Best tire for ST1100

OK, I know that tis topic has been beat to death on other threads, and I've read most of them. Still, I'm not sure what would be best for me and my riding style. My primary use is my wife and I load up and travel on two week motorcycle rides, twice a year. We're pretty heavy with both panniers and the top box full of enough gear to go two weeks. The problem I've had with all my tires is premature wear on the sides of the tires. I think that this is because of the dual compound construction of sport touring tires combined with heavy loads. I've tried Avon Azaros (bad), Avon Sport 2 (worse), and Metzler Z6 (OK). I got 8000 miles out of my Z6, which is OK, but it has handled pretty poorly for the last 4k because the profile of the tire is all squared off. I'd like to try a single compound tire. What do "cruiser" bikes use? I'd think that some of those giant beasts might use some pretty stout rubber. Any ideas on what is available?

Bridgestone G547/G548 Exedra. They're OEM spec'd and available from your dealer with Honda part numbers. I recommend them. Neutral handling throughout the life of the tires. JMHO

John

+2 on the Exedras.

Hi Tailwind:

I started using Metzeler's about 10 years ago - I think Metzeler has released three different series since then. The last set that the dealer put on the bike (a ST 1100 ABS) were Z6.

I have always been very happy with the Metzeler's - they stick to the pavement like sh*t on a blanket, and they perform very well in the rain. But, my riding is totally different than yours: I only ride solo, I weigh about 170 pounds, and I stay in hotels, hence the total load in both saddlebags is maybe 30 pounds. Plus, most of my riding is done in the Alps, which is different than Alaska. I guess I am trying to say that just because these tires have worked very well for me, you couldn't count on the same results because your MTOW is significantly higher.

I could not determine from your post if you have an ABS model or not. Be aware that the tire specifications are different between the ABS model and the non-ABS model - not sure why, but they are different.

Have you considered putting a car tire on the back wheel? Others have done this and reported that they are very happy with both the performance and the substantially longer life of the tire. Check out the discussions with 'Darksiders' in the title, and keep an open mind while you read them.

Michael

@ fnmag -- Jim, 27 tipovers... really?!

The OP, Tailwind, has a 1991 according to his avatar (silver or black?) so no ABS, but even the 92-95 ABS models use the same tire as the 91-02 non-ABS models.

John

John OoSTerhuis said:

@ fnmag -- Jim, 27 tipovers... really?!

The OP, Tailwind, has a 1991 according to his avatar (silver or black?) so no ABS, but even the 92-95 ABS models use the same tire as the 91-02 non-ABS models.

John

Click to expand...

On the rear, but not on the front. The front ABSII uses a 120 instead of a 110 width. I've run all sorts of brands,styles, etc. in over 250,000 miles (soon to be 300,000+) on ST1100s. Bias get better mileage, radials handle better. So far my long distance 'king' is a BT020 Bias that goes on the back of a KLT1200 BMW (yes, the same size - stiffer sidewall). Right now I'm running BT30 GTs (Radial) in the ST1300 size to see what kind of mileage I get on another ST1100, and Michelin PR3s on another one. They handle well in the wet and dry. I like the Metzlers but only get about 5,000 miles out of them. The same for the Michelin PR3s (second set). I've run most versions of the Avons, Dunlops, Meztlers, Michelin and Bridgestone. I'm running a Shinko Verge on the front just to see how it does (It stinks) with a BT020 BMS bias on the rear on the other ST1100. A 170/60 (ST1300 rear) works nicely on the ST1100 even with the ABS system. And the front on the ABSII is the same size as the ST1300 front - which opens up more tire selections. Also, an ABSII front rim will fit on the ST1100 standard and use the 120 width tire with no clearance problems (been doing that on my standard for quite a while). You just have to swap the discs as the ABSII discs are smaller than the standard discs. If most of your riding is 'straight up', then bias is the answer. If most of it is in the 'twisty bits', I would consider radials. If you want to run a car tire on the rear, then there is a bit of 'fiddling' you have to do - some shims, a GL1500 rear rim, etc. but it can be done. On the ST1300, you can just mount one straight up.

Another vote for the Exedras...on my 3 rd set getting 10-12,000 miles with them.

UP I was responding to Michael's comment, but left the word 'front' out of my reply.

John (off to the WI RTE)

markst1100 said:

Another vote for the Exedras...

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Ditto! Using and loving them since '92... they just made for the ST1100 (non ABS and ABS-I/TCS)...

One for their neutral handling in all situations as John already mentioned, then for their soft "notification" and wide safety margin when pushed...

And then the mileage, twice of what I'd ever seen on radials...

I don't really have anything to ad to the discussion but I do happen to have a new G547 front tire that I never got around to mounting before I stopped riding my ST1100. Tailwind, I don't know how expensive shipping to Alaska would be but I can sell it to you for $80 plus shipping. If you are interested just drop me a private message.

John OoSTerhuis said:

UP I was responding to Michael's comment, but left the word 'front' out of my reply.

John (off to the WI RTE)

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John - Well, I thought you knew better ...

If you do a lot of 2-up and/or trailering, consider going Darkside. A bit of a challenging upgrade, as you need a GL 1500 rear wheel, new spacers and a modified brake caliper hanger, but it works well with heavy loads. And it will STill lean till the pegs drag! Only down side is limited tire choices.

