Re: [vmaxtech] radial tires poll

Metzler make an ME880 bias ply and an ME880 radial. I never understood 
why they did that. I'm pretty sure the rest on the list are radials. The 
stock Vmax wheels (15" rear and 17" front) are designed for bias ply. 
I'm looking for aftermarket wheels that are 18" diameter wheels. The 
advantage is handling although I hope you don't consider me an expert. 
Here is some information regarding tires for the Vmax including the 
radials modification.
Rick4095
******************Tires
The best for safety and handling >>ON STOCK RIMS<< is the STOCK sizes:
150/90/15 rear
110/90/18 front
   If you really want THE best handling, you'll need to put 17" rims on 
your bike and switch to radial tires. You can have your stock rims 
modified to 17" by places like Kosman, or, buy
completely new rims and tires. Get ready to spend some SERIOUS $$$ if 
you go the new wheel route. Getting Kosman to convert your OEM rims is M 
U C H  cheaper.
I have the horrible Metzeler ME880 Marathon 170/80/15 on my bike. It is 
NOT the hot tip for handling, but, many of us feel the improvement in 
"the look" is worth the trade off in handling.
++>>> With V E R Y  few exceptions, IMHO putting 17" rims on a Vmax 
completely TRASHES "the look" of the bike. If you don't replace the rear 
fender with a more modern looking piece, you endup with a HUGE gap 
between the fender and the MUCH smaller in diameter 17" rim and tire. 
lOOK at some pics of bikes with 17" rims BEFORE you spend your money. 
The aggressive "look" of the Vmax is at least 50% of what attracks most 
people to this bike. Its VERY easy to kill that look, and end up with a 
real odd ball lookin bike.
A 170/80 is safe in either metz. or avon Metzler will last longer and 
perform better.. Avon looks cooler
According to their site, we should use the ML2...which i have tried with 
pretty good results in the past, although i must admit i do not push to 
the limits in corners etc.
MARATHON ML 2 - LASERTEC FRONT
Front 110/90V18M/CTL(61V) LASERF  - 2.50 BAR
Rear 150/90VB15M/CTL 74V ML2  - 2.90 BAR
I use a Metzler ME880 size 170/80-15, It gave me about 1/2 from hitting 
the swingarm on the differential side I did remove the spacer from the 
brake side and moved it onto the differential side - inside differential 
housing. The instructions can be found on Vmax Outlaw website. Haven't 
had any problems with the Metzler 150. Takes less power to turn it. I 
know many are doing 170, but rim is too narrow.
Have you ever considered installing a fat rear tire but thought the fit 
might be a bit too tight? Well here is a tip that will free up a little 
extra space you may need to accommodate that oversize tire. In a recent 
V-Boost issue we listed many of the available tires that will fit the 
Vmax and some that may be a marginal fit. The Metzler ME880 170/80-15 is 
just such a tire. A call to Metzler confirmed that the stock 3.5 inch 
wheel width is within specification for this tire application. However, 
without a little more clearance this tire will rub on the shaft side of 
the swing arm. There are a few brands of 170 size rear tires that will 
fit but for those of you who choose the marginal ones or just desire a 
bit of extra swing arm-to-tire clearance this may be the ticket for you. 
This procedure basically moves the washer located on the rear axle 
between the brake arm and the swing arm to the other side of the wheel 
between the differential drive unit and the wheel drive hub. This 
provides extra clearance for the tire on the swing arm side of the tire 
equal to the width of the washer, about 1/8 inch. A bit of additional 
clearance may be obtained by making sure the differential unit is 
mounted to the swing arm as far to the right hand side of the bike as 
possible.
+++*NOTE* There is some argument that moving the washer reduces spline 
engagement and puts the U-joint in a bind+++
 Place the motorcycle on the center stand, or something appropriate if 
the stock center stand has been removed (sometimes necessary for fitment 
of an aftermarket exhaust system).
Remove the license plate to facilitate removal and installation of 
tire/wheel assembly.
Remove the two bolts holding the rear brake caliper to the brake arm and 
swing the caliper out of the way. It will rest on the outward side of 
swing arm/shock or if you remove the right side shock it will simply sit 
on the floor.
Remove the rear axle cotter pin, (pre-'96), axle nut, and washer on left 
side of bike. Loosen the axle pinch bolt on the right side of bike. You 
should now be able to pull the rear axle out from the right side of the 
bike while lifting the tire/wheel (to get the tire/wheel weight off the 
axle; it really isn't going anywhere at this point as the drive hub is 
still firmly seated in the differential unit). The washer mentioned 
previously on the right side of the wheel should drop to the ground when 
the axle is removed. The wheel will be continue to held off the ground 
