Suggestions For Police Bike Tire Replacement

Hello Everybody - I am getting my '94 Police Bike ready for some serious travelling this summer and I was wondering what would be the best tires to put on to replace the original Dunlop run flats (MN- 90-18 & MR 90-18).

I've had better luck with Dunlops than with Metzlers and was thinking of D404's, but the weight chart puts those tires right at the 600 pound weight limit.

Any suggestions? Even better - any other police bike riders out there who have tried different tires?

Thanks!

Greetings, and welcome to the site.

Yes, I too am a KawCop owner - pics in the gallery.

Strangely, tires are like women it seems - no telling who's gonna like one and why, unless of course, you're Tganek - but I digress; you'll find out about him in due course...

I've owned my KZ C1A for 9 years, and have played with Metzlers, Dunlops and even a couple of sets of Kenda (?) Challengers.

Believe it or not, my favorite from a *feel* standpoint as regarding how the rubber met the road was the Challenger; it griped like crazy, stuck like glue when I tossed out the anchor - especially the rear, which I'm sure you've discovered by now can put hair on your chest in a hurry when you least need it.

The only problem was the soft compound rubber didn't make for much in the way of wear resistance - say 4,000 miles for a rear tire.

In Dunlops, I've run both 404s and 491s.

I didn't care for the 404s. As I understood it at some point, they're Taiwanese private labels - which isn't an automatic knock being that the Challengers hail from the same neck of the woods, but they seemed a bit on the hard side compound-wise, I never felt comfortable with their traction, and in an anchor-tossing contest, I'm sure the terrifying *scrreeech* they make when they lock all too soon when you need 'em to bite took a year or two off the life of a couple of Soccer Moms otherwise disposed on their cell phones.

If you want to go Dunlop, go here: (LINK)

But then, I like Metzlers as well, so YMMV.

ADDENDUM: Again, as a matter of personal taste, I go 120/90-18s front & rear - big enough to get a little more rubber on the road when I need it and not so big as to make oversizing the tire on the rim a safety issue. Again, YMMV.

Post edited by: Pterosaur, at: 2007/04/04 19:44

Thanks for your thoughts. I have a new set of 404's on my 900, but I haven't put any mileage on them since that bike is still being dialed in.

Perhaps I'll go with the 491's, if I can find them. Too bad they don't make the run flats anymore.

I liked the way my Metzelers handled - just like you said with your Kenda experience - real grippers. But they sure didn't last long. I'm planning a few trips this summer, so I would like to still have some tread by the end of the summer.

Ooops. :woohoo:

Forgot to mention the run-flats.

When I first got mine out of the warehouse they'd lost it in for nearly 20 years, it still had the original Goodyear Eagles on it, and if I ever get the chance to ride on round concrete blocks, at least I'll know what to expect. :whistle:

Every motor cop I ever talked with - and I had no trouble meeting 'em because they'd track me down wherever I hid despite my best efforts, had absolutely zilch good to say about the r-flats in any practical sense; handled like crap, rode like crap, braked like crap, and if one ever had to depend on the sidewalls to keep you up at speed, it was a coin flip whether it'd be preferable to try riding out the mult-lane tank-slapper of a wobble you're gonna find yourself in, or take your chances as a ballistic object. :pinch:

Might be a blessing in disguise they're hard to find in the NOS market....

personally i think all police bikes and cars still in official use should be fitted with wheels resembling the flinstones:P now for the unoficial units id go totally against my personal beliefs for high performace use and say run the ddddddddddd dunlops(aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!)ok i feel better now for heavier bikes they seem to hold up better.my dad is running metzelers on his gggggggggg goldwing(aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! )yeah i know,where did i go wrong ? but they seem to be wearing funny on that big queen mary looking barge for some reason

Thanks again for the input. I've been doing some research and am also now considering Continentals - the TK 16 and TK 17 seem to look good vis a vis tread pattern and the weight rating looks good as well.

I've never run Continentals, but I guess you never know if you don't try.

Good to know regarding the run flats. Usually OEM is a good way to go, but maybe not in this case. I'm looking forward to how the beast will handle with different tires on it.

they used to make a tire called conti tour that held up really good,but its been a long time since ive used them;)

Scoot Jockey wrote:

Thanks again for the input. I've been doing some research and am also now considering Continentals - the TK 16 and TK 17 seem to look good vis a vis tread pattern and the weight rating looks good as well.

I've never run Continentals, but I guess you never know if you don't try.

Conties are good - at least the ones I've ridden on were. Put a set on an '88 FXR (boo! hissss! goes the crowd... ) and on a somewhat heavier bike, they ran and wore fine.

Not a bad choice at all - preferable to the 404s, IMO.

Good to know regarding the run flats. Usually OEM is a good way to go, but maybe not in this case. I'm looking forward to how the beast will handle with different tires on it.

In this case, I think the OEM decision got mucked-up for a variety of reasons - some rubberhead pea-picker sold the idea to corporate, they ran a gang of 'em off and had a warehouse full by the time the field comments came back in asking where whoever dreampt up those widowmakers lived so they could pay 'em a visit in person. :woohoo:

As a result the OEM fleet salesmen, who sell to bean counters instead of asses-in-the-saddle, offered *stupendous* deals on lot buys of this *greeeeat* techno-tire, "It even runs flat, see!" and so the motor pools were stacked neck-deep and had no budgetary choice but to run the junk. I;m sure there was a *big* spike in the incidence of FOD punctures (read that multiple ice pick jabs) that required replacement until the racks were bare.:whistle: