New owner of 2013 FJR — tire recos?

[John_Atkinson]

Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere before, but wondering about suggestions for tires for long-distance riding?

Mileage will be a primary concern, performance less so since my riding is not terribly aggressive.

thanks in advance,
JA

 

[RossKean]

You may have noticed that your thread just got moved to NEPRT. (Never Ending Pointless or Recurring Threads)
Not to say it is a bad question but just that it has been asked (and answered) many times. Do a little searching...

Personally, I am partial to the Dunlop Roadsmart 3. Well behaved, decent wear pattern and lifetime. Generally well priced and Dunlop often runs a rebate program on these. There is a new Roadsmart 4 but more expensive - I haven't tried them yet.

Bridgestone, T31 or T32, Michelin PR4 or Road 5, Pirelli Angel GT II etc. All of these brands have decent reputations. Lots of others out there including Shinko, Continental, Metzeler etc. and most have been used on the FJR. None would be considered a high-mileage champion over all the others. Michelin and Pirelli are among the higher priced options...

Look for a tire designated for sport-touring. The FJR is a heavy beast and tires made for a light sport bike won't last. Most people find that tires made for a heavy cruiser are not especially compliant and while they may last longer, they won't offer the grip you might want - even if you don't ride aggressively.

Huge thread (with summary) on here about using car tire on the rear for the ultimate in longevity. aka "Darkside"
https://www.fjrforum.com/threads/going-to-the-dark-side.141913/If you decide to give it a try, at least wait until you have run a few sets of motorcycle tires. I ran a couple of car tires for around 100,000 km total but ultimately decided to go back to MC tires.

See what your local places have and for what price. Compare to on-line guys like Pete's Superbike
https://www.petes-superbike.com/index.phpor dropship to a US address from one of the big US retailers. (I see you are in Windsor). Most do free shipping to a US address and prices (even with exchange) tend to be lower than in Canada. Pete's probably has best price and selection in Canada although check Fortnine and your local guys - never hurts to ask for a price match.

 

[John_Atkinson]

Thanks Ross — my bad for not doing more pre-work. I do appreciate your feedback and will do more research and, as you said, will have to try a couple of options to see first-hand what works best for me.

JA

 

[Old Guy]

A quick note to welcome another 2013 owner. I've had mine since March 2, 2013, and have just shy of 100,000 miles on it. I've had Bridgestones, Dunlops, and Michelins on it and haven't run one I don't like. Like Ross, though, I liked the Roadsmart 3 better than anything else I've run. I'm running Michelin Pilot Road 4 right now and have another set that I'll probably mount this week. There was a rebate, and the Michelins are easier to mount

You'll note that some manufacturers offer their sport touring tires in a "GT" version. They are supposedly built to handle the additional weight of bikes like the FJR.

 

[SkooterG]

Round ones.....