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R1100R Tire Questions


BF204

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Greetings all,

 

Even though it is -24C outside right now, I know that before I'm ready, Apr/May riding weather will be here. I've got a "to do" list going of things to get done on my '99 R1100R before the season starts, and a new rear tire is on the list. There is still some center tread left, but not much, and it is very center-flat spotted (prairie bike). When I bought this bike last spring, the PO had just had a new front tire installed for the bike to pass the safety inspection. Front tire is Bridgestone Battlax BT45F 120/70-17 M/C 58H, which is a bias ply tire. I put about (?) 8000 km on it last summer and have no complaints about it. It never made me nervous, and after the season, wear looks negligible.

 

Rear on it now is a Bridgestone Battlax BT020R Radial 160/60ZR18 (70W). The PO gave me a spare rear wheel and tire that had previously come off the bike... it was a Michelin Macadam radial of the same size. It's worn but less so than the tire on the bike now. The rear tire size seems (?) that it might be a "radial size" since there are BT45 rear's made, but not in that size.

 

OK, here are my Q's... (which I did try searching about, but couldn't find info)

 

Did this bike originally come with a bias ply front and radial rear? I think (?) this may be the case because of the sizing of the rear tire.

An option seems to be to replace the rear with whatever the current/new Battlax sport touring radial of the correct size (e.g. T30 Evo) ?

Another (more expensive) option is to change both the front and the rear to be a matched set of radials of whatever type (T30 evo, or Michelins or whatever)? I could do that, but it would seem might be a waste of what seems to be an OK front that has one short season of riding on it, and miles left in it. Or would changing to a front radial offer some handling benefit?

 

FYI, I called the only local BMW dealership (who put the front tire on for the PO last may). I asked their recommendation, and they had none. Their prices are always high (front was > $300 installed last spring). They quoted me about $500 + taxes for a pair of T30 Evo's, that is their "on sale" price and included installation & balance of tires on loose wheels (i.e. bring wheels in, not the bike). Bear in mind this is Canadian $$, so it is high, but not quite as outrageous as it might first appear.

 

One plus of having an older bike is that I can often learn from the experience of people who have owned them, so I'm hoping some of you will have some input.... Will probably make a decision and mail order tire(s)....

 

Thanks in advance for your input....

 

 

 

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Hey, BF204,

 

What type riding do you do and on what types of roads?? Pillion, group riding, camping gear?? Are you looking for "handling" or economy??

 

Beautiful country up there. Always wanted to see it in winter.

 

 

Lowndes

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Hey, BF204,

 

What type riding do you do and on what types of roads?? Pillion, group riding, camping gear?? Are you looking for "handling" or economy??

 

Beautiful country up there. Always wanted to see it in winter.

 

 

Lowndes

 

Hi... 99% solo riding. A mix of urban around the city hops and highway (but about 90% mileage is highway). Highway is about a 50/50 mix of slab/interstate and 2 lane asphalt. I haven't been heavily loaded (yet) but trying a couple longer touring type trips (and camping) is on my bucket list. Riding style is not overly aggressive, but I'm not holding up traffic either. :)

 

I'm pretty sure most quality sport touring tires would fit the bill for me. Since I'm not running on the edge, my guess is that I probably wouldn't notice the differences between 2 reasonably decent quality tires. I'm a flat-lander (=lots of straight roads), so would like something that is relatively resistant to center flatting (but I think all S/T tires probably are). On one of my weekend trips I hit torrential T-storm on freeway type road. I appreciated that there was no drama and the bike felt stable in very wet conditions. So I'd say I'd want something reasonably performance oriented, excellent dry and wet performance, reasonable durability and preferably not priced like unicorn horn. I would sacrifice longevity and tolerate increasing the $$ for better performance (even though I don't use all the grip I have, grip/tire performance is a good thing, especially in marginal conditions). I don't know how the Battlax BT45F on the front is viewed with respect to performance etc, but as I said, I don't have complaints about it. Maybe I could put any sport touring radial on the back and it'd feel fine (?), but would probably either try and pseudo-match the bridgestone on the front with bridgestone radial on the back (?) or replace both with radials that match (?).

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Lone_RT_rider
OK, here are my Q's... (which I did try searching about, but couldn't find info)

 

Did this bike originally come with a bias ply front and radial rear? I think (?) this may be the case because of the sizing of the rear tire.

 

No, the bike came with radials on both ends of the bike. We had an R1100R (2000) back in the early 2000'ish time frame.

 

 

An option seems to be to replace the rear with whatever the current/new Battlax sport touring radial of the correct size (e.g. T30 Evo) ?

 

Probably the cheapest option, but I personally with get the bias ply tire off that bike at all costs. I know there will be somebody here who disagrees with me, but your right to be nervous. A bias ply on the front with make that bike skiddish, and tthat bike is known for being really stable and rock solid in the corners.

