Tire Options for our CB1100

[Red Mist_imp]

My bike came with the OEM Dunlops. I’ve found these tires difficult to source outside the Honda OEM dealer channel. As it was explained to me, motorcycle manufacturers and tire manufacturers sometimes collaborate on a tire and bike combination. In many of those situations, the tire then is only readily available through the motorcycle dealers’ spare parts distribution network. So, that seems to be the case with the CB1100 Dunlops…and that makes them expensive. Don’t know if everyone else knows that, but it was news to me.

Anyway, I looked back on my experience with the Dunlops and haven’t been disappointed…they have never slid out from under me. I’ll ultimately get more than 7,000 miles out of them, and guys who ride the same roads and speeds as I do say that’s a pretty good result. I believe my experience may differ from some posts here on this forum where I seem to recall the Bridgestones being favored. I read up on cupping, and found that it’s not necessarily indicative of any problem with the bike or tires. In fact, some suggest cupping indicates the tire is doing its job. I never experienced any wobble or handling problem relating to cupping on my front Dunlop.

I’m intrigued with the idea of trying the Michelin Road Pilot 3 which would allow a 160 rear tire, but some more experienced riders suggested that I not stray from the manufacturer’s recommended tire options. I’ve been told a good rider can do anything on the CB1100 that it’s capable of, using the stock 140 rear tire. I’ll stay tuned to see if the Michelin’s work out for other forum members.

Final result is that I bought the OEM Dunlops for my first tire replacement…I phoned a Honda dealer and had more luck getting a result knowing exactly what I wanted. I don’t like the front tire center line on both the Dunlop and Bridgestone OEM tires, but don’t hate it so much that I’d choose the Michelin Pilot Road 3 and risk not liking the 160 rear tire.

I think this is a great thread and I hope to come back and see how everyone has fared with their Michelins/Dunlops/Bridgestones/etc.

That's the conservative route and the best one to take if this be your first motorcycle. Burn through another set of Dunlops and then maybe you will want to try something else.

It is true that the Dunlops are a very good, very capable tire. I had them and yes, a solid rider who knows what he's about can certainly get a lot out of the CB1100 with the Dunlops. They provide a more comfortable ride than a bias-ply tire and better grip, although the available bias-ply tires for this bike also provide all the grip one could ever use. The bike's suspension and chassis are so vintage that the latest bias-ply technology is far ahead of it. In fact, bias-ply tires were already beyond the CB1100 25 years ago.

As a first bike you had best creep up on the limits of what you can do on it, so changing to a non-stock tire is only going to potentially confound the learning process. Stick with stock sizes.

My next set of tires will be BT-54s in the stock sizes. The Bridgestone 140/70 looks a touch wider than the Dunlop to me, so I'd like to give it a go.

That said, the BT-45s are also delivering everything this bike is capable of, gripping beautifully on rough pavement, tracking nicely, and riding reasonably well. I can't think how I'd need more stick that what they're providing but when I get tired of looking at them, they'll get changed.

If you are looking at 7,000 miles out of your tires, you are not asking much of them in terms of ultimate grip; you are riding very sedately and conservatively, which is just what you ought to be doing with your first bike, especially one of this weight and power. I just hit a boatload of tight mountain roads today (many 15 mph hairpins, gravel, busted up pavement, long drops with no guard rail) and the bike/tires worked very well. However, the weight and power make it very easy to overreach. I was wondering about this bike as a first bike but it's a free country...as always I recommend to you a track day or six, ASAP. There are plenty of opportunities for these in your neck of the woods.