New Tires

[BigAndrew]

Im lookin to buy some new tires for muh baby :mrgreen: (82 Interstate)
I got my eyes set on dunlop E3's for the front and rear
To save money im thinkin of takin the tires off and bringing them to the shop to have them put the tires on and balance em
Im pretty sure they would charge an arm and a leg if i brung my bike and let them take the tires off and put them back on, Specially since they have to take off one of the saddle bags right?
I think it would be a good idea to replace the bearing while i have the tires off

Im hoping to get the tires within a few days since bike week is over a week from today

Ive never took the tires off of a motorcycle before let alone changin the bearings, I was hopin you guys could give me some insight on doin the job :beg: :salute:

 

[joedrum]

yeph its a good ideal to take the wheels off yourself so you can get in there to check everything else out like swingarm play.brakes,clean everything.

 

[dan filipi]

The last time I did the front I told myself next time I take the fender off. Just 4 bolts to get it out of the way. Not necessary but makes it easier.

Neither rear bag has to come off but the fender extension does.
First pull the caliper off then pull the axle out after removing the rear muffler bolt.
A lot of guys (and the manual) say to remove the 4 final drive bolts then take the final drive off with the wheel.
I leave the 4 bolts on and separate the final drive from the wheel. Done it a few times and works easier I think.
Clean the final drive splines and lube with Moly 60 paste.

Take a look at the manual on Final drive here gallery/album.php?album_id=93
Front and rear wheel here: gallery/album.php?album_id=96
Pay close attension to to the correct way of tightening the front wheel axle caps nuts.

Ask the shop what mount and balance will cost if you bring the wheels and tires in, also ask what total cost will be if they supply the tires, mount and balance on wheels you bring in. You might be surprised. Around these parts it ends up cheaper if they supply the tires.

 

[plskthompson1]

I mount an balance my own in pop's garage. A chain hoist lifts the rear end high enough to get the rear wheel out and a couple of jack stands work great for the balance. :builder:

Alot cheaper than taking them to a stealer.

 

[Joep]

I bought mine thru an afteermarket parts and acc dealer.. they mount free and balance was to be 25 per tire.. ( tires didn't arrive on time got the balance free also and valve stems) I did pull my own and took them in.. would not let the work I could do cost me too much!!!!

 

[Omega Man]

I'm planning on taking my wheels off myself too. That way I'm in and out at the tire shop.

~O~

 

[BigAndrew]

Thanks for all the advise guys :salute:

I dont have a special lift or want to buy one, I was hoping i could maybe leave it on the center stand and maybe take one tire off at a time and bring it to them so i dont have to jack it up on stands... Do you guys think that will work?

Heres what i dont understand, I looked up on saunders site for the tire sizes before i looked at my bike and heres what i found
On his site it said 120/90-18 for the front
And 140/90-16 for the rear

When i took a look at the front that was correct, I have an 'el cheapo chinese tire on the front and on the rear i have a Dunlop D404 but its not a 140/90 its a 150/80
Dunlop D404 150/80 B16 M/C 71H to be exact

What do you guys think about that?
Im not sure what the numbers mean, When it says 150/80 The 150 means the profile height of the tire and 80 is the width?
Does that mean i have a narrower taller rear tire then stock on my 82 Interstate? I wonder if my rear rim is different or did they just put a narrower tire on the rear rim, Ive heard of sport bike guys putting one size wider rear tires on their stock rims

:? Mez iza confuzed :fiddle:

 

[joedrum]

sure will but be careful . idont know any of the steps on your model

 

[dan filipi]

Pull the rear tire then with a floor jack under the engine to support the front wheel off the ground, pull the front.
Install front then rear.

Check out this link on tire sizes https://www.steelthundercc.com/tiresizes.html
And this one https://www.amadirectlink.com/roadride/R ... /tires.asp

Getting the rear out can be tricky. I get someone to help me to lean the bike while on the center stand.
The last time I let all the air out and also removed the left bag which helped a lot.

