Tire Advice please

[suzib6sw]

I think I already know the answer and given Metzeler's past history with some of the Voyager's owners and the age of the tire I will probably go ahead and change it.. but....

The '86 has had a slightly chequered history..
It had stood in a basement since 2002 having been "down the road" after a DUI driver forced the then owner off it..
During the course of the rebuild, the rear tyre was replaced.. A Metzeler MT88 Marathon.. The date stamp indicates 2002..
Now, until it came into my possession, the rear tire had very few miles on it.. It still has loads, and I mean loads of tread left..
The side walls are perfect, and there is no crazing or splitting on the walls, or within the tread pattern where it joins the carcass..
However, in the center of the tyre, in the body of the tire, not the tread blocks themselves, there is a 1" split. Its not down to the canvass or wires.. but its there..
Do I ..
1: pour some tire cement in there and deflate it and use cramps to squeeze it back together to seal it..
2: Do the above AND fill it with Slime?
3: bite the bullet and replace ?

If 3.. I have seen the Full Bore USA M66 tires are VERY similar pattern to the Metzelers and yes.. I know the arguments but they are half the price and getting very good reviews on HDs and Sports bike alike..

As as a FYI, the Front Metezler , while newer, also has lots of tread left... And yes I do have Elite 3's front and rear on the '94..

Cheers, and Beers...

Pete

[David (N. Alabama)]

Well Pete. The real question is how much risk are you willing to undertake. I rode 1000 miles with a plugged tire because my trip was the next day and I had no time to even think about changing the tire. The screw was in a rain groove and the plug went in well. I checked the air pressure every morning and was hypersensitive to any changes in handling during the ride.

I am not a fan of the Metzlers and had several splits in a rear 880 I had on the Voyager. Got it replaced under warranty and swapped to the E3s as soon as I could.

If you are only riding that particular bike back and forth to work on back roads where you do not exceed a certain speed would provide a different answer than if you were planning to take the bike across country.

Good Luck.

[doug of so fla]

Pete: I just changed tires last night and have used Metzeler on the last 3 tire changes 10,000 on the rears not good imho. So I put on e-3's and am hoping for better mileage on the XII. I have filled a crack on a Dunlop 491 and it was ok. (I have access to a recaping facility. It was done by a expert) In your particualr case I would bite the bullet because if you have a split on a Metz you probably have heard that they have had problems in the past with tires splitting and chunking (I think they were ones made in Brazil. and that old of tire is probably as hard as a rock. I know that tires are way to expensive and nothing out there IMHO compares to a Dunlop 491 Elite II for my use(22 to 24 thousand miles on a rear tire) on the XII but they are now very hard to get. Each tire has it's own personality. I know the pricing is high but remember the tires are the only thing that is keeping your A## off the road. Ride Safe is the best way!!

[debron]

Wow! if it weren't for the 1" split, I'd say keep the tire. If it's been in a basement it hasn't been subjected to UV rays from the sun (tire killers.) However, given the age and the split I would opt for a new tire. At half the price, a Full Bore USA M66 might be worth trying. Even if you got only half the miles you would at least break even. Plus we would love to here your report on the tire, handling, longevity, etc. Also, take into account David's comments on how you plan to use the bike.

[JHD]

Pete my rear Avon had a split like you are detailing that my mechanic found. He said to change it out sooner than later and to also keep the trips short. I decided to replace both tires with the Conti Milestones which I will say are great performing tires. I would replace it asap.

Brad

[gbakman53]

Pete, I have no personal experience with this but as many have stated, you are betting your life on
"the rubber that meets the road". So any brand of tire you buy is better than the one you have
right now. It is defective and you are "hoping" it will not put you down. Why take that chance.
Safe Riding.

[Bill O]

Jumping in late on the conversations, but here's my two cents.....

Have had two ME 880's rear tires throw rubber on me. Don't respond about air pressure or any crap like that. I am a conscientious rider.

I will never, ever (well maybe not ever) knowingly put an ME 880 on my rear wheel again.

