Tires for my 79 sr500 Build (More tire questions)

gray

Active Member
Hey guys, name's Gray and I'm new to the forum here. This may be posted in the wrong place, but it doesn't look like the tire forum gets a lot of action, so I thought I would give it a shot here. Mods, feel free to move this thread if necessary.

So I'm in the process of ordering parts for a recently acquired 79 sr500, and am having a difficult time when it comes to tires. I LOVE the look of the Firestone Deluxe Champions, and I feel that a large tire like that really makes the look of the bike. Unfortunately I am finding a lot of comments about how they are pretty crappy when it comes to the handling side of things. I'm not a knee scraper by any means, and that's not the kind of bike that I am building, but are there any other similar looking tires out there that might handle a little better? I have been looking at the Deus site for examples, but thought that I would check here to see what you guys thought.

tl;dr:

Firestone Deluxe Champions look rad, but do they really handle as shitty as the reviews say? I mean, everyone uses them so how bad can they be? If they really do suck, are there any other better handling options out there that still have a similar look?
 
Re: Tires for my 79 sr500 Brat Build

I've never ridden on them but like you say, lots of guys run them and its not like they're all running off the road into trees etc. My buddy Paul rode a DOHC CB750 (heavily modded) from Toronto to LA and back on them. Just bad tracking on grooved roads etc. but he lived.

So if your heart is set on the Champions then go for it! You gotta do what you love first and foremost - it's your bike, your tires, and that's the point of this whole thing.

Where are you going to be riding the bike? I'm in the middle of an SR500 project myself (under the tracker section) and am running 19" wheels front and back with Shinko dual-sport 705 tires on it. Pretty crazy looking, and they're good DOT tires, and cheap too.
 
Re: Tires for my 79 sr500 Brat Build

Thanks Tim, I would be interested to see a photo of those tires on the bike. I'll check out that thread.

As far as riding location, I am in Costa Mesa, CA, so mostly around town, Pacific Coast Highway, and to my office. I guess that's really the only place where I feel like I would enjoy having better handling (I work in a canyon known as a motorcycle destination) but at the same time I have had a blast riding in to work with 40 year old tires in the past and been fine.
 
Re: Tires for my 79 sr500 Brat Build

i have had the firestone champions on my cb500 and they were great. i rode on the freeway with them too and they were not bad at all. you will be fine.
 

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Re: Tires for my 79 sr500 Brat Build

Swivel, obviously those tires are not meant to be used on the track like that (unless youre doing a photoshoot made to look vintage?) but these tires are great, they look cooler than any other tire out there and function quite fine. i am going to run firestone deluxe champions on my 73 triumph chopper with no front brake and i live in LA and drive the freeway all the time and i still feel safer than one of those tools on a brand new ducati going 80 splitting lanes.
 
Re: Tires for my 79 sr500 Brat Build

Like Swivel says, obviously everyone can do what they want, but he's dead on in terms of the limitations of the vintage tires and it's super important to understand the limitations.

Most of us never even come close to reaching the handling limits of our bikes, with reasonable tires and brakes. But with Firestones, you're always that much closer to those limitations and will encounter them more often - just important to be aware of them.

They have their place - the right tires for the right use.

My BMW R75/6 gets Michelin Macadams or other sport touring tires for long distances and wet traction. Just picking a new set for it as my old ones were 6 years old and it was time to ditch them regardless of tread wear.

The XS650 cafe has Avon Roadriders for sporty handling, good traction. I've dragged my pipes at Deals Gap, run 100+ on twisty back roads in Alabama, ridden over street car tracks in Toronto and they haven't caused me any heart palpitations yet.

The SR500 I'm building has Shinko 705 Dual Sport mainly for the looks, as it's a sort of urban assault type bike, and for $40 each they were quick and easy to get the bike into rolling chassis. They're good quality tires, DOT approved and are being used on lots of fancy enduro bikes replacing much more expensive OEM rubber.

If I end up riding the SR a lot in Toronto (which is where I ride 90% of the time) it will get Avon Roadriders or another tire I can get front and rear in 19" size. Just wasn't ready to plunk down $300 for tires for the bike yet as I have too many bikes and only one on the road at any time.

