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I was hoping to get a different tire other than the OEM Bridgestone that comes with the bike, but there are not alot of other companies the make a rear tire for the bike, has anyone tried a larger radial tire on this bike??
When I went to the E3 on the rear, my front was in good shape. I figured I'd offer it up to a friend if they needed it, but after switching tires, my feeling was that I could not in good conscience GIVE that front tire to anyone.I'm thinking that by the time I wear 2 rear Bridgestones out, the front will be worn out, then I will go with the Dunlop Elite 3's. At least thats my plan right now, unless the Bridgestones continue to impress, in which case I will keep running them, they are very inexpensive compared to metz or dunlop.
When I went to the E3 on the rear, my front was in good shape. I figured I'd offer it up to a friend if they needed it, but after switching tires, my feeling was that I could not in good conscience GIVE that front tire to anyone.
Off-tracking on grooves in the road was cut in half, and the handling was greatly improved. I don't know how much of that came from the radial construction on the rear and how much came from the tread pattern on the E3, but I love them.
I've got about 22k on that first E3 front and it still has just over 2mm left (service limit is 1mm).
My only issue with the E3 radial rear is feathering or light cupping, which causes some noise in the turns, but doesn't seem to impact handling and the ride is still silky smooth. I think it's just a fact of life with a radial, and I put 14k on that first one and still had a couple of k left in it (it was just hitting 3mm, but I was prepping for Zion in May and the July trip to Red Lodge).
My next tire will be a 150/80-16 bias Avon Venom WWW, since the front will be due by the time I put another 6k on the rear.
Rich, so the CT is out eh?Nahh... If I had a V2K or a 900, I would be running a CT, but I just don't like the fitment for the 1600 rim.
The wheel is really too narrow for a 195, much less a 205, and the availability in the 195 is so limited that it's hard to find something with a comparable height to the 180/70, and many who have tried have been forced to go with "what fits" rather than the best tire for the application.
One of the recent attempts on the 1600 was with what really amounted to an SUV tire with a recommended inflation of 60psi.
The smaller sizes/higher profiles we need just aren't available for the 16" rim.
My next set will probably be Avon Venom in WWW.
I've done a lot of research on it and don't agree with the naysayers, but there are some bikes where there just aren't any good options.