New to Honda Blackbird

[Kenneth Foley]

Hi all , have been an owner of a 1999(CARB Blackbird )for the past year , tyres are due to be replace , can someone tell me whats best , I don't ride hard and only wk-ends .

 

[Minkey]

hi

welcome.
Enjoy yourself here but you will wish you had not asked that question you really will bl4hbl4h
c7u8

 

[bikesnoopy]

Avon Speedmaster Mk2 are pretty good & last forever(yes,really...they do last FOREVER)also Cheng Shin Superrocket & anything from the Duro range. . .

Carb model huh. . . glad you got one of the fast ones then. . .R#?

 

[Rods]

the two most popular seem to be bridgestone 020's and avon azaros if you aren't going to be riding to hard.

personally i prefer the avons to the azaros, as they last longer, and IMHO, give more grip.

make sure you get blackbird specific tyres though. and don't get dunlops

 

[Pugwash]

Pirelli Dragons on mine. Soft expensive shit but I ride like a ponce on rare occasions.

 

[Jaws]

Welcome on board

There are two form favorites.. Bridgestone 020 and Avon Azaro ST 45 and 46 ( both should be bird specific.. do not let a dealer fob you off saying they are all the same ! )

I used to be a Bridgestone man until I tried the Avons.. aint looked back !

 

[dayglow]

Hi all , have been an owner of a 1999(CARB Blackbird )for the past year , tyres are due to be replace , can someone tell me whats best , I don't ride hard and only wk-ends .

w4lc0m3 as Paws says.... bridgstone or avons....had both.... avons suit me better
feel more planted....and cheeper tooR#?

regards:yo:
dayglow

have 99 carb too...hope yours is the fast tvatanium colourw;;v

 

[RHINO]

ST 45/46 AVON are better than the Bridgestone, brill mileage, v/good in the dry just don't push it too hard in the rain. h1d1ng2

For economy, grip, wet weather performance i chose the Avon SP49/50.. @ ?115 a pair fitted to loose rims they were terrific value. brok3

 

[derek kelly]

Welcome Ken, enjoy your BB, & enjoy the forum.

 

[Aidey]

So whats wrong with Dunlops then Rods?
Ive used them for four years now, never fallen off (touch something like wood) and never had nasty moments.
For higher mileage use the D220 or for faster riding use the D207.

 

[blumeeni]

FFS if you only do low miles per year go get some nice sticky stuff and fukc wear rates,grip is far more important as I and a few m8's have found to our costs this last year.
I've been using pilot powers during the winter they are soooooooo good compared to sport touring tyres I'll mention no makes for fear of being :shooter: at
The rears done 2000m may go to 3000m the front still looks like new try a set of these you will not be disappointed.

 

[bikesnoopy]

FFS if you only do low miles per year go get some nice sticky stuff and fukc wear rates,grip is far more important as I and a few m8's have found to our costs this last year.
I've been using pilot powers during the winter they are soooooooo good compared to sport touring tyres I'll mention no makes for fear of being :shooter: at
The rears done 2000m may go to 3000m the front still looks like new try a set of these you will not be disappointed.

The trouble is "nice sticky stuff" offers LESS grip than sports touring tyres unless you get them up to their optimum working temperature - and keep them there - which is impossible in the winter & not easy in the summer,so for 99% of your riding,sports touring tyres will give you more grip...and certainly more grip than the Blackbirds ground clearance will allow.
Sports touring tyres dont need to be at such a high temperature to work at their optimum AND they reach that optimum temperature in half the time and hold it for longer.
I got cheap Metz MEZ4's on my Bird at the mo & i can scrape the fairing on the ground without a hint of slip. Why should you need anything grippier when you can reach the limit of ground clearance so easily on sport touring tyres??? And theyre cheaper AND they last longer. Why buy "sticky stuff" for road use??? You simply dont need it on a bike like the Blackbird...bl4hbl4h

 

[Duck n Dive]

Welcome to the madhouse..... normally I'd say you'll get lots of friendly and good advice here..... but on tyres........ more opinions than frogs in a box of frogs!!!!


I use Bridgestone 020's and am happy with wear, grip and handling/stablitiy with them. Have ridden all through last winter and this without any "moments".

I think it's got alot more to do with what you feel comfy and secure with. I trust the 020's and so have no problems with them. If I changed I would proly not trust something new for a while so might not be as confident in my riding.

As folks have said, if there;s bird specific tyres (as there is with 020's) get them.. not the standard ones.

I find it's good test for a reliable supplier.... just ask for BB tyres and see if they tell you there's a specific tyre for you're bike - if they don't when there is be wary.

 

[marcella]

welcome kenneth i'll bet this thread makes at least 3 pages :yo:

 

[bikesnoopy]

Tyres huh...i made the mistake of asking what oil to use once...you only ask questions like these once...bl4hbl4h

 

[Duck n Dive]

Tyres huh...i made the mistake of asking what oil to use once...you only ask questions like these once...bl4hbl4h

Oh come on that's easy, Bert solved it once and for all .....it's black !!man8um

 

[blumeeni]

Bikesnoopy

The trouble is "nice sticky stuff" offers LESS grip than sports touring tyres unless you get them up to their optimum working temperature - and keep them there - which is impossible in the winter & not easy in the summer,so for 99% of your riding,sports touring tyres will give you more grip...and certainly more grip than the Blackbirds ground clearance will allow.
Sports touring tyres dont need to be at such a high temperature to work at their optimum AND they reach that optimum temperature in half the time and hold it for longer.
I got cheap Metz MEZ4's on my Bird at the mo & i can scrape the fairing on the ground without a hint of slip. Why should you need anything grippier when you can reach the limit of ground clearance so easily on sport touring tyres??? And theyre cheaper AND they last longer. Why buy "sticky stuff" for road use??? You simply dont need it on a bike like the Blackbird...bl4hbl4h

Sorry m8 gotta disagree with you here,I suspect you ain't tried modern sports rubber.
Pilot powers warm up after only a few miles far far better than Avon st's,020's pilot roads to name but 3 I've tried recently.
Riding with other bird riders this winter the difference was remarkable in wet,cold,and damp conditions they far outperformed sport/t tyres.they warm right to the edges through heat transference.
I suspect your comments are referring to sports tyres of a few years ago the modern stuff has moved on.
Ok they're ain't gonna give the miles that a s/t tyre will however not all bird riders tour.
I do about 20-25k a year between my bird and my bmw1150gs all pleasure miles around our Welsh twisties if I could get powers to fit the gs I'd shove a set on that too. s04pb0x6 DONE

 

[bikesnoopy]

Ive used all sorts on all sorts of bikes(incl R1,Blade,GSXR thou & others)so yes,i have tried modern rubber and true,sports tyres have moved on...but so have sports touring tyres...
Sticky sports rubber is fine on a powerful modern sports bike used on track days/very hard road use-with ,of course,a rider that can use them to the full(very few of those around... )...but on a big heavy sports tourer like the Blackbird? Nah,youre wasting your money...
But,like you said,fit whatever you feel comfortable with. . .and dont take too much notice of what they write in MCN...!
BTW,you get 2-3000 miles out of a rear tyre? You sure youre not using touring tyres. . . ???

 

[gypsy]

right to the edges

are you sure Blue?

 

[bikesnoopy]

right to the edges

are you sure Blue?

Hmmm,good point. I find my footpegs/exhaust headers/bellypan are all scraping the road far before i reach the edge of the tyre. . . :dunno: