Just started looking for new tires for the 1500. I've used nearly every brand over the past 20+ years. I see there are some new contenders out there. I prefer wide white walls, WWW. Which brands have you purchased recently?
I got a set of Metzeler ME888 Ultra Marathon in the spring. To be fair any tires would be an improvement over the old ones as they were really trashed but I am very impressed with these. They give me a lot of confidence in the turns.
I just put on Shinko 777's and, so far, they seem good. I don't have much to compare to, though.
I used to be a die hard Metzeler fan. I put a set of the latest and greatest on, and got the same 10,000 miles out of the rear that I always got. I ran through two sets of the Michelin Commander IIs, and was a bit disappointed. The rear lasted longer than the front. Never had this happen before, and the ride, especially at in town speeds, was "lumpy". I switched to Shinko 777s about 2 years ago. The rear lasts about 10,000 miles, and the front, so far is nearly 20,000. They are smooth, have a nice, neutral profile, seem to give good traction in the rain. Went on vacation this year, put 2,200 miles on in 6 days, with no issues. Ran the Dragon 6 times in 2 hours. The Shinkos, even with the front as worn as it is, were quite confidence inspiring. The rear is wearing at a rate of 1/32 every 1,000 miles. I ride about 10,000 miles a year, so I burn through a lot of tires.
Troll: Would you mind posting your tire pressures? Shinko specs are quite a bit higher than the specs in the manual. I'm still playing to see what will give me the best ride. Tks.
I run exactly what Kawasaki says to run. 36 rear (solo) and 28 front.
That's really good to know, thanks much. I knew that was what the manual says, but it also refers to tires other than my Shinkos. Shinko says 49 front and 42 back on the sidewall!! I spoke to a Shinko tech pointing out how much higher those numbers are than Kaw's recommendations. He stuck with his numbers. I've been playing, going down from the Shinko numbers, but never been really happy with the ride. First thing tomorrow, I'm lowering them to your numbers.
Thanks again.
Pardon me but: JESUS K. CHRISTOPHER KEY-RIST!, When will people actually READ a side wall correctly????? The tire pressures listed are for MAXIMUM LOAD, OR MAXIMUM SPEED WITH 50% LOAD, but not both at the same time!!!!!
https://motoress.com/ride/guide-to-reading-your-motorcycle-tire-sidewall/ It's basically the same for cars and trucks, too. 49 psi in your front tire will bounce like a rubber ball and have no braking traction at all!!!!
Seems like I've been fighting this battle my whole life.....The sidewall is not some secret code....these markings have been around since the '70's....and are STILL MISUNDERSTOOD!
This is always contentious but there is a SAFE answer.
The tire maker doesn't know what is going to be running its tires, and the bike maker doesn't know which tires are going to be on their bikes (after the first set). The bike maker DOES know how much the bike weighs, max speed, etc. And the tire maker DOES know at which speeds and loads their tires will fail.
So, the answer is to start with the Bike Manufacturers recommendations and tweak based upon ride, load, handling and tire wear, but in no case EVER exceed the specs on the tire sidewall. You can play with pressure anywhere in-between to get to the spec you feel is best for your situation. The closer you are to the max spec, the less room you have for variances.
Some tire makers have recommended pressures for different brands/models of bikes. You can safely use those bike specific numbers since they are unlikely to exceed their own max specs. But you will still need to do some tweaking and stay below the sidewall max specs.
We have some info on tires in the mods/accessories Fenders, Tire and Wheels (https://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/forum/index.php?action=links;cat=28) area...
Tire size, reading sidewalls, conversions... (https://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/tiresizinginfo.html)
Quote from: gwilki on September 19, 2021, 08:24:00 AM
That's really good to know, thanks much. I knew that was what the manual says, but it also refers to tires other than my Shinkos. Shinko says 49 front and 42 back on the sidewall!! I spoke to a Shinko tech pointing out how much higher those numbers are than Kaw's recommendations. He stuck with his numbers. I've been playing, going down from the Shinko numbers, but never been really happy with the ride. First thing tomorrow, I'm lowering them to your numbers.
Thanks again.
Shinko is giving you the max specs of the tire. You aren't going to want to run at the max for safety, handling, comfort and wear reasons. Personally, I have found the recommended pressure on the front tire results in severe cupping on some brands of tires. BUT, I do have heavy fork springs installed on my 1500. I usually run higher pressures in the front tires. The rear tires I run at about the heavy load OEM recommended number.
Interesting info...
2001-2002 1500's came with Bridgestone Tires, 2003-2005? - came with Dunlop. So the tire parameters changed a bit.
The Bridgestone tires had a higher max load - 403lbs, compared to 397 for Dunlop.
| | Bridgestone (R1-R2) | Dunlop (R3-R5) |
| Model | Front | Exedra G703G
| D404FN |
| Rear | Exedra G702G
| D404G |
| . | ' | ' | ' |
| Loading | F | 404lb - 183kg
| 397lb - 180kg |
| R | 215lb - 403lb - 97.5kg - 183kg
| 397lb - 180kg |
| . | ' | ' | ' |
| Pressure | F | up to 403 lb - 28psi
| up to 397lb - 28psi |
| R | up to 215lb(97.5kg) - 36psi
215-403lb(97.5-183KG) - 40psi
| up to 397lb(180kg)- 40psi |
| . | ' | ' | ' |
| Tread Depth | F | 6.2mm - 0.244in except EU
| 4.5mm - 0.177in (EU) |
| R | 7.2mm - 0.283in except EU
| 7.3mm - 0.287in (EU) |
| . | ' | ' | ' |
| Size | F | 130/90-16 67H
| 130/90-16 71H |
| R | 150/80B16 71H
| 150/90B16 M/C71H |