The XS650 rigid I'm building is up in the air concerning rubber. I may end up riding it a lot, both in city and highway. I'd love a vintage looking tire, something interesting, but at the end of the day, we ride these things hopefully more than we look at the tire treads.

Those few precious square inches of tread are all that stands between you and the ditch or oncoming traffic when you're going around the bend. You can have the best suspension and brakes in the world, but it all comes down to where the rubber meets the road, hence the expression.
 
Re: Tires for my 79 sr500 Brat Build

I like mine. I havent tried em in the rain...yet. but they do fine up to 80 on Illinois roads I do know that.
 
Re: Tires for my 79 sr500 Brat Build

The Firestones arent too bad if you know what you're gettin. They do track on rain grooved roads. They don't balance well and are not always round from the factory. But damn they look good. Form over function. The next bratstyle/bobber I build I will probably be shod with Coker Diamond tread, I've not used them before but they look good and should handle/ride better. You should look at them. They are available on the Dime City site.
 

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Re: Tires for my 79 sr500 Brat Build

yourboychrisc said:
^Are those 4" or 4.5"s?

Whatever they are, they are too big for the rims and are bulging out like balloon tyres ::)
Personally, I would never go form over function, you never know when you will get 'carried away' in the moment and end up getting carried away on a stretcher
Putting tyres that wide and heavy on a bike without fork brace just screams 'poser'
 
Re: Tires for my 79 sr500 Brat Build

I'll agree that those Firestones are really cool looking. I just don't understand how it became so overwhelmingly popular to take a 70's bike and use 40's technology rubber on it. To each is own, I suppose.
 
Re: Tires for my 79 sr500 Brat Build

Probably be better off using AVON sidecar tyres ;D
 
Re: Tires for my 79 sr500 Brat Build

madmatt1 said:
I just don't understand how it became so overwhelmingly popular to take a 70's bike and use 40's technology rubber on it.

Because many who jumped on to the vintage bike scene were inspired by shops such as Bratstyle and Deus Ex and were not motorcyclists to begin with. They are not experienced with what works best in the real world but value style above all else.
 
Re: Tires for my 79 sr500 Brat Build

DrJ said:
Because many who jumped on to the vintage bike scene were inspired by shops such as Bratstyle and Deus Ex and were not motorcyclists to begin with. They are not experienced with what works best in the real world but value style above all else.

I guess that's why I have so much resentment for people with a bit of cash building nice looking but un-ridable crap
if it don't go round corners, it ain't a cafe decent bike and therefore worthless

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRNArUvA_dM
 
Re: Tires for my 79 sr500 Brat Build

Hey everyone, thanks for all the mixed responses, lol. I just got a call that they will be shipping this evening! Stoked. I would like to think that being as popular as they are, they couldn't be that bad, but who knows. Once I finish this build I will let you all know what I think. Getting pretty close to completion!
 
Re: Tires for my 79 sr500 Brat Build

So don't we even get to see a picture of this bike? ;)
Good luck with the tires too.
 
Re: Tires for my 79 sr500 Brat Build

Tim said:
.............................. I'd love a vintage looking tire, something interesting, but at the end of the day, we ride these things hopefully more than we look at the tire treads.

Those few precious square inches of tread are all that stands between you and the ditch or oncoming traffic when you're going around the bend. You can have the best suspension and brakes in the world, but it all comes down to where the rubber meets the road, hence the expression.
 
Re: Tires for my 79 sr500 Brat Build

madmatt1 said:
So don't we even get to see a picture of this bike? ;)
Good luck with the tires too.

2012-03-16_18-46-41_161.jpg


So I finally got the tires on this last weekend, and I'm stoked about the way thing thing is looking. Only thing that is very strange to me- Everything on the front end was completely straight when I pulled it apart to paint the fork lowers and install the tires... but now after putting it all back together there is a twist in the fork legs. So confusing! As far as I can tell both stanchions are completely straight, and I have loosened the crowns so that I can adjust them, but every time I go to tighten them down I am getting the same twist down at the axle. Sitting on the bike, the left fork lower is about .5" forward of the right fork lower. So odd. Once again, I'm assuming nothing is bent, as everything was straight when I pulled it apart, so I'm kinda stumped. Do you guys think a fork brace help remedy this?
 
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