[bob]

Just noticed comparing the CTX1300 to F6B and GoldWing...
Same front tire on all 3.
Bigger rear tire on the CTX!
Looked at the ST1100 and ST1300 and both front and rear are smaller on the ST (both).

How does that compare with other bikes here?

 

[rosy thorn]

smaller wheel diameter, smaller rims or smaller width?

 

[sleepngbear]

Thunderbird is close.

CTX1300 -- front: 130/70 R18 (diameter 25.165"), rear: 200/50 R17 (diameter 24.847")
Thunderbird -- front: 120/60 R19 (diameter 24.669"), rear: 200/50 R17

And just for comparison sake:
ST1300 -- front: 120/70 ZR-18 (diameter 24.614"), rear: 170/60 ZR-17 (diameter 25.031")
ST1100 -- front: 120/70 ZR-18 (diameter 24.614"), rear: 160/70 ZR-17 (diameter 25.819")


And totally off-topic, but Bob, I think you will appreciate this (keep in mind it appears to be from the UK):

Road Test: Honda ST1100 v. ST1300 - Road Tests - Visordown

 

[bob]

Interesting article. Thanks.
I am more like the riders that like the "old pan" and that's what I have now.

 

[bob]

smaller wheel diameter, smaller rims or smaller width?

Sorry about that...
skinnier tires is what I should have said. See Ed's post for sizes on some of those. The GW and f6B both have a 180/60R-16 rear but the same front as the CTX. What surprised me was that the rear on the CTX was fatter than the GW/f6B and the front on the CTX was fatter than the ST bikes. I just had not looked closely at that before.
All that I mentioned have the same 18" front/17" rear diameter.

 

[Davetac1]

The Tbird I currently own,also came from the factory with ZR tires,just like the CTX does.The "R" means radial,and the "Z" means, speeds up to and beyond 168 MPH, which I just know we'll all drive at,lol,especially since the CTX,like the Bird and many other models,will not even come close to.

Now looking at the picture of the CTX,the tires look to be Bridgestones.I ran a set of those on my Bird and got a warping 8000 miles out of the front and 5000 miles out of the rear,which was totally unacceptable!And unless I miss my guess,that's what the CTX will get for tire mileage tof course,the Bird is also about 70 lbs. heavier.But the point is,the CTX,like the Bird,is NOT capable of those speeds,nor is it made for the purpose of goin around corners at warp speed.In other words,unless your machine is capable of those speeds,and or you plan to go around sharp turns at those speeds,you don't need these tires.But unfortunately that's what the MC manufacturers all seem to be using these days.

Now I went thru 20 tires,yes I said 20,[$2000 just for the tires which I bought on line cheaper then what the stealer gets,plus I do my own work] over a three year period and 60,000 miles before I finally found a pair that are giving me the best of both worlds.And it was only recently,again trial and error,that I found these tires that I'm now using and getting decent,not great,but way better mileage out of than all the other ZR tires on the market.And I think I've tried em all.And those tires are the Avon Cobra 130/70ZR/19 front [the Honda uses an 18 inch but is also available in the 130/70ZR/18 size],and a Dunlop American Elite 200/55VR/17,[the "V" means speeds up to 149 mph] the same size as the CTX uses,on the rear.[the 55 series works just as good as the 50 series tire which is what actually comes on the rear of the CTX and Triumph's Tbird.

Anyways,these are the growing pains that you guys are about to go thru.But, it's not just the Honda and Triumph,it's all the motorcycle manufacturers that are using these ZR tires and the customers all have the same complaint,SHORT TIRE LIFE,which WILL get expensive if you drive any kind of mileage like I do.So there's something else to think about.Questions??? Dave!!!

 

[bob]

I sure hope these tires get more miles than that! I'm used to getting somewhere between a minimum of 8000 miles and a max of over 20,000 miles on a set of tires. Yes, I said set. I generally used Elite 2s on my GW and got about 21K miles on both f/r. My ST1100 I am currently running Bridgestone BT023 due to that's what was available quick to replace a blown belt in the former Avon Storm 2 set that I used to have. Had over 8000 miles on the Avon and I am currently at just over 9000 miles on these and expect at least another few thousand before needing to replace. I forget the first set of tires that were on my Burgman 650 but the second set were Pirelli tires put on after the first set went over 18000 miles, only had that scoot for just over 22,000 miles. I figure I'm doing well to get between 12k-16k, but depends on the bike and brand of tires.

