Alternatives to OEM rear tire

[bhfromme]

Ok I'm asking for some input here. I'm at 28,000 miles and am about to have my third rear tire installed. I've got one friend with 14,000 miles and his original rear tire looks new. Another friend has 32,000 miles (both RT's btw) and is still on his first rear tire. What the what!? So I'm hearing the Kumho is a good alternative to the OEM Kendalls I've been using. Ideas? Thoughts? Bill

 

[C3517C]

Ok I'm asking for some input here. I'm at 28,000 miles and am about to have my third rear tire installed. I've got one friend with 14,000 miles and his original rear tire looks new. Another friend has 32,000 miles (both RT's btw) and is still on his first rear tire. What the what!? So I'm hearing the Kumho is a good alternative to the OEM Kendalls I've been using. Ideas? Thoughts? Bill

Yup. Get that OEM 2 ply chicken skin out of there and go with the Kumho.

 

[Bob Denman]

I still like my Falken! (ZE912) :thumbup:
looks like new at only 5,000 miles; the OEM as pretty near toast at 7,000...
$80.00 off of EBay; delivered to my door!

 

[NancysToy]

Just to set the record straight, 10K-15K is typical for the Spyder rear. Your friends are getting extraordinary wear. Maybe they only ride around town at 35 mph? Just for reference, a typical touring bike gets half that tire mileage, and their tires cost more. The Spyder tire does quite well for a motorcycle, it shouldn't be compared to a car.

 

[ulflyer]

Go to Discount Tire or Tire RAck and plug in the size you want and you'll get a bewildering list to choose from. I've tried and liked the General Altimax RT and have now just installed the Pirelli P4 just to see how it does. I like the look also of the Bridgestone Potenza. FWIW, I use 205-65-15; others use 215.

I would suggest if you're an aggressive rider, go with a softer compound; if not, try the harder compounds in hopes of getting more miles out of them.

I have a gut feeling, with absolutely nothing to back this up with, that it won't matter much what tire you use (not talking $60 tires here) you're gonna get about the same wear.

.

 

[flybuddy]

Toyo Proxes 4..One of the few you can get in the exact same size with symmetrical tread and better numbers than the Kumho. Downside is that it's about 50 bucks more.

 

[bhfromme]

Toyo Proxes 4..One of the few you can get in the exact same size with symmetrical tread and better numbers than the Kumho. Downside is that it's about 50 bucks more.

You guys are the best! Just found a Falken 225/50 R15 on eBay for $78. Free shipping! Looked at Kumho and Toyo but I like the tread design on the Falken better. Thanks Bob. Hopefully I won't be swapping tires every 9,000 miles now.

 

[BajaRon]

I think the Falken is a good choice. You should be happy with it. Personally, I don't see any reason to pay more for a 2 ply tread tire, but I know there are those who do. For my money I'll be running 4 ply tread tires on my Spyder.

 

[WingmanRT]

Tires

You guys are the best! Just found a Falken 225/50 R15 on eBay for $78. Free shipping! Looked at Kumho and Toyo but I like the tread design on the Falken better. Thanks Bob. Hopefully I won't be swapping tires every 9,000 miles now.

Bill,
I think I may be the 'friend' you were talking about. I just went in for my 14k check up recently and Honda of Winston Salem said I had at least 3k to go on my rear tire that already had 14.5k on it. It still looks really good, but every now and then I feel some slippage (mostly on oily or wet roads that I didn't used to.). I asked them if I could last another 4-5k (when my wife's RT is due for her 14k check up) and they said I should be able to. I do mostly in town driving and 200 mile trips on weekend. It's taken me 20 months to put the now 15k miles on the bike. You saw me at Daytona which was about a 1500 mile road trip by the time I was done.

I'm glad you mentioned the Falken. Let me know that goes. The dealer said a new OEM was about $180 plus install of about $120. I would love to cut that cost in half, but am paranoid of a tire malfunction at 70 mph.

Does non-OEM void the warranty or BEST warranty?

(Say hi to Linda!)

 

[rnet]

Just so you guys what these tires should cost out the door including install and balance. Falken ZE 912 is $126.70, Kumho Ecsta AST is $142.90, Toyo Proxes 4 is 175.30, All are good tires and in stock at my son's store. The Kumho and Toyo are the best in wet conditions. Now if you are having trouble hooking up on the drag strip and still want to drive it there try the Toyo Proxes RA1 at 231.46 installed. Not good in the rain though.