Poll about tires

[Spyderjockey]

I have never done a poll before, but thought it would be interesting to see what people are doing about tires for their Spyder.

Poll on people's preferences for tires:
1. Still use OEM tires.
2. Have gone to a "car" tire.
3. Considering a "car" tire.

[StriperKing]

Should be interesting.
Maxxis MA-Z4S Victra rear tire
General Altimax HP 185/60R14 front tires

[CyncySpyder]

We got 21,000 on the rear stock & replaced it with another stock tire.
Got 22,000 on the two front stocks & noticed inside wear, so had them rotated & hope to get another 6-12,000 out before switching them. Thinking about going aftermarket, but not sure what would be best for all road & weather conditions as we usually ryde year round. Thanks for start'n this thread, will be interesting to see whats working best for everyone else.

[SpyderAnn01]

You need a category for both. I have OEM on the front and Kumho on the rear. But I think I will go back to OEM reara before Spyderfest. I didn't get much better mileage out of the Kumho and it tended to hydroplane.

[Sarge707]

I feel stock is best considering the Nanny Systems for Aggresive drivers like myself!
If your casual and touring do whatever but the cost savings is Minimal as far as I,m concerned?

[SteveMac]

Still on OEM. 10,000 mi.
Fronts still great. Back has maybe 2500 left in it.
Im satisfied with that mileage and happy with the traction, so I will replace with OEM!

[kevorama]

At 3,800 mi. on our RT-S I'm hoping that we're a ways off from making this decision. I good buddy of mine has a Honda Valkyrie and is putting a car tire on his, but the big problem for him is that the city boys refuse to put a car tire on a bike wheel. He's going to have to travel a little to the 'boonies' to get someone that'll do it without fear of a lawsuit.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

thank you spydrjockey for doing the poll, i think the results could be interesting....here's a thought though \, anyone who has a spyder that's under warranty may not be able to make a choice about their tires untill the brp warranty expires ?....i don't know how you could account for this though ??..i changed to a kumho rear and have falken's for the front when the oem's bite the dust.....and regarding any concerns about the " nanny ", it's smart but not that smart...because if it was when kenda changes their tires is brp going to replace /repair all those computers to recognize the new tires....i don't think so.....does toyota , honda, audi, etc tell you what tires you have to use becuse their computer will only work with their tires.....get real.....have a nice day.....mike............please vote

[Star Cruiser]

I have heard that some riders with car tires on thier bikes (they were two wheel machines though) had problems with thier insurance companies because they hade deemed the accident "Could have" been prevented if the motorcycle had motorcycle tires on it. The one that I was close to was a Valkery with a car tire on the rear

Just saying to be careful, or maybe check with your insurance agent BEFORE you have to make a claim

[SpyderGirl]

OEM originals at 43K miles on the front

Falken 512 (new - 3rd tire) on rear at 43K miles

My second rear tire was a Kuhmo and it lasted 30K miles and was half the price of the Kenda and lasted twice as long.

Not sure what I am going to do with my front tires yet. I'll probably just get the Kenda, but am considering car tires as well.

[SpyderGirl]

Should be interesting.
Maxxis MA-Z4S Victra rear tire
General Altimax HP 185/60R14 front tires

How do you like the front tires you have? Do they fit in the stock fenders without modification?

[darren]

I have never done a poll before, but thought it would be interesting to see what people are doing about tires for their Spyder.

Poll on people's preferences for tires:
1. Still use OEM tires.
2. Have gone to a "car" tire.
3. Considering a "car" tire.

number 2

[Mo Lee]

Still running original tire on the Spyder with around 13,000 miles, rear is close and probably be replaced before Spyderfest, don't understand the rear wear. I will probably go back stock. Now on the other hand I'm running car tires on the rear of both my Valkyries and can not see myself ever going back stock. Kevin if your buddy still needs his tire mounted and is willing to drive a ways my dealer here mounted mine no problem.

[johnnyg]

At 3,800 mi. on our RT-S I'm hoping that we're a ways off from making this decision. I good buddy of mine has a Honda Valkyrie and is putting a car tire on his, but the big problem for him is that the city boys refuse to put a car tire on a bike wheel. He's going to have to travel a little to the 'boonies' to get someone that'll do it without fear of a lawsuit.

You might want to tell your friend to think twice about it. On my Valkyrie I put a car tire on and kept it on for about 10,000 mi, I took it back off still looked as good as when I bought it and I swore to myself that I would never put another car tire on again. I gave it to a friend of mine that had a valkyrie and he swears by them. Problem that having a car tire on is below 30 mph you have your hands full holding that bike straight. anything in the road at that speed you feel everything ( cracks, white lines, curbs, tire snakes) The plus to the tire is anything above 30mph it handles great and you get good wear out of them. Again it is how much you want to fight the bike. Just my 2cents

[Bob Denman]

Falken 912... The rear chicken skin was shot at 7,000 miles.

