SV og LS, I think we are confusing folks by flipping the discussion between rear tires and front tires when talking about mileage numbers.

Front tires generally get about twice as many miles as a rear tire does (on a Savage, anyway).  I replaced my OE IRC rear tire in the 5,300 mile range and my front as I hit about 10,000 miles.  Sluggo and I eat back tires about as bad as anyone around here, but my front tire mileage was fairly typical of the list experience at around 10,000 miles.  

(note: half of these front tire miles were done while mated with the car tire, so I don't think the car tire does anything bad to your front tire mileage)

Jack has replaced his back tire with something that is going to give him mileage up in the 20,000 mile range and he asked for a front tire that would give him something similar in mileage so he could have balance in his life, good karma, internal harmony and all that good stuff.  (ie. he doesn't have to screw with it for five years)

I clued him into an inexpensive front tire that will mate well with his back tire (good turning performance) and give him a mileage life of somewhat similar shape & size.  I know this because I run that front tire against my darkside rear tire right now on my Savage and I liked the tire well enough to put it on another bike as well.  So I can speak to it against bike and darkside rear tires.  

Read its reviews, for the rather moderate cost it is a very good front tire for our rather light bikes.  People put it on heavier Harleys and like it too.  It was built for heavier touring bikes than ours.

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On a different note, I am looking at a $42 front exhaust pipe that I just got in to replace the dented one on my old blue SV curvy.  I am beginning to pretty the junker up now, I got me a case of the SV bug to a moderate degree now.  

darn but that bike MOOOOOVES right along ....   Lancer ol' buddy, I'll be ready for you on the next mountain run.

What are your experiences on first gen rectifiers vs small sealed batteries?  I am beginning to think mine may not be offering up optimal voltage to keep that little battery topped up with only the occasional running that it has been getting.

Educatedredneck wrote on 09/04/08 at 22:05:51:


I took a look what one online tyre dealer has. There are 18 140/90 -15 tyres, 17 150/90 ones and only 3 150/80 tyres so the choice is much more limited. I've run 140/90 and 150/90 rears so based on that 150/80 may have issues with swingarm and/or belt clearance on the left side but should be safe on the front seam. If you have nearly 10mm of space or more in regards to belt and swing arm on the left you should be safe. Every brand is sized actually different so if I told you brand X 150/80 will fit it's not 100% sure brand Y 150/80 would fit exactly the same.  

Very good information, thanks -- Lancer is moldy mincemeat rolling on Harley tires next time we go to the mountains !!   I am liking that SV650 engine more and more as the time I spend around it increases.  The little engine that could, and does, and then gets pissed off and does a lot more.

I lowered the bike enough to get me some significant bike tire friction rubs on the plastic inner flat water shedder (I hesitate to call it a fender), so I temporarily raised the bike one hole on the shock dog bones until I get time to fabricate an aluminum or stainless steel thin sheet metal section of the water shedder that will sit in the same area the tire wants to hit.  This will go flat to the fender rails, I think.

I want to run my flat wide racing car tire with the fender very low to the ground, and I KNOW now that the necessary clearance spacing will create occasional rubbing when going over speed bumps, etc.   Can't have the stock plastic water shedder melting on me -- need some metal to withstand the tire rubs that are going to take place.

I also wrapped the exhaust pipe between exhaust can and "Y" joint with white fiberglass wrapping to keep the pipe from eating up my pants leg -- so far so good on that fix.

Well, I finally got around to swapping rear tires.  Put in a BFG Radial T/A.  Oldfeller wasn't kidding, you need alot of pressure to seat the tire.  My air pump only puts out 80 PSI and that wasn't enough.  There's still a 10" long spot on one side that won't seat.  Well I'll go to the station down the street and see what their 150 psi pump can do.

I'm guessing around 100-110 psi should do the trick...I hope!

On another note, I agree with Justin_o_guy!  If you don't have problems taking a m/c tire off a rim with a few tire irons, then YOU CAN strangle a rhino and throw his dead carcass aside!  

POW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   :'(

Ok, the whole thing BLEW UP!  I guess I must not have used enough dish soap...and I think the truck bed liner spray I used to try to seal up the spoke holes somehow made it up to the rim.

Anyway, now I've got no tire, no tube, and nothing on the way.  I can't wait for another shot next weekend, I gotta get this thing up and back on the road.

My ears are STILL ringing, that was the loudest explosion I can remember hearing!  It was MUCH louder than a 30-06 rifle!  I won't make that mistake again.  If I can't seat the bead with 80 psi or less, I won't chance that again.

I think a picture is needed here.  Gotta have a picture ....

Gort & Sluggo can't laugh as good as I know they can laugh without a picture to show them.

You were riding around on a partially seated tire, mounted on the bike, trying to inflate it somewhere and it blew up.    Because the truck bed liner spray you had sprayed on the spoke heads got on to the rim ???

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OK, I recant, totally no less -- car tires are too dangerous for list members to be messing with.

Riding in the mountains is too dangerous for list members to be messing with.

I am too dangerous for list members to be messing with.

I still want a picture.

I am going to print it out and frame it and put it over my computer as a reminder.

Then I am going to park all my motorcycles, unload all my guns and sit in front of the TV, get senile and ossified and try to  "act my age".


Just show me the picture, please.

Aaaak!

What did they say when the tire blew up?

Oldfeller--FSO wrote on 09/08/08 at 17:35:22:


Sorry Crazyfeller...er...I mean, Oldfeller  , I almost immediatlely threw the saddlebags away and as soon as I got home I broke the rim down and got it ready for a new tire.

I don't think this is cause for concern, no need to overreact...I've only changed a few dozen car tires myself, I just need a little more practice.  On a similar note, I've never had any success with m/c tires, I even botched the job on my dirtbike and had to take it to the dealer and pay the $50 for him to mount it in shame, after ruining no less than two tubes.