Yes, One of my bikes has an ME 880 on the rear right now, due to it being the only tire available prior to a long trip.

I even turned down the recall from Metzler for free, new tire replacements. 1st time, Shame on you, second time, shame on me, third time.......I'm an idot!


Nuff said!
Bill O

[VoyKimmer]

If it was me I would replace with this. Got 14,000 out of the rear with no issues. Great tire.

http://www.jakewilson.com/p/52/-/343/75 ... CYCLE+TIRE

Check out this Thread on this tire.

http://www.voy.com/13854/3/46118.html

[ekap1200]

If it was me I would replace with this. Got 14,000 out of the rear with no issues. Great tire.

http://www.jakewilson.com/p/52/-/343/75 ... CYCLE+TIRE

I have a question ?? the tire listed on the web link does not show the load index nor speed symbol, just that its listed for our voyager. Since you have this tire , could you tell me what the listing is on the tire. I always shoot for a front of (H77) and on the rear I buy an (H80). Am I missing something on the web site ? I am waiting on my new Avon,Venoms to arrive this week. As for the question at hand , Pete I would change out any questionable tire. If you have ever been two up at about 85 and blow a tire in heavy traffic, you would understand my concern about rubber. Just my two cents. Gene Kap.
Check out this Thread on this tire.

http://www.voy.com/13854/3/46118.html

[JHD]

If it was me I would replace with this. Got 14,000 out of the rear with no issues. Great tire.

http://www.jakewilson.com/p/52/-/343/75 ... CYCLE+TIRE

I have a question ?? the tire listed on the web link does not show the load index nor speed symbol, just that its listed for our voyager. Since you have this tire , could you tell me what the listing is on the tire. I always shoot for a front of (H77) and on the rear I buy an (H80). Am I missing something on the web site ? I am waiting on my new Avon,Venoms to arrive this week. As for the question at hand , Pete I would change out any questionable tire. If you have ever been two up at about 85 and blow a tire in heavy traffic, you would understand my concern about rubber. Just my two cents. Gene Kap.
Check out this Thread on this tire.

http://www.voy.com/13854/3/46118.html

Gene if you open the link then click on the size box it will show the load index and weight symbol.

[ekap1200]

thanks JHD, I was missing something, Not bad pricing on the Avon, Venoms. Gene.

[jre258 in SoDak]

I'm currently running the Duro tire on the rear of my XII. Just bought a matching front . Still quite a bit of tread left on the Dunlop Elite II but I've had the bike 8 years and I don't know how old the tire was when I bought it. I'm going to have the front end apart to fix a leaking fork seal so I figured as long as the wheel is off, might as well change the tire.

[VoyKimmer]

Gene

Duro HF296C BLVD 150/90-15 (79H) Tread 5 plies, Sidewall 4 plies, Max Load 960lbs, Load Range C

[ekap1200]

While on the Avon tyre site just looking around I came across this.....Well since this a Avon tyre plug from their site, and a great video I just had to post the link. After watching the shear and utter abuse these two bikers subject their tires to I feel safe going with my choice of tires. We all had a blast today watching this video many times during the course of the day. Hope ya'll enjoy this as much as we did. Gene Kap.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... e0V71sGoxA

[Nathan (South Carolina)]

I can vouch for Avon Venom X tires because I have been averaging between 25,000 to 27,000miles on a rear tire and almost 30,000 on the front. I usually replace a tire every 2 years (4 years for both) averaging at least 1,000 miles a month and several AVA rallies. I have over 133,000 miles on my VXII and have been using the Avon Venom X after replacing the original Dunlop rear tire at 9,000 miles.

[David (N. Alabama)]

While on the Avon tyre site just looking around I came across this.....Well since this a Avon tyre plug from their site, and a great video I just had to post the link. After watching the shear and utter abuse these two bikers subject their tires to I feel safe going with my choice of tires. We all had a blast today watching this video many times during the course of the day. Hope ya'll enjoy this as much as we did. Gene Kap.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... e0V71sGoxA

Those are some madd skills! Of course at the end you get to see what really happens when you ride/drive like that. I'll bet they don't get many miles out of those Avon tires!