as it is still seated in the differential drive unit. Pull the brake arm 
toward the rear and up past the top of the tire to get it out of the 
way. You may need to loosen the bolt holding the brake arm to the brake 
torque rod to swing it out of the way or it may simply be removed if you 
want some extra elbow room.
 You should now be able to pull the tire/wheel assembly to the right 
and away from the differential assembly while supporting its weight; it 
should drop to the ground. Roll the tire/wheel assembly out to the rear 
of the bike. If you have a very large tire already fitted to your wheel, 
you will probably need to let all the air out of the tire so it will 
slide between the differential and the right side of the swing arm.
This is the prefect opportunity to clean up the inside of the 
differential and wheel assemblies, the brake arm, the rear caliper, and 
the axle. Maybe even your wheel!
Before reassembly (and after cleaning), apply bearing grease to the 
splines inside the differential drive unit and lightly coat the rear 
axle, (moly grease is recommended).
With the rear wheel off and out of the way you also have an opportunity 
to make sure the differential unit is mounted to the swing arm as far to 
the right as possible to take advantage of any extra clearance this may 
provide. Loosen the four nuts that hold the differential on to the swing 
arm. Just a bit loose; allowing the unit to be moved slightly with a few 
mallet taps. Tap the differential to the right side of the bike with a 
plastic or rubber mallet, and tighten the four nuts. It may or may not 
move at all, depending on factory assembly and tolerances.
 We are now ready for reassembly. Take the washer that was previously 
between the brake arm and the swing arm on the right side, (don't 
confuse it with the thicker washer that came off the left side from 
underneath the axle nut). Place this washer into the differential unit 
spline area near the center where the axle hole is. Insert a screw 
driver or other suitable instrument from the outside of the differential 
unit and into the axle hole to keep the washer in place until we can 
slide the axle back in through the wheel.
Roll the tire/wheel assembly back in between the swingarms and lift it 
up and onto the differential unit engaging the splines on the wheel and 
drive unit to hold it in place. Push the wheel to the left to make sure 
it if firmly seated in the differential while guiding the screwdriver 
through the center of the wheel hub. Once the wheel hub is fully seated 
it will press up against the washer we placed in between the hub and the 
drive unit and keep it from sliding out of position.
At this point you may want to look into the axle hole from the outside 
of the drive unit to see if the washer in centered. If not, you should 
be able to move it slightly to center it before installing the axle, 
(leave the screwdriver in place until you are ready to push the axle 
through just in case). Swing the brake arm down and forward; make sure 
it is aligned between the wheel and the swingarm.
Slide the axle back through the right swing arm, brake arm, wheel, 
washer (in between the wheel/differential unit), and differential. If 
you still had a screwdriver inserted to hold the washer in place, it 
should have been pushed out at this point and the axle should be 
protruding from the outside of the differential.
Re-install the left side axle washer and nut and torque to the proper 
specification; reinstall a new cotter pin if so equipped.
Re-install the brake caliper making sure the brake pads have been spread 
to facilitate sliding it over the brake rotor. Install the caliper 
retaining bolts and torque to the proper specification.
Torque the axle pinch bolt on the right swing arm to the proper 
specification.
Re-install the license plate (we wouldn't want you to get pulled over!).
Be sure to your tire is inflated to the proper pressure and check for 
tire-to-swing arm clearance on the left side. You should have enough 
clearance to fit many, (perhaps all), of the 170 series tires available. 
Remember, the tire will expand when it gets hot under a load.
This procedure has been tested for years under heavy load conditions, 
(high speed, wheelies, etc), on many different Vmaxes with the long 
lived Metzler ME88 and the more recent replacement ME880 170 series 
tires with no apparent adverse affects to the drive engagement splines 
or any of the drive gear. Some rear ends do have minimal clearance due 
to manufacturing tolerances and the tire may still be too close after it 
heats up. This seems to be a rare occurrence but if it is encountered it 
would be wise to make sure the entire swingarm is not severely out of 
alignment.
A special thanks to Brad Thomas of Mesa, Arizona for sharing this tip. 
His many years of experience in the application of this modification on 
so many different Vmaxes allows it to be recommended without reservation.

