Well this is my first post here, but I'm not new to motorcycle forums.
I've been a member of HDForums.com for years.  (yes I ride a Harley).

Well my Wife has decided to give riding a try and a lot of my fellow Harley Brothers and Sisters keep telling me to find her a Savage!!!

Well I found a 2005 LS650 in excellent condition with only 2700 miles for $1200 including a new in the box OEM windshield.

Anyway the tires are apparently original and even though not worn or weathered they are certainly extremely hardened.

I'm looking to replace them with a softer compound tire with more grip.
I'm not concerned with longevity.

I run Commander IIs on my Harley and have been happy with them, however they are not necessarily a softer compounded tire.

Any recommendations?

Run whatever you want and lower the pressure by a few psi if needed. Some of the soft feel can be had with suspension adjustment. Sometimes by just saying that you put on soft tires will do the trick. Anything new should feel a little softer.

Shinko ,soft ,good grip ,cheap,or any others, but you have to run 140-90-15 (which will fit ) as most makers don't produce 140-80-15,except IRC (stock) and those are not good in the rain.

Some of the folks I ride with run Commanders......they last a long time but are not be best for grip in the wet.

Here is a thread on the tires that can be had in matching front/rear pairs.

The Shinko 230 is a great tire - the 130/90-15 tire is nearly identical to the stock 140/80-15 tire (which is an odd size and only available in the IRC tire).

The Commander is a great tire for those who ride a lot of miles each year - most low mileage riders will experience the same thing you have with the stock tires.....they get too hard to ride on before you wear the tread off.  I believe the grip is compromised once a tire is more than 5 years old....you can likely still ride on them - but they just won't stick as well if you get into a situation that requires maximum grip (heavy braking, manhole covers, pavement stripes, rail road tracks, oily spots, etc).

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1448021014

Dave wrote on 01/09/18 at 04:21:54:



I was looking at the Shinko 230.
The reviews seem to be they grip well but longevity is lacking, which I'm not concerned with.

Also, my local Indie stocks them and I can get both tires for $165 installed.
The best online price I've found is Bike Bandit at $132.

My Indie charges $35 per tire for carry in mounting.
I know I can mount them myself; been there and done that.
I'll gladly pay the extra for somebody else mount them.

As with my Harley, I'll add Ride-On so I won't have them balanced.
For those who haven't tried Ride-On, Google it and you'll likely be convinced to add it.

Of course I'll need to add new tubes and rim strips for both.
I figure the out the price for two new tires will be around $230.
That's about what I paid for just the rear tire on my Harley.

Thanks all for the info.
I'll won't be a stranger here.

On the stock rear rim, will a 130-90-15 work well ?  Will the size be close to stock, ratio wise ? I'm not a bigger is better guy.

piedmontbuckeye wrote on 01/09/18 at 06:15:57:


Unfortunately......no Pilot Activ in cruiser sizes.

Dave wrote on 01/09/18 at 08:54:21:


I think, though I don't know for sure, that Michelin does make a rear sized tire in a different model.  Soon, I am going to install a Shinko on my rear wheel and have already purchased it. I had put a Pilot Activ on the front last summer.