 

[Davetac1]

I too used Dunlop's EII on both of my first gen Ventures,83 and 93,[Dunlop didn't make one to fit the RSV].Then Dunlop came out with the EIII,which fit my RSV,which I was using and getting,[ready for this] 25,000 miles front and rear.Not bad for a machine with a curb weight of almost 900 lbs.!! But when I bought the Tbird,and had to change tires every 6 or 7,000 miles,I was ready to burn the dam thing cause,it seemed as though,no matter what tire I used,none of em would last longer then 6 or 7000 miles and the EIII wasn't and STILL isn't available for the Bird.And,like I said,I wasn't the only guy that felt that way.So here we go again with the trial and error thing which FINALLY paid off,but not before WASTING $2000 on 20 tires that did NOT last.Even my wife said I should burn that machine.lol

But as I said,Avon's Cobra on the front and Dunlop's American Elite on the rear,which is what I'm now using on the Bird, will give ya pretty decent mileage compared to all the others,and both are available in the size that fits the CTX.And just the other day,I discovered that Dunlop's EIII is NOW available in the 130/70R/18 size ,which is what fits on the front of the CTX. So things are startin to look up guys.lol lol Dave!!!

 

[jgalfo]

I use an Avon Cobra on the front of my Goldwing and a "Alternative" mototcycle tire on the rear. I am currently at 20,000 miles and the front needs to be changed soon and the rear can probable go another 10 to 15 thousand before I need to consider changing it. I plan to convert the CTX 1300 after the first set of factory tires.

John

 

[sleepngbear]

I use an Avon Cobra on the front of my Goldwing and a "Alternative" mototcycle tire on the rear. I am currently at 20,000 miles and the front needs to be changed soon and the rear can probable go another 10 to 15 thousand before I need to consider changing it. I plan to convert the CTX 1300 after the first set of factory tires.

John

:cough: dark-side :cough-cough:



You're actually going to have a little wider wheel for that on the CTX1300.

 

[Davetac1]

Hey Ed!! How much snow do ya have down there in sunny R.I.??? We got 9 inches so far with more comin.The good news is,it's powder and easy to blow.I was just out blowin the driveway out just in case the wife decided to run away.lol lol But!!! No soap,she refuses to leave.lol lol lol lol Dave!!!

 

[sleepngbear]

Hey Ed!! How much snow do ya have down there in sunny R.I.??? We got 9 inches so far with more comin.The good news is,it's powder and easy to blow.I was just out blowin the driveway out just in case the wife decided to run away.lol lol But!!! No soap,she refuses to leave.lol lol lol lol Dave!!!

HA! We got about 6", but it's heavy wet stuff. It stopped snowing around 11-ish and turned to light rain. I'm lucky to be able to work from home when it gets crappy like this, and I was able to get out and blow the driveway before it got any wetter. Even at that I had to put the snowblower in granny gear for some of it 'cos it's so heavy. I just heard that Blackstone is in the double digits, and it was still coming down.

I took my wife to work this morning at around 6, and it had just started coming down hard. Couldn't see sh%t, and the wipers kept icing up. Lots of fun that was.

Gettin' tired of this crap!

 

[Davetac1]

I know what the problem is Ed.You should have just taken the wife to work on the back of your scooter.I'll just bet she would have been wild over it! Or should I say,would have gone WILD about it! lol lol But being the nice,wonderfull ,considerate,and generous person that I am,and because you only got 6 inches of snow,I'll send ALL MY SNOW down to ya to make up for the deficiency!! lol lol lol And for free!! lol lol What a guy,huh?? lol lol Dave!!!

 

[SoCalRyder]

It's days like today that made me wish I lived in a big city and had a snowmobile, i'd just hoon it out on the streets and highway
Cops won't know what to do thats if they even decide to do anything

 

[Davetac1]

Just alittle FYI if anyone's interested.Dunlop's EIII now comes in both configurations,radial and bias,and in a 130/70R/18 or a 130/70/18,which is what fits the front end of the new CTX.

