Tyres

Hello again all,
My query this time is tyres for my CB500S. I have a Continental on the front, with quite a bit of tread left on it and a Bridgestone BT45 on the back, which needs replacing immediately. Should I replace it with another BT45, or a Continental? I.e., which is better, a pair of Contis, a pair of BT45s, or the existing mix?
Thanks for your help.

I have similar dilemma...
Dunlop, Continental, Michelin, Metzeler...?
Any tips?

Hello Hotstepper, I have since had a Continental tyre fitted at the rear. A good mechanic in London recommended Contis and he fitted it for £100 all in, so if you're near London (Penge), his email address is: Dave@davewilkinsmotorcycles.co.uk I now have Contis on both the front and rear wheels.

BC3841 wrote:Hello Hotstepper, I have since had a Continental tyre fitted at the rear. A good mechanic in London recommended Contis and he fitted it for £100 all in, so if you're near London (Penge), his email address is: Dave@davewilkinsmotorcycles.co.uk I now have Contis on both the front and rear wheels.

Thnx BC3841!
No, I'm not near London
I live in Serbia, Novi Sad, (that's where the Exit festival is, if you heard about it) but thnx fot the tip! As I said, still thinking what to take, Continental is the cheapest, but I want a good tyre all around so I'm not prepaired to gamble... What's your expiriance with conti? On wet..?

I don’t have much experience with Conti tyres Hotstepper, so I’ve copied what a few other people have said on another website (it’s for CB550F and CB500 owners and it’s a very good website, they’re temporarily closed for renovation to the website so join up as a member when they’re back, the address is: www.bikersoracle.com ) Here is what other people have said:

First time looking for a new rear tyre. Any recommendatioons on the best for this bike?
For my vote, Bridgestone BT45s however,

What do you have on it at the moment and are you happy with it? if so then I'd suggest replacing with what you already have keeping it to what I would assume is a matching pair. If you're going to change makes, then personally I'd take the hit on the wallet and get both done.

imho Dunlop Arrowmax will last longer but are bloody awful, I just don't trust them at all, both my cb500s had Arrowmax, both were changed with thousands of miles left in them (in fact the second one I bought I insisted on a tyre change before it was even delivered)
I disagree with Ian on BT45 I hate them my unfavorite tyre!
I currently run Conti go but in the 70 rather than the standard 80 profile
I probably ridden CB500's with most of the available tyres fitted as I have four at present, my own + Three used as loan bikes and of course I have ridden a good few customers bikes
But my liking are not necessarily right for everyone I am a rather positive rider who is a definite fan of "slow in fast out" tending to corner power on rather the the smoother style of others, I also use a lot of active counter steer and therefore tend to lean the bike a lot and use all of the width of the tyre. this being at least in part why I favor the 70 profile over the 80 as
1 I like the quicker steering response a lower profile gives
2 I found I was running off the edge of the higher tyre! the lower profile allows a little more lean !

I sell a lot of conti's (there the only tyres I keep them in stock) and have found few riders who don't like them those that don't usually like bt45 !
Conti tyre pressures:
Pressure wise
I run much harder than recommended
I think the recomended is 30/33 but I run at 36/39
I prefer a more progressive transition from grip to slip ! Even if it is at the cost of a little grip

I recommend customer start at 33/37 and try going up or down in steps of a couple of pound until you find what you like
Dave, did you have Continental Avenue's prior to the Conti Go's?

and if yes, how would you say they compared feel and wear wise? ( Avenues -V- Go's )

My CB500R has Avenues on ( std 80 profile ) and I find them pretty good, especially when new, quite confidence inspiring.

You might be wondering how it is I still have those on, but the answer is the bike was laid up 4 years in parts whilst I gave the VFR a bit of life on the open road.

I've gotten a slow puncture in my front tire now ( definately a puncture as I rolled over some smashed ketchup bottle glass the 'recyclers' had kindly left just outside my driveway one morning )

So rather than risk mix and match, I'll be looking at a pair of tyres sooner than later but was trying to decide between BT45's and the Conti Go's which are as I understand it, are the Avenue's replacements.

I have a mix of riding in all weathers all year round, both 30mph trips to the shops, 60/70mph trips to the nearest city 20 miles away, and when it's nice and dry and sunny, ragging trips up the A686 to Hartside Cafe or A6 down to Devils Bridge etc.( nothing illegal though ).

Could you say why you loathe 45's so much? I thought they'd be fine as most CB500 cup racers use them, there must be a reason for that.
The Avenue is very similar to the go I been using conti on CB500 for about 7 years !

I just don't like the way they ware it like me you power though corners !
When I first got a CB500 it had a set on that had done 300mls
after another 500 or so I took the off and put conti's on the front went in the bin it was so badly and unevenly worn !

No I don't like Bridgstone tyres but I never got on with their Radial tyres on bigger bikes much either
Mmm so I guess Conti Go's are the answer then.
I'm a mid corner rider too I think. ( slow in fast out? )

Do you see much difference in miles per hour reading using those 70's profile instead of the std 80's?

I'll probably stick with the 80 profile because the roads are getting a bit rough around here and I need all the shock absorbtion I can get, even at the expense of a bit of handling improvement.
It obviously doesn't apply to the main commenters on this thread, but I learned a useful lesson when I changed bikes. Previously, I'd been obsessive about getting tyres with good dry/wet perforrnance, as well as good wear characteristics.

Having changed to a bike with trailie tyres (Metzeler Tourance), I was thus a bit worried about a reduction in performance. I needn't have bothered. I'm now riding faster and cornering faster on these tyres than on the Michelin Pilot Road 2s on the CBF. There's probably a bit of improvement in suspension quality, but confidence seems more important.

The lesson for me? You've got to be an on-the-limit rider for tyres to make a big difference.

Thnx BC3841.

I just bought ContiGo yesterday so I'll see how will they show after 500 miles...
Ass I see it, all riders are different and nothing is suitable for everybody.
I'm not execaly "Valentino Rossi" kind of driver, quite the opposite, so I don't think I'll be disappointed...