Thug
A shy retiring flower in a Thug's exterior
Thanks mate good read!
ME880 Rear tire test results
- Thread starter HaulinAshe
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bmwhd
Well-known member
For comparison purposes, here are pictures of my friend's Storms after 8,500 spirited miles
The front has worn very well and the rear hasn't done bad at all considering the use.
By way of further comparison, he went through 2 sets of Avaros on the same bike and averaged 7.5k miles on those and one set of BT020s that got 6K miles. While this is a R1150RT and not an FJR, the use profile is similar.
The front has worn very well and the rear hasn't done bad at all considering the use.
By way of further comparison, he went through 2 sets of Avaros on the same bike and averaged 7.5k miles on those and one set of BT020s that got 6K miles. While this is a R1150RT and not an FJR, the use profile is similar.
sprint_st
Well-known member
I see the terms "spirited" and "brisk" bandied about but there really isn't a way to measure that. What do know is N. Tx is billiard table flat. Commuting, running slabs and long distance vertical running is a totally different ball game than crooked roads in hilly to mountainous country. I can tell you an a fact based on experience, when Jeff gets north and west of Raleigh-Durham his mileage goes down for both tires and gas. My point is that it extremely difficult to compare these mileage numbers until you get same rider, same bike, same load, same road, same conditions, same speeds for each tire you are comparing.
HaulinAshe
Well-known member
I'm sorry, but for some reason I'm just now seeing your question about tire recommendation.
Our home office is in Irvine CA. I recall most all of CA, especially Southern CA, having real asphalt. Not the 40-grit rubber grinder stuff we have around here.
I would have to recommend you try a set of Mich Pilot Roads. They are a good tire combo with excellent mileage and reasonable handling.
If you ride closer to triple digit speeds and do a lot of Northern CA twisties, then I would have no problem recommending the Diablo Strada front with the Metzeler ME880 170/60 rear.
If most of your riding is done above the triple digit threshold, then Diablo Strada with the special E-series rear. But be forewarned, the E-series is almost impossible to mount by hand and tread life/mileage totally sucks. But it rocks at high speed!!!
Jeff
BentAero
Well-known member
Haven't had the need just yet to put a 880 on the FJR yet, but I have used them on occasion on my ST1300. As we all know, the ST is a little heavier and has good corner pullin' torque.
The only time I ever had an 880 scare me was when I was asking more of it than a 'hard' tire could give. I distinctly remember riding northbound up NC-215 just south of the BRP one time when an 880 caused me to imitate Nicky Hayden powering out of a turn on a too hard tire. Gave it hard throttle coming out of a 2nd gear corner while at full lean, and the tire "lit up" scaring me half to death. Not fun on a 700 lb. pig. Hmmm, oil on the road or hard tire? Just for fun I tried it again a few turns later. "Yep, it's the tire".
For me, as long as I kept it a notch below 'mad man', the 880 performed just fine delivering high mileage. (highest I ever got on the ST -over 9,500 mi. My usual avg was 6,500 w/ Z6's)
If I were to take a cross-country slab trip w/ the FJR, I would certainly put on an 880.
On a related note, I changed the stock Stones a couple weeks back and put on a pair of Conti Road Attacks. My first ride on them was two-up, so the ride was slightly more sedate, but nonetheless I noticed an immediate major improvement. When I finally had a chance to run up NC-151 (an awesome 4 mile streach of dream road) up to the BRP by myself, my 1st impressions were confirmed -these tires are incredible! Man, what a difference in handling! They probably wont last very long, but wow, do they turn. I now have that "now THAT'S what I was lookin' for" handling. They simply made the Feejer come alive. You can have it layed all the way over in a 2nd gear corner at 5,000 rpm and whack the throttle open and it STICKS. So far, I'm very very pleased. Now if I can just get 4,000 miles out of 'em...
Oh, FWIW, I agree w/ Jeff. You couldn't pay me enough to put an 880 on the FRONT. Take it off and dump it on ebay before it kills you.
The only time I ever had an 880 scare me was when I was asking more of it than a 'hard' tire could give. I distinctly remember riding northbound up NC-215 just south of the BRP one time when an 880 caused me to imitate Nicky Hayden powering out of a turn on a too hard tire. Gave it hard throttle coming out of a 2nd gear corner while at full lean, and the tire "lit up" scaring me half to death. Not fun on a 700 lb. pig. Hmmm, oil on the road or hard tire? Just for fun I tried it again a few turns later. "Yep, it's the tire".
