Lassesand Posted April 25, 2012 Share #1 Posted April 25, 2012 It seems like the 1.st gen front tyre has an odd dimension (for a front tyre): 120/90-18H 65H. I have a hard time finding a front tyre form my XVZ12 I plan to fit a Michelin CommanderII at the rear so what could be a suitable rubber in front? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Power Trippin Posted April 25, 2012 Share #2 Posted April 25, 2012 I know there has been a lot of discussion about tires in the past. I am not going to claim to be a tire expert, however, when I asked about tires at a very reputable bike shop. I was told that the Elite 3's from dunlop were a very good choice. I have them on my bike, been on for 6000 miles now, they are wearing good, plenty of traction and still have a lot of tread left. The only question I would ask is, would it be a good idea to install different brands on front and rear? I am sure there will be many opinions and ideas on this subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condor Posted April 25, 2012 Share #3 Posted April 25, 2012 I know there has been a lot of discussion about tires in the past. I am not going to claim to be a tire expert, however, when I asked about tires at a very reputable bike shop. I was told that the Elite 3's from dunlop were a very good choice. I have them on my bike, been on for 6000 miles now, they are wearing good, plenty of traction and still have a lot of tread left. The only question I would ask is, would it be a good idea to install different brands on front and rear? I am sure there will be many opinions and ideas on this subject. There's two camps on the mix/match subject. Some won't and some will. I'm on the mix 'm is OK side. Ran a Venom on the front and E2 on the rear with no ill effects for over 4000 miles until the rear finaly wore out. Then I installed the new rear Venom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djh3 Posted April 25, 2012 Share #4 Posted April 25, 2012 My thoughts on the subject is if you stay with simular tread design your ok. What I mean is if the typical Michelin has the pattern that the groves wrap around from the side, stay with something simular. Dont try to run say something that has a ribbed design with ribs in center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condor Posted April 25, 2012 Share #5 Posted April 25, 2012 My thoughts on the subject is if you stay with simular tread design your ok. What I mean is if the typical Michelin has the pattern that the groves wrap around from the side, stay with something simular. Dont try to run say something that has a ribbed design with ribs in center. I don't see where that would make any difference at all. The E2 looks like a mud'n'snow tread and the Venom has the high performance side tread. Performed fine in all types of riding.... Did you experience problems when you mixed yours?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venturous Randy Posted April 25, 2012 Share #6 Posted April 25, 2012 (edited) Front Venom and rear E-3 best my bike has ever handled. RandyA Edited April 26, 2012 by Venturous Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiCarl Posted April 25, 2012 Share #7 Posted April 25, 2012 120/90-18 is the size. 65 is the load index and H is the speed rating. I don't know if there are any modern 120/90-18s with a 65 load index, most are higher. You can safely go up. The tire I run is a 120/90-18 71H which I think is a typical rating in that size. By the way, the Elite III is a MR90-18 which is the same size, just a different measuring system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twigg Posted April 25, 2012 Share #8 Posted April 25, 2012 I use Bridgestone Spitfire II They are cheap, they are Bridgestone and I have never once had cause to doubt them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddevilmedic Posted April 25, 2012 Share #9 Posted April 25, 2012 Venom-S up front, E3 out back ( for now) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmelah Posted April 26, 2012 Share #10 Posted April 26, 2012 dont know what i got front or back plan to change that come end of may early june Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djh3 Posted April 26, 2012 Share #11 Posted April 26, 2012 Condor-just going off info I had accumulated from other fourms. Biggest complaint was with a tire that had a rib (tread running circumferance) was it liked to wiggle or follow pavment more than the lateral (sport type) pattern. I will say my D404 liked to follow pavment changes more than the E-3's I have now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camos Posted April 26, 2012 Share #12 Posted April 26, 2012 Condor-just going off info I had accumulated from other fourms. Biggest complaint was with a tire that had a rib (tread running circumferance) was it liked to wiggle or follow pavment more than the lateral (sport type) pattern. I will say my D404 liked to follow pavment changes more than the E-3's I have now. That was my experience with the Bridgstones I had on my Virago. They used to dance pretty good on the tar snakes too. Put E3's on the Virago and no more tracking on bridge decks or skittering on the snakes. I use Bridgestone Spitfire II They are cheap, they are Bridgestone and I have never once had cause to doubt them. Not knocking the Spitfire II overly much but they do seem to have limitations E3's don't have. Those are the only two tire brands I have tried. Got 18,000 miles out of the rear Spitfire II and a year more out of the front whatever that makes it. That's pretty good I think. Didn't do a cost benefit analysis but I think the E3's would end up winning the mileage competition but don't know if they will get $40 more mileage although