I know this has been discussed many times but what do you think is the best tire for my 2007 VRSCD. This will be my first tire change. My dunlops have cupped really bad.
i put the metz 260 on the rear of mine about 1500 km in and now i am at 15000 km and it is starting to flatten out so i just bought new metz again , i had zero issues with the metz ,
i have heard the avons are good also and the avon 150 is as wide as the metz 260
Well I would not recommend a metz 260 on the Ds 5.5" rim. :chair: Both metz (ME880) and Avon (AV72) make a 200mm tire that is highly recommended with matching front. If you want you can stick with the 180 but many Nightroders prefer the extra meat of the 200mm tires.
Bridgestone Excedra are a good bargain and the front wears evenly but no 200 is available.
The Metz is a good all round wear and grip and not priced too badly if you shop them around. And it's available in a 200 rear if you choose.
Order online if you can to save and find a local Jap bike shop to change them cheap.
American Motorcycle Tire online is good source.
I like the Excedras, got about 7k on them and they both still look good. Bridgestone does make 200 rear, it's an OEM for the V-Max. I'm going to try it next time.
My 07 Night has 32000 miles. Ran thru Dunlops like they were gummy bears. Front cupped badly. Put a brace on front forks, this will help take out fork flex.. I am running Pirellie Night Dragons now. Front and rear. Not any cheaper, but more rubber on the tire. Should wear a lot better than Dunlop. Handles as well as Dunlops, and doesnt lay over on rear sidewall. Seems to be better so far.
I am gonna take the Metzeler ME 880 plunge myself... before I do, just let me confirm that for my 2006 VRSCD I need a 200/50ZR18 for the rear and a 120/70ZR-19 for the front?
Got my rear Metzeler from www.RevZilla.com for $175.00 shipped with some discounts I had. Me and my buddy did the rear change because I caught a flat and he is blessed to have a pro bike lift and EVERY TOOL known to man. I see why bike shops charge what they do, because this was NOT an easy task! Thanks to RCSROD and his wonderful videos, we used them as a great starting point and did the change recently. I am not sure if I would want to do it again though, It was LOTS and LOTS of work. Alot of stuff to keep track of and keep together. Another mutual friend swung by and we did her rear tire on her BMW in less than 1 hour, while mine took in excess of 3 with several breaks thrown in.
The ride home was an adventure as it was POURING and I now have a new slippery tire on the rear! The next day my friends at work who knew I was going to tackle this myself, come up to me and ask why I didn't do the front, "you have wear showing on your front tire Yarvis." Sure enough, the front tire is showing signs of cupping on the left side and I never really bothered to look at it because I was so concentrated on the rear. WTF??? Granted these tires had a little more than 10k on them and the bike has just under 17k on the speedo. So again, will be ordering from RevZilla but am asking, is the front tire EASIER and quicker to replace than the rear?
I'll answer my own question here about replacing the front tire. You better believe it's A LOT easier than the rear! I just searched for RSCROD's video for replacing the front and it's going to be a breeze compared to the rear. My only issue might be my moto lights which are attached to my calipers. They are heavy being milled out of billet aluminum and are wire tied along my front brake lines. I will definitely need some type of bungee cords to hold all of the weight up and out of the way.
I just got my new Metzelers on today. All I can say is wow. This bike is so much easier to handle with these on now that I had to stop overcorrecting because I had to work much harder to get a lean out of it on curvies.
I will be traveling this week so I will get a better feel for them. I did go with the 200mm rear. I may have to do some mods on the inner fender but we will see.
This is great info. My 2007 also needs new tires and it sounds like the original Dunlops are not the tire to get. It also sounds like you guys are putting a different rear tire on. Does this fit with no mods and what are the advantages/disadvantages?
And keep in mind I'm a very inexperienced rider and so am NOT gonna be riding aggressively!
Oh yeah, and is there a video on how to take off the front and rear tire?
Sled:
This is my second set of Metzelers I placed on this bike. Bridgestone makes a tire, I believe the 850 & 851 as well. They cost quite a bit less than Metzelers but I have never used them and maybe someone else here can chime in with an opinion? The Metzelers though I have had on two other bikes along with the night Rod and I can't speak highly enough of them! They LAST a long time and handle fantastic in every type of weather. I just got 11k plus out of the front (was at the wear limit and starting to cup) and believe it or not, the rear still looked decent, only reason I removed was because of a nail. I took it off and it is sitting in my friends garage as a spare if I ever need one. I do understand the Avon's are great also but they cost a little more than Metzelers. I would go with whatever is more readily available in your neck of the woods.
We have a member here named rscrod. He has a TON of videos on YouTube and believe me, they are GREAT to look at to help you along. I felt confident enough to tackle the tire job this go round. (but it is kind of tricky and alot of work and has me thinking to let the pros do the rear)
I like the stock sizes although you can go with a 200 out back, you might need some mods or get lucky and need none. Good luck and welcome aboard!
Alot of the people here like the metzelers or better yet, Avons. I went with the Metz's because of the overall view on them. I have to agree, it is a different bike. If you get the stock width, no problems, I went with the 200mm rear so I had to modify/remove the bagger brackets for clearance.
The bike feels different. I am almost overcorrecting when leaning in turns it is so much easier to lean now. When the winds break and it warms a bit, I will be on it alot more. It got COD here!
From my research on this site Metzelers seem the way to go, stock size. I have seen RSCROD's videos on youtube, they are great. I'm sure I'll have no problem doing it my self after watching them!
I put a set of the Bridgestone Excedra tires on my "R", cost for the pair was ~ $240; with about 3,000 miles on them so far I'd buy them again when the time comes for replacement.
They may not be the ''flavor of the day" as far as tire choices but they meet my needs.
I have been on the Bridgestones for about 1500 or more and so far they are great. No grip issue at all, not sure about wear as the front looks fine but the rear is already showing a light center patch (Not enough twisty roads out my way to feather it out haha). But that may be normal (first tire change on this bike). I also like the look of the tread in the rear especially, cool looking pattern.
I put on a set of Bridgestones Excedra as well. Couldn't beat the price! Only put about 200 miles tires so far.
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