are the only tire that will ever be on my bike.

[captain chaos]

Oh boy, here we go again with the "tire snobs". :D

Shinko's will work just fine for street riding, even "spirited" runs. I've run them several times before and have never had an issue with them in terms of quality or grip. I didn't care a whole lot for the Raven but only because of the profile. It made my bike turn in slower and it just didn't "fall into" the corners as much as I like.
If you're riding faster than a Shinko will handle you need to be less ham fisted with the throttle or on a track because your going WAY faster than what's reasonable for the streets.

Personally, I ran a Pilot road 2 on the rear of my XB and a Pilot Power up front. I loved every second of it. That combo inspired HUGE confidance (great feel, lots of grip) and the wear rate was excellent. It was a little more money than I like to spend on tires but they were excellent tires and worth the extra cash.

As far as the leak, check the valve stem CLOSELY for cracks (assuming it's the rubber type), replace if necessary. Also, the soapy water trick does work too. Most likely it's leaking around the bead. often times a little crud or corrosion will cause the tire to not seal quite right and it will leak down.
If it's leaking because of cracks in the rubber replace the tire IMMEDIATELY!

[Lesley]

8k is a lot of miles for tires. You didn't mention your riding style so I will guess you are a safe rider who obeys all traffic laws. If you must push your tires a little while longer I suggest taking secondary streets and stay around 40 mph. With your mileage and possible age of tires and the fact the temps outside are cooling which makes your tires less sticky this would be a safe way to ride on the tread you have left. I understand trying to make ends meet and not always having extra money. Stay on top of the PSI in the leaking tire and slow way down and you should be fine until the new tires are installed. Safe journeys [up]

[Jesse T]

dunlop sportmax q2. same to better performance than pp 2ct's with a much lower cost. great treadlife. i have 4-5k miles on mine this summer and they are still doing great, i take highway to work a lot and it resists flatspots very well. I can see wear on the rear but it has a good amount left in it.

Much lower cost than the 2CT's? I thought they were some of the cheapest tires? I only spent about $200 on a set! Regardless, I have been pushing the crap outta the 2CT's and they have yet to let me down [up] If you get a new set you will love these tires!

[Alfatango1]

I'm fixin to throw some shinko ravens on mine heard good things and they are cheap.They used to be a lot cheaper than the name brands but now they are not such a good deal. I wouldn't use them for only a $20 savings over Michelin or Dunlop.

[netty2424]

Bridgestone BT016. Couldn't be happier with them.

[konarider94]

Much lower cost than the 2CT's? I thought they were some of the cheapest tires? I only spent about $200 on a set! Regardless, I have been pushing the crap outta the 2CT's and they have yet to let me down If you get a new set you will love these tires!

200 is a good deal, ive never seen a set go for that. i was looking in the spring. they are a good tire but at the time i found the sportmax q2 was cheaper and it had better reviews in many instances. 2ct is a good tire but michelin is french [sad] maybe i was incorrect in saying much cheaper, how about slightly cheaper

a good review can be seen here
http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/545/8285/Motorcycle-Article/2010-Street-Motorcycle-Tire-Comparison.aspx

[gtp3800]

so I will guess you are a safe rider who obeys all traffic laws. sorry let me explain more.

70% of the time im commuting to school or work. But when im out or on my day off ill get aggressive, high speeds all the bang for the buck out of these bikes.

Now i think the problem is because in march I had my wreck and never changed the tires. So i think the tire is still damaged.

You guys are all giving great advice thanks a ton. I think whats going to convince me is not really the price, 200 sounds great, but finding the right tire for me.

The pirelli's just wore out in the middle way to fast, even at 8K miles. So I think im starting to lean towards the pilot 2's which have the hard center so this does not happen.

[Fasemask]

Am I the only one running avon. I have storm 2 ultras and they are great. Do well in the wet, good life 5k so far.

