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Message started by MMRanch on 11/28/22 at 07:47:48

Title: Riding in the Rain
Post by MMRanch on 11/28/22 at 07:47:48

Its tire time again for me . Some tires are better and some last longer , and those two thing don't always go along together.

I saw the utube video where the FortNine guy reviews tires that can "Change your Bike". Well to hear him tell it : The BT46 will "Turn your Wobbly Piece of $hitt into a Monorail" . I think he could have worded it a little better ... but ... I put one of them on front of my Meteor anyway. Going from a "Stock" tire with a busted cord to a New BT46 , was like night and day without a flash-light difference.

I'm thinking of putting one of them on the rear ? The BT45 (that the BT46 is the new version of) had a reputation for being very long lasting ?
So here's the QUESTION :
Anybody here have any experience with the BT45 or BT46 tire ?
......................

Dave , Those tire you we on when you were "Driving on a Rail" (Blood Mountain - in the RAIN) while I was slipping and sliding the Sportster around the road (Commander II's) trying to keep up with ya ... what were they ?

Title: Re: Riding in the Rain
Post by Dave on 11/29/22 at 03:32:53

The tires I had on my Savage on the wet soaked Blood Mountain ride were Pirelli Sport Demons. They were great for traction but not so great for mileage......I believe I only got 6,000 miles from the rear tire.

I never had any loss of traction with the BT45 tires in the wet or the dry.....they always provided plenty of traction on my "festive" rides. Modern tires seem to be very good - and the only time I believe wet traction suffers is when you buy a really long mileage tire like the Michelin Commander (and maybe with bargain tires or tires that are really old and the rubber has hardened).

I have had several sizes of the Bridgestone BT45 tires. Fronts were 90/90-18 and 100/80-18, rear tires were 110/90-18 on a 2.5 rim and 140/80/18 on a 3.5 rim. I also had a set of BT45's on the little 250 Ninja.........there were very few choices of tires that would fit the small Ninja wheels.

On the Savage I would get about 8,000 miles on the BT45 rear before the middle of the tread was worn out. The BT45 was supposed to be a dual compound tire with a harder center tread - but on the Savage tires I could not see any evidence of that. On the Ninja the center of the rear tire had a rubber that was a slightly different color and after riding a while a small change in the tread shape became obvious where the two rubber compounds joined.......I put about 9,000 miles on the Ninja and the rear tire still had plenty of tread.

The tread on the front BT45 was something I learned to dislike. The edges of the tread have small little blocks that wear unevenly when the bike is leaned over hard in a corner. After a few thousand miles of hard cornering the front tire becomes very noisy and hums whenever when you lean into a turn......it sounds like those rumble strips they mold into the pavement to let you know you are running off the edge of the road.

I likely won't get another set of the BT45 or 46 as the font tire is too loud when cornering. Maybe my riding style is at fault, and you won't have the same wear issue I do.........when entering a corner you ride much smoother than I do ;)

Title: Re: Riding in the Rain
Post by MMRanch on 11/29/22 at 07:11:51

Thanks for the feedback Dave !

I was pleased to read " I put about 9,000 miles on the Ninja and the rear tire still had plenty of tread.

The Ninja is rated higher HP than the Meteor , so I suspect that on the Meteor the BT46 would be a long lasting tire.

I had a RD250 years ago that didn't rate a lot of HP - but - still ate tires at an alarming rate. I suspected the type of power output had more to do with it than the amount of power output. Come to think on it , the RD ate chains at an accelerated rate also. It sure felt good when the throttle was twisted ! ;D

I've got close to 6000 miles on the RE now and the original rear tire is just about gone. It has 140/70-17 printed on it , but the 130/90-17 on the Guzzi looks 1.5X bigger/wider . Seems like I remember a utube video about how tire companies sell cheaper / less tread tires to the bike manufactures . I got about 4000 miles from the Sport Demon that came on the Guzzi ... and I was being nice to the new bike back then too (except once or twice) !

That "Sport Demon" you gave me a few years back is still on the front of the Guzzi and just refuses to wear out (and remember I'm a 95.9% Front Brake only guy) ! It might last the next summer ?

Title: Re: Riding in the Rain
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 11/29/22 at 09:27:26

Power pulses are a Thang. Overheard a Coupla farm equipment mechanics talking about how destructive some really small and wimpy three cylinder tractor was on u joints, like to drive a brush hog.

Title: Re: Riding in the Rain
Post by MMRanch on 11/29/22 at 22:28:14

about how destructive some really small and wimpy three cylinder tractor

:)

Sometimes , a Big , Heavy Fly Wheel can be your best friend ! ;)
Out on a race track is not one of those times !
But
Out on the farm sure is ... 8-)
The Enfield 350 motor is "Really Heavy" in the Fly Wheel department. I think of it as : The little long stroke piston (72/86) is only there to spin the fly wheel ... the fly wheel does all the work . :)

I believe the only bike I ever had that came this close to being this smooth was a 197? CB 500 four. The pistons weren't big enough to cause much of a commotion , and the crank shaft was loaded with counter balances.