For me, as long as I kept it a notch below 'mad man', the 880 performed just fine delivering high mileage. (highest I ever got on the ST -over 9,500 mi. My usual avg was 6,500 w/ Z6's)
If I were to take a cross-country slab trip w/ the FJR, I would certainly put on an 880.
On a related note, I changed the stock Stones a couple weeks back and put on a pair of Conti Road Attacks. My first ride on them was two-up, so the ride was slightly more sedate, but nonetheless I noticed an immediate major improvement. When I finally had a chance to run up NC-151 (an awesome 4 mile streach of dream road) up to the BRP by myself, my 1st impressions were confirmed -these tires are incredible! Man, what a difference in handling! They probably wont last very long, but wow, do they turn. I now have that "now THAT'S what I was lookin' for" handling. They simply made the Feejer come alive. You can have it layed all the way over in a 2nd gear corner at 5,000 rpm and whack the throttle open and it STICKS. So far, I'm very very pleased. Now if I can just get 4,000 miles out of 'em...
Oh, FWIW, I agree w/ Jeff. You couldn't pay me enough to put an 880 on the FRONT. Take it off and dump it on ebay before it kills you.
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dcarver
Well-known member
Well, I'm about to join the rear 880 club. Leaving for Salem, 1k away, on a tired pilot road, new 880 ordered and service appt ready. If Jeff Ashe sez the 880 is a runner, I'm buyin' and tryin' 
.
.
madmike2
Shtirrenuppenmeister
So at the completion of your "test cycle" the 880 may be THE recommended tire for the Candy Butt Association? :blink: :lol:If Jeff Ashe sez the 880 is a runner, I'm buyin' and tryin'
dbvolfan
Well-known member
I got 13k+ miles on my ME880 rear tire for my Shadow...granted different bike (lighter) and certainly different riding but still! It's still not even to the damn wear bars...this thing may well last 20k mies which aint bad. Not sure about putting one on my FJR but Jeff's write up certainly intrigues me.
dcarver
Well-known member
LOL, yep, at CBA pace that tire should last longer than the YES warranty!So at the completion of your "test cycle" the 880 may be THE recommended tire for the Candy Butt Association? :blink: :lol:If Jeff Ashe sez the 880 is a runner, I'm buyin' and tryin'
Charlie Hoss
Well-known member
I put the ME880 on just before my 8000 mile trip to WFO. Thought I would try to get thru the trip with my old Strada front tire which had 6500 miles on it, still looked and handled good, and only a small bit of squared off center tread. The Strada rear with the same mileage looked like it would be toast before another 2000 so it had to be re-tired (pun).
The ME880 performed very well, wet or dry, slab or curves. A LOT of the ride was on the slab cruising at 85 and up with at least 3 runs in triple digits and my land speed record at Bonneville of an indicated 151 (149 gps). Oh, did I mention HOT? Now with 8500 on it I expect it will be serviceable for another 3 to 4 K. Its beginning to make a slight buzz like feeling when I lean into a turn, the tread going from the flat to the curved section of tread.
The last 1k or so miles from home, the Strada was giving out as far as handling goes. It was quite a bear as we hit the curves in the Catskills, approaching Geezers hometown, and the rest of the way home to ME (in heavy rain). I replaced it the next day with a new Storm and it went back to handling the way it should. The tired old Strada came off at 14,700, just beginning to touch the wear indicators.
My speedo error, when compared with the gps, with the Strada rear was about 2 mph thru most of its legal (?) range. The ME880 in 170/60-R17 gave a speedo error of about 1 1/2 mph.
The ME880 is a great long distance tire that will also account well for itself in the twisties and the rain.
The ME880 performed very well, wet or dry, slab or curves. A LOT of the ride was on the slab cruising at 85 and up with at least 3 runs in triple digits and my land speed record at Bonneville of an indicated 151 (149 gps). Oh, did I mention HOT? Now with 8500 on it I expect it will be serviceable for another 3 to 4 K. Its beginning to make a slight buzz like feeling when I lean into a turn, the tread going from the flat to the curved section of tread.
