tyre recommendations

[kdodd]

morning all, done some searching and seem to come up with various answers,
looking at replacing he tyres on my gp with a rb230 motor,got tubeless rims
im 17 stone and want to carry baggage when on a rally run, lot of the time will be without bags when tootering round local. not sure if im over reading about load ratings and speed ratings etc but think i need 59P rateed
did have conti 365 on my vespa before i got rid and they seemed great for grip in most conditions, can anyone recommend a tyre which would so most of teh year, not snow, not too fusssed re the wear rate and reckon i'll do about 3000--4000 max a year

read bad things regarding the schwalbe s so not sure if im to avoid or not, aware it was a while ago but have that worry in my mind.
conti twist race seem good value but not sure with regards to which is best, would appreciate any input.
first ever lambretta and dont want to watch it slide down the road due to poor tyres.
thanks

[Toot]

My personal recommendation is the Conti Twist Race, a great tyre but they only last around 1,000 miles on the rear of my TS1. I've not personally had any issues in wet conditions, however others have lost confidence in the wet on these same tyres. (i.e. I had them fitted when I travelled the LCGB Lands End to John O'Groats in 2014, and it was slightly wet for some of the journey.. )

The fall back option for me is the Conti Twist, I have these tyres on my other scooters and they last a bit longer on the rear. (Up to 1,800 miles).

Tyres are like 2 Stroke oil, once you find a make/type that you are comfortable with you stay with it.

[citydaz]

I have conti twists front and rear.
I have found them to be very dependable in most conditions.
I did have a bit of a rear end "wobble" going round a roundabout once, but it may have been due to grease/oil on the road rather than the tyres themselves.
Otherwise i havent got any complaints

[kennystag]

Hi Toot,
Sorry mate this is not about tyres. I just read you travelled the LCGB Lands End to John O'Groats in 2014, Is there anymore to read about that run, as it sounded very interesting.
Cheers
Stag

[johnnyXS]

if you ride all year round in all weather conditions I reckon your best bet is to have two sets of tyres because you are never going to find a set of tyres that are really good in both the dry and in the wet.
Whatever you buy is going to be a compromise at best .

For best performance in the dry ideally you need a softer compound tyre with less tread whereas for wet conditions you need the opposite.
My advice would be to buy a set of each, say Michelin S1 for dry and then switch to a wet weather tyre for the Winter .I know its expensive initially and a hassle changing the tyres but if you ride all year round it would probably be the safest option.

[ladsdad]

+1 with the S1's
I've used them for years & think the're good in all conditions & have a good wear rate...maybe not the cutting edge of tyre tech but they've never let me down.

Mark

[CHRIS in MARGATE]

I cut my Continental Navigators off my tubeless rims when they were nearing the end of their life and fitted S1's. The difference is incredible. After the Navigators, I hate them. May have just had a couple of wobbles on wet roundabouts but the S1's definitely don't give me the confidence that the Navigators did.

[HxPaul]

+1 with the S1's
I've used them for years & think the're good in all conditions & have a good wear rate...maybe not the cutting edge of tyre tech but they've never let me down.

Mark

I've used S1's for about 8 years now,wet or dry without a problem,there very hard wearing and last a long time,they only have a speed rating of 62mph,but I dont want to go any faster on 10 inch wheels.

[Storkfoot]

I have tried quite a lot of tyres over the years. I have to say that, of all the tyres I have tried, the only one I would not use again is the S1. Oh, I almost forgot, I'd avoid all Schwalbes too because of the significant numbers of eggs and blowouts.

If you use the Search facility on this forum and just put in "tyres" I'd suggest this is a well covered issue.

[johnnyXS]

it would be more helpful if you said why you would not use an S1 tyre again and what sort of riding you do
Are you a dry weather rider summer light mileage only or do your use your scoot all weather all year round .?
Just saying that you wouldn't use the S1 tyre again tells no one anything useful really.

[bike grim]

My experience of S1's is that a good few years ago they were really good and then I believe the country of manufacture changed from European to Far East ( I think) and each one I have had since the change has been very hard and unforgiving in the wet. For that reason I do not like them anymore as I ride in all weathers.

I am very impressed with the Dunlop Scootsmart and they come in different ratings some high speed and soft sidewalls and others highload with lower speed rating. I have Dunlop tt92s on another marque which is quite feisty and although I have no scientific reason why, I would say the Scootsmarts are pretty close in grip levels on the road in warm dry weather and also very confidence inspiring in the wet.