If you don't wanna swap the rear axle spacer, the stock 150/90/15 size 
is about it. Some people claim they've installed a Metzeler me880 
marathon 170/80/15 without swaping the spacer and NOT rubbing on 
anything. Hard to believe, I've had 2 170/80/15 rear tires on my Max, 
both tires needed the spacer swap. The more recent 170/80/15that's on my 
bike now is MUCH smaller in size than the older one. The spacer swap 
wasn't mandatory, but, I know that nasty big bump is in my 
future....sooner or later your gonna hit one. You can easily be fooled 
into believing you have enough clearance, by looking at the space 
between the rear tire and the swingarm from above. That's NOT the 
tightest place, lay on your back and look at the spacing from below, 
you'll freak ! The tire will also balloon over time, making that spacing 
less and less as time goes by. ++>>> Installing the Metzeler ME880 
Marathon 170/80/15 is NOT the hot tip for handling, but, some of feel 
the "look" is worth the trade off. I have ZERO interest in racing the 
twisties on a Vmax.

I've had Avon Venoms great gripping tire but scary in the rain, i talked 
to the Avon rep about it he said and other rep's say the same thing, " 
there are three main components we  build into a tire, Tread life, Grip, 
Rainability, pick TWO!! if you want all three, there will be a 
compromise on one of them, the Venom it was rain, but it has great grip 
and wear, which it was designed for." Venom not short lived in my 
experience. I'm a heavy rider ,and I ride pretty hard.  Got 6-7000 on 
stock size rear venom. Have 170-80-15 version now. Gonna get same 
mileage. Includes 2-3 burnouts.38-40 psi.

I'm looking at a Metzeler 110/80V18M/C(58V)TL  Lasertec  front tire. 
Anybody know what the 58V means ???  Is this tire a radial?
I'm looking at the Metzler web site http://www.us.metzelermoto.com and 
the Lasertec is advertises as a "new sports touring X-ply tire" and the 
chart is titled "Bias / Belted." Their chart reads the following sizes 
for front Lasertecs for an 18 inch wheel:
100/90-18M/C 56H TL
100/90-18M/C 56V TL
110/80-18M/C 56H TL
110/80-18M/C 56V TL
110/90-18M/C 61H TL
 The tire that you described is not listed so I'm assuming that you 
mistyped your choice. I'm not sure about the numbers, but the letter 
represents a speed rating (H is for sustained speeds up to 130 mph and V 
is for sustained speeds up to 149). The stock size for the front is 
110/90-18. Is there a reason your going with the 110/80-18?

To be honest, never have liked Avons. Mario has had good results from 
them. He would be a good source of info on them. Dunlops are good for 
dirty pavement. Michelins have excellent bite, but not much warning 
before they let go. Pirelli need about 10 miles before they get a bite.
They can give a twitchy feel, but on their side, like a slot car. 
Bridgestone BT56 J Spec for Busas also need about 10 miles and are ready 
to go. Don't have twitchy feeling. Maxxis also need a few minutes before 
they stick. Have a stiffer sidewall than others.

