WHY BIAS TIRES

[Phil/TX]

Why do v 7’s still have bias tires?? and does it matter? How many people have gone radial? At least the cast wheels are tubeless, aren’t they?

[Moparnut72]

My V7lll has a bias front and a radial rear as did my Triumph T120. I put radials on the Triumph front and rear. Big improvement. I will do the same with the Guzzi after current tires are worn out. I mainly ride it in town so no rush but I find the bias tires on the front follow grooves and edges badly, radials not so much or not at all.
kk

[twowheeladdict]

I run bias ply on the bikes that came with bias ply, and radials on the bikes that came with radials. 

https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=difference+between+radial+and+bias+ply+motorcycle+tires&mid=3AEB951AC119AB92EC323AEB951AC119AB92EC32&FORM=VIRE

Good explanation. 

I guess it depends on how you ride your bike. 

Maybe Moto Guzzi didn't want to deal with two different tires for the spoked rims and cast wheels.

[Kildareman]

I prefer a matched set with similar dynamic characteristics hence when I changed the tyres on my v7 850, the OEMs were horrible, I went with the slightly larger front 110/80 so I could get radials front and rear. My poison being Bridgestone T32. Superb tyres in the wet (Ireland) out dry (not so much Ireland).

[9fingers]

I installed radials for the better ride.....a big improvement....on my V7III Special. I did an Outex tubeless conversion on the rear but have not gotten around to the front, so I use Slime in the tube. The Continental Road Attack 3 WERE the chosen tire but they are discontinued now and the new 4 is not made in the required size. Currently running a Conti Trail Attack 3, supposedly a 90/10 tire, on the rear, and the Bridgestone T32 on the front. Why they use bias ply? They probably get them for cheap.

[mechanicsavant]

The single best improvement I made to both of my small blocks (V7II & Centanario) was upgrade to radials . I suspect OEM bias tires are a cost saving measure .

[Kev m]

I'm with TwoWhA - I generally run the type (though not always the same brand/model) that came from the factory.

The bias-ply's handled well enough for a track day and I've always found them to wear better than radials in the same size/application.

So no need to fix what isn't broken in my case.

[SportsterDoc]

Another answer to why:

https://www.dunlopmotorcycletires.com/about/bias-vs-radial-motorcycle-tires/

The stock Dunlop ArrowMax100/90-18 front and 150/70-17 rear, inflated to 38 PSI, handle well for me and the rear may go close to 10,000 miles

And Dunlop, unlike Perelli and Metzeler, who are owned by ChemChina, a division of Sinochem, are not a Chinese government owned company.

Nothing against the Chinese people and I enjoy Chinese food, but I avoid supporting a communist government.

[SportsterDoc]

My V7lll has a bias front and a radial rear as did my Triumph T120. I put radials on the Triumph front and rear. Big improvement. I will do the same with the Guzzi after current tires are worn out. I mainly ride it in town so no rush but I find the bias tires on the front follow grooves and edges badly, radials not so much or not at all.
kk

Mixed bias and radial on my 2022 Bonneville Street Twin, also.
I've found following rain grooves (quite disconcerting) to be mainly an issue with a front tire close to the old rib treads of the sixties and seventies.

[SportsterDoc]

When I went to scrambler tires on my 2022 Triumph Street Twin (bias front, radial rear), the Michelin Anakee Adventure tires were radial front and rear.

The only difference  I recall noticing was better traction climbing back to asphalt from a rocky shoulder.

[faffi]

All things else being equal, radials should last longer. And the faster you ride, the better they should last compared to bias ply. This is because they keep their profile much better - bias ply tires grow in circumference, becoming narrower in the process. Grip should also be better with radials, since the design make them form to the surface of the tarmac better. However, a good bias ply will outperform a mediocre radial.

It took me a long time to feel comfortable with radial tires, because I could not "read" them while riding. With time, though, I learned to appreciate the added performance offered by premium sport-touring tires. They are in no way night and day better, but I do consider them better. My next set on the V9 Roamer will be radials, probably from Avon. Not because I feel particularly good about the brand, but because they make radial tires in the appropriate sizes.

[Vagrant]

Between 3 different v7's I have burned off 10  sets of tires. Three sets of stock bias and 1 set of replacement bias. The rest have been radials. I get 50% more life on radials and they feel a lot nicer. JMHO!

[9fingers]

What Vagrant said!

Scott

[Moparnut72]

My '22 Bonneville came with a Pirelli bias tire on the front. I have forgotten which on. It wasn't very good either but not as bad as the one on my V7lll. It also followed grooves, ridges etc. An Avon Storm radial was a major improvement.
kk

[Kev m]

Radial last longer all else equal?

I can't say I ever mounted radials that were "all else equal" to my bias-plys - but I've NEVER gotten more mileage on a given bike/chassis from a radial than I did a bias (when I ran both). And in general I've never gotten as much mileage from radials overall compared to bias-plys.

GRANTED - I suspect all else is not equal. I mean radials are generally more sport oriented with rubber designed for stick right? (At least on all the bikes I've owned with them).

I regularly get over 10k miles on rear bias-ply tires on everything - that's my goal on rear tire selection. That's what I get from the bias-plys I've put on smallblocks. I don't recall ever getting 10k+ miles on rear radials on anything.

What are you guys seeing on smallblock rear radials?

[Dirk_S]

I’m maybe 50,000-55,000 in on my motorcycle riding life, and I still don’t have sensitive enough observational awareness of the differences between bias-ply and radials…which is probably no surprise to those who know me better. Maybe it’ll kick in at 60k.

[kingoffleece]

I've never seen 10K on any tire-front or rear-any construction-any manufacture.  Ever.

[faffi]

The stock Pirelli bias ply on the rear of my V9 Roamer was close to bald before 5k miles, and the front will be totally spent at 5500 miles. Gentle miles.

