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Once again it's time for new rubber

17K views 51 replies 25 participants last post by  MoPops 
#1 · (Edited)
I am disappointed in my choices for tires as far as lasting the miles. Not really so bad as far as some riders I've read since I did go over 8500 miles on the Shinko tires I tried and I'm about 9000 miles on the Exedra Max tires on the bike now. It's just that I'm used to getting over 15,000 miles with tires on this class of bike. I also really prefer to keep to the "official" tire sizes for my CTX1300. The Exedra Max tires are almost to the wear bars and I figure maybe another 1000 miles, maybe. I went over 15,000 on the OEM Dunlop tires but the performance of those was less than desirable. The Shinko and these Bridgstones were both very good performing tires with very good grip and rain performance. And I know that for many tires you have to choose between that kind of performance OR lots of miles, but not all tires sacrifice one for the other. On my ST1100 I tried a set of Avon Storm II tires due to high recommendations about both tire wear and performance. But soon after started reading about problems with the Storm II rear tires so haven't wanted to touch that model since. But now I read good things about the Avon Storm 3D X-M tires for both performance and mileage so I just ordered one for the rear. Since Avon doesn't have the right size for the front in their Storm 3D line I went with the Avon AV71 Cobra for the front in the right size. The Storm is supposedly a sport tire but I know a lot of riders using them for touring. The Storm also has a 15,000 mile wear warranty in certain applications if dealer installed. We'll see. The Cobra is a touring tire and is also highly rated for performance and miles. I decided if I can get over 12,000 miles on these I'll be happy and the price will be a bargain compared with the others I've tried. I will decide in a few weeks if I will install before or after my September trip. Depends on where the wear bars are. :)
 
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#2 ·
I'm not super pumped about the OEM tire performance and look forward to getting a replacement set. Mind you they're not terrible but I too compare them to the ST and these are just a bit slick in some situations. Probably going to be next season for a new set though. As such, I look forward to hearing how you like your tires in rain, tar strips, etc. not to mention wear. Thanks for taking one for the team....
 
#3 ·
I had Avon Venoms on my last Bike. Rear went 17,ooo mi. Front had 31,000 mi. when I got rid of it and still looked Good.
 
#4 ·
Sounds encouraging but I know different models of tires from the same maker can be very different in wear. My Shinkos were very, very nice and grippy even in rain and on tar strips and I had total confidence in them in all kinds of riding. The specific models I had just didn't last very long in my experience. These Exedra Max tires are also very good at gripping the road in rain and almost as good on tar as the Shinkos. They are lasting a little longer than the Shinkos... but just a little. I hope these Avon tires will last closer to what I'd like to see. I'll report as I put some miles on them.

BTW- meant to also say above that the tread pattern of these 2 different models look to be compatible. At least when I see sets of either tire the tread of front and rear pairs are the same as these 2. It's just that in the sets there was always one or the other that was the wrong size. Either the fronts came in a 120 or the rear came in a 180 or 190 or smaller. I was concerned about rim width at that point.
 
#5 ·
Bob your experience with trying to get the best tires for your bike's mirrors my experience exactly! It is the search for the Holy Grail that still goes on today:)

I had a new 1991 HD Electra Glide that the first set of tires, Dunlops just like on my Gold Wing, same size and all, lasted about 15,000 miles, with the front still showing maybe 60% wear. But I'd been reading about the 'FANCY' exotic tires like the Avons, Pirellis, Michelin, good year, Continentals, Bridgestones--etc so I FOOLISHLY tried most of them and each and every one got about 1/2 the mileage of the Dunlops:confused:

My first new Goldwing, a 1997 got a little over 15,000 on the Stock Dunlop tires. Shortly thereafter I sold the bike after putting a new set of Dunlop:350x700px-LL-66dd6ds back on.

