[amdew2]

ok you guys...
I've heard a couple recomendations on tires...
and now it's your chance for everyone to voice thier opinion...
I've got a '72 cb350 twin and am looking for tires that will work both street and track incase I decide to start racing sometime soon.
Right now I'm looking at
Cheng Shin Barracuda front-110x90 18 H-rated -- $41 and rear-120x90 18 $46
Those are about the cheapest I've seen and was wondering what others are using for that bike and if they have any suggestions. I'll probably go 19 inch front becasue of a fork/wheel swap in the next couple weeks. Also, does anyone know what the widest you can go on that bike if you swap wheels..?

Thanks
Keith

 

[joe c]

ive heard good and bad things about the barracudas. there are guys who have raced with them and had no problems. then i have heard horror stories about them on the street. for 41 bucks, as long as the injuries arent too bad, its probably a chance worth taking.

jc

 

[aaron]

"Cheng Shin Tyre of Champion" said with Asian dialect. I personally think that Cheng Shin are the worst tyre in the world and had numerous ocassions in the rain that I wish I was riding other tyres. I used to always buy the least expsensive tyre, but now I buy what I think the best tyre is for what ever the cost. For a little bit more money I would buy the Dunlop TT100's or Avon Super Venom's for the street. The Dunlop's would be my choice for the street. Also if you ever did a burn out, I mean a long burn out with a Cheng Shin and then with a good tyre, you would see a hug difference in which one sticks after it heats up and also how undurable the Cheng Shin is?

One more thing... I don't like Cheng Shin's.

Aaron "Laying a furious yard" Phinney

 

[CHUCK]

GOOD QUALITY TAIWANESE SANDEL RUBBER!

 

[joe c]

ask frank c how well he did on his cheng shins. i have heard they were ok for the track, like marbles in the rain though. especially on the street. i guess if you only have 30hp, it doesnt matter too to much. mike was running those battleaxes and he said they were ok too. i wouldnt put those on my race bike if they were the only thing left. i cant get over how greasey the streets are in baltimore in the rain. i spin my truck tires around every corner. i can almost 180 it with out even trying.

aaron loves cheng shins, they are his secret weapon.

"cheng shin, made of rubber, cheng shin ride like tin"

 

[aaron]

"i have heard they were ok for the track"

No you didn't

 

[Bret]

Out here in the NW Cheng Shits will get you laughed off the track. There will be a 50 foot buffer around you if other riders know you have them on your bike. They are however, great for burnout contests. One $20 ribbed front tire mounted on the back of a bike = 0% traction and 100% smoke. Just not for very long. I'm with Aaron, go with Avon or Dunlop.
Bret @ Glass from the Past
Who wouldn't be caught with Cheng Shins on his wheelbarrow for fear of being high sided into the fence.

 

[joe c]

hey, i didnt say acceptable for the track, i just know people who have used them. there was a guy on the vrr list from out west there who said he ran them for a while too. but like i said, i wouldnt. people do dumb things. i hate them and wouldnt ever put them on my bike unless i was going to do what brett mentioned. ive heard people like them for that too! good smokies. i was serious about people using them at the track though. i think frank said he used them once for a trackday and they seemed fine to him. but thats frank. that guy can ride almost anything. i have heard they are an accident waiting to happen in the rain. there are alot of different opinions on the cheap stuff. id personally go to the track, see what most people are using, and buy that. i ran metzlers on my bike for a while. they were ok until they started to get old. then they were pretty bad. my new dunlop front is sweet and i dont think i'll ever use a different tire up there.

jc

 

[aaron]

"There's always some guy", some where, who just doesn't know better. Joe you should ride a bicycle so right now you could back pedal, back pedal, back pedal. Bret hit it right on the nose. They are great for burnouts.

Aaron

 

[rd400guy2002]

I just raced this weekend with Chen shins on my xr100 and I proptly pulled them off while at the track. Those are junk! Moral of my story is you race with chen shin you're going to crash. Go Avon or dunlop. I see it like this. Your tires are the most important thing for a motorcycle. They give you the feel and traction and are the most important thing in setting up handeling. Spend alittle more for a good tire, because it will be a good inital purchase. Hospital bills are more expensive then tires. Kenda makes cheap tires also which I have raced with but not very sucessful. I have the scars to prove it too.
-Matt

 

[joe c]

hey, if you want my biased opinion, why the f*%k would you put something other than dunlops or avons on your old bike. id sooner wrap a turd around my rim and ride with that!

i think frank c really did do laps with them though. and there was a guy who back when i first started going to the track who actually did use them to race on. yes at louden. thats going back over 5 years though. i wish mike was here. hed tell you. i swear to god its the truth. if you read my first post, the part about the injuries was sacrcasm.

jc

 

[aaron]

I wish Santa was here, but he wont save you either. Joe your the best moderator ever. I know what you were saying... just a little fun at your expense.

Aaron

 

[joe c]

i know! youre the coolest man. my girlfriend said she thought you were cute. (she's only mean to people she likes you know. ask mike) maybe i should have her and eva talk one day. you know, really set her straight.


jc

 

[amdew2]

OK guys.... got the picture... cheng shin is cheng shit... got it....
so, what Avons or Dunlops should I get..? not sure which one has the best compound for street and racing... fill me in here...
thanks

keith

 

[joe c]

id guess the avon sprint compounds. for light track use and serious street use, i dont know exactly what you need, but the racing school description just says good street tires are ok. i dont really know what to tell you. my bike is a race bike only and is setup for that and has tires for it. i dont think they'd last on the street and i dont want to have them too contaminated by shit on the street. they only stay on for 3 season then go either into the trash, or onto the street bike tire pile. even though there are people who say never use old racetrack tires for the street, i do. but i dont ride hard on the street at all.

aaron???


jc

 

[aaron]

I'm really big on Dunlop TT100's for the street. I ran all kinds of Avons that all worked out, but I tried lighting up some TT100's that were cold and with a very short time they hooked up tremendously. I've also ridden them as hard as SC Avon's and felt as sure of them as I did anything else on the street. I like them the best because of the price, they look more period, and they've never let me down.

Aaron

 

[joe c]

guess you cant argue with that!!


jc

 

[lefty337]

Anybody had any experience with the bridgestone spitfire S11's on the street? I need two new tires for my cb750f and they look decent for not a lot of money.

****************************************
The best kind of justice is angry mob justice.

 

[joe c]

bt45

dual compound.

jc

 

[Geeto67]

I run metzler lazertecs (replacing me33s) on my 75 750 K and they rock. Expensive but really worth it. My last set of me33s went 15,000 miles before the tread being too worn to pass inspection (no wear bars showing though). I paid $130 a tire locally because I had a flat although I know you can get them cheaper. My father liked the lazertecs so much on my bike he replaced the metzler comp-K on his ninja with it.

I run Avon venoms on my brothers (formerly mine) DOHC cb750F. The bike came with cheng shins and I would have done better if I had just taken a greasy shit and wrapped it around the rim. The Avons are super grippy but don't have the vintage look the metzlers have.

I had a buddy who used the spitfires on a kawi h1 and he liked them but they are a crusier/touring tire. As hard as I ride on the street I would rather have a real high-po tire.

My bang for the buck recomendation is continental blitz's , has them on a 78 cb750F and they were decent until they dry cracked (the bike sat outside often). Lasted 2 years though and were not confidence shaking like the cheng shin.