Now I know much has been said about which tires each of us prefers on our bikes, but the time for me to get new tires will soon approach and I know I don't want any more Hoops as that's all I've ever had on all my Maxis. I just wanted to hear some final recommendations on which other tires to buy.

From what I've read on this forum, it seems that the majority that get non-OEM tires go for either Pirelli Diablos or Metzler Feel-Frees. You hardly hear about Michelin Pilot Sports (wish they made City Grips for SWings) or Avon Viper Strykes. So I will be looking mostly at the Pirellis or the Metzlers and price shopping them between a few local shops. It seems like they are dead even although the Metzlers seem to last longer. Is this true? Traction seems to by my biggest interest but if both are the same, then I'll go for the longest life tire next. Some say Diablos don't lose as much air pressure over time. Is this true?

So how many say Pirelli and how many Metzler?

I have Avon Viper Strykes and love 'em. I like the extremely sure grip they give on the twisties. For me that's well worth a somewhat shorter lifespan than other makes. If traction is your thing than I would urge you to give these a closer look.

How mant say DARK SIDE ??

Metzeler and Pirelli are same company. I had good luck with Diablo on Reflex made in Brazil. (tires)


Hard compound tires can get you killed when chips are down. Recent experience with AVON will keep me away from them for a long time---85-90F two up on my Concours=great. BUT 35-40 degreesF, wet, cold, dark-----bike wouldn't even go straight----lots of effort to keep bike up.

What is wrong with the tires Honda tested and recommended--IRC and Bridgestone?

My take tackbox techs cannot outthink Honda------and further going from stock tires isn't going to fix much or improve much. In the end you still have scooter

Just out of interest have any UK or Euro rider suffered the 'cupping' effect.

I cannot recollect any posts from anyone from this side of the pond mentioning it.

If so, (big if) I was thinking maybe just maybe it might not be the tyre/tire but more the road surface.

Theory only - very open to discussion and comment!

I've only had hoops on my silverwing so far. Run through 6 of them so far. I tried high air pressure, low air pressure, and honda's suggested pressure, but every one of them cupped really bad. Yesterday I bought my first diablo and will know shortly how well I like it.

Reading the advertising at the dealer yesterday, they had dual compound tires that were harder in the center of the tire yet softer at the edges. Thay way you get good tire life yet still have grip in the hard corners. The harder the compound the less it wears and the less it grips.

I had the Avon Viper Stryke on my Burgman 400 and wouldn't recommend them at all for anyone riding in rain. In the dry, they are fine. They also run at lower psi than other tires like the Pirelli and Hoop, so they soak up bumps fine.

But I had them slide out on me twice in rain. Not much, just a few inches...but enough.

I also installed a Avon Viper Stryke on the front and took it off in less than five miles. When we checked it back in the shop, we could see it was visibly out of round.

Majesty owners have had similar experiences too with the Avon Viper Stryke.

Chris

So I'm seeing a consensus by many (but not all) against Avon and much about what not to buy. But I'm still hoping to hear specific recommendations on either the Metzs or the Diablos or even Michelins. Almost like an opinion poll, if you will, on why choose one over the other.

I've noticed that everyone mentions the Pirelli Diablo but not the Pirelli GTS. I had the GTS tires a few years ago and loved them for great grip. Has anyone used both the GTS tires and the Diablo tires? A comparison would be great. The only difference I've noticed so far is that the Diablo is much more expensive, but I've never ridden it and so don't know if it's worth the additional money. Thanks guys!

I've had the OEM Bridgestone Hoop (once), the Avon Viper Stryke (once) and the Pirelli Diablo (twice). I'll go back to the Pirelli Diablo as soon as I can. The dry grip is wonderful, and the wet grip is better than the other two tires. They've never slipped at all.

My tire life on the Avon and Pirelli has been around 15,000 miles. I generally end up changing tires before the absolute end of their tread life, just because I like to start the rainy season with fresh tread.

Chris

Hi Daboo. It sounds like you have never ridden the Pirelli GTS then. Regardless, that's a very strong endorsement of the Diablo. Dry traction is very important for me, but wet traction is a high priority (the only time I dropped the bike at speed was in very oily conditions during the rain). Knowing how much rain you get up there through the winter that makes your endorsement even stronger. Thanks!

Everybody else, I have seen several endorsements of the Diablo (including Daboo), but it would still be helpful to have a comparison between the GTS and Diablo if there is actually anybody who has ridden both. I have had similar results with the GTS as many of you describe for the Diablo. If it turns out that the difference is not significant I can save some money by going with the GTS. If there is a big difference, then I'll bite the bullet and spend the extra money for the Diablo.