The last 1k or so miles from home, the Strada was giving out as far as handling goes. It was quite a bear as we hit the curves in the Catskills, approaching Geezers hometown, and the rest of the way home to ME (in heavy rain). I replaced it the next day with a new Storm and it went back to handling the way it should. The tired old Strada came off at 14,700, just beginning to touch the wear indicators.
My speedo error, when compared with the gps, with the Strada rear was about 2 mph thru most of its legal (?) range. The ME880 in 170/60-R17 gave a speedo error of about 1 1/2 mph.
The ME880 is a great long distance tire that will also account well for itself in the twisties and the rain.
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Scab
I got nothin' here...
HA! I forgot about this thread. Funny, I posted that on June 1. Five days later, I took that trip!
weekend rider
Well-known member
The ME 880 gets a no vote from a northern Cali. rider. Had them tried them and did not like them.
daddysbike
Well-known member
I now have 12,000 on the FJR, 8000miles on the 880 set. The front still looks good for a couple thousand more and the rear may go 1000-2000 more!
That's great for riding hard/brisk in hot GA summers. I'm ordering another set and sticking with the 880's front and rear. I expect to get ~10,000 miles on the next set since it will be fall/cold weather riding.
Oh yeah riding in the mtns with a buddy on a 'Busa we hit 135mph then later 148mph (GPS not speedo) and smooth as silk.
I don't do triple digits often or for long just thought I'd mention it.
Steve
That's great for riding hard/brisk in hot GA summers. I'm ordering another set and sticking with the 880's front and rear. I expect to get ~10,000 miles on the next set since it will be fall/cold weather riding.
Oh yeah riding in the mtns with a buddy on a 'Busa we hit 135mph then later 148mph (GPS not speedo) and smooth as silk.
I don't do triple digits often or for long just thought I'd mention it.
Steve
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MKO
Well-known member
Thanks Jeff.
I just put Stradas on front and back and love them. But I still get a slight low-speed wooble outta the front when I release the bars around 30-40 mph. I did on the stock Bridgestones, but thought it was due to improper torque on the stem nut. Do you ever get a wobble?
I just put Stradas on front and back and love them. But I still get a slight low-speed wooble outta the front when I release the bars around 30-40 mph. I did on the stock Bridgestones, but thought it was due to improper torque on the stem nut. Do you ever get a wobble?
HaulinAshe
Well-known member
I do get a slight, very slight wobble around that speed. It's never been anything that worried me, and has never substantially worsened with tire age/wear. It goes away when you wear the sides completely off as I did this weekend.
Also, the wobble is not noticeable at all when two-up. Go figure!
Thug
A shy retiring flower in a Thug's exterior
I've never noticed a wobble with the Diablos at any speed...consider a balancing issue?
HaulinAshe
Well-known member
Could be, but I balance my own with the Marc Parnes and they usually run dead-on, even at higher triple digits. I think it may have to do with the tread pattern walking just a bit when there is uneven wear. My right turns are my weak side because I have difficulty using trail braking with my foot lifted way up in some corners. So I scrub the right tire more due to increased and earlier use of front brakes. Asymmetrical tire wear may be the cause.
In any case, it's very VERY minor and no problem for me at all.
sirryan
Well-known member
I do get a slight, very slight wobble around that speed. It's never been anything that worried me, and has never substantially worsened with tire age/wear. It goes away when you wear the sides completely off as I did this weekend.
Also, the wobble is not noticeable at all when two-up. Go figure!
FWIW, this sounds exactly like my Diablo Stradas. The only way I can get rid of this wobble after trying mounting/remounting, rebalancing, etc. etc. is to air the front up to 42psi. WTF?!?
SR
Wingman
Well-known member
Any updates on the JeffAshe treadwear rating of the ME880? Inquiring minds want to know.
David
David
I thought about going with the 880s but they were close to $250 at Chapparell and the Shinko Ravens are $90 including shipping. Since I'm going to have to change either on a long 10,000-12,000 mile trip, I'll likely keep using the cheapos. The Shinkos work well in the dry but I had a slip in the wet on H in Missouri that put me into the left lane on a right hander. Not sure if it was a huge tire slip or a small slip and a brain fart on my part. Ian, Iowa
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