51P (high speed rating) on the rear does about 2000 miles on my S2 283, the fronts seem to last well so I tend to swap them around. I use AF tubeless.

[johnnyXS]

My experience of S1's is that a good few years ago they were really good and then I believe the country of manufacture changed from European to Far East ( I think) and each one I have had since the change has been very hard and unforgiving in the wet. For that reason I do not like them anymore as I ride in all weathers.

.

thats very interesting I thought that S1's were supposed to be a softer tyre for improved grip in the dry . I bought a pair last year and they turned out to be quite soft rubber and fresh looking. I too was concerned about whether the tyres had been on the shelf for a few years and gone hard. I must have been lucky I guess. I believe that all tyres must have a date stamped on them somewhere but its probably some mysterious code.
I amquite pleased with my S1's but I only ride in dry weather however I did once drive down a country lane that had a natural spring runoff across the road and when I hit that water at 30mph+ it was clear that the tyres were not gripping. I had to ease the front steering ever so slowly and gently across the road to avoid riding straight into a ditch I only just made it . Shook me up a little I have to admit.

[bike grim]

Every tyre will have a date stamp which comprises 4 numbers in a recess on the sidewall. I'm fairly certain its something like this; The first two digits signify the month number and the second two signify the year so for instance 0415 is April 2015.

[CHRIS in MARGATE]

I don't like my S1's in wet weather at all. I ride all through the year. Problem is it rains at any time of year. I came off in the rain last year in France in the summer and since then I am like an old fart when the road is greasy.

[Digger]

I don't like my S1's in wet weather at all. I ride all through the year. Problem is it rains at any time of year. I came off in the rain last year in France in the summer and since then I am like an old fart when the road is greasy.

French roundabouts are deadly when wet.....

[ladsdad]

I'm a bit surprised by all the negative feedback about S1's, especially when you have tyres like the schwalbes that would appear to come apart on a regular basis, yet people still use/buy them!! Like I said, used them for years, never had a problem on the road, perhaps I need to ride a bit harder Regarding their manufacture, they are made in at least two countries, I always buy the ones made in Europe, Slovakia, I think, & as already mentioned there is a 4 digit code on the side wall, 1st two numbers the week of manufacture, the second two, the year.( or the other way round)
I suppose it's like toot said, find something you like & stick with them...

Happy hunting mark.

[HxPaul]

My experience of S1's is that a good few years ago they were really good and then I believe the country of manufacture changed from European to Far East ( I think) and each one I have had since the change has been very hard and unforgiving in the wet. For that reason I do not like them anymore as I ride in all weathers.

I am very impressed with the Dunlop Scootsmart and they come in different ratings some high speed and soft sidewalls and others highload with lower speed rating. I have Dunlop tt92s on another marque which is quite feisty and although I have no scientific reason why, I would say the Scootsmarts are pretty close in grip levels on the road in warm dry weather and also very confidence inspiring in the wet.

51P (high speed rating) on the rear does about 2000 miles on my S2 283, the fronts seem to last well so I tend to swap them around. I use AF tubeless.

The last ones I bought (about 8 months since )were made in Serbia.

[LiSp]

morning all, done some searching and seem to come up with various answers,
looking at replacing he tyres on my gp with a rb230 motor,got tubeless rims
im 17 stone and want to carry baggage when on a rally run, lot of the time will be without bags when tootering round local. not sure if im over reading about load ratings and speed ratings etc but think i need 59P

Lots of power, lots of weight on the back, so your choice of 59P seems very wise, certainly on the rear. In case you meet heavy rain, a decent tread pattern's a bit of a must. As for final choice of manufacturer, that's down to preference and trust.
Fitting on tubeless rims may be interesting because of the stffer sidewalls, but worth getting them done right for peace of mind on a long run?

[Storkfoot]

it would be more helpful if you said why you would not use an S1 tyre again and what sort of riding you do
Are you a dry weather rider summer light mileage only or do your use your scoot all weather all year round .?
Just saying that you wouldn't use the S1 tyre again tells no one anything useful really.

Work every day, almost, for last 14 years. Rallies and European escapades

Weak sidewalls, slippy in wet and hate lines in the road. The fact they may last longer is indicative of the fact they don't grip.

All my opinion of course

[CHRIS in MARGATE]

+1
White lining in the road. A good enough reason not to fit S1's