The Macadams were the worst tire longevity wise I ever had back in the 
bias ply days..
So far the Me Z6 has been great in the radial world.--GarySpradley

Rear install tips
Don't press the brake lever with the caliper off the disc.  Grease 
bearings, final drive splines and axle while it's apart.  I usually let 
most of the air out before removal or install, makes it easier to get it 
mounted.  Remove license plate too.. Also take care to install washer 
with stepped shoulder on rt. side with raised area pointing out. Observe 
torques, esp on axle nut. Varies by year. Too much could wreck hub/bearings

Street tire vs. Race tire
http://www.sportrider.com/tech/tires/146_0002_street_vs_race_tires/
Street vs. Race, Choosing the right tire for the job  By Andrew Trevitt
We know what you're thinking: Those namby-pamby street tires are for 
weenies, and the DOT race tires work way better on the street, right? 
Wrong. While you're struggling with a stone-cold Supersport toss-off 
that's rock hard from too many heat cycles, your buddies on their 
high-performance street tires will be long gone.
Race tires are specifically meant to do one thing: Stick like glue, for 
one heat cycle. To that end, they are designed with an entirely 
different philosophy from street tires, and those differences make them 
unsuitable for street use. One obvious difference is most race tires 
have fewer grooves for more grip. And while this is great on a dry road, 
riding in the rain can get pretty hairy. But this is just what you can 
see, and it's perhaps more important to know what's going on inside the 
tire to fully understand the differences.
Max Martin, with Avon Tyres, says its Azaro Supersport bun is designed 
with a high arch and very high crown, particularly the front tire. This 
makes a race bike steer quickly (at the expense of stability), and gives 
more surface area on the side of the tire for more traction at full 
lean. The Azaro Sport street tire has a rounded profile, which puts more 
tread on the road when the bike is straight up for better wear, as well 
as being more stable and allowing easier line changes in midcorner. Put 
the race tire on the street and it will wear quicker due to the pointy 
profile.
Martin also pointed out differences in casing design, with the 
Supersport tire having an additional ply and tighter winding for higher 
cornering loads. However, on larger bumps found on public roads, this 
extra rigidity will have the race tire chattering earlier than would the 
softer and more compliant street tire.
Sport Tire Services' Dennis Smith points out that the Dunlop D207 
Sportmax is designed to work correctly at the reduced temperatures found 
on the street, as opposed to the higher temperatures found on the 
racetrack. And that you'd almost never be able to generate track 
temperatures during a street ride to take advantage of the extra grip 
offered from a race tire. Smith also mentioned the material and 
production costs are totally different for each type, with the race 
tires costing significantly more than the street tires.
According to Mike Manning of Dunlop Tires, the D207GPs utilize a "cut 
breaker construction," in which the plies are overlapped to give good 
side grip. Compare that with the D207 Sportmax, which has a "jointless 
belt construction," giving more stability and a smoother ride. Manning 
also added that a street tire's rubber compound is designed to go 
through more heat cycles, as well as having silica added to give better 
wet grip.
So let's see, a street tire will generally have better wear, more 
stability and superior wet-weather performance compared with a race 
tire, offer similar grip (and most likely more) at real-world tire 
temperatures, and give constant performance over many heat cycles-all 
for less money. Sign us up.

H rating vs. V rating from http://www.cbxman.com/tech_tire.aspx
Comment: The choice between whether to use am H-Rated tire (Safe at 
sustained speeds of 130 MPH) or V-Rated Tires (Safe at sustained speeds 
of 150 MPH) is up to the rider to choose but in some instances the 
choice is limited to what is offered by the manufacturer. There is no 
reason not to use a V rated tire on a CBX it's just a bit of overkill.

http://www.cdegroot.com/cgi-bin/mirror/pweb.jps.net/~snowbum/catch.htm
While on the subject of tire ratings:  It is not commonly known that H 
rated tires MAY last longer at reasonable speeds and loads, as compared 
to V and higher rated tires.   This is especially so with the same make 
and model.  Sometimes this is purely the result of the lower rated tire 
having DEEPER tread!  Deeper tread squirms more, and generates more 
heat, so for higher speed rated tires, manufacturer's may well reduce 
the depth of the tread.  So you MIGHT have the situation of purchasing a 
high speed rated tire for whatever reason (not speed!), and find out it 
costs more and lasts less!

Radial Tires & Wheels
For some of us poor folks what is the least expensive route to take to 
upgrade to radial tires?  If you do the back do you have to do the front 
or should u do the front i know mixing bias ply and radial on a car 
don't work out too well so i would imagine the same for a bike.  But 
anyways what is the easiest way to upgrade, who sells the wheels/tires 
and another question is there not a radial available to fit on the stock 
wheels?  Are the stock wheels a weird size or something as I have not 
been able to locate any radials for the stock wheels.