[suzib6sw]

Ok.. well I settled on a FullBore USA M-66 Tour King.. I know... Unknown brand as such, but the reviews I have read seem to praise it with virtually no negative about the tire itself.. Tread pattern is similar to the Metzeler which continues to have bad press about the tread issues (mainly due to incorrect inflation).. Having said that, no other tire seems to chunk like the metzeler. Cupping yes, but no self destruction in virtually any other brand..
I did look at the Duro, nice, I love the crazy trad pattern on the IRCs Wildflare..
While price played a part, the fact that no one else has tried one on a XII that I know of, was another factor as I occasionally like to be different :-) So.. its on its way for $93 inc Shipping and tax...
So once its on and I have thrown the 86 through a few twisties here and over the VERY badly repaved Prices fork Road here in VA (Someone needs to fire the contractor who did the job in uneven thirds across the 15 miles to work), I will report my findings.
I do have a benchmark to compare the Metzler/Fullbore against as I have newish lite 3s on the 94..
Thanks for all the suggestions folks.. I know tires are a re-occuring theme as is oil, fuel, etc etc..
Cheers and beers..

Pete

[suzib6sw]

The Fullbore USA M66 Tour King Arrived on Friday night.. Nice looking boot..
Didnt get chance on Saturday to do anything with it but did check the sidewalls and interior for date stamps etc and construction.. It was dated in the latter half of last year.
Anyway, got chance Sunday to remove the rear wheel.. Much easier than I thought.. For some reason I was thinking it was going to be hard but removing the bags, and undoing the bolts that hold the rear fender and then the rear subframe , proved to be very quick and easy.. Removed the rear caliper and the caliper bracket,
Dropped the bolts out of the rear foot rests, eased the zorsts done, put a cloth over the mufflers by the rear axle, and pulled the cotter pin from the castellated nut and got the wrench on the nut..Stood on the wrench and slackened it off.. Nut off, tapped the axle through and made sure the cloth was still on the muffler on the other side and then just worked the axle out.. Caught the spacer on the nut side.
Once that was done. just pulled the wheel off the drive and out through the back..

Took the wheel and tire to the local bike shop and got it all fitted.. I did check the split on the Metzeler again and yes. It was down to the canvass so it was definately due for a change coupled with the Year 2000 date stamp.. Pity as the tire had less than 2000 miles on it, but with the age and the Metzeler's rep, change was really inevitable.
Anyway, the FullBore has a more rounded profile, so should be interesting to get it all back together and on the road.. At the same time, Im replacing the 86's rear shocks with Progressives as the originals havent been touched in 89K and 25 years.. .. should be interesting to say the least :-)

Cheers..
Pete

[suzib6sw]

Hmm.. initial ride feels good.. Was a tad damp this morning plus its a new tire so I wanted to scrub off the release goo..
On the dry patches, I weaved her about and she certainly feels ok plus it didnt seem to want to rain groove over a particularly cr*ppy 5 miles of VDOT subcontracted out resurfacing..
I had also fitted progressive rear shocks last night.. What a difference... The 26 year old originals were obviously a little tired..

Anyway.. will report back soon..

[suzib6sw]

Ok.. so an update...
Last night, the ride was somewhat dryer so I pushed a little harder and was pleasantly surprised..
That 5 miles of Baddd blacktop seems to be a pretty good test.. The front Metzler (fairly new) raingroved in several places giving a very unsteady feeling.. The FullBore held on pretty well.. the one time I felt it groove, it came back on track very quickly.. but no weaving or uncertainty at all.
Im still a little cautious with the tire being new and covered in release goo, due to a nasty lowside I had in the UK with a brand new Bridgestone and the dealer using washing up liquid to install it as he had run out of tire soap, but the few opportunities I did have to get a little lower felt good..
The profile is definitely more rounded than the Metzler and the slightly more than the E3 on the 94 so hard cornering will be interesting.. Launch grip felt good and slow speed maneuvering seemed sure footed..
So far, so good..

Pete