Noob Tire Question (Yes, I searched)

[Burnall4]

I searched and read a number of threads and reviews online, that is why i am in need of some help.

Currently I have stock tires on my bike, well I believe the rear is a little bigger...

F - 110/80/17 Dunlop K591F
R - 160/70/17 Dunlop K591F

1. I am looking to get a new front tire because it is showing signs of cracking and wondered if i should go a head and replace both at the same time?

2. What do you think would be a good tire. I am not an aggressive rider, I am looking for mileage with the occasional mountain trip. I read about the Conti Road Attacks, and The Dunlops and other comp brands?

Any suggestions as far as brand, tire size and combos to look into, stay away from, would be appreciated. Remember though i am a grad student on a simi tight budget. Thanks guys for the help and all the information!

Gray

[NT400]

Re: Noob Tire Question (Yes, I searched)

I searched and read a number of threads and reviews online, that is why i am in need of some help.

Currently I have stock tires on my bike, well I believe the rear is a little bigger...

F - 110/80/17 Dunlop K591F
R - 160/70/17 Dunlop K591F

1. I am looking to get a new front tire because it is showing signs of cracking and wondered if i should go a head and replace both at the same time?

2. What do you think would be a good tire. I am not an aggressive rider, I am looking for mileage with the occasional mountain trip. I read about the Conti Road Attacks, and The Dunlops and other comp brands?

Any suggestions as far as brand, tire size and combos to look into, stay away from, would be appreciated. Remember though i am a grad student on a simi tight budget. Thanks guys for the help and all the information!

Gray

1. It's better but not compulsory .

2. I think the stock rear tire should be 150 at least according to the rear rim . As for tires in your case I suggest the Bridgestones BT 92 . Two compound tyre , the pair lasts more than 20 .000 km (23.000 km tested on mine) . But tires that last so long don't stick to the road like the soft ones . Too much leaning and you 'll start to feel your rear slipping (tested as well ) . For average and very light sport riding they are excellent although outdated as a tire model .

Your choice ....

[Burnall4]

Thanks for the info...

The tire sizes i posted are straight from the tires themselves...

[Swipe]

I can vouch for the BT45 150/70

[Burnall4]

as far as tire size, can i mix the tire sizes like i already have on my bike

110/80/17
160/70/17

or should I keep them consistant, as F =70 R =70

[NT400]

as far as tire size, can i mix the tire sizes like i already have on my bike

110/80/17
160/70/17

or should I keep them consistant, as F =70 R =70

I don't know but wouldn't test them either . Try some recommended tires and then start experiments , but that's up to you

[GTR647]

i really get a good feel out of the Michelin Pilot Road I fitted on the Hawk in the sizes 110 front and 160 at the rear wheel, lots of good grip, dry AND WET

[SaffaChris]

+1 for the BT45! They take little warming up and have great grip. They're also dual compund... harder in the middle and softer towards the edges, so they give good mileage without compromising grip when cornering.

chris

[jaysun0ne]

as far as tire size, can i mix the tire sizes like i already have on my bike

110/80/17
160/70/17

or should I keep them consistant, as F =70 R =70

not sure if you know what the numbers mean

110 or 160 is the width and 80 or 70 is the height inthe middle.
it all depends on what you prefer

a taller and more narrow tire will make the bike feel tippy and want to lean into the turns easier.

110 on the front is your only option with the stock rim
150-160 is your choise (150 is stock size)

[Hanadad]

/50, /60, /70 etc is the aspect ratio. The height of the tire as a percentage of the tread width in mm.
Just because they have readily available specs online, I checked Avon Storms. The 150/70 has an OD of 666mm, the 160/60 is 627mm and the 160/70 is 654mm. Other brands/models will have somewhat different measurements, but the proportions will be similar.
The 160/60 is commonly used with a 120/70-17 front wheel conversion, but then the rider is looking for higher performance and should be willing to adjust geometry by raising the rear/dropping the front. Without making the adjustments that size rear tire would slow steering not only because of the width, but also by dropping the rear .
Sounds like you would be happy with the stock 110/80, 150/70 setup, and it looks like there are Bridgestone fans here to recommend the model.

[Guth]

Tire Sizes

The stock Hawk sizes are 110/80-17 on the front and 150/70-17 on the rear.

The first number is an indication of the tire width (110 or 150 in the examples above).

The second number is an indication of the tire sidewall height as percentage of the tire width (80 or 70 in the examples above).

The 17 is of course the diameter of the wheel.

A lot of Hawk owners will replace the 150/70-17 rear tire with a 160/60-17 which are pretty close in overall tire diameter. (Even though the wheel diameter is the same, a 160/70-17 tire would have a larger outer diameter than a 150/70-17 tire.)

Many will also replace the 110/80-17 with a 110/70-17. This swap works, but you'll want to know that the speedometer reading will be off even more running the 110/70 than with the stock tire size. With the stock tire size, the Hawk's speedometer read 60mph when the actual speed was 54mph (see original test specs here: http://www.hawkgtforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=547).

All the best,
Guth

[Guth]

Just because they have readily available specs online, I checked Avon Storms. The 150/70 has an OD of 666mm

The OD for the 150/70-17 is 641mm.

I believe 666mm is the actually the OD for the 150/70-18

All the best,
Guth

[Hanadad]

Oops, good catch. I need a proof reader.

Jeff

[Burnall4]

Hey guys thanks for all of the great info!

I know what the sizes mean, thats why I was curious about the miss match! I think that i am just going to keep the aspect ratio the same (as it sits now) and see how it does.

[Burnall4]

its hard finding, same brand, same model tyre (for all the Europeans) in the sizes i want, I want to run the same sizes i have now i might have to drop the fronts down to 110/70/17 series...any issues doing this?