Radial tires?

thanks all, looks like no radials for the bike this time around, and while I quite like the BT 45's the correct front tire size is not readily available.  So, will be Michelin Pilot Activ's this time on the stock wheels of the 79 1200.

I have a set of new BT 45's on the RGS, in larger sizes, with its 3 inch front Astralite and 4 inch rear Astralite, so when I wear those out maybe I will fit radials on those wheels which are better suited to the limited available sizing.

Paul LeClair
 
Quite glad they don't... average in the dry, lethal in the wet. ::)
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Agree but they where perfect for me with a light SF in the dry and hard to wear out after 2 to 5 years of abuse . They were not nice in the rain.

The Perilli Rayon Radial Phantom was the longest lasting tire I've ever mounted on my Breganzie.

A 16 year old could by a $1200 900K and mostly dead buy the time he or she was 17.

What really gets me is that you have to spoon your tires onto a Boranni Rim because shops today don't have a clue.
 
Laverda SF said:
Agree but they where perfect for me with a light SF in the dry and hard to wear out after 2 to 5 years of abuse . They were not nice in the rain.

The Perilli Rayon Radial Phantom was the longest lasting tire I've ever mounted on my Breganzie.

A 16 year old could by a $1200 900K and mostly dead buy the time he or she was 17.

What really gets me is that you have to spoon your tires onto a Boranni Rim because shops today don't have a clue.
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Who needs rock-hard tyres?  Guess you prefer rim protectors over usable rubber, Ron! 

Tyre life has never been a consideration in my choice, always placed the emphasis on handling and grip.  While the Phantom rear was OK grip-wise in dry conditions, I lost all confidence in both front and rear in the wet, slippin' and slidin' all over the place.  Had enough after 2-3 pairs on the triple.  Stayed with Metzelers for many years before switching to BT45s. 

piet
 
That's the conundrum with the new Conti Radials,I love grip but not so keen on 1500ks out of a rear tyre and less on a front.I am definitely trying them on the Pantah so will have a better idea on wear rates.Close to the same weight,bit less power though
 
  Vince I don't know who is getting 1500k's out of the Conti's.

I have got about 4,500 k's on mine which is not much less than I used to get on BT 45's.

I am on my third rear. I really do like them but am going to put a set of Activs on next to compere .
.
 
Some good info coming out here,seems these Activs are becoming very popular.Must have misunderstood your comments earliest Levo re mileage on the Contis
 
Who needs rock-hard tyres?  Guess you prefer rim protectors over usable rubber, Ron!

Tyre life has never been a consideration in my choice, always placed the emphasis on handling and grip.  While the Phantom rear was OK grip-wise in dry conditions, I lost all confidence in both front and rear in the wet, slippin' and slidin' all over the place.  Had enough after 2-3 pairs on the triple.  Stayed with Metzelers for many years before switching to BT45s.

piet
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Right on Piet but you didn't emphasis how Metzlers will peel off in one session.

Come to think of it, I believe all our old Breganzies were shoed with Mitzelers from the factory. You could lay a pencil line of rubber though 1st and 2nd with Metzlers but in the end of the day you had nothing left and had to buy tires. Mitzelters slipped like butter when over heated but man they grabbed in corners when cool - Terrifying in the rain. You never want to lean your Breganzie over doing 80 mph in a corner and cross a painted line - You will find yourself 2ft off track in a blink of an eye. Hate to say this about Metzlers but I surmised they were NAZI Revenge Tyers.

Believe me I know what's it's like to ride in a down pour for countless miles in the middle of the night with 1" of water on the asphalt with snakes and frogs and your leathers are so wet they weight more then your do.  Tiers really. You can't do over 30 mph without wiping out a Breganzie - Great ride, if you survived. Getting too old for that kind of shit.

I've no idea what Metzeler has to offer today. But I do plan to play with a 110/80V-18 on the front and a 130/70V-18 BT-45 on the rear . She's loaded but haven't had the time or the guts to do it yet.

Pray for me as it may be my last transmission - ROLF.
 
Ordered a set of 18" Michelin Pilot Activs for a 750 Benelli Sei to replace the decades-old Pirellis that are currently fitted.

Was very surprised when they arrived, extremely stiff sidewall and quite heavy compared to a BT45 in the same dimensions.  A bit disappointing, no great expectations actually.  The Benelli chassis is a lot more nimble than a Laverda triple, will see how it compares with the Michelins.

I'll report on how they perform, but it will take a couple of days/weeks till I get around to fitting them, waiting on a whole bunch of other stuff to get the bike running again. 

piet

 
A few people have reported that the Activs have slightly stiffer sidewalls, including me and I believe Mr Eatman.

The general consensus is use a lower tyre pressure than you might otherwise.
You may be surprised at how well they perform.
 
Hi Paul,  I have been using the Heidenau Tires, since the BT45 and Avon Venoms are no longer available.  I got a set for Bill, he installed them on his RGS, road up to Wolfgang's rally on them.  He said he liked them they were very responsive.The price for the 100/90 18 is $100 US and the 120/90 18 is $120 US.  Give me a call to discuss.
Cheers,
Mike
 
Laverda SF said:
However I did like a Pirelli 120/80 Rayon Radial Phantom on the back with a Michelin 100/90 Bias on the front - The bike handled like a dream - Go Figure?
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When I raced in the early 1980's the prefered tires for my SFC and my 900SS were Pirelli Phantom race compound rear and Michelin S41 race compund on the front. Best combination we could find.
 
Just saw my last post was only the day before I had a bit of my finger bitten off... lot's of stuff got in the way before I could try the tyres.

Only did about 80km at the beginning of December, was getting a bit chilly.  Michelins performed quite well, didn't even notice them, so that must be OK!  Nothing much to moan about.

piet
 
If you go for a name brand I don't think there is much to complain about generally with tyres these days, unless you get one of those ones that developed very early cracks talked about last year.
 
Nice one Piet,

Perhaps when the weather warms up you might find the bike rolls into bends really well with the Pilot Activs.
The stiffer sidewalls seem to encourage this.
 
I'm running a 100/90 R18 Conti Road Attack on the front and 120/90 R18 Conti Classic Attack on the back of my 1983 RGS. They're fabulous. Without question best handling tire I've had on the RGS and with about 2,500 miles on them they're wearing very well, although i am starting to get a little scalloping on the front tire. Conti doesn't make the Classic Attack in a 100/90 R18, which is why I went for the Road Attack on the front. It's stickier than the Classic, not a bad thing on the front wheel in my opinion and aside from the noted scalloping wear seems fairly even front to rear.
 
SimonR501 said:
Nice one Piet,

Perhaps when the weather warms up you might find the bike rolls into bends really well with the Pilot Activs.
The stiffer sidewalls seem to encourage this.
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It's gone Simon.  Maybe when it returns for a service or new tyres.  Doubt that will happen soon, it's part of a rather extensive collection, none of the bikes see much use.

The Sei has a very agil chassis as it is, beautifully handling bike.  Shame about the lack of power though, another handfull of ponies would do it good.

piet
 
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