newbie

Hello everyone. I have a 2001 honda shadow vt1100c and am thinking of putting ct on. I have done a search for info and still wonder about a few things. I would like the best mileage back tire, one that will not make bike lower than stock. My driving is not alot of cornering, and when i do corners, I don't lean alot or go fast, just careful. I'm 56 yrs. old and picked up riding again since my early 20's about 6 months ago. Love riding. So alot of you like the General Altimax 205-65-15. Anything i should be aware of, and does one just call different shops to find someone who will change the tire for me? I tried a local guy here that changed my front tire and he said he won't put ct on bikes, not good. (what does he know). Any sites for the best price would be appreciated also. I live in Jacksonville Fl. so if anyone can recommend someone to put it on here that would be great.Thanks!

Maurice

Good to see you here, Maurice. I saw your posts on the other board. Living dangerously, posting over there about car tires. Most will leave you alone, but there is a number of jerkwads there, so take them with a grain of salt.

You've come to the right place for good, accurate info. Welcome.

Eric

Cant name a shop right off as I live in Louisiana, but try this.
Remove your tire and find a shop that has the tire you are looking for and take them the wheel and tell them it is for a sidecar. Most will not even bat an eye at ya. They are more apt to try if you buy locally (from them). Good luck. You are gonna love it.

Peace
Moon

What part of Jacksonville are you in? I"m here on business. staying at the quality in on Beach Blvd, right here on the beach. We can meet up if you want to chat. There's a 'sneakers" right across the street.

If you want a tire that's just like the old tire, I recommend the Kumho 165. It will go on easy and ride identical to your mc tire. With the 205 you will notice some changes when slow cornering. I run with the Altimax 185. I did not notice a height change..maybe 1/4 inch. I put the tires side by side and there was not much difference in height...of course it was a worn 205 next to a new 185.

Try calling ALL of the dealerships (besides harley) in Jacksonville. Some of them will do it. Mom and Pop shops are your best bet. call ahead though.

BadMoon's suggestion will work if you can take the tire off.

Good to have you here!

Thanks for the responses. Steve-o, that is mighty neighborly of you. How long will you be in town as i am not free until weekend. Eric, thanks for the welcome, and you are right about some d---ks on the other site. Especially that one, don't want to name anyone, but a clue would be, he's not difficult, but...
As far as the shops, i found 2, honda close by will do it for 75 including greasing anything needing it, like splines etc. Another shop at the beach said 50.
Now about tire. About starting with smaller size first and move up to 205. I realllly want to start at the top if that is where i am going. I drive very carefully, at red lights that are green when turning i even slow to 1st gear. Don't you think i could handle the 205? Now the brand. Why is Kumo good or better than general altimax? also, can you suggest a site that has a good price, or is a local tire store about the same since no shipping from local store? Thanks! I am ready for my tire. My rear tire has about an inch and a half dead center that is smooth, and as i don't remember when i first got the bike if there should be tread there to be safe but i assume so.
update: I just ordered the altimax 205-65-15 total price shipped 77.17. I am excited. I did so much reading on this site that I thought I can not go wrong, it fits others vt1100 bikes, and I am a careful rider and will get used to it slowly.
maurice

partial quote"Why is Kumo good or better than general altimax?"

the kumho tire is tried/tested, etc,, mostly the 165/80/15 is as close to your stock mc tire as you will find. If you do the 165/80/15 1st, you will notice just the difference. Almost none. There is some difference on running the wider tires. not bad (it is said)(I'm still on my 165/80/15 federal)

welcome to getting here

mark f

Good choice Maurice! I've been on the Altimax HP 205-65-15 since Oct. and am completely satisfied with the performance on my 1994 VT1100 Spirit. I thought 90 psi was a little high to set the beads, but with pledge as lub and a sunny afternoon to warm the tire, all went well. Cornering and slow speed are very satisfactory and as others have stated highway speeds are where this tire really shines. Good luck on your mounting and enjoy the ride.
Blueaceron

ok Ron. Thanks for that. Tire on the way. Any tips i need to tell mechanic about installation, like "you got alot of grease"? Do you know from your research about what mileage one can expect from this tire?

Maurice

maurice wrote:ok Ron. Thanks for that. Tire on the way. Any tips i need to tell mechanic about installation, like "you got alot of grease"? Do you know from your research about what mileage one can expect from this tire?

Maurice

One tip would be to tell them to clean all the old gunk off the rim.

Jerry

clean the rim well. May need to steel wool any rough spots created from previous tire changes.
Grease the splines while they have the wheel off
It will take 80+ psi to seat the tire. Be patient with seating it. Sometimes the pop is a bit delayed.
Lube the wheel and the tire.

This tire will be fine. You will notice a difference in handling during slow turns, but nothing earth shattering. Play with the psi some.

You will get between 20 and 30k miles on this tire....so hope you like it! Ha!

I'll be in Jacksonville weekdays through the first week of February. But that can change. Staying where Beach Blvd meets the Atlantic.

Steve-O wrote:clean the rim well. May need to steel wool any rough spots created from previous tire changes.
Grease the splines while they have the wheel off
It will take 80+ psi to seat the tire. Be patient with seating it. Sometimes the pop is a bit delayed.
Lube the wheel and the tire.

This tire will be fine. You will notice a difference in handling during slow turns, but nothing earth shattering. Play with the psi some.

You will get between 20 and 30k miles on this tire....so hope you like it! Ha!

