Just spiked rear tire looking for new commute tire

[fleetingyouth]

Got a 4 inch Bolt in my tire this morning so I guess its time to look at a new rear tire.

I have about 4500 miles on the stock Metzler Z8s. I mostly commute Highway with the occasional longer trip I have a couple big trips planned this fall. I live in Boston so lots of road work and pot holes with a decent amount of rain. I also ride year round.

I saw the recommended tire list but this will be my first tire change so not sure what im looking for. Im mostly a commuter so street tires but I do like windy roads.

I know some people do 2 rears for every front but since im replacing the rear early should I just do both or let the front go longer?

Any benefit for street use getting a different size tire?

I guess a long lasting but good all weather and cornering tire is what Im looking for.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[670cc]

Long lasting, good cornering, all weather tire is the holy grail.

I would try Conti Motion tires. They are nice tires and are a good value.

I would replace only the rear of the front still has some life in it, which it should at 4500 miles.

 

[Vnc]

I agree with the Conti Motion recommendation for value. I would not concern yourself with tread patterns for rain and so on due to the lower speeds that the NC travels. Value tires are where it's at.

 

[bamamate]

Conti Motion or the Michelin PR3/4 have good reviews and should work well for what you want. Conti costs less. Stick with the stock size as there is no real benefit with going to another size for your riding.

 

[draco_1967]

I just put a Conti Motion rear on last week. It handles well, and I even got to test it in the rain it felt good, not sure if I'd push it as hard as a PR3 in the wet, but it felt planted. I hope it lasts about 5k at least, but I can be hard on tires...

 

[fleetingyouth]

Thanks Ill look into the conti. How are those and the Michelins for sport handling if I ended up getting more into that, not that the NC is really that type of bike haha

 

[nrsheikh]

I just got the newer Pirelli Angel GTs on my bike. They are using a newer compound and say they are to last longer. I only have about 100 miles on them so cannot pass judgement yet.

 

[bduffey]

Got a 4 inch Bolt in my tire this morning so I guess its time to look at a new rear tire.

I have about 4500 miles on the stock Metzler Z8s. I mostly commute Highway with the occasional longer trip I have a couple big trips planned this fall. I live in Boston so lots of road work and pot holes with a decent amount of rain. I also ride year round.

I saw the recommended tire list but this will be my first tire change so not sure what im looking for. Im mostly a commuter so street tires but I do like windy roads.

I know some people do 2 rears for every front but since im replacing the rear early should I just do both or let the front go longer?

Any benefit for street use getting a different size tire?

I guess a long lasting but good all weather and cornering tire is what Im looking for.

Thanks for the tips.

May have asked you this before, but............. where in the Boston area do you live? Right in the city or in the burbs?

 

[fleetingyouth]

bduffey I live in Quincy but my studio is in east Boston. East Boston was where I picked up the Bolt though.

 

[bduffey]

Got it. I'm up in Burlington. If you're ever up this way, give me a shout.

 

[Motodrocher]

I found this review helpful for my tire decision: Sport-Touring Tire Buyer?s Guide

And the link for the nice prices provided by StratTuner initially made me think I found what I was looking for.

 

[maxwellian]

I'm happy with my Conti motion in back. Not too much wear after about 4 thousand miles.

 

[MZ5]

My ContiMotions have been terrific tires. I'm a highway commuter, with an occasional twisty road ride thrown in. I needed a rear recently before a trip, and the Contis were sold out, so I bought a PR4. The Conti lasted a long time, and cost me only half (a little less, actually) what the PR4 did. There's no way the PR4 will be cost-effective if you change your own tires. If you pay someone else to change them for you, and it costs a lot for that service, then _maybe_ the PR4 will be cost-competitive, but it would be tough. I don't feel like the PR4 turns in any quicker or better than the ContiMotion did, despite that tire being nearly worn out.

You don't need to replace the front tire if you don't want to. If you want to anyway, go ahead.

 

[fleetingyouth]

Ok so I went to plug the rear tire so I could get home. Turns out the bolt went about 2 inches into the rubber sideways without puncturing the tire. I tried to plug the hole anyway but it wont take. I took a chance and road it home about 20 miles fine seems to be holding air fine. The hole is near the middle going towards the edge.

What are my options? Should I puncture it and plug it or have a shop patch it? Throw some ride on in and see how it does? Just replace the whole tire?

 

[bduffey]

Personally I never feel 100% confident on a tire that has been patched or repaired, but that's just me. Some folks just repair/plug it and ride on. I suppose it also depends on where you're riding. In your case, if you are on the E-Way heading into the city at highway speeds (on the rare occasions you can hit highway speeds on the expressway , ) I would be even more hesitant.

 

[SergeantChuck]

I have to agree with what was said above. I patched a tire and then rode it another 4,000 miles. There were some times when I had to remind myself I had a patched rear tire that was at the ends of its life. If you can afford it you may want to change it. I took a chance and road. Use your gut and not what others tell you. If you don't feel safe, change it.

 

[DirtFlier]

Fitting larger tires is one of those old fashioned ideas that just refuses to die - similar to gaining performance by removing the air cleaner or fitting straight pipes. Engineers and test riders get paid to chose the correct tires sizes.

 

[670cc]

Ok so I went to plug the rear tire so I could get home. Turns out the bolt went about 2 inches into the rubber sideways without puncturing the tire. I tried to plug the hole anyway but it wont take. I took a chance and road it home about 20 miles fine seems to be holding air fine. The hole is near the middle going towards the edge.

What are my options? Should I puncture it and plug it or have a shop patch it? Throw some ride on in and see how it does? Just replace the whole tire?

I'm a big fan of patching tires when done responsibly. My last Z8 rear tire went 8000 miles patched, and the newer PR4 tire I just installed is already patched. However these are straight round punctures that can be dealt with securely. What you describe, not having seen it, still sounds too difficult to repair with confidence. You could have some tread separation, not just a simple leak. Ride-on can't help you with that. It's probably tire replacement time. Post a photo if you want further suggestions.

Most all shops will refuse to do any patch on a motorcycle tire, so that's not likely an option.

 

[fleetingyouth]

Thanks for all the tips everyone.

670cc I agree. I would have to actually puncture the tire to patch it and that wouldnt fix the 2 inchs the bolt went in sideways that could separate.

So I did a ton of reading on different forums and decided to give the Pirelli Angel GT a shot. Im only going to do the rear and let the front Z8 wear down. Ill post up some thoughts once I put some miles on it.