[Jesse T]

200 is a good deal, ive never seen a set go for that. i was looking in the spring. they are a good tire but at the time i found the sportmax q2 was cheaper and it had better reviews in many instances. 2ct is a good tire but michelin is french maybe i was incorrect in saying much cheaper, how about slightly cheaper

Yeah I've had great luck with Rockymountainatvmc.com I paid around $90 for the front and about $110 for the rear...I've had em down to the very edge and they are super grippy.

[burgurboy]

70% of the time im commuting to school or work. But when im out or on my day off ill get aggressive, high speeds all the bang for the buck out of these bikes.


call me a tire snob but, Don't get the shinkos. I ride like you do. 70/30. the shinkos sucked for that 30% of aggressive riding. flat,hard,unpredictable,slow to warm up. Everyone down south here uses them as drag racing tires... that should tell you something in itself.

Pilot roads on the other hand? earlier this summer I scraped pegs (on my sv650) through the dragon in tennessee. My pilot road 3's stuck like glue (even when leaned over, accelerating hard in 1st)

[gtp3800]

sounds good, I think ill go for the pilots

[vanson1200r]

Michelin 2CT’s and I’ll never use anything else. Great commuting wear and it’s the first tire I got my knee on the deck with.

[browland]

Let me clairify my position on ravens.... I'm getting them because when I'm on 2 wheels I ride like a grandma because i am mostly on city streets under 55 or on the interstate. Needless to say I do not get many chances to channel my inner Valentino Rossi so need for spiffy super glue like tires... the gli however I drive like an idiot

[burgurboy]

haha nice! I'm the exact opposite... but, that might be because i actually drive a grandma car...


in a perfect world, I think it would be great to have 2 sets of rims. I wouldn't mind having a set of shinko ravens for the florida slab riding. then, for the weekends I would have a set of michelin pures.

[gtp3800]

hahaha I find it difficult to NOT ride my bike like I stole it. :D Im debating now between all the different models of michelins.

[user_deleted]

opinions on tires are like opinions on oils. the best ones in the world are what the author is currently using. there are no "bad" tires these days as they all have to meet DOT and industry standards to even be marketed and sold. shinkos are alot of tire for the money as are similarly priced jobs. you get what you pay for in the tire arena.

[Loki]

opinions on tires are like opinions on oils. the best ones in the world are what the author is currently using.

NO, pirelli diablo (the standard ones) are really hard tires that might last long but dont leave you feeling safe in the turns. When the roads alittle wet you will slide out in a turn alittle. Be warned.

[Alfatango1]

Let me clairify my position on ravens.... I'm getting them because when I'm on 2 wheels I ride like a grandma because i am mostly on city streets under 55 or on the interstate. Needless to say I do not get many chances to channel my inner Valentino Rossi so need for spiffy super glue like tires...
That's why I will run the Conti's the next time around. They are less expensive than Shinko and it's a name you can trust. I heard great reviews on them.

[thrstrmech]

using Dunlop Roadsmart dual compounds for longer lasting, better wear, no issues with wet surfaces since I use my xb9s as main mode of transportation. they're pretty reasonably priced as well.

[gtp3800]

This is going to be a harder decision then I thought! hahaha so many options.

[njdevils1990]

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i118/Nirvana12211990/f5229b7c.jpg
seems like we need to make a tire thread for everyone
i would make it but im biased towards michelin and i dont know much about any other brands other than the pirelli stock tires that i had no confidence in.
As far as the tires go i have the power pures and love them, i have around 4,500 miles and should be able to get about another 1,500-3,000(if i run them bald) easily . I know LeFox started one a while back but i may start another thread and do some research on a couple other brands (pirelli, metzler, conti, etc...)for everyone as a "buyers guide".

[gtp3800]

njdevils1990, that sounds like a good idea. My next set is going to be the power pures or something in that area, however its not going to be my last set so If there were to be a guide on here that would be great.

[njdevils1990]

Actually have almost 5,500 miles on them. I added wrong lol