[Firefly]

thank you spydrjockey for doing the poll, i think the results could be interesting....here's a thought though \, anyone who has a spyder that's under warranty may not be able to make a choice about their tires untill the brp warranty expires ?....i don't know how you could account for this though ??..i changed to a kumho rear and have falken's for the front when the oem's bite the dust.....and regarding any concerns about the " nanny ", it's smart but not that smart...because if it was when kenda changes their tires is brp going to replace /repair all those computers to recognize the new tires....i don't think so.....does toyota , honda, audi, etc tell you what tires you have to use becuse their computer will only work with their tires.....get real.....have a nice day.....mike............please vote

Running different tires than the OEM Kenda's won't affect your warranty. Remember, in order to not cover something under warranty, they have to prove that whatever 'modification' the owner did was the cause. I suppose if you used the wrong sized tire and it came off and damaged the belt, etc..... then obviously they shouldn't cover that--- but otherwise you should be fine.

If they needed to, they could do an update to the computer to change the characteristics of the nanny to some degree, but I doubt this would be necessary as even the characteristics of your OEM tires change greatly as they wear. I've worn mine down to barely any tread on the rear and it still rode 'okay' -- but would trip the nanny more as traction was crap.

I'm still amazed at those getting such high mileage off these tires. Most I ever got from a rear was 8,000 and it was almost bald. Might have *something* to do with my right wrist.... hmmmmmm

I will say--- the minute I put new tires on, the Spyder rides like a totally different bike--- in a good way--- so I'm no longer going to run them down so much. I don't expect to get over 6,000 from a rear anymore, or 10,000 from the fronts-- if I want to keep the ride feeling like new..... so probably 3 rears per year and 2 sets of fronts is going to be 'normal' for me- at least with the OEMS.

I'd like to hear from any 'performance' riders about how other tires are doing.

[Pandy]

Have 18.7 K on OEM now and it's pretty clapped out. Plan to replace with same in one week,just prior to Daytona.

Patrick

[ARtraveler]

I voted. I'm sticking with OEM because dealer will not install others, and I don't want some tire shop messing around with the Black Widow.

[chickridin]

Still riding on original tires but when I do have to replace them it'll be OEM. I've read that some have used car tires but, my luck doesn't allow for venturing out to unknown territories.

[DragonSpyder]

I found the Toyo was the lightest and smoothest riding tire for the rear. Traction was similar to stock as well.

[BajaRon]

I found the Toyo was the lightest and smoothest riding tire for the rear. Traction was similar to stock as well.

I really like my Toyo T1R Proxes. 4 ply tread instead of the OEM 2 ply which stiffens the tread area helping to keep a flatter footprint and more even wear. Stiffer sidewall gives you better cornering. I suppose ride comfort suffers but I didn't notice any difference there.

Supurb dry traction and great wet traction. I have noticed that they don't like real cold weather. In cold weather you have to ride them a bit and warm them up before they give the expected dry traction.

Less expensive than OEM and my brand new Toyo weighed less than my worn out OEM tire. Not sure there is a lot of real world benefit there but it can't hurt.

The Toyo is quiet but then I didn't ever notice any noise from my OEM tire either.

The Toyo resists hydroplaning as well or better than the stock tire. This was very important to me because with a big footprint and light weight, the rear of the Spyder is prone to hydroplaning.

I got 13K from my OEM tire and I'm at about 26K now with tread left on my Toyo so I'm getting at least comparable wear.

I think they look cool too....

One thing that does surprise me is that more Spyderlovers don't have a bit more adventureous spirit. Trying a different rear tire isn't all that risky as long as you stay within design parameters. How many run OEM tires on anything else they own? I'd like to see those poll numbers!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

as usual you rock ron, i see you are on the dark side with all us non-oem tire folks.....you're pick is sweet ....nice fat center tread pattern to help avoid our normal wear point......if i may ask how much for that and did you get matching fronts......nice picture post.....mike....

[BajaRon]

as usual you rock ron, i see you are on the dark side with all us non-oem tire folks.....you're pick is sweet ....nice fat center tread pattern to help avoid our normal wear point......if i may ask how much for that and did you get matching fronts......nice picture post.....mike....

I can't say there aren't better choices out there. I've only run the OEM and this Toyo. There are some that swear by other choices and I say 'More Power To Them!'. I don't know about the dark side. I guess it's all a matter of perspective. I used to walk into burning buildings for a living so this tire option is pretty low on the thrill scale. But I'm always looking for something better. I'm surprised at how many times I find it. Of course I get burned from time to time, like with my cheapo HID light kit. But I should have seen that one coming.

I'm not sure you can still get this tire. I think I paid about $120 for it delivered. Took my wheel off and the local tire shop changed it out for $20. There isn't anything magic about having your tires mounted at a dealership. It's a car tire and rim so just about anyone can do this for you. If you are going to have someone do the whole process then I think the dealership is your only choice as a tire shop isn't going to know what to do with the wheel and drive assemblies.

I didn't change out the fronts because there was still plenty of tread there and you don't have to run the same tire all around. When they wear out I will certainly look into something else. I wish they were 15" rims. Stock front tires are way to soft in the sidewall.