Tire info. What's the latest and greatest or tired and true for 07 RSV.

[Shadowhawk]

Out of curiosity, even though I don't need tires right away considering I just bought the bike with new tires on it. When the time arises what is the best set of tires for the 07 RSV? I've always run Metzelers on my vstar 650 or Michelin road 5's on my FJ09. Each bike seems to like different tires. What is the consensus on tires for the RSV as far as best handling and longest life?

[Du-Rron]

Out of curiosity, even though I don't need tires right away considering I just bought the bike with new tires on it. When the time arises what is the best set of tires for the 07 RSV? I've always run Metzelers on my vstar 650 or Michelin road 5's on my FJ09. Each bike seems to like different tires. What is the consensus on tires for the RSV as far as best handling and longest life?

 

At the top right of the screen is a SEARCH box with a magnafiying glass. Type TIRES in there and watch what pops up.

[Shadowhawk]

At the top right of the screen is a SEARCH box with a magnafiying glass. Type TIRES in there and watch what pops up.

 

Tried that and all that shows up are posts that are several years old like from 2010 or irrelevant information like ads for stuff on sale on Ebay or posts that have the word "tires" in it.

[Freebird]

Tires are like motor oil. You won't find any total agreement on what to use. Many of us here will absolutely not use Metzler tires. There have been several cases of them chunking rubber when used on these bikes. Not sure why that is unless they just can't take the weights that we put on them.

 

Dunlop E3 and Michelin Commanders seem to be the most popular among this group though several have reported good results with Shinko also.

[YamahaLarry]

What Freebird said. Personally, I have gotten more mileage out of the Dunlops, especially the rear tire. Have Dunlops on the 99 and Michelin on the 09. I have tried the lesser expensive Shinko. They were fair at best. They did ride and handle well. On the rear only got about 10k miles out if it, and ran it a little longer than I perhaps should have.

[videoarizona]

Two things that separate our bikes from the rest:

 

Weight

 

Power

 

The above make a difference in handling and wear. What I mean by this is one brand may be great on a VStar and horrible on ours. There are more than old posts in search on tires...newer ones too.

 

The name brands that seem to work with most of us are Dunlop, Avon, Michelin, Shinko. Take your pick.

[uhfradarwill]

Type in "Darkside" in the above search box and you'll get plenty of results. lol

[Sailor]

Up here in mountainous B.C. I found Avons to be best for me. They seemed to make the bike feel lighter and more agile. Made in the UK where roads are very twisty. If you don't need the agility, just doing flatland cruising, another tire might be just as good.

[Sylvester]

Out of curiosity, even though I don't need tires right away considering I just bought the bike with new tires on it. When the time arises what is the best set of tires for the 07 RSV? I've always run Metzelers on my vstar 650 or Michelin road 5's on my FJ09. Each bike seems to like different tires. What is the consensus on tires for the RSV as far as best handling and longest life?

 

Metzlers are not appreciated by most on Venture riders. I had problems with bias separation on one set and tire de-laminating on another.

 

[Shadowhawk]

Good to know about Metzeler tires separating. I would have never known about that. Last thing I want happening is my tire shredding itself going down the road.

[saddlebum]

Ive run 2 sets of the Dunlap E3 and was very pleased with them got amazing mileage on them. Currant set is the new E4 (which replaces the E3) and so far are working very well. Tried the Avons but pulled back off because they gave my bike one bad tail wag at 60 mph (100 Kph) and up. apparently I am not the only 1st gen to have this happen. To my understanding it does not effect 2nd gens in this way however.

[EtRider]

Found this in my files- Cruiser Motorcycle Tire/Tyre Rankings

[Du-Rron]

Found this in my files- Cruiser Motorcycle Tire/Tyre Rankings

 

Pretty interesting chart.

I will mention: I am running Shinko 777's. They are the freshest tires I have ever bought from anybody in that their manufacturing date was real close to the date I got them in my hand. I have had no balancing problems and they have taken less weight to balance than the OEM tires. They stick to the road very well and seem to have a softer ride than the OEM tires. They do not "sing" to you when making a hi-speed turn like some other tires do. for their size they can handle more weight then the OEM tires.

[YamahaLarry]

Pretty interesting chart.

I will mention: I am running Shinko 777's.....

 

I've gone thru I think, 2 front and 1 rear Shinko 777's on my 99 RSV. Was very pleased with ride, handling in wet and dry conditions, and with the price. The life span was not nearly as good as I have had with the Dunlops or Michelins, but I did like the ride, especially when they were fairly new.

[saddlebum]

So out of curiosity how many have run the Michelin commander's on 1st Gens. I ask this because I hear a lot of good things about both Avons and Michelins on Second gens But I know of at least 4 1st Gens that had handling issues with the Avons, specially with high speed stability.

