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online tire recommendations?

6K views 32 replies 20 participants last post by  Sully_6 
#1 ·
I need to replace my tires and were looking at ME888s or Dunlops. Does anyone have online recommendations for tires?

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#3 ·
I shop JP cycles pretty regularly if I can't find the specific tire I want elsewhere (eBay, etc). They usually have a pretty good selection, and can get quite a few harder to find sizes as well.

www.jpcycles.com

One question before you buy... Have you considered Shinkos? Won't go into them too much here since there are plenty of other threads over tire brand, but did want to ask...
 
#5 ·
+1 on Rockymountainatvmc.com
 
#6 ·
Thank you. I have seen Shinko online, but do not know about them. A local shop has decent prices for Dunlop and there is a $40 rebate through Dunlop if you buy two. I wanted to compare the local shop prices of the two brands they recommended. They said the ME888s last longer than the Dunlop.

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#11 · (Edited)
Just be aware that if you live in PA you will get hit with an additional 2% sales tax on top of the 6% because they have a warehouse in Philadelphia. I recently ordered a set of Michelin Commander II's from them online and I noticed the tax charge was a lot more than it should have been. I emailed corporate and that was the response I got.
 
#9 · (Edited)
I need to replace my tires and were looking at ME888s or Dunlops. Does anyone have online recommendations for tires?

I say go to your local dealer and give them a shot at it. Tell them to price match and show them the prices they have to meet/beat. They may also cut you a deal on an order/mount/balance combo. The online places get the tires from the same places your local dealer does. There is no reason your local dealer cannot be within a few dollars (yes even tax included) of online pricing. Plus you will be cultivating a local relationship that may well be worth more then the $10.00 you save on-line.

Oh yeah... and by the way... Shinko 777 series tires will serve you well.
 
#12 ·
I think if you shop among the "big" on-line sellers, most of which have already been mentioned in this thread, you'll do well...pretty much boils down to price shipped. I bought my ME888's at Dennis Kirk. Great price, fast shipping, and the tires I received were less than 6 months old. My local Kawi dealer (where I bought my bike) would not price match, however he did install them at a good price.
 
#19 ·
That labor rate sounds about right. The shop I part-time at has a labor rate of $75/hr.

The tube prices sound a bit high to me. Last time I bought tubes, I found them around $15-18 each online. Don't forget wheel bands while you're at it. While usually not a necessity, it's a good idea to swap them out, and they're usually cheap, $5-8 each I think.

As for tire disposal, shops vary. The shop I work at is $2 per tire. You can always opt to take your old tires and do whatever with them yourself. Locally, once a month, the county will send a truck around and pick up a max of 8 tires for free if you have them out next to the road. Your area might have something similar.
 
#14 ·
I put pirelli's on my Vulcan 900. Had a lot of vibration from day one. They changed the front tire said it was a little out of round and rebalance the back. 4 or 5 trips back to the tire shop the technician rode it twice and he said it's just the nature of the tires but they pick up vibration from the road. I've never used pirelli's before and I never will again. But what he recommended what he puts on all his bikes are Bridgestone so that's probably what I will use the next time.

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#31 ·
i’ve run six sets of Pirelli Route tires and never an issue. that’s not to say there’s not a bad one out there. what did you end up with and didit resolve the vibration?
 
#20 ·
Thank you. Does anyone have links to the tubes and the liners for online? I feel like I trust the shop's expertise, but have not determined their labor for the job. Maybe it is $65 an hour and they are not charging a full hour for the front wheel.

I am considering the Shinko tires and will look into Michelin. Which line of Shinko is best? My wife has Michelins on her '08 Vulcan 500.

I have been a bit busy and have not had time to shop online for comparisons to bring to the shop to see if they would do anything with their pricing.

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#21 ·
The Shinko 777 series tires have great reviews for a bike your size. I run their 712 series on my 500.

Most labor is about an hour for a rear wheel, and 30-45 mins for a front when doing tire swaps. There's less to pull off on the front, etc etc.

If I remember correctly, your 900 is belt drive? Once you get the bike back, take a look at the belt alignment to make sure it's right. Often, shop mechanics "eyeball" the alignment for speed (they get paid by the job, not by the hour), and "close" doesn't cut it here. The markings on the swingarm for alignment aren't perfectly true 90% of the time (they may only be off by 1/2 a millimeter, but that's enough to misalign the belt), so it takes a special tool to set the alignment perfectly.

For tubes, I've used the Milwaukee Twin brand from JP Cycles and BikeMaster brands both with no complaints.

JP shows a Milwaukee Twin tube on sale right now for $6.99 for your bike.

The rim strip I'd grab is a BikeMaster, and is showing at $1.53

Of course, that's all for the 16" wheel. Partzilla shows me a 16" front and 15" rear for your bike.
 
#22 ·
Here's a bit of information I got when looking up Shinko 777s for my Vn750. (I currently run Shinko 230 TourMasters). Ever wonder about what some of the numbers and letters are referring to when looking at tires for a bike?:

https://www.shinkotireusa.com/support/load-index-speed-rating

I don't know if the codes explained in this link are universal to all manufacturers or if each manufacturer has their own codes.

To use my own Vn750 as an example, the rear tire size is 150/90-15. You'll see the Shinko 777 in that size advertised as 150/90-15 80 H.

So, using the link it tells me that the "80" means they are max load weight for them is in the 900+ lb range. My bike sitting in the garage right this instant is probably about 520 to 530 lbs. Put my fat ass on it with all of my riding gear on and that adds a good 260ish lbs. Plus add whatever I load onto the bike for a trip and the overall weight of the combination is still well under the max load rating for that specific tire.

So the tire wouldn't be overloaded unless I get really, really stupid in loading.

Shinko's really hold the road well but don't, necessarily, get the mileage that a Metzler or some other good brand name , more expensive tire will get. But then again, Shinko's are rather inexpensive. I currently have a bit over 6K miles on my set of TourMasters and the tread seems to be holding up decently. The road handling sure is.
 
#23 ·
I have been using 880s for several years I get good mileage and better than average handling. I would have tried the triple 8s but the do not come in the right sizes for my Mean Streak. Also I have heard some disparaging words about the 888s from 880 owners.

Search the internet for reviews, there are lots of good tires out there.
 
#24 ·
Bought Shinko 777 HDs from Amazon. Don't remember who actually filled the order. Local shop installed them for $10 extra because I didn't buy them there. Love the tires so far, good traction and they don't follow grooves nearly as much as the previous tires (Dunlop Cruisemax) did.
 
#25 ·
Another thought if you want to save money remove the wheels your self. One area shop will wave any labor if you buy the tires from him (list price).
Another shop will charge much less per tire you remove the wheal and order the tire on line and bring them to him to mount and balance.

Ride Safe
 
#26 ·
Another Shinko 777 user, bought online. Local installer said he thinks that Shinkos are "cheap" but installed anyway and balanced with Dyna Beads. Great ride and better handling on our twisty roads than Bridgestones, no imbalance problems.
 
#27 ·
Still have not replaced my tires, but seeing good prices on Amazon!

Mezzler ME888
front $127.99
rear $156.99

Dunlop D404(are these worth considering?)
front $85.69
rear $107.34

Shinko 777
front $80.74
rear $100.69

Recommendations on tubes from there?

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