Steel Radial Sport Touring Tires

1967 R50/2 · 06-02-2003, 06:16 AM

Anyone know if there is a good steel radial sport touring tire for the S? I know TOURING tires are out there...but don't know about the "sport" aspect.

roger albert · 06-02-2003, 07:19 AM

Sure, many (OK, maybe not steel, and that has been heavily supplanted by kevlar and aramid and nylon and who knows what else)

Anyway, Dunlop D205 or D220
Michelin Macadam 100 or Pilot Roads
Bridgestone BT020

Those are the most common anyway.

At 6000 miles now, my rear mac100 is getting a bit squared, but the front has several thousand left in it.

CarlosT · 06-02-2003, 07:37 AM

The Metzeler MEZ4 is the only one I know that is steel belted. The Sportec M1s are also steel belted. Very nice...just don't try to plug them

06-02-2003, 09:40 AM

I once had macadam 100x's on my fazer 600.

They last for absolutely ages i'll give them that, BUT i once had to do an emergency stop when a car braked in front of me FOR NO REASON (f**%er) and my front wheel locked like i've never experienced! - Absolutely minimal grip when you need it the most. They also take a hell of a long time to warm up, and I used to think it wasnt important - I do now.

I got to the point where I couldnt trust the tyres so I switched to BT020's and I swear they are so much better in every way.

Thats just my experience!

Adam

1967 R50/2 · 10:08 AM

I thought steel belts were relatively new in M/C tires. Maybe I am wrong, but I thought all the Kevlar, nylon, etc was just "New" old bias ply technology. The issue as understood it was how to get a steel belt into a tire as curved as a M/C tire. Apparently that was solved. Can't say I spend too much time studying tire technology though.

Soooo..how long have steel belted M/C tires been around?

bikerfish1100 · 06-02-2003, 10:08 AM

i'm running the Pilot Roads on my S, which are the upgrade/replacements for the Macadams (which were great on my K11RS, phenomenal in the wet, and 12k worth of miles b4 cuppping away, btw). so far, with about 2K on them, i have had no problems. My Duc loves the Sportecs, but i don't expect to get but diddly for mileage out of them.

roger albert · 06-02-2003, 10:09 AM

Well, again, it's not a matter of belt material, but bias-ply vs radial-ply.
They've been around over a decade now.

1967 R50/2 · 06-02-2003, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by roger albert
Well, again, it's not a matter of belt material, but bias-ply vs radial-ply.

Rog,

Please explain that. I've never heard of a "steel belted bias ply tire" or for that matter a "nylon radial tire." Didn't think either was possible. I thought it was the material of the belt that made radial construction possible...or maybe it's the reverse. That the method of construction (radial) allowed the use of more advanced materials.