I put the new bt 23's on my 93 st1100 and they've only got about 6,000 miles or so. they have started to cup BADLY. all i can hear is buzzing coming from the tires. was the 93 meant to have biased tires on it? even the stock bt 20's did it when i bought it at about the same miles.
biased or radial?
- Thread starter scdude444
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All the ST1100 OEM tires were Bias tires and they give good mileage; but, I (and Chris on her ST1100) don't like how they feel in comparison to the radials.
What pressure have you been running... I get cupping when I don't watch my psi closely... 42psi front and back is what I like, YMMV!
What pressure have you been running... I get cupping when I don't watch my psi closely... 42psi front and back is what I like, YMMV!
I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong on this answer. Bias ply tires were all that was available in years past and have been pretty much replaced with radial constructed tires. There is a stand caveat to run one type or the other and not mix the two types. Here is a link to the causes of cupping.
I hope this helps.
I hope this helps.
st1300doug
I have 6850 miles on my '06. BT-023's. Look good. And handle great. I do keep the 42/42 psi in'em!
i use the suggested tire pressure. 36 in the front and 42 in the back. i can't think of any reason why they would cup. are the bt23 gt tires a good idea for the 1100? i'm not sure if they even make a size for them.
AFAIK all the ST1100 models came stock with bias tires, generally the Bridgestone Exedras, or a Dunlop that I can't recall the name but D2-something comes to mind (D205?). Radial tires were around at the time when the first ST was introduced, but Honda chose not to fit them, and they also chose some very odd rim sizes as well.
Because of the weight of the ST, if you brake reasonably hard the front will eventually cup, its not abnormal.
Also, I've run the radial/bias combination a few times and never noticed any issues with doing that. There are very few bias tires available these days, but I ran a bias Metzeler ME33 lazer front prior to my current tire.
I googled to see when radials were first available in production, and it was 1987. I also happened to come across this Michelin quote on the topic "Thanks to the genius of Freddie Spencer, Michelin in 1983 scored the first victory for a radial tire (rear only) in a 500cc Grand Prix. The following year, Randy Mamola became the first rider to win a Grand Prix (San Marino) using both front and rear radials." So that would seem to indicate mixing types is not really a problem.
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