CROSS-PLY TYRES???
 

Howdy all,
In planning for my forthcoming Thailand trip, I have been giving consideration to the possible use of Cross-ply tyres.
The reasoning behind this train of thought is this:
I will be amassing a great number of road miles so high milage capability is a must.
My intention is to see as much of the scenery as is possible whilst traversing each country, therefore speed is not of the essence.
The bike will be fairly heavily loaded therefore a more sedate riding style will be required, consequently, I will have no need for the tyres to be so 'rounded' in profile.
(I have a mental picture of a tyre something similar to a car tyre in profile, perhaps not so 'square' on the shoulders)
Does anyone know of any tyres that might fit this situation. I read on an American site that cross-ply tyres are favourite with long distance tourers because they tended to prefer high milage straight line tyres than a tyre for 'getting the knee down'
If anyone has any comment or suggestions or perhaps knows of a supplier, I'd appreciate it.
Cheers George (Oletimer)

It depends on what kind of tyre you're after. I don't know about cruisers, but I've found that on large "trail" bikes radials provide better mileage than crossplies, though crossplies are certainly cheaper. Although radials dissipate heat better (and hence don't get too soft) this would be less of a problem for you, based on the kind of riding you have in mind (and I think you have the right idea too; what's the point of riding a bike if all we do is hurtle through the scenery as fast as possible?!?). As far as "dual sport" tyres go, I've found that Bridgestone TW152 Trailwing radials are excellent on the back. They also have a very shallow profile compared with crossply Trailwings, so they conform more to what you were after. If they make a more road-oriented version, I'd go for those.

Stig

I get 12,000 miles from Bridgestone TW152 rears and about 13,000 from the matching front(TW101). This is on an Africa Twin, doing a mixture of motorway and town riding. The front is a crossply, the rear a tubed radial. I've tried the cheaper trailwings (TW42/47/48 etc)and I get exactly the same miles per pound so stick with the 152s which handle better.

Howdy LordStig and Bayonet, thanks for your input.
The heat situation could well be something worth thinking about especially further east where the tarmac can reach egg frying temperatures.
LordStig, why do you use a tube in a tubeless tyre?
Which would be the best company to find the tyres I am looking for?
Cheers Oletimer (George)

Hi Oletimer, some links that might be of some use to you to help you make a decision are:

http://www.bridgestone-eu.com/tyrese...eSelector.asp?

http://www.michelin.co.uk/

http://www.metzelermoto.co.uk/

We use radials with a tube because the trail-type wheels are constructed with good old fashioned spokes for flexibility over bumps, but as a result it isn't possible to get the kind of seal that would stop air getting out. BMW have managed to get by this by lacing the spokes to the edge of the rims, and Honda even came up with a central ridge system on the XL600LM.

These radial tyres are not like the tubless radials; those have a deep lip on the tyre bead that locates on the edge of the rim to provide a seal. If you can run tubeless tyres on your bike (isn't it an older Goldwing or similar - sorry, I can't remember!) go for those because they're easier to fix punctures with. You don't even have to take the tyre off!

Overall, I agree with Bayonet in recomending radials, but the weight of the machine, rider(s) and luggage will have a bearing on what's best for you - the above links might help as they have tyre selectors on those sites. They should also be able to provide some real advice about their products and what you have in mind (I would hope!). It might be that crossplies offer better resistance to loading - isn't the ply reinforcing the reason Michelin Deserts are so good at resisting punctures? Anyway, good luck in the search!

Stig

I will look into the sites you have mentioned and see what I can find - in truth I'm not sure what I need but, I know what I want them to do :-)
Thank you for your effort in attempting to solve this problem.
Yes I do Have an early Aspencade Goldwing and a Pan European.
Thanks once again
Oletimer(George)

Howdy all, I've sent a mail to Bridgestone, Michelin and Metzeler - didn't send one to Goodyear or Dunlop - yet. I'll wait to see what comes back and what their advice is. I was in Black Country Motorcycles yesterday and ordered wheel bearings and head stock bearings. Couldn't find a part number for the both rear bearings, does anyone have this info? Cheers, Oletimer (George)

Take them out and have a look or if you need the bike on the road, check out an M&P catalogue as they list bearing sizes for most bikes. They've not been wrong so far for me although it would be easy for an error to creep into their list.

Thanks Bayonet I'll do that - the big bearing on the rear wheel is bitch to locate and thru Honda is expensive.
Cheers George