Versey , what the chances of getting the 550 you got to run on a single carb mounted in the middle ? Can't but one at a time suck on it anyway .
Heck , I had a 200CI Ford Falcon with a single barrel carb. in-line 6 . It worked just fine and was easy on fuel too !

Title: Re: Riding in the Rain
Post by verslagen1 on 11/30/22 at 06:45:30

yes you can...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J-iN0wCAUk

http://www.chopcult.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19389

https://www.randakksblog.com/single-carb-conversions/

Title: Re: Riding in the Rain
Post by MMRanch on 11/30/22 at 08:06:49

I took an offer from an ebay seller for a 130/80-17 "BT46" to replace the wear-bars at the top (@4,600miles) 140/70-17 "CEAT" OPM tire. Not NOS far as I can tell .
It should be here in a week or less.

..........................................

Versey , I've had two twins in the last 5 year that I might have kept (Suzuki GS500 / Kawasaki W650) if they had been single carb models . Both were running just fine when I sold them , but both the bikes I have now are single throttle body bikes .
Still the SMOOTHNESS of a inline Four with the simplicity of ONE Carb. fueling , makes me grin just thinking about it. :)
...........................

I went to the VA in Murfreesboro yesterday (about 50 miles) and the weather was nice when I left. When I came out to go home ... it was raining (a lot). :-[ Up to 2 inches of water in the streets type of rain.
I started to just stay there.
But I had my rain suit in the saddle bag and a windshield up front ... so ... I suited up and went home.
The Guzzi's old 80% worn out Sport Demon front tire and the almost new D-404 rear neither one paid no mind to all the water . It was wet but not bad !

Title: Re: Riding in the Rain
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 11/30/22 at 12:13:16

My 2005 Suzuki had no windshield and I got caught out with no rain gear. I was soaked through. Sitting at a light, I was being hit every time the plug fired. I changed what I carried on the bike after that.

Title: Re: Riding in the Rain
Post by MMRanch on 11/30/22 at 18:48:06

Ya got ta have room to put stuff ! ;)

I ride with an open face helmet most of the time ... so even a little "fly-screen" like Versey's is better than nothing.
Actually , Its been my experience that them little fly-screen bust the wind better than no screen at all.
Still the older I get ... the bigger windshield I want . :P

Title: Re: Riding in the Rain
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 11/30/22 at 20:22:58

I was riding open, til I hit a June bug just under my eye. Man!! That Hurt..
The guys at MPH Cycles in Houston converted me to full coverage.

Title: Re: Riding in the Rain
Post by MMRanch on 11/30/22 at 21:24:20

converted me to full coverage.

I've got a nice one for winter use . With Boots , Snow Pants , a heated vest , heated gloves , and a good scarf that goes up under the full face helmet ... closing the visor is like "closing the car door" - even 20 deg. don't mean anything bad ! ;)

That riding in the rain will never be nice the way I see it . Good rain tires or not . ::)

Title: Re: Riding in the Rain
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 11/30/22 at 22:07:24

I've been known to get dressed and ride off, while a nice spring rain falls. If it's a
Wipers on High, and you still aren't sure where the road is deluge?
No, somewhere between Intermittent and low speed, it's nice, if you got the right gear.

Title: Re: Riding in the Rain
Post by MMRanch on 12/03/22 at 19:13:36

Hay !

The new (Ebay) BT46 rear tire came today. Its a long way from being "NOS" . The date is (2722) and looks good ,that's about the time I bought this bike. It was $132.38 w/free shipping... Still seems like a lot for a tire , but if it last 15k miles then its OK.
.......................

No more ridding in the rain if I can help it ... but I feel good about having tires that will be better if I do end-up "Ridding in the rain" ;)
....................................

Jog ,

Almost any time of the year it seems like if I look at the TV weather report ... Ya'll in the Gulf area are getting pounded by a storm , or TWO !!
It seems like you folks would carry rain gear and use it more than than all the rest of us other folks put together. :)

Title: Re: Riding in the Rain
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 12/03/22 at 21:06:58

Ohh,yeah, that was not long after I got it. I didn't have it rigged out for carrying stuff yet. I didn't have what I needed to get saddle bags, so I figured out a way to strap a gym bag on the back. I wasn't getting caught up in another rainstorm without gear. But that was the 05, with the drag bars,no windscreen of any sort. It was okay, until the got behind a screen. Now I'm spoiled. I'm not riding without one. I had no idea how much effort I was expending just staying on at seventy.