I think my past 2012 Goldwing and Rocket 3 had Dunlops but I really can't remember:eek:

How can a 'Darkside' rear tire not even show wear @ 40,000 miles??????:rolleyes:

Sam:D
 
#6 ·
I used Dunlop Elite II on my Gold Wing and could go over 21,000 miles before the need to replace them and they were good performers for grip and in rain as well. I haven't found that any of the Elite series come in the right size for the rear on the CTX. They do in front since that is the very same tire size as on a Wing, but the rear is hard to find and I like keeping the same tire maker at least on both F/R. That Gold Wing is my "Gold" standard for tire wear miles. My ST is my silver standard at somewhere between 16K+ miles on a set of tires. I used Bridgestone tires on that one. My Burgman 650 is my bronze standard at 12K+ miles. Slightly smaller rim tires have more rpm (rotations per mile) and the Burgman has 15/14 inch rims vs the CTX having 18/17 inch rims.

I've yet to wear out a front tire on my CTX. But I replace them in pairs anyway by personal preference. One of the tires I've tried I could have gone 30-50% more miles per the rear, but only almost so I go ahead and swap them same time as the rears.
 
#8 ·
Thanks. Looked at those but they don't some as 200/50. I know those do last the miles but I'd like to stay with stock size if possible.
 
#9 ·
Interesting comments, Bob. My CTX is approaching has 4,800 miles on it with stock tires, which of course is three-year-old rubber. My front is approaching the wear bar likely within another 1000-1500 miles. (To me the mileage seems low, and I am religious at maintaining proper pressure.)

The grip of my OEM rubber has been satisfactory except on center stripes.

Exedra Max tires are the ones I have been considering for my next purchase based on other reports within this forum to include the one by @shane during his coast-to-coast trek.
 
#10 ·
The lower psi recommended by Honda will wear the front tire faster, and primarily seems to encourage cupping in front. The recommended rear psi is 42. I keep the front at 40-42 also and find it lasts a lot longer and doesn't have any cupping. Been doing this since my Gold Wing days after wearing through a set of tires before anyone else in my local group. They all told me to bump the psi up to 40 in front and keep it at 42 in rear to almost double the miles. It worked on my Wing. I do find I get more miles on my bike tires than others with the same bike as I have, even in my local area when I had the ST, unless they too kept to higher psi. Of course, there are many areas and riding styles that will wear tires sooner than mine even with the higher psi so this is not a guarantee of long life. JMOE.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Interesting - my rear tire is wearing reasonably well. Ergo, perhaps, there is some logic to the higher pressure in the front. I'll start running around 40 psi.
 
#12 ·
I am running the 3D Storm and cobra on the front. Put them on last fall before putting the bike away at 8100 miles. Have only 7,000 miles on this set and the front is down to 4/32 and the rear is at about 4.5/32. I drive fast but not crazy on the curves. I don't' expect to get more than 10K out of the set. The warranty for northern people is not far, we don't normally drive in the winter so the warranty being only two years is really about 1/2 of that for the normal rider in the South.

Note: (my opinion) run the front tire at 42-45 and the rear tire at a high point than recommended.

In summary not sure I will ever reach 15K, If I make 10K I will be surprised They start with 10/32 (8mm)
 

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#13 ·
My friends original Dunlop front tire is almost at the tread warning strips at 7000 miles while the rear looks to have thousands of miles left. He ordered a Bridgestone Exedra for the front and will add the rear when needed. I asked him if he's been doing stoppies to wear that front out so quick...hehehehe He said he uses both brake pedals and uses the rear brake quite a lot.
 
#16 ·
At least over 9000 miles on these but you can see the wear bars almost even here.
There actually is some wear on the sides of both but it doesn't show much in the photos. Haven't really been real aggressive with these tires.


The front is better but would rather not try for the extra 1000 miles so plan to replace both at the same time.


I have the saddlebags removed and the tires strapped on the pillion for the trip in tomorrow. I'll take the bike to the dealer during my lunch time. I'll pick up a loaner bike to get back to work, and then back to the dealer at the end of the day. My dealer will give me a loaner for the day while mine is in their shop. At least the last time I replaced tires there they didn't charge for it. They let me take one of the used bikes sitting out in front of the store as an "extended test ride" just for the day.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Dropped off at the dealer while I'm now back at work. 33110 miles on the odo makes it 9056 miles on the Exedra Max tires with wear as shown in photos above. Here is the loaner bike they let me ride while working on mine:



Decided already that the shield is about 2 inches too high for my tastes and first gear is WAY too low (just enough to make the bike move and then must up-shift to keep going). Otherwise handling is better than I remember on my Gold Wing since CG is much lower. If anything happens to my CTX1300 I may consider this... if I can't find another CTX.
 
