time for new tires

[festerfm]

well, i'm fairly new to the bike world. i have a 96 750 and it's going to need new front and rear tires within a month or so. where is the best place to get tires price wise?? i'm not looking for anything racey.. i dont track or do anything out of the ordinary with the bike, just ride it on nice days. looking for a set of cheap tires. where the best place to get them and how much are we talkin?

[Slofuze]

Just curious. ..... But why would you want cheap tires on your Kat? On the other hand, a good set of tires at a decent price is a different story. I like my Metzeler Z6's......maybe you should consider a set.

[festerfm]

where can i get them?? what are some websites i can get bike tires from? all i'm looking for in a tire is to be between me and the road. nothing special

[Slofuze]

Other than vendors on here, you might want to try Bikebandit.com

[RossW]

ron ayers has pretty good prices

[SilentTJ]

you may be looking to save money when it comes to tires, and just get something to get the job done. that is not a good idea. especially when those tires are the only thing separating you from the hard unforgiving asphalt. if there's one thing you shouldn't go cheap on with your bike, it's tires. the difference between a cheap set of tires, and a set of good ones is drastic. your stopping distance will vary, which can be the difference between stopping in time, and ending up in someone's trunk. handling will also be affected. you certainly don't wanna be going around a corner only to have your tires not grip all the way around and you go sliding. do yourself a favor, and get something nice.

the Metzeler Z6's are always highly recommended around this site, i havent had a chance to try them myself, but i do plan on getting at least a rear tire within the next couple months.

[Kreylyn]

Continental tires are also very good. You can generally find a set with free shipping for around the 200 - 225 range.

Krey

[woobie]

I'd ask 2 questions

what do you consider cheap for a set?

and what type of riding do you do?

[teddy]

I'm running Shinko Advance 005's, less than $200 for the set off fleabay.

[jetmerritt]

Don't buy "cheap" tires, I thought I was doing myself a favor and tried it. Never again! I tried some cheap Kendas on my GS850 and they shook (out of round ) grip was bad, just garbage.

I rode my Kat last year with Michelin Scrapadams, it has 5000Km on the bike, they are not particularly great, but I have to say better than those junk Kendas. Still I am replacing them with the Metzler Z6's even though they are still in the top 2/3rds of tread.

Tires make the bike, cheap tires steer poorly and suck in rain, good tires increase your confidence and may save your life. Riding is not a cheap sport. I am thankful to have survived the years I was "cheap" and unwise.

My 2 cents...
J

[Robgsxf750]

Depends if you want to ride it hard or if you want to just cruise around town on it? You got a jet kit with a good exhaust and a rear sproket for better acceleration, but you want to go cheap on the tyres?? I'd choose the best tyres I can afford over bling.

[festerfm]

lol, i forgot about this thread.. it was jetted before i got it (supposedly). the exhaust was very poorly done up so i took off the manifold, got the holes welded up, and had my own pipe put on for some sound. and the rear sprocket went from a 46t to a 42t to give better highway mileage. i dont ride hard at all... it's almost more of a commuter than a toy.

anywho, i got a matching set of kenda cruisers from ebay for $136 shipped to my door and my gf's uncle has a tire changing machine, charged me 25 to mount, balance, and install.. they're great. only "h" rated, but that's fine w/ me. i may hit 110 once in a while but that's even pushing it. bought the bike w/ 12,500miles on the odo and a supposed new rear tire. i'm now at 18k and just changed them both to a matching set. price was right, and now i have tires..

[The CyberPoet]

anywho, i got a matching set of kenda cruisers from ebay for $136 shipped to my door and my gf's uncle has a tire changing machine, charged me 25 to mount, balance, and install.. they're great. only "h" rated, but that's fine w/ me. i may hit 110 once in a while but that's even pushing it. bought the bike w/ 12,500miles on the odo and a supposed new rear tire. i'm now at 18k and just changed them both to a matching set. price was right, and now i have tires..

I will lament and hope for your safety. Literally.

For the $50 you saved in up-front costs over a set of Metzeler Z6's, Pirelli Diablo Stradas, or other "great" modern radial-based sport-touring tire choices -- ones that should have lasted you 14k - 15k miles with the way you describe your riding style, you bought a type of tire that is, IMHO, a direct threat to your very continued existence on two wheels.
The Kenda is a nylon-based bias-ply system (not a radial tire), and that means if it gets a puncture, you're very likely to get tossed off the bike in a catastrophic way (esp. if you are not traveling in a perfectly straight line at that instant).
You also bought a tire that doesn't meet the speed rating called for or even get anywhere in the same damn ball-park -- the speed-rating game is far more complicated than you might imagine. The Kats aren't designed to go anywhere near 150 mph, yet call for a "Z" rated radial -- why? Because the extra weight load from this bike on heavy braking induces heat build-up at such a fast rate that the tire ratings have to pushed up a couple ranges over what the speed alone would dictate they need.
Depending on the sizes you're running (we can say that you're almost assuredly running a set of Kenda K671's, because it's the only 17" rear they offer in a 140 or 150), and unless you're running the 150/70, you have an under-weight-rated tire for your bike in addition to being way under the speed rating (another heat-build-up issue problem). If you're running the K657's, well, then you're really screwing the pooch...
These last two issues are likely to cause internal delamination of the tire under use and spontaneous failure without warning in a catastrophic manner.
The additional penalty is the braking distance and handling characteristics. The Kenda's are made with a very high amount of natural rubber in their carcasses, which compared to modern tire blends from the other manufacturers, take significantly more distance to stop, handle wet-weather significantly worse, and don't provide nearly as much lateral grip in turning (esp. when coupled with a bias-ply). This means a crisis situation (such as a car pulling out into your path) that another rider may have been able to stop for or maneuver around is one that you are likely to end up in an accident in, given the same speed.

For $50?!? Is that really all that your well-being (and that of any passengers on the bike) is worth to you?
I'm sure if we had known of your situation, someone here could have tossed you used tires of better construction "used" for free, or we could have each pitched in a couple bucks to cover the difference. I hate to see someone to turn into a road-sausage over a choice this stupid, this simple, this easy to avoid.

=-= The CyberPoet