expect they would. Rarely use the Virago since putting the Venture on the road so I may never know for sure. The E3's certainly handle better than the Spitfire II's did in the rain. We only have one metal bridge deck around here so that wasn't much of an issue for me. Put an E3 on the front of the Venture but still running an E2 on the rear which will probably do for this year at least. Worthwhile giving the E3's a try, they are not that much more expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Posted April 26, 2012 Share #13 Posted April 26, 2012 Maybe we should bring the Darksiders into this discussion???????:rotf::stirthepot::stirthepot: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twigg Posted April 26, 2012 Share #14 Posted April 26, 2012 Maybe we should bring the Darksiders into this discussion???????:rotf::stirthepot::stirthepot: Please do ... Maybe they could tell me where I can get a CT for my 1st Gen. I ride a long way at modest speeds, and would very much appreciate the longevity and extra grip ... especially in the wet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skydoc_17 Posted April 26, 2012 Share #15 Posted April 26, 2012 Because the rear tire is a "traction" tire, and the front tire is a "steering" tire, mixing the tire styles has not been a major problem for me personally. I have found that the new "sport tire" tread of the Dunlop E3 and Avon Venom make for a smoother ride, and less vibration in the handle bars. I too ran the Dunlop E2's for 20 years on my First Gens, and often wished that they were still made especially for the rear. With E3's front and rear now, my 87'VR is much more nimble than with the E2's, but that don't last nearly as long. I thought that the Avon Venom was a slightly better tire as far as handling goes, but I went thru 3 tires in a row with the cracking issue, and gave up on them. If it wasn't for the fact that I am able to mount and balance my own tires, I would have given up sooner. I have 9 Avon Venom tires here at the shop with dangerous cracking issues in them. Many bike owners that had these tires on their bikes would not accept the replacement tire offered from Avon, and went to the E3. I am one of them. I personally wouldn't put another Avon on any bike that comes to the shop any more, with the current quality issues. The E3 is what I offer now. Now I will say that there are riders that have had good luck with the Avon's, and there are other riders that are running Avon's with cracks in them right now. With only two tires on the road, that's a bit to risky for me. Earl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condor Posted April 26, 2012 Share #16 Posted April 26, 2012 Condor-just going off info I had accumulated from other fourms. Biggest complaint was with a tire that had a rib (tread running circumferance) was it liked to wiggle or follow pavment more than the lateral (sport type) pattern. I will say my D404 liked to follow pavment changes more than the E-3's I have now. The Venom has a center rib and I found the the 'squigles' were reduced over an E2. I think it has more to do with the tire compound than tread pattern. Like Earl I've gone the E3 route because of the Avon sidewall cracking. The E3 has a pattern similar to the Venom. Maybe different bike geometries react to treads differently?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twigg Posted April 26, 2012 Share #17 Posted April 26, 2012 Most of the "wiggling" that tyres do on the road is disconcerting, rather than unsafe although I do agree that minimising it would be nice. The Spitfires are decent in this respect and tyres with a center rib at the front are more prone ... They do, however, offer a bit less rolling resistance, so it's a trade off,. Just like everything else. Couple of questions ... How do Radial tyres fare on the 1st Gens, and what sizes have people fitted? I have nothing against Cross-Ply or Bias-Belted, I just wondered what the differences were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jactana Posted April 26, 2012 Share #18 Posted April 26, 2012 Looking at the new Michelin Commander, it is very similar in appearance to the Elite 3. I've run the Elite 3's my last two sets, they have been good handling and have lasted about 20000 KMS. I think this time I'll try a Commander on the rear, with an Elite 3 front to see it I can get better mileage out of the rear as Michelin claims. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffg Posted April 27, 2012 Share #19 Posted April 27, 2012 120/90-18 is the size. 65 is the load index and H is the speed rating. I don't know if there are any modern 120/90-18s with a 65 load index, most are higher. You can safely go up. The tire I run is a 120/90-18 71H which I think is a typical rating in that size. By the way, the Elite III is a MR90-18 which is the same size, just a different measuring system. Agreed, the 65H is the load rating. You can safely use a tire that has a higher number for the load rating. As for tire brands, that is like asking what is the best oil to use. My tire selections for my bikes depends on the bike that the tire is used on. Granted, the heaviest bike that I currently have running is a 1977 Honda 750 Automatic, which is a 550 lb bike. IRC Durotours are holding up just fine on it and on my 1973 GT550. However, my 1972 Kawasaki H2, which is hopped up and putting 90 HP to the ground through a 120/90-18 rear tire requires the Bridgestone Spitfire. Any other tire that I've tried on the H2 was missing fairly large chunks of tread within 1000 miles. the Spitfires last about 5-7000 miles depending on how hard I ride it. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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