Radial vs. Bias ?

[Jayimpalaman_imp]

I am thinking about going to a Bias tires for my 13'. I only ride around town mostly. Not that much long trips. I am not in love with the Stones' that came on my CB. Can everyone jump in and tell me what is going on between a Radial and a Bias tire ? Besides that Radial's cost more !! I just don't ride that hard. Be safe and God Bless us motorcycle riders !! We need the Blessing's.




Jayimpalaman

 

[ClassicVW_imp]

It's not the style of riding you do or the distance, it's all about the manufacturer's recommendations for what is supposed to be mounted. In a word- safety. ( and probably liability)
A reputable shop won't even install something for you that's not recommended by the manufacturer and not listed in their tire bible as being an option for your bike.

I wanted white walls once on my BMW CLC. There was a Dunlop WW tire listed for the front but none for the rear. My dealer was both H-D and BMW at the time. There was a Dunlop WW approved for Harley baggers of the same gross weight rating as my BMW. I asked the parts manager to sell me and install the Dunlop for Harleys on my BMW. He flat out refused since it wasn't listed as for my model. He could have sold me two tires and installation but did not. I left without buying any. Consider that in your tire deliberations.

 

[Mr Jangles_imp]

I was wondering the same thing. Most tires are BP anyway so as I'm looking at the suspension, rake and dynamics of the bike the CB is about as basic as can be, dual rear shocks standard fork rake, nothing too exotic so I'm going with BT 45's, 150 on the rear with the dual compound rubber. Go to motorcycle supershop and read all the positive reviews and decide. I do my own tires anyway.

 

[The Spaceman_imp]

If people put passenger car tires on their bikes and survive it (they do) you'll probably survive bias tires on the CB. But why not play using all the cards in the deck? Radial tires are a more advanced technology than bias ply, and Honda designed your bike to use them. Are the savings really enough to justify the swap?

 

[Randy B]

Besides you can get the stock tires for a decent price now that the bike has been in the states for a while. When I replaced my front tire the first time the ONLY place that I could get one was from the dealer and it cost me $169. Now I can find one for about $100 and the rear for about $130. Not too bad if'n you asked me.

http://motorcycle.chaparral-racing....hButton.x=0&ctl00$Header$SearchButton.y=0

 

[Houtman_imp]

A radial tire is "easier and safer" to ride out than a bias ply tire when you have a flat.

 

[Randy B]

A radial tire is "easier and safer" to ride out than a bias ply tire when you have a flat.

I can attest to that. I blew out my front tire at 75MPH and didn't realize it was totally flat. The steering got heavy, but not uncontrollable and there was no shake or wobble of any kind. Oh.....I rode on it for more than 20 miles....oopps.

EDIT: DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!!

 

[Pterodactyl_imp]

I was wondering the same thing. Most tires are BP anyway so as I'm looking at the suspension, rake and dynamics of the bike the CB is about as basic as can be, dual rear shocks standard fork rake, nothing too exotic so I'm going with BT 45's, 150 on the rear with the dual compound rubber. Go to motorcycle supershop and read all the positive reviews and decide. I do my own tires anyway.

I ran BT45, bias ply, for 16000kms. They are a good tyre.

Cheers

 

[Cormanus]

I'm running BT45s at the moment. Neither the Dunlops nor the Bridgestones recommended by Honda are available in Australia.

 

[Randy B]

I wonder what it would cost to ship them in?
http://motorcycle.chaparral-racing....hButton.x=0&ctl00$Header$SearchButton.y=0

 

[Cormanus]

Good question, Randy. When I bought the bike it had Dunlops and I thought they were OK. I'm no expert, but the BT45s may well be a slight improvement even if they're not radials. I'd prefer radials because of the better technology. Pterodactyl's moved up to the Michelin radials on the basis that they're available here. He likes them so I might follow his example if there are no other options when I need new tyres.

 

[Randy B]

I like having original type rubber on my bike if at all possible so I'd look into it if I were there, but that's just me.

 

[Cormanus]

I'm certainly not averse to original rubber, but not if it's going to cost a fortune to import it. This stuff changes so fast that it's hard to predict what will be happening when the need for new tyres rolls around.

 

[Randy B]

I hear that
Part of your problem down there is we have more population in the SF bay area than you do in the entire country.

 

[Cormanus]

That's exactly right, Randy. Although in other respects it's a blessing that the population is relatively small. Nothing is ever simple, is it