New tyres and a recommendation

Hi all,

Just had G.S.Motorcycle Tyres come round to fit new boots to my CB500 today and I have to say that Gary was spot on time, took less than an hour to fit both tyres and even fitted my new front brake pads whilst the wheel was off.

Everything was balanced, cleaned, lubricated and greased properly before being re-fitted and the total bill was very reasonable considering that I didn't have to take both wheels off and take them somewhere else to be fitted.

If you live in Berks or South Bucks, check them out:

http://www.gsmotorcycletyres.co.uk/

Thoroughly recommended.

Cheers

wishnik

hi,

sounds good ... what was the price...?

kwackboy wrote:hi,

sounds good ... what was the price...?

Hi kwackboy,

I got a pair of Conti Gos, fully fitted including VAT was £209 and the service was impeccable. When you think just buying the tyres would have been £140 pounds and then to have to take the wheels off and take them somewhere else to get done ... the price is well worth it!

Gary also slapped in some new front pads that I had got and was going to do myself whilst he was doing the tyres and he wouldn't take any extra money for doing them either.

He also checked the rear pads and used brake cleaner around all callipers etc before putting everything back. Really excellent.

Cheers

wishnik

conti go tyres imo are good tyres for the cb500 i have a set on now and feel confident with them in the wet . i have not felt them slip at all in the wet and they seem to be wearing well,

mind and scrub in your tyres wishnik

I may be lucky but my local (relatively local - Moorland Motorcycles @ Okehampton) serviceengineer will usually fit tyres,chains,sprockets etc. free of charge if you buy them through him. I had a totally destroyed rear tyre and for a new tyre (Heldenau like BT45 with a deeper central water groove)coming 17 miles to collect the bike fitting,balancing etc I got a bill for £111 which I thought was on the good side of reasonable.

My shop (burwin motorcycles) in london fit a pair of BT45's (imo are the best for a cb500) for £171, Thats fitted , balanced and new valves. The price for conti Go's are £160.

Not that im advertising .... ...lol

kwackboy wrote:My shop (burwin motorcycles) in london ...

Not that im advertising ....:oops: ...lol

I think burwins is well-known enough that you can get away with that... :)

Anyway, why shouldn't you let us know about a good deal?

smokiewazhere wrote:conti go tyres imo are good tyres for the cb500 i have a set on now and feel confident with them in the wet . i have not felt them slip at all in the wet and they seem to be wearing well,

mind and scrub in your tyres wishnik

I have Conti Road Attack 2's on my VFR800 and have found them excellent which is why I am giving the Conti Go's a go on the CB.

I commute 54 miles a day so they will be well scrubbed in by Tuesday evening!

oldenuff wrote:I may be lucky but my local (relatively local - Moorland Motorcycles @ Okehampton) serviceengineer will usually fit tyres,chains,sprockets etc. free of charge if you buy them through him. I had a totally destroyed rear tyre and for a new tyre (Heldenau like BT45 with a deeper central water groove)coming 17 miles to collect the bike fitting,balancing etc I got a bill for £111 which I thought was on the good side of reasonable.

That seems a good price - I recommended G.S. Motorcycles because they come to your house and do the tyres on your own drive thereby avoiding having to take the wheels off or ride the bike somewhere else ... a little luxury!

kwackboy wrote:My shop (burwin motorcycles) in london fit a pair of BT45's (imo are the best for a cb500) for £171, Thats fitted , balanced and new valves. The price for conti Go's are £160.

Not that im advertising .... ...lol

Hi kwackboy - those are keen prices - perhaps if I need tyres whilst I am in London I will check your shop out one day!

[/quote]Hi kwackboy - those are keen prices - perhaps if I need tyres whilst I am in London I will check your shop out one day![/quote]

Hi wishnic,
Your very welcome to pop by.... i keep BT45s in stock because they are the most in demand tyre for CB500s,i also keep Avons aswell. Anything else is special order on a days notice with a small deposit (this can be done by phone).

Hi guys,

maybe this is a stupid question but I have continental avenue tyres on my CB,

the back one is worn to the limit in the centre,can i put a bridgestone bt45 on the rear and still have the conti avenue on the front,which has another few thousand miles in It?

thanks

broc11 wrote:
maybe this is a stupid question but I have continental avenue tyres on my CB,

the back one is worn to the limit in the centre,can i put a bridgestone bt45 on the rear and still have the conti avenue on the front,which has another few thousand miles in It?

Personally, I would do it. If you are careful (as you should be with any new tyre) you should notice any 'effects' caused by mismatched tyres before they cause you any problems.

