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General Discussion / Re: Heidenau Tire Opinion
« Last post by Mazzeratzi on Today at 12:43:10 PM »Just wanted to post an update to this thread for anyone on a tire search…..
For my 1970 Ambassador I ended up going with Dunlop 404 in 110/90-18 front and rear. That size is the closest cross reference to the original 4.00x18 tires fitted to the loop frames. After putting a couple hundred miles on the bike I can say I’m happy with the ride and handling of the tires. They have great dry grip, haven’t really ridden in the rain. But, I do find the bike sits lower and so I am scraping all sorts of parts during spirited riding in the twisties. But the lower height makes it easier for my wife to ride so there’s that.
I recently picked up a ‘73 Eldorado that had ancient rubber so I was back down the tire choice hole. I decided to try Dunlop K70s this time. They are one of the few tires available in 4.00x18 and they have the vintage look. I’ve used them on the rear of my British bikes with good results. The bike sits higher than my Ambassador and there is much better ground clearance. Unfortunately I’m not happy with the handling. In general the chunky tread makes them feel more squirmy (if that is a word) than the 404s, less confidence inspiring . But the big problem was when I hit some rain grooves on a downhill grade coming out of a tunnel near me. The bike started weaving so badly I thought for sure I was going down. I slowed way way down and immediately exited the freeway. I’ve never felt tires react so badly to rain grooves.
Maybe other people have had good luck with K70s but I want to be able to ride that bike wherever I want without concern for the road surface and there are a lot of rain grooves and bridge grates in the Bay Area. So I am going to ditch the K70s immediately and go with 404s. This time I’ll use 120/90-18 front and rear for better clearance. Personally I like keeping the front and rear tires the same size per the original designer’s intention. It gives the bike very neutral handling.
For my 1970 Ambassador I ended up going with Dunlop 404 in 110/90-18 front and rear. That size is the closest cross reference to the original 4.00x18 tires fitted to the loop frames. After putting a couple hundred miles on the bike I can say I’m happy with the ride and handling of the tires. They have great dry grip, haven’t really ridden in the rain. But, I do find the bike sits lower and so I am scraping all sorts of parts during spirited riding in the twisties. But the lower height makes it easier for my wife to ride so there’s that.
I recently picked up a ‘73 Eldorado that had ancient rubber so I was back down the tire choice hole. I decided to try Dunlop K70s this time. They are one of the few tires available in 4.00x18 and they have the vintage look. I’ve used them on the rear of my British bikes with good results. The bike sits higher than my Ambassador and there is much better ground clearance. Unfortunately I’m not happy with the handling. In general the chunky tread makes them feel more squirmy (if that is a word) than the 404s, less confidence inspiring . But the big problem was when I hit some rain grooves on a downhill grade coming out of a tunnel near me. The bike started weaving so badly I thought for sure I was going down. I slowed way way down and immediately exited the freeway. I’ve never felt tires react so badly to rain grooves.
Maybe other people have had good luck with K70s but I want to be able to ride that bike wherever I want without concern for the road surface and there are a lot of rain grooves and bridge grates in the Bay Area. So I am going to ditch the K70s immediately and go with 404s. This time I’ll use 120/90-18 front and rear for better clearance. Personally I like keeping the front and rear tires the same size per the original designer’s intention. It gives the bike very neutral handling.