#20 ·
What a great "loner"! Wow! ;D
 
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#22 ·
Other than the low first gear ratio the overall ride was nice. Once into 2nd and 3rd gear it would really go. But by the time I could shift into 2nd and 3rd I'd be way down the road on my CTX. I can tell a difference in the suspension between my CTX1300 and the F6B, but not for the price difference. That F6B was a 2013 and the dealer is asking about $17,000 for it! Only 1569 miles though but still 4 years old. No cruise, no self-cancel turn signals, no BT (but it does have the typical Wing CB/Radio and plug for a wired headset). I already knew the saddlebags were bigger than the CTX and that is nice but again, not for the price difference. I was happy to get my CTX back and feel at home again. :D The suspension is fine for me the way it has broken in now and I'm actually more comfortable sitting on my CTX than on the F6B.

The ride home on the Avon tires was nice. They seemed to perform well, but pavement was dry and tires are new. Too soon to really tell how they will be but I'll know for sure in the next 2 weeks... which will include a trip to the WiSTOC event as listed in the Events & Gatherings forum and also on the ST-Owners forum. That event is the only reason I didn't attempt to put on another 1000 miles, just like last year when I swapped out the tires just before a long trip. I did like the Exedra Max tires, but like the Shinko tires they didn't last very long in my experience. The Shinkos lasted the fewest miles I've put on a set of tires, and these Exedra Max only lasted 500 miles farther. My hope is that the Avon tires I now have will perform as well as the Exedra Max tires and last closer to the OEM Dunlop tires. At least the rear Storm 3D X-M is supposed to be the extended miles (X-M) tire.
 
#23 ·
So I replaced my OEM Bridgestone Excedra rear around 11k with the Excedra max. I just went over 20k and the max is on the wear bars so I anticipate getting about 11k out of these as well. I just don't think anything but a car tire is going to get much more than that. I actually cry a little looking at all the unused rubber on either side of my Florida flat spot right in the center. the front was replaced by a max as well, but at around 15k so it still has a lot of life in it.
 
#24 ·
My gold standard for motorcycle tires is the Dunlop Elite 2 tires I had on my Gold Wing. Went over 21,000 miles per set on those. Based on what darksiders say about miles they get that's not all bad. Of course, that was with a lot of VERY conservative and sedate riding with that Wing. The 16,000 miles I got with Avons on my ST is more what I hope to get on the CTX.
 
#25 ·
Bob, how much did the dealer charge you to put on the tires? I've got 9200 miles on my OEM Bridgestone Exedras, and guess they'll hit the wear bars in another 500 miles. I've got a set of Exedra Max tires sitting in storage, ready to be put into action when the time is right.
 
#26 ·
WAY, WAY too much. Averaged about $75 per tire. But I knew that since I rode the bike in rather than remove the tires myself. I really don't like driving a cage so I ride the bike to the shop to let them do the work. I do remove the saddlebags but suspect they still charge a fixed rate for tire replacement per model bike. Getting a loaner bike is fun too, especially when it's something I want to test ride anyway. There is another shop near the dealer who would charge half the dealer's rate per tire but I'm not confident in them working on my CTX since it's not so common. 12 years ago I did have the smaller shop swap tires on my Wing and was only charged around $30+ per tire with me providing the tires and riding in. But Wings are far more common for this guy to see.

Some day I'll get more tools to do it myself. Or not. :350x700px-LL-66dd6d
 
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#27 ·
I ordered another set of Excedra Max's today and will have them installed next week. The rear has a slow leak (however I phrase it, I can't help giggling) and it's just at the wear bars so I figured it's time. I normally go beyond the wear bars and squeeze as many miles as I can here in dry and sunny SoCal, but plugging a "done" tire would be pushing it. Front still has life, but replacing it too. I have 9,000 miles on the tires and I am completely happy with them. Looking forward to the next 9,000 miles!
 
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