The cheapest way, (about $550.00 for the wheel) to get radials on front 
and back would be to have your rear wheel converted to a 17" or 18" 
wheel by Kosman Specialties. There is no problem with putting an 18" 
radial on the stock front wheel. It's just that they should be run in  
pairs. _http://www.kosman.net/_ (http://www.kosman.net/) --Tim Hagan, 
VMOA # 1567, [EMAIL PROTECTED]

One of, if not the main reason, being a change from bias ply to radial 
ply tyres. No radials suitable for the Vmax 3.5" x 15" rim. Because the 
radial tyre is designed with a lower height to width ratio, a wider rim 
is required to accommodate the increased tyre width. The stock bias ply 
'Max tyre is a 90 series ( the height of the tyre being 90% of the width 
) Most radials you will find on the Vmax on 17 " or 18" rims are around 
180 / 55 or 190 /50. There is no problem with swing arm clearances if 
the wheel is built with an offset to centre the rim between the arms. A 
200/50 may also fit depending on the make of tyre. If the rim is not 
offset you will probably have to do the spacer swap trick to move the 
wheel to the RHS if the tyre rubs the LH swing arm.--JMB.

Radial conversion is over rated considering the expense of wheels the 
performance gains are mild, the advice I always give is "do Racetech 
forks, Works performance shocks & use a superbike handle bar" these mods 
with bias tires will make the bike handle very sweet. As for my 
experience with radials here are the tires I tried back to back front: 
110/90X18,110/80X18, 120/70X17. 130/70X17, 140/80X17:  Rear: 150/90X15, 
150/80X15,180/55X18, 180/55X17, 160/70X17 all tried on the same bike 
with no other change during trial time which was at least 6 month each. 
the best IMHO are 110/80X18 with 150/80X15 bias, or 110/80X18 with 
160/70X17 Radials, I used Z6 and very satisfied with their performance 
that does not mean other tires are bad or inferior. I ride daily year 
round from freeways to surface streets to canyons all in one day every 
day. so when I test tire sizes or any other mod I really put it through 
the ringers. vs seasonal riders (nothing wrong with that) so when I give 
my opinion/ advice I give it from actual experience. I have Kosman 3.5 x 
17, the front 110/80X18 is about one inch shorter than stock size, it 
looks kind of small but handles great, you'll need to get use to it 
maybe do some changes with handle bar position. With this rear size no 
need for washer swap or notching the swing arm. The 160/70 looks fat 
enough and handles nimbly too, even if you get a venture rear go with 
160/70 not 160/60, it absorbs road irregularities better, has higher 
load rating and is easier on your back. Note: the 120/70X18 is even 
shorter than 110/80X18, wider front tires make handling more sluggish. 
The 160/70X17 tire is 9mm shorter than stock 150/90X15 according to 
Metzler PDF, this is the closest 17 inch tire diameter to stock. The 
180/55X17 was too small and RPM increase by 500, I find it straining the 
engine for no reason, same speed at 500 RPM higher all this to have a 
fat tire so I can look at it when the bike is parked? Not to mention the 
sluggish turning. you want nimble handling use no more than 160 rear, if 
I didn't already have the Kosman rear 17 made I would have chosen a 16 
inch wheel instead. more air cushion = more shock absorbing at the tire 
vs. low 55 profile makes it like riding on a wooden tire, after a while 
your back is not going to be happy with all the shocks transmitted to 
it. That new 150/60X15 Radial is too small just like the 180/55X17 and 
will be as skinny as the stock so you'll end up with increased RPM and 
no fat tire look either. The real benefit of radials on max is the 
weight saving, radials are ~ 10 lb lighter then stock bias tires, I 
happen to weigh them at FedEx location legal scale. one more thing I 
noticed with 180/55X17 is that you never use all available tread and end 
up using the center part of the tire only even at sharp lean angles, 
same thing happens with fatter front tires like a 120,130 & 140 can't 
use all the tread either (on 1st gen vmax, not applicable to sports 
bikes with 120 front tires).--Ibrahim