If you don't like the feel with the BT45 on the back/conti on the front combination all you need to do is shell out the cash for a BT45 front and the problem is solved.

Other people will (probably) disagree with me ;)

broc11 wrote:Hi guys,

maybe this is a stupid question but I have continental avenue tyres on my CB,

the back one is worn to the limit in the centre,can i put a bridgestone bt45 on the rear and still have the conti avenue on the front,which has another few thousand miles in It?

thanks

Hi broc11,

I personally have always matched front and rear but like ET said, if you are careful and do something about it as soon as it feels wrong then it should be OK.

I've had the Conti Go's on now for over 1000 miles and they are very capable tyres and a little cheaper than the BT45's.

Cheers,

wishnik

wishnik wrote:

broc11 wrote:Hi guys,

maybe this is a stupid question but I have continental avenue tyres on my CB,

the back one is worn to the limit in the centre,can i put a bridgestone bt45 on the rear and still have the conti avenue on the front,which has another few thousand miles in It?

thanks

Hi broc11,

I personally have always matched front and rear but like ET said, if you are careful and do something about it as soon as it feels wrong then it should be OK.

I've had the Conti Go's on now for over 1000 miles and they are very capable tyres and a little cheaper than the BT45's.

Cheers,

wishnik

thanks guys,

I think i'll just fit another conti avenue on the back if i can get one,

thanks

kwackboy wrote:

Hi kwackboy - those are keen prices - perhaps if I need tyres whilst I am in London I will check your shop out one day![/quote]

Hi wishnic,
Your very welcome to pop by.... i keep BT45s in stock because they are the most in demand tyre for CB500s,i also keep Avons aswell. Anything else is special order on a days notice with a small deposit (this can be done by phone).

[/quote]

Hi mate, I see you fit tyres so you are the man to ask, I just had bt45's fitted and the fitter thinks the higher pressures are too much,36-41, he says they wont grip as well as hondas recommended pressures,they do seem very hard,would you advise i stick with the higher pressures? thanks

Hi , 36-41 is the max pressure .. I run 33-38 on bt45s ... Max pressure is needed for two up riding or carrying loads ..
Although your tyres will grip at max pressure they will feel much better at the pressures I use .. But it's mostly down to personal preference and suspension ..

kwackboy wrote:Hi , 36-41 is the max pressure .. I run 33-38 on bt45s ... Max pressure is needed for two up riding or carrying loads ..
Although your tyres will grip at max pressure they will feel much better at the pressures I use .. But it's mostly down to personal preference and suspension ..

Thanks for that,I tried contacting bridgestone but got no response,I couldn't get an answer and I appreciate your advice.I will reduce them to 33-38

broc11 wrote:

kwackboy wrote:Hi , 36-41 is the max pressure .. I run 33-38 on bt45s ... Max pressure is needed for two up riding or carrying loads ..
Although your tyres will grip at max pressure they will feel much better at the pressures I use .. But it's mostly down to personal preference and suspension ..

Thanks for that,I tried contacting bridgestone but got no response,I couldn't get an answer and I appreciate your advice.I will reduce them to 33-38

Hi kwackboy,

I got speaking to a guy from bridgestone finally and he told me that 2.5 and 2.8 bar is the correct pressure for the cb5, they have tested it based on the suspension and weight of the bike,and those are the pressures they recommend,for 1 up or 2 up riding.

[quote/]

Hi kwackboy,

I got speaking to a guy from bridgestone finally and he told me that 2.5 and 2.8 bar is the correct pressure for the cb5, they have tested it based on the suspension and weight of the bike,and those are the pressures they recommend,for 1 up or 2 up riding.[/quote]


Hi,
That's good news but that's just a general test and basic recommendation. For a start we are all not the same weight and suspension. This may confuse matters but tyre pressures can be lowered the hotter the weather gets ...... As I said its all down to personal preference . I would suggest you try a few different settings to see how your bike feels .

Also broc, double check you're setting the pressures with the tyres cold.

mikeyg143 wrote:Also broc, double check you're setting the pressures with the tyres cold.

Thanks guys, Yeah I have an airline at home so the pressures are set when cold,hand a run today at the 36-41 and she feels 100% mind you the roads dry today,I'm not long back on a bike so having things spot on gives me more confidence

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.

hi bc3841,

I highly recommend the bt45's, grip and handling is fantastic,I run them at the higher pressure now,she's like a different bike since I got rid of the conti's, broc11

Thanks for your reply 'broc11'.