BTW, I don't want to totally hijack LVScooterBill's thread. He said above that he is still hoping to hear specific recommendations on either the Metzs or the Diablos or even Michelins. If possible please try to contribute to both parts of this thread. Thanks everyone!

I wrote Pirelli once and asked them about the GTS. Their reply was that the GTS was being phased out.

If you look at Motorcycle Superstore's available sizes for the GTS, you'll find they'll fit the older Burgman 400, but not the newer 400 which takes the same size tires as your Silverwing or the Majesty.

So if you can get the GTS in a size that fits the Silverwing, please let us all know where so we'll have another option to consider.

Chris

Bill:
My first Swing had the Hoops when I got it and I did not like how they tracked in sweepers or in tight twisties. They also developed the cupped diamond pattern described previously which made them vibrate in the corners. I replaced them with the Metzler feel free tires. The Metzlers were fantastic. They tracked nicely in the sweepers, and provided good traction in all road conditions wet, dry, hot, or very cold conditions (<20f). I have not tried the Diablos, but based on my experience I would strongly recommend the Metzlers.

Regarding the GTS vs. Diablo question, Daboo is entirely correct. The GTS tires are almost entirely unavailable. Out of 4 online retailers on 1 had the GTS24, and only 2 had the GTS23. In contrast, all 4 had both sizes of Diablo. I checked the following 4 retailers in order from low to high price. I used the prices from Motorcycle Superstore as the baseline (because they were always the lowest), and calculated the percentage difference of each of the others against the Motorcycle Superstore price. I have shown the percentage difference for the rear tires, and then for the front tires. (I don't know how the spacing is going to turn out until I submit the post. Hopefully it will be readable.)
Rear Front
A) Motorcycle Superstore $55 $51
B) American Motorcycle Tire +5% +6%
C) Dennis Kirk +15% +16%
D) Cycle Gear +27% +31%

I think you may also want to let your fingers do the walking...that's probably a phrase that's out of date with today's use of the Internet to find everything.

I called three places and got the same price for the Pirelli Diablo. However, the charge after that for getting out the door was entirely different. The dealership wanted about another $60 to remove the wheel, mount the tire, balance it, etc. Another shop would mount the tire if I brought the wheel in off the bike. The place I went to would do everything for free, except balance the tire...which was only $15. I've been going there since.

Also, when the Avon front tire was found to be badly out of round, they remounted the old Hoop, balanced it, ordered a replacement tire, mounted it, balanced it...all for the original price. If I had bought the tire online and had them install it, I suspect I would've paid for three mounting and balancing episodes.

Chris

Hi Chris,
I actually had all of those factors closely in mind, plus shipping costs. I am doing research on the internet, including the pricing, in order to be better prepared. My dealership has always been reasonable and fair with me, and they try to at least get close to the internet prices, which is all I ask. I totally agree about being aware of unexpected expenses. All of that has to be taken into account in order to get the "real" price for comparison, which is sometimes dramatically more than the "advertised" price. I also value having a good relationship with them, and I try to give them as much business as I can unless the price difference is just too extreme (in practice this is rarely the case). In short, I completely agree with your comments. Your real-life examples tell the whole story. Thanks!

Finally ordered my Diablos, but I was real close to ordering the Metzlers. I think JeffR's recollection of the Pirellis as being a slight bit "stickier" (as he put it) made me chose them. From what I gather they're almost the same, but in Vegas' high heat and riding in cool (30-50 degree) winter nights I'd prefer sticky over long lasting. I just can't wait to feel the difference over the hard stock Hoops.
BTW, I bought them through Motorcycle Superstore and the #1 preferred installer is the same place I was going to buy them from originally anyway. Let's hope they don't up the installation price to compensate.

I'm pretty sure that my dealership does charge a higher price if you get the tire elsewhere. It makes sense that they can only discount the installation if they are also getting the profit from the tire to offset it a bit. Hopefully your dealership will have little or no price difference.

The comments from several posts on the Bridgestone Hoop wear pattern describes my Silver Wing's situation as well. I will almost certainly make the switch to another tire later this month.

My dealer wanted over $00 to install 2 new tires bought from them.
I bought the Diablos for $96 shipped to my door and a local MC shop install them for a total of about $140. If I would have bought the tires from them I would have saved about 10 - 15 if I remember correctly. There is a huge difference in the way my Swing rides compared to the old hoops. I've put on 7400 miles on the new tires in the last 5 months and still going strong.

Edit to my post, the dealer wanted $400 to install tires bought and installed by them.

Hi Donodii,
I'm confused about the difference between the "dealer" and the "local MC shop." My dealer has a full service department. Are you saying that the installation was much more expensive if done at the dealer than it was if done at a service-only shop? Considering the massive price difference you encountered I am intensely interested to find out. Thanks!