Avon [AV71] also now makes a radial tire in that size which is also a good front tire.I have the Avon on the front of my Tbird right now and so far,has the longevity that all the others I've tried,did not.[Dunlop doesn't make one in the 130/70/19 size,which is what the Bird uses on the front] They all handled well,but just didn't last,with the exception of the Avon which is still goin like the energizer bunny rabbit.Both Dunlops are the same price,while the Avon is a couple bucks more,but all three are excellent tires.So it's just a matter of preference.

Now you can mix a radial tire with a bias tire on a motorcycle without getting into trouble. [Triumph does it on one of their performance models] Motor vehicle law clearly states: automobiles can use a pair of either bias or radial tires, as long as they're on the same axle.But ya can NOT mix a bias tire with a radial tire on the same axle.That's a non no.In other words,you can run a pair of radials on one end of the vehicle and a pair of bias tires on the other end of said vehicle,but ya just can't mix em on the same axle.Ca Piche???Dave!!!

 

[TwelveBagger]

So far, the only thing I'm disappointed in with the CTX1300 is that fat tire on the back. I really wish they would have kept it at 180 or less to help cornering performance. I don't know why they put the fatty 200 on the rear when they are boasting about building a bike that has better performance and easier handling. Maybe to appease the custom cruiser riders? Doesn't make sense to me. But I'm keeping an open mind and hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Can't wait to hear the ride reviews when the bike becomes available to the public. I'll be checking out the bike at the motorcycle show this coming Friday here in Seattle.

 

[Davetac1]

Avon's Cobra [AV72] comes in a 180/55ZR/17 size,as well as other tire manufacturers, because there are factory machines that use that size tire on the rear.And it WILL fit on the back of the CTX with no problem,just in case you're interested.The only down side,if ya wanna call it that,is the speedometor will be alittle off [2 or 3 MPH faster] then with the with the 200MM tire which is no big deal.So check em out. Dave!!!

 

[bob]

... I'll be checking out the bike at the motorcycle show this coming Friday here in Seattle.

Don't forget pictures (like I did) and maybe some with you on it.

 

[sleepngbear]

So far, the only thing I'm disappointed in with the CTX1300 is that fat tire on the back. I really wish they would have kept it at 180 or less to help cornering performance. I don't know why they put the fatty 200 on the rear when they are boasting about building a bike that has better performance and easier handling. Maybe to appease the custom cruiser riders? Doesn't make sense to me. But I'm keeping an open mind and hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Can't wait to hear the ride reviews when the bike becomes available to the public. I'll be checking out the bike at the motorcycle show this coming Friday here in Seattle.

I've got a 200 series tire on the back of the Thunderbird, and it really doesn't affect cornering at all. The VTX1800 had a 180 rear, and cornering on the T-bird is almost identical to the VTX. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Davetac1]

The Tbird comes with Metslers on both ends,and in the 200/50ZR/17 size on the back,just like the new CTX1300 has.And in the search for a better tire that would last longer on my Bird,one of the tires I tried was Avon's Ultra II in the 185/55ZR/17 size,[a smaller tire] but didn't get any better wear out of it then with the 200/50.However, the ride and handling were fine using that smaller tire.The only down side was the speedo was a couple MPH faster at the same RPM which you can live with.Anyways, the Avon Cobra series and Dunlop's Elite II and or III series tires,would be a good option when lookin for replacement tires.

I buy my tires in advance,always keeping a front and rear tire in stock and have been doin that now for close to 50 years.That way,I always have one when needed,which then,buys me time to get another tire to replace the one I just used from stock.Sound like a good idea?Ya see,years ago,if ya needed a new tire,ya had to wait if the bikes shops did not have one in stock,hence the bike stayed parked.Bummer!!!And even today,and on occasion,the places on line that sell MC tires are sometimes temporarily out of stock.So again,ya wait and the machine stays parked.Well,while I'm waiting for a new tire to arrive,I've already put my new in stock tire on and am out riding.And as soon as the on line tire store gets the tire I ordered,they ship it out to me and I'm back in business.Follow me??? Not bad for a Dumb Polock,whadaya think??? Dave!!!