I tried Pirellis, Metzelers, and Avons on my bike, and NONE of those 
performed, gave me better grip, and smoother ride than the Bridgestones 
Battlax BT-021 "Dual Compound" Sport Cruiser tires I have now. I have a 
190 on a conversion 6 " rear rim, a 110  on a stock front rim, and I can 
assure you this tires are GREAT. When I got my conversion rear rim, I 
went to Pirelli radials, I thought, now with radials the bike is going 
to perform more like a sport bike, well, it did change quite a bit, but 
the Pirellis were designed for super sport bikes weighting around 400 
lbs. NOT for a 630 Lbs tractor like the Vmax, the same happened with the 
Metzelers and with the Avons, (which the front went pretty fast) I 
mounted these Bridgestones at the end of 2008, put 4,000 miles and still 
the best I ever had on this bike.—Mario

Last year I put on Michelin Road Pilot 2 110/80/18 front and a 180/55/17 
rear. Sticky tires. I like them alot. Im no canyon carver nor do I drag 
race. I only ride my bike and they work great so far. Seem smooth not 
alot of tire noise, corner real good for the corners i take. I hated the 
Avon Venoms but I got them mostly used up, when i got the bike, so I 
cant comment on them new. But when they wear the Avons slid around like 
dirt tracking corners, and of course the front tire 
cupped.--JonLewisVMOA#4701

Unsprung Weight
Yea, I definitly felt the difference. More so in the front though. Stock 
Front wheel ready to bolt up was 36.5 lbs with a used Metzler 880. The 
Thundercat 17" I used, ready to bolt up was Front 28.5lbs with a brand 
new Battleaxe. I definitly feel the front difference. What I feel in the 
rear is a lot more traction (from 150 bias ply to 190 radial)—Trent

Installing radial tires is the thing to do, the handling on the bike 
will change completely.. (day and night, like the "Old Man" says) The 
use of a 17" front rim and radial tire, will make it easier to push and 
turn on the curves, (compared to the stock 18" and stock tires), but it 
all boils down to personal preference. I have a 17"x6" rim at the rear, 
and a stock 18" at front, both with ME-4Z Metzelers, and the bike turns 
and handles like a dream. –Mario

That's what I have now, the Lightcon 5.5" X 17" rear with 180 tyre and 
3.5" X 17" front and 120 tyre. They are amazing and Bill Warner has the 
best prices on these. I can keep up with anything in the twisties. Sam B.

I can run on a stock rim? Can a 120/70/18 fit? I have a 110/80/18 now 
and it seem's a tad small.
Tire will fit but will be even smaller in height. go to Avon chart look 
up oem height on stock tire .120s are smaller and want a wider then 
stock size rim that will pinch them and change the contact patch I put 
on the Avon storms and love them at the 110/80/18 if you have ? you can 
e mail Sukoshi Fahey at [EMAIL PROTECTED] she is the north American sales 
rep. –MarkVmoa#4288
A 120 is too wide for a stock rim. Even the 110 is tight. –DNC

I PUSH THE MAX HARD , AND AFTER 1500 MILES I LIKE THE SHINKO TOUR 
MASTER.--96ER

Wheels, Wheels Assembly
Does thick washer on right side of rear wheel go right or left of brake 
carrier?
Yes. Manual specifies NOT to put between wheel and brake stay. Will 
cause uneven pad wear/damage? --Randy3539 Washer goes between brake stay 
and swingarm. --Mark#1098

Here are a few links to big tire Vendors. I haven’t dealt with any of 
them but i like the Big back tire so I’ve searched a few out. Call em up 
let them help u make the decision.
http://www.wildbros.com/
http://www.madmax.com/
http://www.pcwracing.net/catalog.htm  for----frame work
http://www.wildbros.com/Carrozzeria.html
Those are just a few off the top of my head--Jon LewisVMOA#4701

Just bought a set of Dunlop F20/K525 QUALIFIER TIRES, Dunlop makes these 
tires specifically for The MAX. Check em out ...Jeff
http://www.jcwhitney.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product?storeId=10101&Pr=p_Product.CATENTRY_ID%3A2015089&productId=2015089&catalogId=10111

