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Early morning dewy road commuter tire suggestion?

Tires are indeed funny in that one man's favorite tire is the least favorite on someone else's list. It all comes down to experimentation and the confidence they give the rider.

I've ridden on some Dunlop's I thought were OK, never ridden on a Bridgestone I liked, never ridden on a Michelin I didn't like, the Metzler's I had were ok, but didn't last for beans, and the Pirelli's I'm riding on now are pretty good but not as confidence inspiring to me in the wet as the Michelins. Not sure yet how long they will last, but from a riding perspective I would buy them again, but would prefer Michelins if I can find them in the sizes I need. Never tried Shinko's. Haven't tried any Continental's in years.
 
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If they are offering you $400 off without changing the tires, don't have them put new tires on it. Even with Pilot 5's (which are probably the most expensive ones being mentioned) you will still come out ahead by over $100.

As far as which tires to get, I have Shinko 009's on mine and have zero complaints.
 
The Motorrad review was of 2017 tires and the Road 5 didn't come out until late 2019. MCN reviewed sport touring tires last year and the spread from best Metzeler Roadtec 01 to last Bridgestone T31 was only 13 points.

Musta been against the PR4 then, eh?
 
Well, last night I ordered the Road 5's. Cheapest I found was $372 shipped. Of all the area dealers and tire places I contacted only one was even willing to give me a quote which was over $90 more than I paid for for the tires and $190 for install if I bring the bike in or $30 per tire if I bring the wheels in. One place was really rude saying they don't have time to mess around with my bike, they work on Harleys. Does that mean they are too busy fixing pos bikes?
The shop that gave me the quote said they would rather I bought the tires myself and bring the wheels in so I figured the price difference was worth picking up a center stand to make that easier. That came to $122 shipped.
I didn't ask the dealer I bought the bike again since they didn't answer on other tire options the first time I asked before I bought it. They only said they'd take $400 off if they didn't put the cheaper tires on they already had on order and its an hour away from me.
I guess I should have asked for $500-600 off towards tires but too late.
Any tips removing the wheels?
I removed and changed the tires myself on my Kawasaki Super sherpa with basic tools and a few spoons easily but the NC tires are much bigger, stiffer and more crap on the bike and wheels in the way.
I have a few days to figure that out before the tires get here.
 
A shop manual is a really good thing to have.


 
A shop manual is a really good thing to have.


I wonder if anyone has a pdf version to share?
 
I wonder if anyone has a pdf version to share?
I am not aware of a freely distributed .pdf version of the NC service manual in North America. Any .pdf version that exists would likely be a copyright infringement and it’s sharing here would be prohibited by forum rules.
 
Well, last night I ordered the Road 5's. Cheapest I found was $372 shipped. Of all the area dealers and tire places I contacted only one was even willing to give me a quote which was over $90 more than I paid for for the tires and $190 for install if I bring the bike in or $30 per tire if I bring the wheels in. One place was really rude saying they don't have time to mess around with my bike, they work on Harleys. Does that mean they are too busy fixing pos bikes?
The shop that gave me the quote said they would rather I bought the tires myself and bring the wheels in so I figured the price difference was worth picking up a center stand to make that easier. That came to $122 shipped.
I didn't ask the dealer I bought the bike again since they didn't answer on other tire options the first time I asked before I bought it. They only said they'd take $400 off if they didn't put the cheaper tires on they already had on order and its an hour away from me.
I guess I should have asked for $500-600 off towards tires but too late.
Any tips removing the wheels?
I removed and changed the tires myself on my Kawasaki Super sherpa with basic tools and a few spoons easily but the NC tires are much bigger, stiffer and more crap on the bike and wheels in the way.
I have a few days to figure that out before the tires get here.
I’m pretty sure wheel removal procedures and reinstallion torque values are described in the owners manual, which you should have or insist the dealer include with the bike.
 
If you didn't get one, there is a PDF of the owners manual. You can google it
Yes. Honda has free owners manual downloads available at their web site.If you want a new paper copy service manual it can be purchased on line from Helm, Inc.
 
Well, last night I ordered the Road 5's. Cheapest I found was $372 shipped. Of all the area dealers and tire places I contacted only one was even willing to give me a quote which was over $90 more than I paid for for the tires and $190 for install if I bring the bike in or $30 per tire if I bring the wheels in. One place was really rude saying they don't have time to mess around with my bike, they work on Harleys. Does that mean they are too busy fixing pos bikes?
The shop that gave me the quote said they would rather I bought the tires myself and bring the wheels in so I figured the price difference was worth picking up a center stand to make that easier. That came to $122 shipped.
I didn't ask the dealer I bought the bike again since they didn't answer on other tire options the first time I asked before I bought it. They only said they'd take $400 off if they didn't put the cheaper tires on they already had on order and its an hour away from me.
I guess I should have asked for $500-600 off towards tires but too late.
Any tips removing the wheels?
I removed and changed the tires myself on my Kawasaki Super sherpa with basic tools and a few spoons easily but the NC tires are much bigger, stiffer and more crap on the bike and wheels in the way.
I have a few days to figure that out before the tires get here.
I replace the tires on my NC by myself. I have a few spoons and rim protectors.

