Well James, I am glad you have found a tire that you like and I hope it works out well for you. Is the load rating high enough for the LT? I would want to be sure of that before I spent too much time on my knee sliders.

 

Incoming!!!!

 

The Dunlop roadsmart 2's (that i now have) I know about longer lasting mileage of the Metz. I will trade traction and stability of good radial over longer lasting mileage of a bias ply any day.I went thru the Dragon in september of 2012. After i put the Roadsmarts on. WOW. They stick like glue. They get hot,.. And the warmer they got ,the better.I still have yet to find their traction limits. :eek2: At the end of the dragon.They looked like a Nascar tire after a few laps :wow: , The tread rippled up. They inspire confidence,they evacuate some water. But if i get 8-10K .I'd be happy.Stay tuned.... :dance:

If they last that long and you don't have blow out. They are rated 73 W and the LT requires a 79 V rated tire. That is why you see the heat and the torn up tread. She isn't up to the task of the load capacity required for the LT. But to each his own I say. Good luck.

 

Radial tires on the rear of an LT have caused sidewall wear from the tire rubbing the swingarm. I think you can add another spacer (or two) to prevent this, but radials still aren't recommended for the LT. One reason is that most don't have the 79V weight rating and reinforcement the LT requires. IF you just HAVE to run a radial, Avon makes one. I don't think they last very long, from what I've read here.

BTW, listen carefully when John Zeiler "speaks". He (and a number of others around here) is the forum's version of EF Hutton.

 

The tires get hot because the sidewalls aren't reinforced. The LT being so heavy requires the extra reinforcement to stop the extra movement in the sidwalls which causes friction. Heat is the enemy of the tire. Its a safety issue. Dunlop did make tires for the LT but I don't think they do any more. They had a problem with quality and many of them would expand into the swing arm. Nothing bad may happen but why risk it when you don't have to. God be with you J216

 

In the early days I ran the Bridgestone Radials - unfortunately it was my ecperience that after
running them hard on roads like the Dragon they would eventually delaminate or start to hit
the swing arm.

I now run Bridgestone Bias Ply - however after running them hard they will cup quickly on
roads line the Dragon but they at least are not delaminating.

Pictures show tire that delaminated on the interior - plys letting loose and allowing the exterior
of the tire to grow

Be careful running radials and tires with improper weight ratings - there are very few things
that can take you out on the LT but tires is one of them!!

 

They have a few write ups of tests done on them.Mounting them on everything from a CBR to K1600GLT.They show them on a K1600. They were made for touring .Besides.I don't knee drag every day.

 

True but I'll bet they did not put them on an LT. The 1600 is lighter than the LT. Just want to be informed so you can make a good choice.

 

I don't know anything about you or about tires. I just pray that you know what you are doing if you use a tire not rated for the LT. I don't want to hear about you getting hurt or worse. Please listen to these guys! It may be worth searching out some previous threads on the subject, there is much knowledge and experience spread throughout.

 

Oh I also forgot to mention - a few years back we had a tire engineer (T.J. Tennent) from
Bridgestone give a presentation at the CCR - one of his opening points was in reference to
Insurance Companies.

He stated that tire manufacturers, like Bridgestone, are getting more and more calls from the
insurance companies to verify that proper tires are on the bikes in those instances where
tires may be considered a factor in an accident / claim. They are checking to see if the
recommended tires are on the bike. Insurance companies may not provide coverage in
those cases where the improper tires are found to be on a motorcycle.

T. J. went onto say that the wheels and rims are designed such that if the bike came with
radial ply tires stick with radials - if they are designed for bias ply stick with bias ply. He
stated that the K1200LT wheel was the only wheel in the market place designed to handle
both radial and bias ply tires.

I believe that BMW since around 2003 does not recommend radial ply tires on the LT . . . and
Metzler and Bridgestone both stopped making them.

Be careful - rant off!!

 

For what it's worth, I know what the inside of a tire looks like. I used to build them. You are risking your life by running a tire which is not load rated per the manufacturers recommendations. It's ok to run a higher rated tire. It is not ok to run a lower rated tire. You will likely only suffer a very short tread life, but if circumstances are bad, you could suffer a very short life yourself. However as John said, to each their own.

 

The tire has a rating of 805.the LT weight is 779lbs All of the weight isn't on 1 tire. So.How isn't it load rated? .I don't overload the bike, I don't put 1000 lbs of gear on it.My buddy who ran the Dragon with me rides a wing,his tire got warm too,YEA we ran it hard.He's been running bridgestone radials,2nd set in 3 or 4 years. Besides The 1600 isn't that much lighter than the LT.They wouldn't put them on the LT for the test,They don't make the bike anymore.I took photos of the tire recently front & back.Now with 2K on em.They are wearing nice. I'll report when they get 6 or 7K on them.Then the verdict will be in. :deadhorse

 

The tire has a rating of 805.the LT weight is 779lbs All of the weight isn't on 1 tire. So.How isn't it load rated? .I don't overload the bike, I don't put 1000 lbs of gear on it.My buddy who ran the Dragon with me rides a wing,his tire got warm too,YEA we ran it hard.He's been running bridgestone radials,2nd set in 3 or 4 years. Besides The 1600 isn't that much lighter than the LT.They wouldn't put them on the LT for the test,They don't make the bike anymore.I took photos of the tire recently front & back.Now with 2K on em.They are wearing nice. I'll report when they get 6 or 7K on them.Then the verdict will be in. :deadhorse

The "verdict" was in years ago.