[Patch]

Found this in my files- Cruiser Motorcycle Tire/Tyre Rankings

 

 

Maybe its my age or the confusion that comes with it; but it seems these days that the line between cruising and touring has become blurred?

Well we could say that line doesn't matter anymore or, we could ask the question should it matter. If we read through the manufacture site take Shinko for example, they write in clear translation;) that Shinko does not support blurring the lines. This places the onus on the purchaser.

In my world this is referred to as "Due Diligence" and in this case suggests that/ should a tire rated for cruising fail on a 2 up loaded touring,,, the manufacture might not be held liable regardless of load or speed ratings?

Perhaps the onus is on us the older generation of riders to express what we once knew to be the predefined rules that were taught to or handed down through engineering practices and trade offs?

Engineering is better today in many ways but engineering has lost its contact with us; and is most often the case we hear or read "computer designed" so its must be an improvement!!???

 

Gone are the days when meets had factory engineer trained reps converting us to their theory and brand name.

Take the racing action and knuckle engineering out of the name Caroll and the Shelby would never of been!

 

A touring tiring can't just be load ratings, can't just be wet or dry, can't be just a corning or straight up, can't just be best range, or least expensive, it has to be all of the above and all of the time and, that can't nor should be cheap.

Just another set of my opinions;)

 

 

The Metzeler ME 888 is rated similarly to the ME 880 it replaces. Generally positive reviews as a cruiser tire. Better than stock Harley Davidson Dunlop tires. Consistent complaints that wet handling is not the best.

 

Me888 yes I agree and is what I found when out with SK last fall he on the Michelin Commanders. But, only in deep puddles I would feel the front drawn out at any angle. In general though, I found these tires to tame the active nature of the gen 1.5 while allowing me to enjoy my aggressive style of riding in fact they brought a new experience to the feel of the bike every day and much of it was in very wet conditions last fall this time.

 

Is the highlighted a burred line? Not to me no it is a defined target written alphabetically. So yes we can install a touring tire and all the benefits that apply to,,, on a cruiser,,, but can we reverse this new tendency??? Not in my day and to my way of thinking that's like arguing a slick to a beat cop "but its not raining Officer".

 

From their website:Ultra mileage

Metzeler ME 888 MARATHON™ ULTRA is the best partner for long and safe travelling on cruiser, tourers and their custom versions.

To achieve this targets, Metzeler designers finely combined the specifications which determine the characteristics of tires: profile, structure, tread pattern and compound.

https://www.metzeler.com/en-us/products/tires/me-888-marathon-ultra

 

The Shinko 777 gets mixed reviews. The tire seems to handle well, but at a lower tread life as compared to other tires like the Dunlop 404.

Why Dunlop 404 this is not a touring tire right we all know this so why compare Shinko 777 to 404s?

 

The 404s have been around for a while and my first thoughts were they would snipe and coup at design cuts because of this straight cut style. This is also my impression of the 777 they would likely give an unexpected bit on a lean because of loads and inertia? This due to the vertical cuts 90* above contact and through the cross section of the radius? Perfectly acceptable for cruising not for touring, my opinion.

 

Ok I've feel better about getting this off my mind! The manufactures need to get more active again and not sell us on price, veg promises and blurred lines, in fact they need to put there Butts back on the line, just as we must when we blindly follow marketing rubbish. Experience defines our future so ....

[RandyR]

I think the issue with the Metzler's chunking on a RSV seemed to mostly happen to those riding very heavily load, 2-up, and maybe add a trailer.

 

When I bought my ex-RSV Millenium, it had new Metzler's on it, and I put 12,000+ trouble free miles on them. But I ride solo, and only pulled a small trailer a couple of times.

 

That said, when it came time to replace the Metzlers I went with new Avons as I prepared for the Venture Rider annual at Cody, Wy, and wanted new tires. And of course, the 2nd day after having the new tire mounted, had a bad puncture going over railroad tracks and had to replace the tire with about 1,000 miles on it.

[zagger]

Good to know about Metzeler tires separating. I would have never known about that. Last thing I want happening is my tire shredding itself going down the road.

 

Well, who knows. I've put a LOT of miles on Metzeler tires on two different bikes without any issues. In fact, I'm reluctant to try anything else since they have been so reliable. I have zero idea why others have seen problems.

zag

[RDawson]

I have the Metzler 888s on my 86, no issues. If they'd had em to fit my 2nd gen I would've used them again. Ran a 137 mile parkway end to end in the rain at 80-85 mph with no concerns. Now on the 07 the commander II does fine for me.

[Graywulf]

NZ is a rather 'unique' place for tire wear. We have twisty roads like the UK, Mountains, and the road surfaces are stone chip /tar spray. Our roads have some of the most aggressive wear rates {the chip is volcanic rock}.