IMHO, 'nis', the stock OEM Dunlops are the best deal out there for both 
handling and economy when you have stock wheels and need bias ply tires. 
I got a good price from the Dennis Kirk site earlier this year.--LtF

Hands down best tires are Avon am41 for the front and am42 for the back. 
They are sticky and last forever.—EugeneFox

Are you out to play in the twisties?  I have ran nothing but Metzelers 
on my rims - went M-1 to M-3 Sportec. Love em. You want grip you got 
it!! In the rain tires were solid in the corners.—PaulPillen

ME880's never gripped as well as I liked so going to try Shinko's next 
(bias tires).--Mark#1098
Shinko good quality. Soft compound good grip wet or dry. Wear quicker 
than me880 or Avon Venom, but not horrible.--Randy

I run Michelin Macadams on my 86. It’s been a great tire.--Doug
Ron Ayers Motorsports. Once in a while they also have 7-10% off sales if 
you sign up for their emails.—HerbW

AVON VENOM 170.I have had great life and traction out of this tire. You 
have to let the air out to put it on. It fits perfect. I have a Metzler 
z6 110 on the front and the bike handles much better and the smaller 
tire makes the bike feel a 100lbs lighter on the front end.—RonnieGonzales

Avon Venom front and rear. Great tires.--Joe05Max

Avon is the best I have tried much sticker then the 880 found them to be 
to hard and did not heat up as fast as the Avons. Now that I have gone 
to radials I use Avon Storms on my Max and Busa.--Mark#4288

Avons is not the worst, but I find that its quite a big difference 
between tires and in IMHO the ME880 its by far the best stock tires. 
Continental is the worst I tried and it was like there was no nut on 
back wheel axle.—Åke

I have a 170/80x15 Shinko Tourmaster on my 1990 v max. No need to do the 
washer swap, has reduced the rpm from 5000 to 4750 at 75mph,looks fat 
and rides great.—Peter

I'm going on my second riding season with the Shinko's. So far I'm very 
impressed. They wear well, there sticky and cheap. Once you light them 
up there real sticky. This is my third set of tires for this bike. Much 
better than the Kenda's (hard), better than the Dunlops in my 
opinion.--MitchG

I've got M880's on the stock bike and Bridgestone radials on the 
modified bike. It's like chalk and cheese with regards to handling (also 
due to other suspension mods as well as the tyres). With the M880s 
(several sets of tyres over the years) I've found that when new and on 
good surfaces they perform as expected. Over time and I guess with heat 
and wear the tyre seems to harden. At this time on dusty or wet (ish) 
road surfaces be more aware. I haven't found this with Dunlops or 
Bridgestones yet.--JMB.

Metzler recommends (and I use) the LaserTec (110/90-18 61 V TL Lasertec) 
front tire to match Metzler's ME880 (150/90B15 80H TL ME880) rear tire. 
Many Vmax owners purchase the ME880 front tire to match the ME880 rear 
tire. Many Vmax owners also use Metzler's next larger size on the rear 
tire (170/80B15.77H TL ME880) without negative (swingarm) clearance and 
performance issues. I have found that 43psi in the rear and 40psi in the 
front works best for me. After much experimentation I have found that 
40psi in the front tire and 42psi in the rear tire works best for me. A 
low front tire pressure definitely will create an unstable condition, 
especially when turning. I have the Metzeler Full Line Tire Guide in 
front of me. According to Metzeler, for all Vmaxes, they recommend the 
110/90-18 61V TL Lasertec tire for the front (2.15") wheel and leave a 
margin for pressure preference, 36psi minimum and 42psi maximum. 
Metzeler recommends the 150/90B15 80H TL ME880 for the rear (3.5") wheel 
and leaves a margin for pressure preference, 44psi minimum and 50psi 
maximum. I'm running the 170/80B15 77H TL ME880 rear tire and Metzeler's 
recommendation for that tire is 40psi minimum and 42psi maximum. There 
was some discussion that the 170 rear tire was too big for the 3.5" 
wheel but there are several examples of size 170 recommendations for 
other bikes with 3.5" wheels. There are also bikes with 4.5" rear wheel 
that Metzeler recommends fitting with the 170.--Rick4095

