Bridgestone BT45V bias ply on 500lb kaw

I'm getting ready to order some tires for my KZ1000.

Need a 130/90V16 and a 100/90V19 bias ply.

MAW has the following, all V rated...

Bridgestone BT45V $154.90 plus ship
Cheng Shin C600 $103.90 "
Dunlop GT501 $178.90 "
Perelli Sport Demon $181.90 "
Shinko 230 $112.90 "

I have a Cheng Shin front on my daily ride and it's pretty slick compared to the BT45 I have on the back. The daily ride is close to 300lb compared to the 500lb or so of the KZ1000A1...

I'd like some RWL Avons for style combined with grip but can't find a pair under $250 and my limit is $200.

So, I'm wondering what you guys think of the above tires. Practical experience, not hearsay. I do very little freeway riding. Preference is for tearing/peg dragging along on the blue highways and local roads.

-Duck

Post edited by: Duck, at: 2007/04/26 22:09

I used GT501's on the last three bikes, I think it's probably the best bias tire out there, but things are a little tight right now, so I bought Dunlop 404's this time.

Ditto on the GT501's, very nice wear characteristics and good traction.
I always shop around for the best deals on them, and usually end up spending just over $100 for a 130/80-18 rear and about $65~$70 for a 100/90-19 front.
I yank the wheels off the bike and take just them in, and it only costs me $22 per tire (including old tire disposal fee) to have the new tires mounted and balanced.

I'll speak up for the BT45's. I have had several sets on my 900 and they wear/stick well. They also work great in the rain, I have tested this You can't go wrong with the 501's or BT45's. Tires are the last place you want to "go cheap".(And yes I put tubes in them :ohmy: :whistle: ).

I agree with the GT501's, they are sweet tires, and look just as good. Can't go wrong with them.

I am ordering a set of BT45's soon, but only because the GT501's are not available in the sizes I need.

Here you go Duck. Grab a set of the GBC Street Sharks from this place for $67.61 and have about $130.00 left over to take the little lady out for a nice dinner, or add another bike to the stable. Ha. Man those are cheap. I wonder if their any good?

www.americanmototire.com/

I back-up KZJohn. The BT-45s do wear/stick well. And yes, they do work well in the rain.

austin3119 wrote:

Here you go Duck. Grab a set of the GBC Street Sharks from this place for $67.61 and have about $130.00 left over to take the little lady out for a nice dinner, or add another bike to the stable. Ha. Man those are cheap. I wonder if their any good?

www.americanmototire.com/

Thanks for the link, Austin. Just ordered a set of GT501s from them. Saved me about $30 over the other places I looked.

I ended up putting some lightly used and free Avons on the KZ1000. Damn moths have scared all the dead presidents out of my wallet.

I just put a set of bt45 on my 550 i love em

Skyman wrote:

austin3119 wrote:

Here you go Duck. Grab a set of the GBC Street Sharks from this place for $67.61 and have about $130.00 left over to take the little lady out for a nice dinner, or add another bike to the stable. Ha. Man those are cheap. I wonder if their any good?

www.americanmototire.com/

Thanks for the link, Austin. Just ordered a set of GT501s from them. Saved me about $30 over the other places I looked.

Okay, I need to withdraw my recommendation for www.americanmototire.com . Their prices were good. But you get what you pay for.

I ordered the tires two weeks ago on a Friday morning. They didn't ship until Monday. They chose some off-brand shipping company I'd never heard of. The shipment was supposed to arrive on Thursday. Didn't. Tracked it, and they said they couldn't find my office, so they sent it back to the hub. :blink:

I gave them clear directions on how to get here, and they were supposed to deliver on Friday. Friday afternoon I had to go out of town, so I expected the tires would be waiting for me when I returned on Wed. They weren't.

Tracked it again. This time, their website said the the shipment was returned to the sender. Called them up and they said they STILL could not find my office, even with the directions I gave them. So they just shipped it back.

FedEx, UPS, DHL, and other shipping companies seem to have no problem finding us, even without calling for directions.

So I call AmericanMotoTire. They said they would need to wait for it to come back before reshipping to me. AND they would not expedite the re-ship. So they cannot get the tires to me until mid next week. Which means I'm not going to be riding on the 4th of July. That just won't do.

So I cancelled my order and will pay more to buy them locally.

Now, I know that my main complaint is with the shipping company. But this is the off-brand company that AMT selected. So they have an obligation to make good on mistakes made by the people they choose. At least, that's how I run my business.

Edited to add: One more thing I forgot to mention. They do not answer their phone. All you get is a recording telling you that they only communicate by email.

Post edited by: Skyman, at: 2007/06/28 13:32