Member Contributer sportfour Posted November 10, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted November 10, 2016 New here and i am about to pick up a new to me 84 VF750. Seems to be decent but needs new tires. So which do I choose bias or radial; Pilot Activ vs Battleax. Partial to Michelin but i am also open minded. Suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer CBVFRbikeboy Posted November 10, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted November 10, 2016 have a set of Pirelli Sport Demons on mine. Been happy with them so far. No dramas. review Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schwarzc Posted November 16, 2016 Share Posted November 16, 2016 I got the BT45s on mine - great tires, .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer FromMaine Posted November 16, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted November 16, 2016 Theres not a whole lot out there for the 18" rear/16" front bikes. I'm not aware of anyone who offers radials in those rim sizes. I ended up with Pirelli Sport Demon's on my 87. They are good enough tires, but I will never confuse them for modern radials. On my 83, I did some research and found the 17 X 3.5 rear rim off a VF1000F was a direct swap except having to use the 750's rotor. I also changed the sprocket to keep the gearing as close as possible to OEM. This allowed me to use Bridgestone S20 radials on the bike. A 150 in the rear and a 130 up front. Admittedly the front is a bit pinched but the grip more than makes up for it. I have this same combo on one of my VF1000R's and rode it cross country to Calf and back, stopping in NC to ride all the good roads, 129, 151, 215, 276, Wayah, etc. 8K miles total with no issues. FWIW I'm on my 6th set on my VFR. Mileage, despite being 3 compound rear and 2 up front, is not a selling point for these tires but grip is. At the end of the day, any of the major manf's are going to give you a good tire, bias or radial. It just depends on what you want to do with the bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Captain 80s Posted November 17, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted November 17, 2016 A 130 radial on a 2.5 rim is going backwards, regardless of perceived grip. It is simply way too wide for that rim. 120/80-16 is the limit. Avon Pirelli Metzeler Michelin All make very good bias tires. If these tires went back in time and installed OEM when those bikes were new, bike testers minds would have exploded. Instead they/we got the Exedra (bleh). The Metzeler ME1 and ME33 Comp K were the phenomenal replacement tire in the day. Never ran the Dunlop, but I've heard very good things. Pretty much you were a Metzeler guy or a Dunlop guy. Avon makes an incredible bias tire that used to be DOT. The AM 22/23 SC are awesome. But godamn are they expensive now. I raced a 500 with those and they were ridiculously great. Btw... I have Metzelers, Avon's and Pirellis installed right now on different bikes. At the moment, the Avon RoadRider is my favorite. The Sport Demons Sat mounted close to 7 years before finishing the bike (buying house and building 3 other bikes), but still performed great. Will prob go another set so I can experience them completely "fresh". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer sportfour Posted November 23, 2016 Author Member Contributer Share Posted November 23, 2016 Thanks for the input. Going over bike for warts and potential time bombs so it will be ready to go for spring. Given that it is 30+ years old there is plenty of maintenance to perform. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainmook Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 New here and i am about to pick up a new to me 84 VF750. Seems to be decent but needs new tires. So which do I choose bias or radial; Pilot Activ vs Battleax. Partial to Michelin but i am also open minded. Suggestions? I've installed Bridgestone Battleax tires on two different '84 Hondas - CB700SC Nighthawk, and a VF750F Interceptor. Awesome in both bikes, but really nice on the Interceptor, point and shoot - terrific tire, especially for the price point. Definitely recommend them. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer sportfour Posted December 6, 2016 Author Member Contributer Share Posted December 6, 2016 Thanks for that. Haven't made a purchase yet, will check them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mordantly Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 I use Battlex BT45s on my last Ninja.. BT23 on all my sport bikes. 23 is a phenomenal tire of 3 compounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyy Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 Radial tire guy here, I put a Michelin Pilot Sport SC on my front wheel. Its a 120/70R16. It is weight rated above and beyond what its required to do. I also put a Pilot Road4GT on my back wheel which is a 120/70ZR18. Again it is rated for this bike. These tires are of the same make and are described for a similar application so I'd say they are compatible. Looking at the tread design, they are almost the same. If you need any extra coercion, I met Clinton Smout while working at the BMW Motorrad SBK2K16 at Mosport here in Canada. I specifically asked him about doing the swap from bias to radial and he said it is perfectly safe and a good idea if you want the characteristics of a radial tire.(Multi-compound, rigid radial weave, longevity, lower sidewalls, rounder surface). They also make your wheels look dope, One thing to note: rigid sidewalls means these things are almost impossible to mount. It took me 3 hours per wheel with pyrotechnics, crowbars, clamps and tire spoons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keny Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Of the mentioned, Bridgestone BT45, Michelin Pilot Activ, Avon RoadRider and Metzeler Lasertec, Continental also have its ContiGo as Dunlop its StreetSmart, and the later I have been reading much good of! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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