17" rear tire choice

[scapello]

What are some of the 17 rears people ride around here? I will be looking for a new pair soon. Current tire:

Michelin Macadam 90X 170/60 ZR 17 (no idea how old but has a bad commuter flat on it and is very slippery around bends).
I drive lots with two on the bike and am looking for good overall wear/performance.

[Harvy]

Michelin Pilot Road or Pilot Power in 180/55.
Not cheap, not really long lasting either, but they do GRIP.

Harvy

[TRoy]

What are some of the 17 rears people ride around here?  looking for good overall wear/performance.

Pirelli Diablo Strada. They're not quite as sweet & sticky as the Pilot Road 2's, but they perform well, last a little longer and cost less.

  your results may vary.


   TIRE               MILEAGE        PERF/TRACTION             

Strada =           3500+             8

Pilotroad2=        3000+             9

Pilotpower2CT=   2000+             10

[Arnie]

Scapello -

What is the width of your rear wheel?  If its under 5.5 inches you probably want to stay with the 170. 
I've been running a 4.5" x 17 wheel for a long time and my current tire is a Metzler Z6.  I've also had Bridgestone BT020, Pirelli MTR 04,  The Pirelli gave me the best wear, but I get about 14,000 kms out of any of these.  You do the math.

Cheers,
Arnie

[Fred]

x-90's were a while back. Your traction problem could just be the age of the tire. The x-100 I'm running now (16") is done, got about 7k out of it, I didn't have any traction problems, except during ham fisted throttle application in the rain, but it was real predictable when it did spin. I'll probably go with a pilot road next. I'm thinking I should get a bit more miles out of it than TRoy, but then I'm not near the rider he is. But if another x-100 comes my way really cheap I'd get another. 

[racerman_27410]

Fred,

i normally get between 5000 and 7000 miles from a pilot road.... they offer the best in performance and long life that i've found so far.

the pilot road fronts could easily go 10,000 miles on my FJ


KOokaloo!

[Harvy]

Hey Frank, just for comparison, what mileage do you get from a Pilot Power?


Harvy

[racerman_27410]

Hey Frank, just for comparison, what mileage do you get from a Pilot Power?


Harvy

not so good for a rear pilot power Harvy.. about 2500 miles .. brutus is hard on the rear tires but they stick like they were meant to .

front pilot power will go about 3500-5000 miles for me.... depending on how hot it is... they dont wear as bad in the winter.

i am currently running pilot road 2's and unlike T Roy i already have over 3500 miles on them and they look brand new


. this is including fully loaded camping trip to the indy GP last year.... everything including the kitchen sink and there isnt even hardly a flat spot on the rear center tread.

my next set (yeah i plan ahead ) is a pilot road rear tire which i will be running with a pilot power front tire....i am trying to find the combo which is going to let me have two completely shagged tires at the exact same time.... cause ya know i hate tossin good rubber .....but i love new tires in sets of two more than i hate wasting tread.


trying to find that balance is tough but i'm gettin there 



KOokaloo!

[Harvy]

Thanks Frank...yep I  know what you mean.....I am managing a new front to every second rear, so I have fresh rubber both ends around 1/2 the time.. ....... seems around the same  or a little more mileage for me.

I have settled on Powers as my choice both ends (last 2 fronts a 3 rears)......

Been playing with a Suzuki RM125 that my son bought a few weeks ago........what a mess........water pump leaking into clutch/transmission, air filter disintegrated and sucked thru reeds, busted bolts/stripped threads here and there. Gave the carby a thorough clean  out (surprising good condition inside considering the state of the non-existant filter). Just waiting on a spark plug (ouch $70.....have to find a cheaper alternative to the OEM one) and new air filter.

Cheers mate
Harvy

[the fan]

Harvey, What year RM125? most twin air and unifilters go for around 20-25 USD over here. It couldn't cost that much to ship, could it?

On tires, On the YZF i really liked the Diablo Strada. It seemed to outlast most and wore pretty evenly front and rear. Last year at the falll rally I ran Bridgestone BT-021 sport tour tires and they cupped badly under hard abuse. Did I mention that I tend to abuse tires...

[Harvy]

Bill, its '95 model mate..... Aus$500...... if I'd have known it was in the condition it was in, would have spent MY money elsewhere.

The air filter is not an issue...... just about any Jap 125 2-stroke filter of that era will fit....... I got one for a Kawasaki at the local bloke for next to nothing.....took the remains of the basket thingy that the filter material sits over down and he just pulled one of the shelf - it said Kawasaki something or other, but it was the same.

Just been reading up on spark plugs....... seems the opinion on one site I was reading is to stick to the OEM plug..... something about it having a beefier electrode specially designed to counter harmonics in the motor which tends to break the cheaper mass produced NGKs.....(specifically, the electrode breaks off and bounces around in the cylinder and head....... !

I have found them on a few US web sites, if need be I'll get a couple shipped cos US$20 each is a whole lot better than AUS$70.

CHeers mate
Harvy 

[the fan]

Most guys over here ran the NGK BR9-ES or in the RM125 with no issues. For a few years Suzuki used oddball sparkplugs. In the US the NGK R4118S-9 (suzuki spec plug) retails for around $10usd and the OEM (same plug)  goes for a few cents more.

When I asked, Gary at Mondak said that he will ship to australia, so if you find that you need a bunch of stuff for that bike that might be a solution.

[Harvy]

Thanks for that info Bill, I will contact Gary and have a couple of OEM plugs shipped over....it will still be cheaper than buying 1 here (its now been on order at the local AutoOne store for over a week - called in yesterday and still no plug).
Is there a RM group on the net that comes close to the quality of our group? I've done a bit of group trawling but have not found a decent one yet.

Harvy

[the fan]

Not that I am aware of. Dirty bikes tend to be fairly simple. If you run into any issues I may be able to help. I was part owner of a small KTM/accessory shop for a few years and worked at a service/accessory shop for several years (not to mention about 30 years of being too poor to have someone else work on my ditrbikes...)

[Harvy]

Thanks Bill, if I run into anything I can't figure out  for myself I'll be giving you a shout!

Harvy