You would do well to tuck your testiballs between your legs and listen to riders here that have millions of miles on LT's and many different brands of tires over 13 years - all with the proper rating. Many that DO have the proper load rating are still not satisfactory or safe. This is real world experience.

You are not only risking YOUR life by running tires NOT specified but others as well.

I guess you don't believe anyone, but here's what can happen to a correctly LOAD RATED Bridgestone:

Knock yourself out, dood.

 

Mamma says, Stupid is as stupid does...

And his headstone will read..

" He never let anyone tell him what to do."

A catastrophic tire failure on an LT can be a death sentence...

And the LT weighs 865 pounds DRY !

By the time you get on it and fill it with fluids and a battery you are well over a thousand pounds...

John

 

James, you don't need to listen to all these experienced riders here.
Just keep asking the question until you get the answer you were hoping for and go with it.
(sarcasm intended). :wave

 

The tire has a rating of 805.the LT weight is 779lbs All of the weight isn't on 1 tire. So.How isn't it load rated? ...

:soapbox:
Well, fuel, oil, coolant etc will get you up around 830 lbs, and then you might actually want to sit on the bike yourself and you're the only one here that knows how much that adds. I assume I roll down the road at a tad less than 1100lbs by the time I put fluids, me and my gear and a few odds and ends (tools, gear etc) in the various storage places. More if I have packed gear for a trip.

So granted that the ~300 lbs over the rating is not all resting on one tire but when you consider the dynamic loading is more than the static load I would imagine you could reach the dynamic threshold of an 805lb rating pretty quickly :think: - surely there is an engineer in this group that could give us some mathematical quantification.

If you're just running to the store or work and back probably never a problem, but when you start fooling around at the limits of the performance envelope, not only is there in increased risk of failure, but the risk of damage to man and machine is also drastically increased. It's only a risk of course and we each manage our own in the way we see fit but it is something worth considering.


stepping off now to watch.
:corn:

 

James, you don't need to listen to all these experienced riders here.
Just keep asking the question until you get the answer you were hoping for and go with it.(sarcasm intended). :wave

+1 now if this was Facebook I would just hit the like button. I think Frank has the real answer stated right there.

 

I think I'll root for James, hoping he proves himself correct. If he wants to go out and experiment with different tires, than more power to him. I'll gladly read either his findings of maximum mileage/tread life or his accident report. As they say- no pain, no gain.

I'm greatly interested in other viable options for tires for the LT, and if James wants to be the test pilot, then ride on!

He does have a good point about the tire not having to support the whole weight of the bike, in so much as I've pondered the same point, though I've never bothered to do the research. It would be insightful to hear from a mechanical engineer/tire expert re: this matter.

However, what is painful for me is reading his poor grammar and composition in his initial posting of this thread. I had to give more effort than anyone should have to give for an informal post on a public forum.

I also see a little contradiction in his posts. He raves about how well these tires did after the dragon, but later, he attempts to defend his position by saying he doesn't plan to knee-drag everyday (or something similar). The tires need to be able to perform and endure for the purpose the bike was designed for. The tires need to be able to do a little of this and a little of that on a fairly regular interval with a decent amount of longevity, and as they say, your mileage may vary.

Let's be respectful by keeping the name calling for those really good mud-slinging topics. If someone is perceived to be an idiot, then be polite and let him figure it out for himself.

 

Ok, here's the deal. You never load a tire at 100 percent of it's rating. It should be at about 50 percent. Think about it. Didn't you pull some "Gs" in those corners? 1/2 a "G" plus bike plus 200 pounds equals about 1500 pounds plus.

Just as a 15 amp circuit will not carry a 15 amp load very long, a 700 pound rated tire will not carry 700 pounds very long under stressful conditions. Tires are rated for maximum load. That's not a RECOMMENDED load for daily use. BUT.......... it's your choice. You may be ok. I recently saw a Metzler 880 "B" rated tire which had been accidentally mounted on the back of an LT. It was beginning to delaminate after only 1500 miles. Good luck.

 

The "verdict" was in years ago.

You would do well to tuck your testiballs between your legs and listen to riders here that have millions of miles on LT's and many different brands of tires over 13 years - all with the proper rating. Many that DO have the proper load rating are still not satisfactory or safe. This is real world experience.

You are not only risking YOUR life by running tires NOT specified but others as well.

I guess you don't believe anyone, but here's what can happen to a correctly LOAD RATED Bridgestone:

Knock yourself out, dood.

You know. Theres really no need for insults.As i recall you've done this with another member.concerning radio repair. What is your problem.???

 

Lighten up Ron!

 

Lighten up Ron!

Not a snowball's chance in hell that I'm EVER going to "lighten up" when it comes to motorcycle safety.

His *recommendation* is foolhardy, spurious and consists of downright ignorant proselytizing rhetoric from an individual that has been caught with his pants down around his ankles.

He doesn't have a clue what he's talking about. Gee,someone actually said that! (although the several hundred others that have been following this thread have probably thought that).

I really need to learn how to express my inner feelings better, doncha' think?

Perhaps get in touch with my feminine side.

 

The tape Ron, the tape!!!!! :wave

 

The key point is to understand that the rear tire you want to buy the 79V rear tire. This tire was designed for the BMW K1200LT (Light Truck) and has a load rating of 968 pounds and the front load rating is approximately 580 pounds.

I'm out. :think:

 

The tape Ron, the tape!!!!! :wave

Ahhh yes, the 3M, outdoor rated UV resistant tape with the really GOOD adhesive. :thumb:

Seems that I've hit the end of the role a bit prematurely Frank. Dang. :rotf: