Looking at new tyres for an Explorer 1200 and find myself with a further complication to the highly subjective issue of tyre choice. Not come across diagonals before, have they been around long? I just used to put whatever I could get hold of on my 93 Daytona as it was a little outdated on the tyre size front. For the Tiger I'm wanting a road orientated tyre that will last and am way out of date with current types and makes. There will be plenty of two up touring and we don't want to have to start hunting round in the middle of trip for a bike dealer with the right rubber. Is it worth going for a dearer tyre as it will be cheaper in the long run, or maybe that doesn't always hold true? The present tyres are Michelin Road 5 on the rear and Road 6 on the front, and the back looks to be wearing alarmingly fast although grippiing like the proverbial poop to a blanket even on Irelands slippy wet tarmac.
Diagonal.....Is that another word for cross ply or bias belted. | That what the factory fit to lots of the bikes in production now. Cross ply front...radial rear. If its good enough for Triumph its good enough for me.
I can vaguely recall my dad getting all excited about these new fangled radials he had just fitted to his car, and now cross plys are back! What goes around will come around I guess. I would have thought that bias/cross ply/diagonal/whatever you're having yourself would be a better bet on the rear as that is where the weight is, except when braking of course.
I could not get my head around why the fit them on the front at all.....far as I know.....the majority of bikes have radial back and front. I do know that cross ply road holding is poor compered to a radial tyre well it was on cars.....they wear out a lot faster than a radial as well.....but Its not just Triumph who fit them on the front.
You'd be surprised how many new cross ply bike tyres are available, generally aimed at classic and touring machinery with lower load and speed ratings. I doubt you'll find any cross plys with a W load rating required by many higher performance and sports sports bikes. If a bike or tyre manufacturer recommends a particular tyre then the spec will be good enough although different brands and tyre patterns don't all behave the same. Car and bike tyres are made to completely different dynamics so comparisons are meaningless.
Cross ply tyres have stiffer sidewalls against radials so it makes sense for steering. This thread all sounds like a step back in time and I recall the 50p shape tyres first thing on a morning until the sidewalls warmed up on a Landrover many years ago. Better for climbing out of ruts if that's your choice of roads Radials are far more comfortable.
Had crossply on my 1975 Landrover....DUNLOP RK-3.... OK off road but thats all.....road holding...in the wet like driving on ice....used to wander....but the steering was quite a bit lighter than with a radial. Still have that landrover....bought it new. But of course the physics of crossplys or bias belted if your in the USA on a bike and a car are very different.
Interesting that you have Michelin tyres on the bike currently but the rear is apparently wearing quickly. I recently sold a BMW R1250GS, I put Michelin Road 6s on it and they were still good at 18,000 miles (mostly touring with passenger and luggage), including a tour of Irelands Wild Atlantic Way. So I would recommend fitting a Road 6 to the rear and carry on riding.