 

 

Another (more expensive) option is to change both the front and the rear to be a matched set of radials of whatever type (T30 evo, or Michelins or whatever)? I could do that, but it would seem might be a waste of what seems to be an OK front that has one short season of riding on it, and miles left in it. Or would changing to a front radial offer some handling benefit?

 

Yes, as I said above, that bias ply is probably making that bike float a bit in the corners. If I were you, I would drop ship a set of Michelin Pilot Road 4 (or 5's) and have a local non-BMW shop help you with the install. The Cycle gear place in the area where I used to live would do dismount-mount-balance for $15.00 a wheel. Do that.....spend the money and don't look back. You'll be happy you did.

 

Shawn

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Yes, as I said above, that bias ply is probably making that bike float a bit in the corners. If I were you, I would drop ship a set of Michelin Pilot Road 4 (or 5's) and have a local non-BMW shop help you with the install. The Cycle gear place in the area where I used to live would do dismount-mount-balance for $15.00 a wheel. Do that.....spend the money and don't look back. You'll be happy you did.

 

Shawn

 

I hear ya... I wouldn't say I have any concerns about how the bike handles in corners now, but I realize that doesn't mean that I wouldn't notice an improvement with different rubber on the front. In the Olden Days I had a terrible dunlop on the front of one of my CB's I couldn't believe how different (for the better) the bike felt after I put a pirelli phantom on the front. It seems from a quick look that Michelin Pilot Road 4's or "Road 5"'s aren't made in 18" rears (?). Maybe only Pilot Road 3's (?). Is the160/60/ZR18 considered an odd ball size now?

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For the R1100 the most common replacement tire is the Michelin PR3's. I usually get 10-12k per set.

 

Dunlop also has a new set of tires that look really good.

 

I did run one set of Bridgestone Battlax tires, but I didn't like them that much

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I have run Metzler MEZ 6's for a long time now on my 96RT. I think they are 160 x 60 x 18 rear and 120 x 70 x 17 front. They handle well wet and dry. They don't make much noise like the Pilot roads. I get between 8.5 and 9.5 K miles. You will get better as tires wear longer in mid west and east. Like every tyre I've ever owned, they'll eventually get a flat surface in the center and gradual by gradual they will handle harder in the corners.

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Hi.

 

Got to agree with Lone_RT_ riderto get that bias ply tire off the bike. I can appreciate being on a budget, but a good set of matched tires should be considered as a safe riding decision. Those dollars you save will seem like not so much if you are nursing your body from a get off because the tire didn't perform as needed. Get some fresh recently manufactured tires on order and know those extra dollars will show up in a bike capable of performing up to its full potential

 

On my '99 RT, it came with Metzler MEZ 2s and I stayed with Metzler through MEZ 8s with each generation improving on grip and handling other came through with Bridgestone . I really like MEZ series of tires on that bike , but other folks swore by Bridgestone and Michelin as well. You might save a few dollars on the Bridgestones VS the Euro imports

 

I suspect the issue is that the R models from that vintage have a fairly uncommon wheel size so the tire choices have always been limited to a few vendors and dealers likely don't stock these sizes as they could sit on the shelf for a long time. The dealer that did the install probably only had a bias ply tire on hand and put it on to move it. I am a bit supersized the dealer would do that for liability reasons. Canada must have very different liability laws but if you went down in the US and it was provable that the dealer installed an improper tire the lawyers would be lining up at you door begging to take your case.

 

 

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Firstly, just how old are the tyres?????

 

The front was put on last May (by previous owner). The rear (Battlax BT020) is of age unknown. My guess is that it is at least (?) 5+ years old. The previous owner was the 2nd owner of the bike, and the original owner was his friend (deceased). Both original and previous owner had several bikes in the stable so this one wasn't the primary ride for either of them. (Although supposedly the original owner rode it coast to coast more than once). After his friend passed away, the bike had a couple seasons where the previous owner put little mileage on it before selling it off to me. No doubt the bike has gone through several sets of tires before I got it. (it is just over 100K km on the clock now.... 92K at the start of last season).

 

For the R1100 the most common replacement tire is the Michelin PR3's. I usually get 10-12k per set.

 

That's good info and what I guessed from what's available for the rear size-wise... Yes, I'm leaning towards mail ordering a pair.

 

 

Hi.

 

Got to agree with Lone_RT_ riderto get that bias ply tire off the bike. I can appreciate being on a budget, but a good set of matched tires should be considered as a safe riding decision. Those dollars you save will seem like not so much if you are nursing your body from a get off because the tire didn't perform as needed. Get some fresh recently manufactured tires on order and know those extra dollars will show up in a bike capable of performing up to its full potential

 

It's not that I'm on a particularly limited budget, or that I'm that cheap :) My original Q was more related to whether there was reason toss a tire that has ~8000 KM on it and is probably less than 40% worn. But yes, I was surprised that it was a bias ply, and appreciate the consensus that it is not optimal, and I would be better off with a matched set of radials...

 

 

I suspect the issue is that the R models from that vintage have a fairly uncommon wheel size so the tire choices have always been limited to a few vendors and dealers likely don't stock these sizes as they could sit on the shelf for a long time. The dealer that did the install probably only had a bias ply tire on hand and put it on to move it. I am a bit supersized the dealer would do that for liability reasons. Canada must have very different liability laws but if you went down in the US and it was provable that the dealer installed an improper tire the lawyers would be lining up at you door begging to take your case.

 

Ya, I'm not sure why the bias ply was the one chosen by the previous owner. Maybe it was $5 cheaper (?). When I talked to the shop (the same one), they had little input / advice, just told me what options in that size they could get in. I'm pretty sure the previous owner wouldn't have worried about what was put on, the shop was doing a safety inspection (required when selling for next owner to register), and told him it needed a new front to pass. "OK put one on." was likely the extent of the research. As for liability... well I guess we are much less litigious up here. ;)

 

 

Thanks for all the input folks! I appreciate it!

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I have run Metzler MEZ 6's for a long time now on my 96RT. I think they are 160 x 60 x 18 rear and 120 x 70 x 17 front. They handle well wet and dry. They don't make much noise like the Pilot roads. I get between 8.5 and 9.5 K miles. You will get better as tires wear longer in mid west and east. Like every tyre I've ever owned, they'll eventually get a flat surface in the center and gradual by gradual they will handle harder in the corners.

 

That's another option I'll check into... thx.

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  • 2 months later...

Just as follow-up..... I ended up buying a matched set of Michelin Road Pilot 3's... (4's and newer do not come in an 18" rear) A local place matched the mail order pricing, so I went with them. (good that I asked) I pulled the wheels off the bike, and took them loose into the shop. They charged $50 per wheel for install, new valve stem & balance. Probably sounds pricey to many of you, but that's what it costs here (would've been more to take whole bike in).

 

Road crews have just started sweeping the tons (literally) of sand/gravel used for winter traction off the roads here, so I have only gone for a couple rides, and put about 100 kms on the new rubber. I can't comment on perceived grip, since I've been so cautious with all the sand on the roads, but the bike feels mucho better overall. Perhaps its 90% due to how squared off the old rear was, but the bike feels much more linear going into a corner (doesn't drop into it), and doesn't seem to want to wander around within the tire tracks of the lane like it did previously. The profile of the new front seems to be a bit different than the old front, and I imagine that helps with the corning feel.

 

I'm just at the verge of wearing any "nubs" off the front, but will need the roads swept and some good cleansing rain to come along before I get a feel for how sticky they seem. Realistically, I don't ride on the edge, so I'm sure they'll feel great.

 

Next on the list, I ordered a set of Speigler brake lines (and rear pads that need replacing), so I'll get to that soon... I'll also do my first valve adjustment, give it some new plugs, and maybe synch the TB's...(since I don't know when any of those things were last done). Should be fun tasks, none look too scary.. The bike is running well though, so I'm not trying to overcome any issue.. Many around here don't take their bikes out until May, so I don't feel too behind....

 

That's the update... Go Jets Go! (for you hockey fans)

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I put Metzlers on my '99 R1100R and have absolutely no complaints. They hardly lose any air pressure, handle & brake to all my needs, and were a fair bit less than Michelin Pilots.

I went to a multi line metric dealer who matched on-line pricing and mounted/balanced them. Just rode 7+ hours yesterday and never thought about the tires.

Give the local dealers a chance even if the Beemer dealer put you off. W e can't do everything on the internet and we'll miss them when they're gone!

Dave a.

 

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I put Metzlers on my '99 R1100R and have absolutely no complaints. They hardly lose any air pressure, handle & brake to all my needs, and were a fair bit less than Michelin Pilots.

I went to a multi line metric dealer who matched on-line pricing and mounted/balanced them. Just rode 7+ hours yesterday and never thought about the tires.

Give the local dealers a chance even if the Beemer dealer put you off. W e can't do everything on the internet and we'll miss them when they're gone!

Dave a.

 

Glad to hear you like the Metzelers.... They were on my list, but didn't seem to be as readily available up here... I hear you about supporting local dealers (and I did get mine from a local Kawasaki dealer)... I gave the beemer place business way back when with my Honda's, and they always acted like they were doing me a favor to sell me tires. Same vibe now. Last spring a friend went in to buy a GS from them... they didn't seem too eager to talk to him, and then were supposed to call him back in a week or two when their spring shipment arrived (which had a bike with the colour/options he wanted). He said great, and he'd come back with his cheque book. They never bothered to call him, so he went and bought a Kaw instead. That dealer treated him right, so I called them about the tires, and that's where I ended up getting them from.

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