Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: William I own a 2002 Honda..., honda vtx 1800, honda vtx 1800 retro

Question
William

I own a 2002 Honda VTX 1800 Retro and in need to replace the tires!
What do you think is the best all around Cruiser Tires?

I do not ride my bike hard or at overly high speeds.

At present the   METZELER  /  ME880

200/60VR16   Rear       # 110-13075
150/80HR17   Front     #  110-13351

Look good to me, what do you think!

Many Thanks:     Roger Holm      raholm@gvtel.com


Answer
Roger,

Thanks for the question.

Truthfully, there are no real "bad" cruiser tires to be found if you are shopping from major makers; I'd comfortably recommend any tire from Metzler, Dunlop, Bridgestone or any other major vendor for the kind of use you specify. I've had great luck with Metzlers over the years, they make a great tire. The set you specify should be perfect, and that compound should give you some extra wear.

Because you say you do not push your bike hard, you don't necessarily need "premium" tires. A friend of mine put some Maxxis tires (formerly Cheng Shin) on his 1100 Shadow and says he can't tell the difference between them and the Dunlops that were on it before. Except for the price, that is. But it's hard to go wrong with Metzlers. If you stick with them, they will be a good choice.

I can't believe we're putting 200-series tires on bikes now!

Enjoy the ride,

Bill Roberson