Look up the 'Zip Tie Tire Changing Method' on YouTube. I bought a pack of the giant zip ties from Harbor Freight and they work great. Zip ties and a little tire lube makes changing tires rather easy.
 
Well, last night I ordered the Road 5's. Cheapest I found was $372 shipped. Of all the area dealers and tire places I contacted only one was even willing to give me a quote which was over $90 more than I paid for for the tires and $190 for install if I bring the bike in or $30 per tire if I bring the wheels in. One place was really rude saying they don't have time to mess around with my bike, they work on Harleys. Does that mean they are too busy fixing pos bikes?
The shop that gave me the quote said they would rather I bought the tires myself and bring the wheels in so I figured the price difference was worth picking up a center stand to make that easier. That came to $122 shipped.
I didn't ask the dealer I bought the bike again since they didn't answer on other tire options the first time I asked before I bought it. They only said they'd take $400 off if they didn't put the cheaper tires on they already had on order and its an hour away from me.
I guess I should have asked for $500-600 off towards tires but too late.
Any tips removing the wheels?
I removed and changed the tires myself on my Kawasaki Super sherpa with basic tools and a few spoons easily but the NC tires are much bigger, stiffer and more crap on the bike and wheels in the way.
I have a few days to figure that out before the tires get here.
Regarding changing the tires yourself, one good thing might be that you bought Michelin Road 5 tires. I have no experience mounting the Road 5, but it’s predecessor Pilot Road 4, is the tire that was easiest for me to mount on the NC rims. The sidewalls on the PR4 were soft compared to other tires I have used. Maybe that characteristic carries over to the Road 5. That should work to your advantage if you decide to mount the tires yourself, not so much in getting the old ones off, but at least in getting the new ones on.

I remember a while back being at a large motorcycle rally vendor area, and the No-Mar tire changer guy was demonstrating their tire changing machine. He sat there mounting and dismounting a tire repeatedly, all day long, to show people how easy it was with their machine. I noticed that the tire he was mounting all day long was a Michelin PR4. I’d guess they chose that soft sided tire for a reason.
 
Regarding changing the tires yourself, one good thing might be that you bought Michelin Road 5 tires. I have no experience mounting the Road 5, but it’s predecessor Pilot Road 4, is the tire that was easiest for me to mount on the NC rims. The sidewalls on the PR4 were soft compared to other tires I have used. Maybe that characteristic carries over to the Road 5. That should work to your advantage if you decide to mount the tires yourself, not so much in getting the old ones off, but at least in getting the new ones on.

I remember a while back being at a large motorcycle rally vendor area, and the No-Mar tire changer guy was demonstrating their tire changing machine. He sat there mounting and dismounting a tire repeatedly, all day long, to show people how easy it was with their machine. I noticed that the tire he was mounting all day long was a Michelin PR4. I’d guess they chose that soft sided tire for a reason.
I have heard those No-Mar stations work great....once you figure out the proper technique on how to use them hahaha.
 
I've used the No-Mar system before. A bit on the pricy side, but if you change tires often, it's definitely worth the cost.
Full disclosure, I didn't buy one, but I have reasonable free access to one. The person who bought it has 4 or 5 bikes in their possession, so they go through tires pretty regularly.
 
No Mar changer in my shop is the single best investment in motorcycle tooling I've ever made. I bought the No Mar Cycle Hill model changer (lower end model), and one "yellow thing" bead keeper tool, with mounting bolts to secure it to the concrete floor. All of it was about $550 shipped, and over the past 2 years, it has paid for itself more than once. I have changed 14-16 tires thus far, and gotta change a set on a buddy's bike next week. There's definitely some technique involved in using it, especially on the stiffer cruiser tires, but it works great overall!
 
I have a No-Mar tire changer. It works great. Even better with a Mojo Lever. https://www.mojotiretools.com/mojoweb.htm
Did you try the No Mar mount/demount bar? It came with my Cycle Hill changer and has worked great. Can't imagine that one working any differently, so I'm curious as to what you're comparing the mojo lever to.
 
Did you try the No Mar mount/demount bar? It came with my Cycle Hill changer and has worked great. Can't imagine that one working any differently, so I'm curious as to what you're comparing the mojo lever to.
I have the tools that came with the No Mar Pro model (all of their best tools). The Mojo lever is totally superior for putting tires on. They all work similar for taking tires off.
 
Just my luck. Ordered the tires from American Moto Tire. Invoice clearly shows 1 front, 1 rear with correct sizes and the shipping slip shows 1 front tire and 1 front tire. both same size. The voice mailbox is full and haven't answered email. Now I have to cancel my install appointment for tomorrow or just install the front only. Sucks when the rear is the one I need thats bald.
Wonder how long it will be now before I can ride.

Taking off the wheels I find out that stupid mud flap thing that came on my bike is part of the chain adjuster and it didn't come with the stock one so I'd need to get that in order to remove it.
Guess I'm keeping that stupid thing too.
 
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So I swapped out my rear tire last summer at 7800km and went with a Dunlop smart III. Now coming up on almost 10,500km I went with Dunlop smart III for the front. Not the cheapest tire but I am happy with my decision. I deal only with the Honda dealership that I purchased my bike at and I pay a premium for that but they keep my bike in tip top condition. I will do the farkles myself and I also do the polishing lol but when it comes to mechanical issues I leave it to the professionals.
 
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