 

[plskthompson1]

Actually to answer your tire question, some put a wider tire on it and shorten the heigth ratio to accomodate the width. 150 is the width and the 80 is the heighth ratio.

 

[dan filipi]

Let's see, the 90 is a percentage height of the width so
A 140/90 is 126mm tall.
A 150/80 is 120mm tall.

This means the tire you have on yours Andrew is shorter but wider than what came stock.
Personally I think your shorter wider tire looks better but it affects the highway RPM's a bit higher which I dont like.
Not a lot on the rpm's but noticeable.
I think for around town and local running a 150/80 is a better choice.

 

[BigAndrew]

Sweet :mrgreen:
Thanks for the advise :salute:

I agree with you Dan, I think the shorter wider tire does look better, I think i'll go with the shorter wider tire cause i hardly go on the highway
Now that im looking to get prices on the Dunlop Elite 3's I have two choises Bias or Radial Hmmm... Not really sure on the difference so im googling now

 

[dan filipi]

There's a whole debate about running radials on our bikes which came with bias ply tires originally.
If I could afford new tires from what I've read radials run better. It stands to reason they should run better on our bike as well. The big question as I understand it is if the rim will accept the bead of a radial, don't see why not.
I don't remember who but someone here is running at least a front or rear radial and loves it.

IMO, the radials of the 80's were nothing compared to the radials today. Go for the radials and let us know how it is! :music:

The E3 is an excellent tire and my first choice btw.

 

[BigAndrew]

Bad News...
Dunlop only makes the elite 3 Radials in 4 sizes for the rear
180/60R16
180/70R16
240/40R18
250/40R18

And 3 sizes for the front
120/70R21
150/80R17
130/70R18 I guess its possible to run this tire on the front, Its one size wider but 2 narrower
• Tire Size:130/70-18
• Rim Diameter:18
• Position:Front
• Width:129mm (6.16″)
• Speed Rating:H
• Load Range:63
• Overall Diameter:25.26
• Tread Depth:4.7mm (3/16″)
• Sold in Units:Each
• Inner Diameter:18″
• Rim Width:3.50″ x 18″
• Brandunlop®
• Tire Width:130
• Aspect Ratio:70
• Sidewall:Blackwal
• Made in the USA :clapping:

Dunlop Elite 3 Front Bias MR90-18 (120/90)
LOAD/ SPEED INDEX 71H
PART # 4079-84
RECOMMENDED RIM 2.50
OVERALL DIAMETER 26.40
OVERALL WIDTH 4.70 FULL
TREAD DEPTH 6/32
MAXIMUM LOAD @ PSI 760 @ 40

E3 Radial Diameter 25.26 (One Size Wider)
E3 Bias Diameter 26.40

So you lose 1.045 in the diameter but I think the extra width is worth it if it would fit on the rim but I dont think the E3 Radial will work for the front, It says Recommended Rim 3.50, The Elite 3 Bias uses a 2.5 Rim, Im no tire expert... Maybe a tire thats recommended for a 3.5 will fit a 2.5 rim.. Who know...

More Bad News They only make the Elite 3 Bias tire in 4 sizes for the rear as well and the 150/80-16 isnt one of them
MV85B15 (150/80-15) ONE INCH TOO SMALL :Awe: :head bang: :crying:
MT90B16 (130/90-16)
MU90B16 (140/90-16) This is the size thats recommended
160/80B16

So if i go with the Elite 3 Bias for the rear ill have to stick with the recommended tire size of 140/90 :fiddle:

 

[dan filipi]

Bummer.

Well I hear good things about Michelins and Avon. Worth a look see what's available.
I'd stay away from Pirelli, personal bad experience with a front I had. Low mileage and followed rain grooves.
Stay away from any tire with a center line especially the front. Mine would follow every little depression and groove in the road. This alone narrows the choices.

