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Update on the 888 rear tire for the LT.

3K views 27 replies 20 participants last post by  JNW003 
#1 ·
Hello everyone,

So in a previous threat I asked about which tires to get and said that the Metz 888 rear tire rubs on the right side on the KLT.

So I bought an 880 replacement out of Canada, they are getting harder to find.

The tire finally arrived yesterday, of course bike shops are closed on Monday.

Today I went to 3 shops & they could not balance the wheel since they don't have the center adapter for the BMW wheel.

The joys of being in a relatively small town in CA.

There is one more local shop I shall try tomorrow, otherwise I have to go to Chico or Sacramento.

This has proven to be a pain in the ass and a huge waster of time.

Metzeler has been unresponsive to my complaints, today I sent them an email full of foul language as I was really pissed off, told them where to stick their tires and that this is the first and last time I will ever buy their tires.

The 880 is visibly smaller than the 888 and they knew that the 888 has rubbing issues (as they told me on the phone last time I spoke with them) yet they continue to recommend it.

A LOT of time, gas and effort has been wasted just to replace a stupid tire. Everything about this bike it seems sometime as a royal pain in the ass.

So that is where things stand.

Cheers,
AJ
 
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#2 ·
Yeah, its a bummer that you have had to invest so much energy into the Metz's. It can be so frustrating when you think something so simple becomes so complicated. I'm a little curious about the "local" shops not being able to balance the tire, my neighbor who does track racing has a simple balancer that just uses a couple of cones on a rod to capture the wheel, and he was easily able to balance my BMW wheel, and it is a pretty generic balancer...
On the tire note, just get a bridgestone and put it on the back, they are less expensive, and have good grip. I quit riding the metz's because they were too slippery here in the pacific northwest with all the rain.
 
#3 ·
That is what I had on before..bridgestones front and rear. The front didn't last very long thus decided to try the Metz. At these prices these tires should last a bit longer than they do.

I asked about the manual balancer, they still need the cone that fits into the center of the hub in the wheel so they can balance it. And they didn't have it.

They could mount the tire but not balance it. Hopefully this shop tomorrow will have the right part to balance the wheel.

One shop was a Honda dealer so he had fittings for Japanese bikes, another was for mostly Harleys and another was for those 4 wheel quads...can't remember the brand now but they are well known. And another I called said he didn't have it for a beemer.
 
#5 ·
Many on this forum run the Bridgestone on the rear and the Metz on the front.
This doesn't cause any problems and provides the best mileage/cost combo IMHO.
 
#7 ·
Marc Parnes wheel balancer, $135, works a treat, even here in Australia. Forget the Metz ME880 on the rear, fine on the front (my last 2 rears split the carcase at approx 2/3 life). BS BT020 is fine, it was original equipment on my '05.
95 mph in the rain .............. Hmmmmm
 
#8 ·
As said above, next time move to a Bridgestone BT020 on the rear. I also have one on the front because I like the extra grip, but I'm under no illusions that it will last a long time...

But since you have the Metz, one option is to get it mounted without balancing, get some ride-on self balancing tire sealant, install and ride. The VTX guys, who also use ME880s and BT020s, swear by this stuff. I haven't tried it yet but I am changing tires on my VTX and I will be trying it soon. If you really want to stick with weights, also as stated above, the Marc Parnes balancer is well worth the investment and would likely sell easily if you decided to get out of it later as it's a very well made and popular item.

In my case, because I have 2 bikes, I easily justified a harbor freight tire mounting system, modifying it and adding mojoblocks and a mojolever so that it's very easy to dismount and mount tires myself. I've got about $500 into the tire changing setup with the Marc Parnes balancer. It will take a while to break even (looks like about 5 years for me), but I get to change and balance tires on my own schedule (and I am super careful so I know it's done right).

Hope this helps.
 
#9 ·
Mount the 880. Then next time. Go with the avon s or the BT020's. I personally hate Metzelers. There crappy in wet condition IMHO. I got one mounted on my spare rear rim and can't wait to burn it up just to get rid of it. Hell. I would have given you a deal on the one I got. Its practically new. But its paid for so I'll mount it when my Avon wears out and burn it it up.
 
#14 ·
AJ

I have a manual balancer and wheel adapter, done my tires many times.
In Brentwood if you would like your tire balanced.
 
#15 ·
Why worry about balancing just get the balancing beads. They work great and the tire stays balanced all the time. I am running a rear bridgestone and a front metzler. Bike handles great. Love the rear bridgestone.

09 K1200LT
05K1200LT totaled
08 GL1800 Roadsmith trike
89 GL1500 sold with 205K still going
 
#17 ·
Been using Dyna Beads in 880's for 7 seasons. I like the concept of the Ride On but its expensive compared to the beads. I recycle the beads, I started with a few oz. in reserve, put them in the new tires, scoop out the old and use them in the next set, just keep recycling them. Must be at least 5 years since I bought any but I've gone thru a fair number of 880's on the LT and VTX.
 
#19 ·
I am not seeing any comments on the 888 ?
 
#20 ·
I agree. Can we please get back to our regularly scheduled program? We know there are other, though limited, options out there and we don't *need* the 888, but it sure would be nice if this tire at least fit it's intended purpose and performed up to the hype.
 
#21 ·
HeySteve,

Put the ME888 on the LT before CCR/ Dragon and it has been a great tire thus far. Spirited ride on the Dragon and never felt them even come close to releasing. Rain up to about 80 or so, no issues. So far about 3500 miles on it. Also running Counteract beads and no issues with them either.

AJ,

Still have the BT rear with 250 miles on it if you want to swap for the ME888 if you still have it.

Chris
 
#23 ·
You could go with the BT020 on the rear. And a Metz up front. Just use dynabeads. I was on a trip summer b4 last. I found myself in need of a tire in the middle of WV. They didn't have an adaptor for the rear wheel. All they had was dynabeads. Well. No choice, Yep. Go ahead and put em in. It's the best wearing rear tire I've ever had on this bike. I kinda like them.
 
#24 ·
Can someone tell me what dyna beads are ? I am fixing to replace my BTO20 on the front. I have the same frustrations with tires. Are we SOL for options ? I am fairly new to the Lt, is there any way to change rims and be able to use Michelin tires or are we limited due to the weight of the bike?
 
#25 ·
Dynabeads are a product that goes inside the tire and dynamically balances it as you ride. Several people on this site swear by them. Myself, I've never used them, but I like the concept.


Since this thread was first started, I did put a Metz 888 on the rear and rode on it all last year. Still has good tread life left and this season will be the real test as I have trips planned to both coasts, including CCR in Monterey, CA and Ashville, NC to build a house with Habitat for Humanity and Thrivent Financial.
 
#27 ·
CCR is the Curve Cowboy Reunion, a rally for the LT crowd. This year, it is in the Monterrey, Ca. area the week before Labor Day.
Check out the CCR section of this site. You asked this question in a tire thread.
 
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