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OEM rear tire ...squirrely

5K views 30 replies 17 participants last post by  mopar44 
#1 ·
I have 4,000 on my 900 Custom and original factory Dunlop tires. The tires look new, so no problem with tire wear. However, the rear tire has become more and more squirrely over the miles. It has always been noticeable when accelerating out of a slow turn or downshifting into a very slow turn but now it is, slippery!! I inflated the rear tire to 38 psi for a better ride early on but I think it is time to go back to 32 psi and see it that helps. Otherwise something else is wrong or I need new tires.

I am open to suggestions or opinions. Just don't tell me not to downshift in slow turns. lol
thanks
 
#3 ·
I am always checking tire pressure...rear tire is at 38 psi and I confirmed that today.
 
#4 ·
Make sure you have the rear wheel aligned correctly. It doesn't have to be off by much to make the bike get weird in the corners. That said, start looking at new tires now. Once you've passed 4k on the OEM dunny, it's going to melt away like warm butter. Easily the worst tire I've ridden. At 4k mine looked about half gone. At 6k I had no tread at all over easily half the width of the tread area. When I traded in my first Metz at 14.4k I had visible tread all the way around the tire and it never felt like I was riding on worn rubber. Good luck workin it out, and ride safe!
 
#5 ·
Does matching the marked lines on the rear fork (both sides same) line up the tire, also?
 
#6 ·
This may be inappropriate but I'm not proper - are you a heavy guy? If so you may want to up the pressure a little more. I doubt that's the problem though. I only rode on the stock tires for maybe 100 miles and they were damn near worn out but I could still tell they were crap. I put a set of Pirelli Rt. 66's on and the bike handles like a dream.
 
#13 ·
I switched from Metzelers to 66's this season and I'm real pleased with the performance especially cornering and on wet roads. I rarely scraped my floorboards with the Metzelers but it happens a lot with the Pirellis.
 
#10 ·
I am 175lbs, I reduced it to 32 psi and will see how it runs. I road today but did not push it hard. I did notice it slip somewhat when I hit my rear brake at about 15 mph. I think it's the tire but not sure. I'M going to put it on the jack and check everything real good. I have 3 tire gages so I will try all three,also.
 
#14 ·
I just bought Pirelli Night Dragons for my 900 Custom. So far so good, but I haven't put a ton of miles on them yet due to the season. I replaced the stock Dunlop's at 8200mi, which is pretty good for those tires from what I've heard. The front tire could have stayed on, but i wanted to replace them simultaneously. The only thing I noticed about the old Dunlop's is they were more prone to slide under heavy braking. Pretty scary at times when you're trying to stop in a hurry!


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#19 ·
I'm surprised "The stock Dunlops are crap!" took so long to show up. That's what I though it was all along. I didn't care for them and replaced them at 5500 miles with ME880s. The bike rides and handles much better now. Also popular are the Pirelli Night Dragons and MT66s and the Avon Venoms. There are other options, too, but those seem to get the most traction (see what I did there?) from riders here.
 
#21 ·
Opinions and advice

Gday people. A little advice and some opinions required here.
Firstly, if there is a thread already on this, can someone link me.

Problem is, I have OEM Dunlop tyres and they are buggered after 10,000klms.
So do I replace with original (180/70) size or do I go 200/70 ?
I know the argument for staying original.
Mr. Kawasaki knew what he was doing putting the 180/70's on.
But I like the idea of going a little wider and therefore, a little higher with the 200/70's.
I have seen both tyres side by side in the shop.
What is concerning me a little, is that the Pirellis 200/70's are quite a bit 'flatter' on the contact patch.
So, they will be a little more work to tip into the corners, yes?

As you know, the 900 is a beautifully balanced bike that IMO, corners like a dream. I don't want to stuff that up by putting flatter tyres on, just to make it look better.
Will cornering be that much different?
I understand the whole bigger circumference thing with speedo and road speed. No problem for me there.

I guess what I am after is some opinions on should I go the bigger tyre? Is it worth it? Is it best not to?
Am I being too pedantic?
 
#23 ·
Like you Lone Star, I kicked around this same problem for a couple of weeks. I really liked the look of the 200/70 tire, but my problem with going to this tire was the price jump. I finally decided that it was not worth the extra $75-$100 for a look (that you can only see when the bike is sitting still). I mean, it's only 2cm wider (1cm on each side). Now if I was really going to spend the money on a 'cool look', I'd get a 240 tire kit!

Getting back to brands, I don't recommend getting another set of Dunlop's. I bought Pirelli Night Dragon's, have put about 1000 miles on them and really like them. The bike feels more secure when cornering and I have heard the they have great tread wear. I went with a 90/90-21" on the front to have a wider 'grip patch' in the front. I think it has improved front-end handling, but the tire barely fits under the fender though! Anyway, that's my two cents about tires. Good luck!


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#24 ·
Lone star, as far as the tire looking like it has a flatter tread, the last tires I bought for mine looked like the rear had a much flatter tread, until I mounted it, then it rounded out just like all the others I've had. Tried a set of Contimiles this last time. Road great, but didnt last any time at all. Rear was gone in less than 5,000 miles! I've always thought the widest tire tat fits without any problems is best because of the extra contact patch available for grip. but like everything else in life, there are always exceptions. If you are ok with the price difference, would hurt to try it, after all, in a year be time to replace the tire anyway and you can always go back to stock. That is if you ride much. Be nice if you knew someone how has the wider tire on theres that would let you ride for an hour or so to see what you think before you buy.
 
#25 ·
Lone Star

To be perfectly honest I did not notice any difference in handling when going to the larger Metzelers. I do get more mileage out the Metz and of course a new rear tire does not skid out like a worn out Dunlop.

Some people say they notice a great improvement in handling. Maybe they ride more aggressively. I can get 12 -14 k out a set of Metzelers compared to less than 10 on stock Dunlops.
 
#26 ·
thanks fellas. I'm still not convinced either way. I'll see how I feel when it comes to the day of parting with the coin. One side of me says; if it aint broke, dont fix it. (Thats the sensible side of me) The other side says; if they fit, fit' em on. (That's the 'hang the expense & lifes too short to worry' side of me)
I'll see what happens.
 
#28 ·
Michelin got it right

Hi. Michelin Commander II.Best tire I have run on my 900. 170/80-15 rear is wider than any 180/70-15.I put new pair on then after 2k miles local ran down to NC out to Cal to Vegas to Denver to Sturgis then back home.Got 14k miles on them now.Bought them on ebay.I mount & balance my own.Try them you will like the ride,handling,braking,and mileage.
 
#30 ·
Hi. Michelin Commander II.Best tire I have run on my 900. 170/80-15 rear is wider than any 180/70-15.I put new pair on then after 2k miles local ran down to NC out to Cal to Vegas to Denver to Sturgis then back home.Got 14k miles on them now.Bought them on ebay.I mount & balance my own.Try them you will like the ride,handling,braking,and mileage.
Hey Mopar that sounds like a nice bunch of riding you did but your signature doesn't say what your ride is? I enjoy long distance riding as well. Is there a post somewhere on this forum about your experiences? I certainly would like to hear more!
 
#29 ·
I've never liked Dunlop tires myself whether on a bike, car, truck or anything else. That's just me though. To each his own with tires but it's good to know this info based on everyone's experience.
 
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