In my experience, riding since 1980, bias ply give about 4k from the rear tire, and up to 6k on the front on average. Radials seem to give at least 50% more. I have never bought tires for mileage.

[SportsterDoc]

From the post 7 link

Bias Ply Tires

Bias, cross-ply, crossbelt, while we know them by many different names, their construction is the same. Multiple thin nylon or Kevlar cords band across the tire at an angle between 35-40 degrees. As one strand lays across the tire, the next is applied in the opposite direction to create a crisscross pattern.

Nylon or Kevlar cords woven across the entire radius of the tire gives the bias tire a range of unique features.

Firstly, the thickness of the tire is uniform around its full circumfrance, making the sidewall strong. This additional strength gives the bias tire exceptional protection against punctures.

More specifically, the bias construction and stiffer carcass can also handle heavy loads while returning high mileage before replacement is needed. The tread is designed to provide an even wear from the center to the shoulder for consistent handling as the miles add up.

[John A]

I've never seen 10K on any tire-front or rear-any construction-any manufacture.  Ever.

Same here.

[John A]

I've never seen 10K on any tire-front or rear-any construction-any manufacture.  Ever.

Same here, maybe 5K out of the rear and 8 on front but they are definitely done by then. Maybe it’s the way I ride, I hear of other people getting ten K out of their tires but not me for some reason.

[kingoffleece]

Me either.  I wish!

[Vagrant]

Me either.  I wish!

The truth is what someone else gets for mileage doesn't mean S...!I
If I get 3500 from a rear bias I'm lucky.
But, believe it or not I got a 16 v7 from the original 100# 80+ year old owner who actually had gotten 10,000 on the rear and the original front had 13,000 with 2,000 left to go. How, I have no idea.

[Moparnut72]

I am assuming you meant 10,000. Anyway back in the 70's I used to get 10,000 on a rear and 20,000 on the front of my R75/5. I ran Dunlop K70s back then. Of course tires were a lot harder back then and did last a lot longer. My bike came new with Metzlers, I barley got 8,000 out of the rear. I did mainly higher speed riding and a lot of highway. The Dunlops were perfect for that and probably not really good for spirited riding. I had a couple of lurid slides on a couple of Yamahas I owned previously and tended not to push radical cornering and still don't as I still remember those slides vividly. Went doen once and managed to save it on the second even though I went off the road to keep it up. Tires corner a lot better now but for obvious reason don't last near as long. The rears on both my V7lll and T120 made or will just make 5,000. I am about to start searching for tires for the Guzzi.
kk

[Vagrant]

Fixed

[twowheeladdict]

Acceleration, Deceleration, suspension setup, tire pressure, road surface, riding speeds, rider weight, etc. all play into tire mileage longevity. 

Depending on the type of tire and motorcycles I have had mileage range from 4,000 to 16,000 miles. 

[Kev m]

The stock Pirelli bias ply on the rear of my V9 Roamer was close to bald before 5k miles, and the front will be totally spent at 5500 miles. Gentle miles.

In my experience, riding since 1980, bias ply give about 4k from the rear tire, and up to 6k on the front on average. Radials seem to give at least 50% more. I have never bought tires for mileage.

The Sport Demons that came on both of our smallblocks from new were both worn flat by 6k and to the cords by about 7k ON THE REARs. The fronts gave more but were ready for replacement by 10k. The Demons are the exception to the rule in my experience.

I have had a nice balance of grip and longevity on Michelins since. The Pilot Activ that replaced the Sport Demon on the rear of the Stone went 11k and had life left when I replaced it with a Road EDIT - Classic that is showing similar grip and longevity. I tracked the bike with the Activ.

In the past I often ran Metzler Marathons (going back to the original 88) on various Harleys and my Tonti Cali with at least as good results. I've had ok results with Dungflops and other Michelins.

On bikes like my R1100RS and Breva 1100 the radials wore much quicker, despite switching brands and tire types searching for longevity.

[mr_pacman]

Seems like a good place to post this question vs starting a new thread.

With the Continental Road Attack 3 being discontinued and the Road Attack 4 not coming in sizes that fit the small block V7 models.....what's the tire to get?

I've got a 2014 V7 with the spoked wheels and inner tubes. My tires expire before they wear out due to me not being able to ride often, so "long lasting" isn't really much of a benefit to me. I'm looking for something soft and sticky.

Michelin Road Classic is one option. Avon Roadrunner II's are another.  I don't think there are any radial tires left that fit the 100/90/18 and 130/80/17 sizes required for these bikes are there?

Any suggestions for a soft and sticky radial or bial ply?

[Huzo]

I've never seen 10K on any tire-front or rear-any construction-any manufacture.  Ever.

Nothing but Michelin Pilots on the Norge from new. From 2’s through to 6’s.
Never less than 18,000 km front and rear and one 22,000 km.
The 22,000 trip was mostly this…


Cold, wet and not too fast.

[Huzo]

I am assuming you meant 10,000. Anyway back in the 70's I used to get 10,000 on a rear and 20,000 on the front of my R75/5. I ran Dunlop K70s back then. Of course tires were a lot harder back then and did last a lot longer. My bike came new with Metzlers, I barley got 8,000 out of the rear. I did mainly higher speed riding and a lot of highway. The Dunlops were perfect for that and probably not really good for spirited riding. I had a couple of lurid slides on a couple of Yamahas I owned previously and tended not to push radical cornering and still don't as I still remember those slides vividly. Went doen once and managed to save it on the second even though I went off the road to keep it up. Tires corner a lot better now but for obvious reason don't last near as long. The rears on both my V7lll and T120 made or will just make 5,000. I am about to start searching for tires for the Guzzi.
kk

I presume you meant “barely…”