I've been using the Battlax T30s front and rear on my standard silver 1991 ST1100 - very sticky, and much better than the Z6s I had prior to the BTs.

See, the issue with the Z6 tires originates in its rear tread pattern (picture just grabbed from the Web, but you'll get the idea) - There's very little tread right down the middle! So if its a wet road, there's a potential for hydroplaning to come into play. I have had 1 slow-speed low side at 25 MPH on a wet road ( I was very new on the bike, and I grabbed my rear brake hard... )

I discussed this with Harry & Gary (GreenZR) when they helped me change tires (such wonderful gentlemen, full of riding wisdom) and Harry was the one who pointed this out to me.

Z6 Rear Tire Tread



Another Z6 Rear Tire (New)

Compare this with the tread pattern on a rear Battlax T30 (normal spec, not the heavier spec..)









(sorry I coulfnt get a 'used' tire image, but again you can see there's more tread in the center allowing for the water to be carried away from the center)

You can also check out the PR4s, lots of tread and (I've not used it myself) positively /well reviewed tire choice (not an exact fit for the ST1100s though!)


PR4 Tread Pattern Rear Tire




I'm sure the more experienced riders can add to the point I've raised/ or disprove it! BUt these are a few observations I made in the last 11,000 miles (7K on the Z6s, last 4K on T30s)

Regards,
Vishnu

Not a tire expert, but I believe your front tire is more important to the hydroplaning issue (straight up riding) than the rear, thus we always see more sipes across the tread on a front than a rear. You can see the rear T30 also has more ungrooved area than a front of the brand. The rear requires more grip, to handle the acceleration forces it receives and more sipes across the face will cause deformation of the rubber and increased wear as those forces are applied. The rears are well siped for the hydroplaning issue while in a curve.

Your experience of the rear slide out could just as easily have happened on a dry road, as stomping on the rear brake in a panic stop will lock up the rear wheel on just about any bike. (without ABS)

I've had nothing but Z6's (Z4's) on my 1100 for about 15 years and still like 'em a lot.

thepaleobiker said:

...There's very little tread right down the middle! So if its a wet road, there's a potential for hydroplaning to come into play.

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Hi Vishnu:

I also wondered about the Z6 rear tire tread pattern the first time I saw the tire. The first day I had the tires, I went searching for a puddle I could ride through so that I could examine the tread pattern that the wet tire left on the pavement after going through the puddle.

I found that even at very light weights (1 rider of 170 pounds, empty saddlebags), the middle of the tire flattens out and a good chunk of the tread pattern at each side of the tire (what looks like little 'Y' patterns) is plainly evident on the ground. My subsequent riding experience of over 25,000 km on the Z6 tires has proven to me that the Z6 tires perform very well on wet roads. The majority of my riding on these tires has been in the Swiss Alps, doing pretty hard cornering, often on wet roads resulting from snow runoff, spring rains, etc.

I think that what Metzeler has tried to do (this is just my speculation) is put a lot of rubber in the middle, where it tends to wear out first, in order to achieve long life of the tire. So not to worry. You may have just hit an oily patch of road, or a painted patch, etc.

Michael

Bush, Mike - thank you for shedding more light on this issue (non issue! )

As I said before, the low side was probably more my rider skill limitation at the time, than the tire's weakness.

But I have felt more grip on the Battlax T30 s , than the Z6. Then again, it comes back to New tire gripping more than the older one....

Very interesting questions!

If money/mileage of the tire were not bounded, I'd use Pirelli Angel GTs or PR4 s ; For bang for the buck sport touring, I'd vote for the Battlax T30.

Regards,
Vishnu

Thanks all for the great input. I'm leaning towards the Exedras, mainly because they seem to not have a dual compound rubber which is my biggest issue. Just for y'alls info, My Avons sucked. Not only did the tread on the sides of the rear tire square off quickly, the front tire gave me a low speed head shake if I took my hands off the bars for more than one second. My Z6's are nice tires, and the longevity seems acceptable, except the sides have worn down faster than the center (because of the high loading and dual compound) and the profile is all squared off and affects the handling now that it's beyond half life. Lastly, I personally would never put on a car tire on and become a test pilot with my wife on the back. I'll stick to tried and true

Hi tailwind,

Off topic, but I think you need another map on your signature line, unless you flew your motorcycle over Canada to get to Washington state.

thepaleobiker said:

...the low side was probably more my rider skill limitation at the time, than the tire's weakness.

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It is very gracious of you to say that, but don't rule out the possibility (probability?) that it was a patch of oil, roadkill guts, or some other contamination on the pavement.

Michael

Thank you Michael, I do admit I am unaware of the actual underlying cause. Better to chalk it up to my own limitation and take responsibility ( It motivated me to go ahead and complete the MSF Sport Bike Technique class - also called the MSF Advanced Rider Class!) So all in all, everything worked out great

Regards,
Vishnu

CYYJ said:

It is very gracious of you to say that, but don't rule out the possibility (probability?) that it was a patch of oil, roadkill guts, or some other contamination on the pavement.

Michael

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