Tire Options for our CB1100

The ferret_imp said:
Why would Michelin keep shipping the 110 to England and not here? Some things I just do not understand.
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I suspect Michelin may have started making PR3s again. I think it was back in March when they said they weren't making them anymore and that whatever was in the warehouses was all that was left.

That seemed right, because the 110 fronts disappeared from the major retailers in July and the 160 rear tires started disappearing around August. When I checked places like Revzilla and Bike Bandit in late Sept., they didn't have our sizes anymore.

Now it seems like these are showing up again at the big web vendors and Searcher seems to have one with a date code that indicates it was made back in Aug. Long after Michelin was supposed to have stopped production.
 
The ferret_imp said:
Why would Michelin keep shipping the 110 to England and not here? Some things I just do not understand.
Click to expand...
There are many Michelin plants around the world. I believe the country of manufacturer is in the tire code, much like it is with a vehicle VIN.

Searching for tubed tires for the 2017 CB1100 EX was very frustrating. When I spoke to the Dunlop Motorcycle Tire Representative in Dayton, he said that they would not be bringing in the Dunlop tires for the 2017 CB1100 EX unless Honda USA ordered a good number of them. That did not happen, even though the parts dealers show the part numbers and prices on their web site.

But I understand they are available in Europe, and obviously in Japan.
 
I bought a 120 front back in August because I couldn't find any 110s. I put about 4K miles on it (including the Western Rally) and I honestly couldn't tell the difference between the two.
 
Yep, The Visorshop came up in my recent tire search as well when I was investigating the PR3s. I haven't followed those tires as closely as many of you have but I'd be curious to know if Michelin actually noted that they ceased production of these tires or if they simply discontinued the distribution of certain sizes of the PR3s here in the States? I ask because this is the same issue that many Hawk riders have faced over the years (110/80-17 up front and 150/70-17 in the back). Some folks on the other side of the pond (where the bike is called a BROS instead of a Hawk GT) had a greater selection of these sizes than we did over here as the tires were still being produced, but we couldn't get our hands on them.

Any site that I found based in the UK previously would not sell to folks located in the USA. This is why The Visorshop stuck in my head. As to MTC's question regarding a 110 vs 120 front goes, common wisdom amongst Hawk owners was that you did not want to stray beyond the 110 width with a 2.5" wide rim so in order to purchase radial tires over bias ply, a lot of guys went to a 110/70-17, 160/60-17 setup instead of the stock sizes. I've yet to find the actual width of the CB1100's front rim so I'm not quite sure what to tell you, but I personally would be more reluctant to go up in width on the front than I would in the back just because of the impact it has on the tire's profile. It's a numbers game basically and the overall percentage you're willing to change things up is something that every individual should decide for themselves. A lot of those Hawk guys were really pushing the bike hard so their perspective might not be quite as applicable in this case. To each their own and all that business (although I would be curious what CA200 has to say about this).
 
If I can not get a new Dunlop tire for my 2017 in the USA than I will just get one from England , I love the OEM tires on my 2017 : much better than the OEM ones on the 2013 and 2014.
 
I am not certain what it would cost to have tires send over but the European sellers should mention that on their web sites.
Keep in mind that when you see a price in Europe that most the time it includes VAT (value added tax ) but this does not apply when the item is send to the USA .
I found that shipping from Germany was by far the lowest price.
With the internet it is now so easy to find things we can not get here.
Most time it is cheaper to buy a set of tires instead of just one.
 
Buying tires in a set?
Houtman_imp said:
I am not certain what it would cost to have tires send over but the European sellers should mention that on their web sites.
Keep in mind that when you see a price in Europe that most the time it includes VAT (value added tax ) but this does not apply when the item is send to the USA .
I found that shipping from Germany was by far the lowest price.
With the internet it is now so easy to find things we can not get here.
Most time it is cheaper to buy a set of tires instead of just one.
Click to expand...
Considering only the purchase price, yes. However, I don't remember ever buying both tires for a motorcycle at the same time.

It goes without saying that depending on many factors not worth getting into here, the front and the rear will not reach the point where they need to be replaced at the same time. I would much rather buy a single fresh tire which needs replacement when it's due and wait for the time when the other one will be worn out or damaged with my money in my pocket and the tire in somebody else's production pipeline, instead of the same money in the vendor's pocket, and a slowly ageing tire sitting in my storage...

(production year is not stamped on the tire wall without a reason :)
 
Interesting. I usually am one to err on the frugal side, but I replace both tires at the same time every time. Of course, one difference may be that I have my dealership do it when the bike is in for other service -- I figure that getting both tires and whatever service (oil change, scheduled maintenance, etc.) done together probably saves me a little in labor costs, but the important thing is that it means that the bike is in the shop at least one less day.
 
jimgl3_imp said:
forgive me if the answer is already here somewhere but how much does it cost to ship tires from Europe?
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I paid over $50 for DHL express shipping but the price on the tire was only $99 and change so the total, including some kind of currency exchange fee, was about $159. This was in line with what the U.S. websites were charging for 4 year old tires in the wider, non-stock size.
 
I buy mine in sets too. Usually the front tire is cupped and scalloped well before the rear is squared off, but life is too short to ride on mismatched tires. I change them once the profile is shot, regardless of the remaining tread depth, which usually occurs within about 6000 miles (4000 miles on the CB).
 
I've always ordered my bike tires in sets and installed them that way as I'd rather have two tires that are fresh as possible mounted at the same time. I don't push my bike all that hard, but where I've tended to notice the impact of aging tires the most is when riding in the rain, especially when needing to maneuver quickly or when stopping. Also, some people have mentioned that places store tires in a climate controlled warehouse. I'd be interested to know which specific retailers commit to doing this. I once received a set of tires, one of which was practically new and the other was over two years old. The older tire was hard as a brick so I just sent them both back and ordered from someone else.

Since I don't pile as many mlles on my bikes as a lot of guys, if I knew for sure who turned over the most tires of the brand/model that I was interested in then that's who I'd buy from even if they were priced a bit higher. If I wore through a set of tires every year than this wouldn't be as big of a concern for me. Even after I sell off the Hawk GT, I'll still have the S2000 competing for time out on the road with the CB1100 so I probably won't rack up amy more miles this year on the bike than I have in the past. But whether it's a motorcycle or a car, I don't like to skimp on tires. On the other hand, I definitely don't have a problem with anyone else who chooses to do so. It's sort of like protective gear. If someone else wants to ride in just a t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops (like I saw in Hawaii) then more power to them.
 
Was scanning tires today on Revzilla and wanted to update the list....

140/70 & 110/80 (OE sizes):

Bridgestone BT-45
Metzeler Roadtec Z8
Pirelli Sport Demon

160/60 & 110/80 or 120/70 (alternative sizes used on the CB1100) :

Avon Spirit ST (New)
Bridgestone Battlax T31 (New)
Michelin PR3
Bridgestone T30 Evo
Pirelli Angel GT
Metzeler Roadtec Z8

I really like the looks of the Avon and the T31 but they are new enough that there's not many reviews available yet.
 
Thanks for the updated list Flytech
 
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