 

I have only recently like yourself, acquired 'Barney', but went straight to Bridgestone Excedra's. I've not owned a bike this heavy before, but none of my NZ bikes have been lightweights either {FJ1200abs/ZZR1100/CB1300/VN1500/MT-01} all weighed in excess of 250kg. I consistently used Bridgestone's on them, tried various other makes, but in general for price, grip, longevity have found the 'stone's' to be the best bet.

I will likely try the Michelin/Bridgestone combination in the future.

 

I replaced a set of half worn Metzler's after purchase {over 5yrs old} after travelling about 300 miles home, and my only 'thought' with the B/stone is they seen to want to track straight {need some push} but then tend to 'fall into' the corners with low speed riding.

[Patch]

NZ is a rather 'unique' place for tire wear. We have twisty roads like the UK, Mountains, and the road surfaces are stone chip /tar spray. Our roads have some of the most aggressive wear rates {the chip is volcanic rock}.

 

I have only recently like yourself, acquired 'Barney', but went straight to Bridgestone Excedra's. I've not owned a bike this heavy before, but none of my NZ bikes have been lightweights either {FJ1200abs/ZZR1100/CB1300/VN1500/MT-01} all weighed in excess of 250kg. I consistently used Bridgestone's on them, tried various other makes, but in general for price, grip, longevity have found the 'stone's' to be the best bet.

I will likely try the Michelin/Bridgestone combination in the future.

 

I replaced a set of half worn Metzler's after purchase {over 5yrs old} after travelling about 300 miles home, and my only 'thought' with the B/stone is they seen to want to track straight {need some push} but then tend to 'fall into' the corners with low speed riding.

I've run quite a bit on the Bridge Stone, what you describe, to me, sounds like one of 2 things, the bike may not be set up correctly or... your twisting position is in need of tweaking.

VideoArizona I think has a VMax video posted in that forum here,,, watch how the test pilot went to pull it down for the cameras but you clearly see the bike yank him back upright! There are many tricks to getting these big bikes to to tack, I'd conscientiously spot check shoulder and knee position as first steps. If that's not it then it must be in the setup?

[Zzyzx]

In my opinion Metzler suck on the RSV. I’ve had 2 delaminates on my 99 and would never use them again. I like the Dunlop E3 if you can find them and have gotten 12k + miles out of the rear. The front has 14k and still has 40% tread left.

I just picked up an 07 and putting the E3s on it.

That’s my thoughts but as everything goes from oil to spark plugs gaps we all have our own opinions.

[Patch]

"In my opinion Metzler suck on the RSV. I’ve had 2 delaminates on my 99 and would never use them again."

 

Zzysx I think your opinion after the above is valid obvious you ended up with what ever happened in that production batch.

 

I would doubt that the experience is or was limited to Ventures tho, crazy stuff.

 

I personally maintain tire brands get one shot at my safety period, after which they are off my list for good.. Of course I'm old enough to not worry about running out of tire brands!

[Graywulf]

I've run quite a bit on the Bridge Stone, what you describe, to me, sounds like one of 2 things, the bike may not be set up correctly or... your twisting position is in need of tweaking.

VideoArizona I think has a VMax video posted in that forum here,,, watch how the test pilot went to pull it down for the cameras but you clearly see the bike yank him back upright! There are many tricks to getting these big bikes to to tack, I'd conscientiously spot check shoulder and knee position as first steps. If that's not it then it must be in the setup?

 

shoulder/knee position are fine, but yes they could be a factor if not. Set up? Possibly, I am still running the bike 'standard' for now, 0lbs in front/rear. I am going to experiment with 4 in the forks, and 30-25 in the rear soon.

[grubsie]

The best tire depends on what you are looking for. Period! End of story! I say this for one reason and one reason only. If you want the best tires you can possibly put on your RSV as far as handling and control goes, then there is only one tire to consider and that is Avon Cobras. They stick like glue in all applications and they're like riding on rails in the twisties. Front tire gives you approx 12K miles and read 10-12k miles. After puting them on my 08 RSv, I have since put them on my 09 Yamaha Road Star and my 2013 Harley Ultra Classic. Won't ever use another brand tire again unless something else comes out that is better.

 

If you are looking for more mileage out of your tires, the Metzler conti II's are worth looking into although they are no where close to the Avons for traction. Conti's are known to be slippery on wet roads.

 

Don't now about anyone else riding these big touring bikes, but to me great traction is far more important than longevity and we are only talking about 1k or less in miles traveled.

 

As usual, when it comes to tires or oil, take my opinion as a grain of salt.

 

My other opinion? Mobil 1 20-50w v-twin oil. Gotta be the best right? Cause it's the most expensive oil option...right?

Edited September 24, 2018 by grubsie