Tires Purchase Links
http://www.accwhse.com/metzeler.htm#Tires%20street
Try Southwest Moto Tires here is the link. Good price and free shipping 
if you buy two tires.-- Kelvin
http://www.swmototires.com/
i buy from www.cycle-parts.com  They take paypal.—MichaelHerod

I tried several sizes and tires so here is my experience. Metzler ME800 
in stock sizes great tires and last very long but the front can break 
loose every once in a while (it is hard rubber designed for longer 
wear), I also tried Metzler lazertech stock size and now a size smaller 
front 100/90X18, the smaller makes the bike handle better as Don 
suggests, the lazertech is much stickier then the ME880 but has ~ half 
the life (880 front will last a good 7-10K, the lazertech about 4k).
I tried from the fattest front tire to the skinniest from a 140/80X17 to 
100/90X18, the best directional stability and road feedback I got is the 
100/90X18 bias front tire.
also going 80 profile (150/80X15) for the rear tire makes the bike 
accelerate a little quicker.
my recommendation is Lazertech front in 100/90X18, Rear ME800 size 
150/80X15.
The fatter the tires the more vague handling gets for both front & rear 
as I realized in my quest for the best handling.
This is my experience with different front tire sizes that might be 
helpful to others. I tried stock size, radials 120/70X17, 130/70X17, 
140/80X17 (progressively fatter front tire) the fatter I went the more 
vague straight line stability became at speeds above 70 mph, I went back 
to stock bias Metzler lasertech after using the fattest 140/80X17, the 
bike instantly gained straight line stability which makes me understand 
Don's advice to use a 100 size instead of 110. My next front tire will 
be 100/90X18.—Ibrahim

The Metzlers are good and provide decent traction and get pretty good 
life out of the tires. The Shinko's are sticky and they are pretty cheap 
and it is a good thing because tire life is short to say the least. I 
wore out a pair of shinko's on my max in 2 months with less than 3000kms 
on them. I found for my money the MAXXIS tires good, they offer great 
grip and decent tire life, however they are a little more 
expensive.—RudyMercer
bias 17 inch lasertech tire I installed, it IS the best tire handling 
wise of all the other Radial tires, my bike handles and keeps up with 
any Ducati! leaning and turning and straight high speeds. yes I have a 
radial front and a bias rear and it works BEAUTIFULLY. if you are 
looking for a significant handling improvement do Kosman rear 17 welded 
and get a Lasertech 160/70X17.—Ibrahim

Max is a heavy bike, you need touring radials capable of handling the wt 
& power while giving you longer tread life, good grip wet & dry, the 18 
size wheels are kinda limiting in tire choices, Metzler 880 come in ZR 
(radials) 120/70X18 & 180/55X18, not cheap but worth every penny. check 
Ronayers. did you notch your swing arm? the 180/55X18 did not fit my 
stock swing arm but I didn't try the washer swap thing. I am using a 
160/70X17 & very happy with its agility & performance try to find a 
160/60X18 I am not sure they make this size.
the fatter the tires the less agile handling becomes.--Ibrahim



On 4/7/2012 9:53 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> Some of the tires on your list are not radial, but Bias ply tires. 
> Most people run those, because the original rims are made for bias ply 
> tires. Let us know  (anybody) if you have successfully used Radial 
> tires on those original stock  rims. To my knowledge (which is 
> limited) it can not be done safely..
>     Comments from the experts, please!!!  Why else would people spend 
> big $$$$ to build or buy radial rims??
>
>                                                                                      
> Anthony
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Your Friend, Rick <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: vmaxtech <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; vmoachat 
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; vmoatech <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Sat, Apr 7, 2012 3:57 pm
> Subject: [vmaxtech] radial tires poll
>
> Does anybody have anything to say (good, bad or indifferent) about the
> following radial tires to fit an 18" wheel?
> Metzler ME880 Marathon Touring
> Avon Venom R
> Dunlop D207ZR
> Shinko 003 Stealth
> Avon AV72 Cobra
> Pirelli Night Dragon
> Bridgestone Exedra G850
> Avon AM23
> Bridgestone Battlax BT45 Sport