running out of tread

[T Legg]

I ordered a new sport demon rear tire and put it on back in March. the front tire was only about half used up at the time because I had swapped it from another bike that has been down for a while and I didn't want to waste the tire . In June I went to order a new front tire and nobody had one. Several companys no longer listed the sport demon in the 120/80/16 size. I sent an e-mail to Pirelli to see if it had been discontinued.Their reply only said I would have to ask my dealer when they would be available. I placed an order in July for two tires each from two different companys that still listed them but showed them out of stock. Months went by with no change. I was resigning myself to buy a set of Metzler lazertech tires.
Friday two tires finnaly showed up. The date codes showed they were manufactured in August. They are the freshest tires Ive ever recieved.
I love sport Demon tires despite their short longevity.I trust them to grip the road in hard corners and hold up to very high speed runs. I will stick with them as long as they are available but I'm going to start gathering parts to have on hand for the day they are not and I have to go to 17" tires.

[Sparky84]

This is one problem with the 16" rims, becoming scarce to get.
Don't really want to change but might have too.

Good to see they are fresh ones after the wait.

[red]

T Legg,
Did you check on the Avon radials? The only decent 16" front tires that I know are Pirelli and Avon. I'm not a fan of Metzlers.  Are there any others?
When I can no longer get 16" front tires, I plan to get the entire front end (steering head, forks, brakes, 17" wheel and all) from the right Yamaha donor bike.  An entire  good used front end assembly can cost less than one new brake caliper.  You will get better brakes and better suspension.  That plan makes the swap easy and quick, without worries about what fits or not.
There are several makers for 16" rear tires, so that one can still wait a while.

[Warp84]

T Legg,
Did you check on the Avon radials? The only decent 16" front tires that I know are Pirelli and Avon. I'm not a fan of Metzlers.  Are there any others?
When I can no longer get 16" front tires, I plan to get the entire front end (steering head, forks, brakes, 17" wheel and all) from the right Yamaha donor bike.  An entire  good used front end assembly can cost less than one new brake caliper.  You will get better brakes and better suspension.  That plan makes the swap easy and quick, without worries about what fits or not.
There are several makers for 16" rear tires, so that one can still wait a while.

Can you elaborate on why you're not a  fan of Metzlers? That's basically the only tire I can find for my FJ via my local venders.

[red]

T Legg,
The only decent 16" front tires that I know are Pirelli and Avon. I'm not a fan of Metzlers.

Can you elaborate on why you're not a  fan of Metzlers? That's basically the only tire I can find for my FJ via my local venders.

Warp84,
My 1985 FJ1100 came with Metzlers. I did not know how old they were, but they just did not grip the road very well.  Rubber hardens with age, so age may have been the problem. With the Metzlers, I got a locked-wheel skid far too easily, even just stopping for a traffic light.
I have always liked Pirellis, on any bike I had. When I got the Sport Demons, they gave me an incredible increase of confidence and great handling. The difference was night-and-day, far beyond what you always get with new tires.  It may be that new Metzlers are better than the ones I had, but for now, it would be an expensive bet to try them again.  I'd use Pirellis, or Avons, or change to a 17" front wheel instead.
Pirellis are sold by Amazon, Cycle Gear, and Walmart,
Avons are sold by Partzilla, and Parts Giant.
Rocky Mountain ATV has a fine reputation, and they sell both brands.
Maybe your local bike shops are not trying very hard. 

[Warp84]

T Legg,
The only decent 16" front tires that I know are Pirelli and Avon. I'm not a fan of Metzlers.

Can you elaborate on why you're not a  fan of Metzlers? That's basically the only tire I can find for my FJ via my local venders.

Warp84,
My 1985 FJ1100 came with Metzlers. I did not know how old they were, but they just did not grip the road very well.  Rubber hardens with age, so age may have been the problem. With the Metzlers, I got a locked-wheel skid far too easily, even just stopping for a traffic light.
I have always liked Pirellis, on any bike I had. When I got the Sport Demons, they gave me an incredible increase of confidence and great handling. The difference was night-and-day, far beyond what you always get with new tires.  It may be that new Metzlers are better than the ones I had, but for now, it would be an expensive bet to try them again.  I'd use Pirellis, or Avons, or change to a 17" front wheel instead.
Pirellis are sold by Amazon, Cycle Gear, and Walmart,
Avons are sold by Partzilla, and Parts Giant.
Rocky Mountain ATV has a fine reputation, and they sell both brands.
Maybe your local bike shops are not trying very hard. 

My local shop that I go to mainly tries to find vintage parts unless they are told otherwise. Which may be why it's so easy for me to find the odd-ball sizes, albeit to a limited selection. My bike also came with Metzler Lasertech's and I know it sat for 14 years before I got it. So far my own plan is to get Metzlers for now as well as replace all the bearings in the wheels and swingarm (And steering stem). And while running those Metzlers I'm going to work on finding out how I want to mod my bike to fit 17's front and rear.

[red]

So far my own plan is to get Metzlers for now as well as replace all the bearings in the wheels and swingarm (And steering stem).

Warp84,
When you replace the steering stem bearings, you might want to use tapered roller bearings there instead of the OEM ball bearings. Tapered roller bearings will handle the load much better than ball bearings. Nothing special needed about using tapered roller bearings there.
My US$ 0.02 worth . . .