I need new tires for my Savage.  It's my first bike and I have no experience with this stuff.  Some have recommended me order them online and change them myself, but I don't have an air compressor, a garage, or the time, so I'll probably take it somewhere.  But I still might buy them online if I can get a good deal.

I'm not looking for anything super nice, but I don't want something that'll fall apart.  I guess what I'm saying is that I don't need any speed rated or performance tires, but if the treadwear is significantly higher I don't mind paying a little more to save money in the long run.

1. Any good websites where I can find tires?
2. Any recommended brand/series/model of tires?
3. What should I expect to pay for tires?
4. What can I expect to pay to get them put on?  How much is too much?

Thanks!

Bryan,

It really pays to shop around and do your homework, which is what you are doing.  I recently bought a tire and that was my first experience and I knew nothing, as Sgt Shultz used to say.

There are many threads on here about tires, go to search, type in tires, change the "when was this post last made" to all and go at it.

Buying motorcycle tires is diferent than buying car tires, but you alredy knew that.  I asked the guy I get my car tries from, who I pretty much figured did not mess with motorcycle tires, but I knew had motorcycles and he gave me a good lead.  That took me from someone local I trusted to someone that he trusted, which is better than nothing.

I got a dunlop k something, had a dunlop d404, but that did not seem to hold up very well around here.  I had the guy put it on for me, but I kept thinking, "I could do that myself"  Maybe, but he had all the tools and stuff right there to do it with.  $140 (tire, tube, rim strip and labor) later I was heading out.  The K does seem to be holding up better than the d, but it is a little too early to tell.

I know this got kind of long, but search and read on here, ask someone you know local, even if they do not sell motorcycle tires, they might have a lead for you, make your best decision and go ride.

Hope that helps.
Mike

Bryan

Are you a high mileage rider?  Harder, longer lived tire rubber has less traction than softer, shorter lived rubber.  If you're in an emergency where you need all the traction you can get, remember your choice.

I got Pirelli MT66 Route tires, and I like them a lot.  They cost no more than some of the lesser name tires.  140/90-15 fits the rear and is much more common than the 140/80-15 original tire, but some folks have to replace the bolts under the rear fender with round-head bolts to avoid tire rubbing.  Above all, get better tires that the original model, IRC GS-18 or whatever they're listed as on the sticker on the bike.

If your tubes are five years old or more, get new tubes.  I prefer a rear tube with a 90° bend in the stem for easier air checks and adding air.

Make phone calls.  Call all your local shops including the Suzuki shops and independent repair shops if you have any to get prices.  My local indie shop charges $21 to mount if your bring in your wheel and new tire/tube.

For you people running the MT66, please let everyone (especially me!) know what kind of mileage you get out of them.  YES, I know that my mileage may vary.
I got 20k out of the rear on my Metzeler ME880, and the front is still going strong.
I've heard that the MT66 has handling similiar to the ME880, and I could be tempted by the MT66 if the mileage is good enough.

youzguyz wrote on 08/17/09 at 08:56:28:


I have these Pirellis on my Rebel. After nearly 5K miles they still look NEW, but you _can_ tell that they perform better after they've been run in about 500 miles. The tire seems to hold the road very well in turns, so I couldn't be more pleased.

I definitely don't have the resources to change tires.  I live in an apartment, I've got no air compressor, garage, bike jack, and I'm technically not even supposed to be working on my bike on apartment property.  I could probably take the wheels off and bring them somewhere, but I'm not sure I wanna just leave my bike (minus wheels) sitting in the parking lot.

I'll definitely need tubes as well.  I'm sure these are probably the original tires and tubes.  The tires are dry rotted and cracked pretty bad.  The bike's only got 2400 miles on it, and it's a 96.

I've seen a lot of people mention putting larger tires on the Savage cause the 140/80's are harder to find.  I'm not sure I want to do that, though.  I don't mind swapping out bolts if I have to, but I imagine 140/90's would have a larger circumference, so they'd probably throw off my speedometer, and I've heard even 150/80's can throw off the speedometer.  In addition, I'm not sure a bike shop would be willing to put wider tires on my bike cause they might be harder to fit onto the rim, right?

What companies make tires that are the right size for the Savage?

You can see the date the tires were made.  The last four digits of the DOT code impressed into the sidewall of the tire are the week and year of manufacture.  For tires made before 2000, the year is only one digit--236 as the last three digits would be the 23rd week of 1996.  2306 would be the 23rd week of 2006, for example.

If you look at tire company web sites and use their lookup tool, you'll find which tires they make that they recommend for the LS650 Savage & S40.  Dunlop, Pirelli, and the others recommend their 140/90-15, because they don't make the 140/80-15.  If the tire maker recommends it, the shop will install it.  Interestingly, many of the tire makers recommend higher inflation pressure than Suzuki recommends for the IRC GS-18.  
http://www.dunlopmotorcycle.com/fitmentguide_print.asp?fitment_id=621

PTRider wrote on 08/17/09 at 17:03:13:


Won't a 140/90 throw my speedometer off?  I know it's not the end of the world, but I'm an inexperienced rider as it is...

I called a place today and they want $80 just to take the wheels off the bike.  Maybe I'll see if I can just take the wheels off at a friend's house and lay the bike in his grass while I get the tires changed...