 

[BigAndrew]

I'll probably stick with the Elite 3 but its worth checking out Michelin since their known for good rain tires and that matters to me the most is how the tire performs in the rain

I just read a few reviews on E3's

- Dan St. Jac from Catskill Mountains of New York
This is an update of an earlier review. I now have 18,000 miles on the rear E3 done over two years. The left side scalloping I reported at 15,000 miles is minor and I believe it is due to road crown. I now have 3/32 tread at the center. I have inspected the rear suspension/ swing arm and it is nominal. I ride a 1983 Honda Gold Wing GL1100i, 2up, weight at the Americade Dunlop tire inspection was 1200 pounds. Front fork pressure 2.5 PSI with Progressive springs and tire pressure 36PSI, anti-dive on max, rear suspension pressure 35-40 PSI and tire pressure 40 PSI. I check all pressures at the start of every ride. Tire ride is comfortable. Good dry traction and remarkable wet traction. Very stable on open steel deck bridges, bricks, railway crossings, curves and curbs. Ride is hard in sub-freezing weather. We just rode two up for 4 hours on Ontario RTE 17 in torrential rain periodically crossing dirt sections were new drainage pipe were being laid and found the tires to be predictable and stable. We ride about 70% two lane roads and most are oil/stone. 25% superslab and 5 % dirt. We live on a dirt road on the side of a mountain. I am ordering a new set without hesitation.
- Nov 17, 2009

I had a pair of Elite 3's installed on my 1992 Wing this spring at the recomendation of my local Honda M/C dealer. I was having low speed wobble issues with the D404 that was on the rear and the E3 was the latest choice. I have been very happy with the E3's after 5500 miles. The wear seems minimal and no iregular wear. They have developed a bit of a hum at 35-45 mph, but not bad. The bike does seem to handle better than ever as well. Very stable in high speed corners. At this point I will be buying another set when these wear out.. Thanks for a great tire...
- Sep 30, 2009

There are alot more good reviews on the E3 then the bad ones but i cant say the same for the Dunlop 404 thats on my rear now, Tons of complaints, #1 issue was a ton of people complaining about their rear being bald after 4,000 miles They also said the tire handled great and was very sticky for cornering, From my experience, The stickier the tire the less milage you get out of it

https://motorcycletirereviews.com :clapping: A site just for tire reviews

 

[joedrum]

that would be me on the radial. ihave 130 70 radial avon i think on the front. its dark out and to cold to look right now. but this was so much better than bias to me. its wore out now but the milage was way better, wear was even. the only thing is it always looks low on air because of being narrow sure keeps you cecking air. im not going back to bias on front and im going to look for something radial for rear to. i have both 16 and 17 inch rims for the rear. with bias tires my bike gets 3k miles or less it seems. im even thinking car tyre someday for rear.

 

[BigAndrew]

only thing is it always looks low on air because of being narrow sure keeps you cecking air.

You mean narrow as in width or profile height?

 

[joedrum]

profile height . i thought i was going to have trouble with the width of the tire and fender but didnt. in fact it seems small and not very beefy. imgoing to try and go bigger even if i have to change the fender to my own out of thin air tech or something. if you go to my post this is a picture you might get an ideal how it looks compared to the fender. ive never had radial on back or have any ideal whats availible.

 

[BigAndrew]

profile height . i thought i was going to have trouble with the width of the tire and fender but didnt. in fact it seems small and not very beefy. imgoing to try and go bigger even if i have to change the fender to my own out of thin air tech or something. if you go to my post this is a picture you might get an ideal how it looks compared to the fender. ive never had radial on back or have any ideal whats availible.

I dont think you'll be able to get a wider tire on that front rim, Im pretty sure you can only go one size wider on a rim

I think i'll go with The E3 Radial for my front even though its a smaller diameter cause I like the idea of it being a size wider and being radial instead of bias, Hopefully it wont be too wide
According to the stats above the recommended bias tire is 4.70 wide and the radial is 6.16, Which is a difference of 1.46 inches, Dont think it will be too wide
I'll look up the stats on your tire to see what the recommended rim size is and the width to compare

Is yours the Avon
AM41 Venom Front Tire
Here is what it looks like