I'll be in Jacksonville weekdays through the first week of February. But that can change. Staying where Beach Blvd meets the Atlantic.

oK. I will tell them. thanks for the tips all who responded.Hope they don't charge extra for putting a little grease on splines.
Steve, send me a pm with phone # and maybe i could come out on wednesday as my tire is being put on at the beach.

maurice

Another tire question anyone: Why is the Altimax general, which is about 65 bucks online then shipping cost, better than tires at the brick and mortar shops, like Sun Tire that has performance tire, same size, for 40 bucks. 40k mileage warranty? Altimax has 55k warranty but is that the main difference in price? Didn't call to find out what brand as already have my altimax on the way. thanks!

maurice

When I looked at specific tires, I found that I could always find them on line for cheaper. But I did not look at generic tires at local shops.

"I" will recommend to folks new to darkside to go with a tried and true tire the first time. Mainly for ease of installation. Those of us "pioneers" have found tires that "just wouldn't go on". I had to throw away a tire that I could not get to seat....tried up to 120psi, riding on it, heating it up...just wouldn't seat. So, that's why I'll recommend tested tires to newcomers. That said, once you have tried the dark side, feel free to try whatever.

And $65 vs $40 for a tire that will last 20k miles is pretty negligible.

Steve-O wrote:When I looked at specific tires, I found that I could always find them on line for cheaper. But I did not look at generic tires at local shops.

"And $65 vs $40 for a tire that will last 20k miles is pretty negligible.

It's a bit more with shipping, $77.00 but agreed. But why say 20k miles when warranty states 55k?. car weight divided by 4= more than cycle weight divided by 2? I can imagine cycle takes off quicker mostly, but even then, couldn't one get 40k?

maurice

I got 26,000 on my 40,000 mile tire. A car keeps the tire flat on the road all the time, keeping equal pressure through out the tires life. A motorcycle will shift from one side to the other while cornering, thus increasing pressure on certain areas reducing the life of the tire.
IMHO. But I could be wrong.

Jerry

maurice wrote:...But why say 20k miles when warranty states 55k?. car weight divided by 4= more than cycle weight divided by 2? I can imagine cycle takes off quicker mostly, but even then, couldn't one get 40k?
maurice

I think that's a question we all have. There's probably a reasonable answer, Jedison's seems as reasonable as any. 2k/4 < 1k/2...but the weight on a motorcycle is not evenly distributed, so it's more like 700 pounds on the back tire vs 500. That said, one would expect a lot more miles. That said, I don't know of anyone that get's more than 30k on a tire...not yet anyway. I DO know we get a lot more miles than on a mc tire. I did a calculation once where I was spending 5 cents a mile on tires for mc tires, but only half a cent a mile on my CTs. 1/10 the cost! Cost less and more miles!

I also know you have to take the tire off every 15k miles to grease the splines, so make sure this get's done. Greasing the splines is something the dealer does automatically. It's required every 15k or so, and since mc tires doesn't last that long, it's just done with every tire change.

Another thing to consider is that your tire rubber needs to be less than 6 years old. There is a month/year stamp on every tire. If you put 2k a year on your bike, you'll have to change it for age before you change it for miles! So unless you put 40k miles on your bike every 6 years, you are good to go for the next 6 years! (unless you are like me and just like to change tires when you want to try something else!)


I sent you my cell phone number. Give me a call if you have a free weeknight.

no problem with miles as i have put on about 6500 miles since i got the bike 6 months ago. love to ride. Ok. spline greasing will get done, and the explanation on ct on bike seems reasonable. thanks.

maurice

update: honda dealership put tire on as original shop declined fearing liability. Honda took 2 hrs once bike was in. First manager came to me saying mechanic states tire looks like it will rub on fender, won't fit. I assured them it would(trusting you guys!) and he said ok, i will tell him. Much time later, tire on. said "had a hell of a time seating it". I asked if psi was about 80, he said try 150. Said if it wasn't so damn cold out, it would have been easier. Manager said if i ever get a call for another one, i will not agree to it. whew. just made it.
So far i love it. No noticeable difference. turns feel normal. grips road very well. Slowing to a stop at traffic light, noticed more stable, less wobble on handle bar right before stop. cool. Manufacterer states to not go above 55 mph (i think) until about 300 miles for break in, as well as no quick starts or stops. So far great. Thanks everyone for the info leading to my decision! Will get pic soon of it, not that you don't know what it looks like.

maurice

Maurice, keep in mind that some tires have what is called "mold release" that is used to help the tire come out of the mold in the manufacturing process. From what I understand, some tires have it and some don't. If yours has it, it is slicker than owl shit and will drop you in a corner faster than slipping on an icy sidewalk. Don't know much more than that, but be careful for a hundred miles or so.

Eric

simpleman77 wrote:Maurice, keep in mind that some tires have what is called "mold release" that is used to help the tire come out of the mold in the manufacturing process. From what I understand, some tires have it and some don't. If yours has it, it is slicker than owl shit and will drop you in a corner faster than slipping on an icy sidewalk. Don't know much more than that, but be careful for a hundred miles or so.

Eric

thank you Eric, and this is why I mentioned only going up to 55 mph for a few hundred miles, slow starts and stops. Much obliged.

maurice

Of course if you want it off sooner you could go find a dirt road and maybe do a little burn out. Seems dirt will take the mold release off rather quickly. Not that I would actually advise doing anything like this, its just something I heard somewhere.

Jerry

You're going to get some compliments on that tire! Good to hear things worked out.

I feel the control on curves is better with this tire then the previous kenda mt tire. There is a curve I frequent, and mph at 50 I usually have to slow down a bit to feel safe. Not with this tire. Seems to cling more or something. Just feels easier.

maurice

Nice feeling isn't it.

Jerry

jedishon wrote:Nice feeling isn't it.

Jerry

yup Jerry. funny how critics site curves as the problem.

maurice