Tires for Honda CB 550 - Firestone alternative?

[andersketelsen]

Hey guys, atm I've got a Heidenau K51 4.00x18 H64 mounted on my Honda (stock rims i think). But it's got this weird crack down all the way down the middle. I don't know if it's anything to worry about, but I'm thinking I'm gonna have to replace it. I like the look of the Firestone Champion Deluxe a lot, but doing some research around the forum got me thinking the handling is too much of a deal to overlook. So I was wondering what other tire possibilities you could suggest? Ideally i would want them to be wider and taller than the ones I've got now, without having to replace the rims. Any suggestions?

Btw here's a pic of the crack in the Heidenaus, would you ride it?


foto by ACK Photography, on Flickr

 

[BriMed1983]

Hey, I don't have any recomedations on a firestone alternative.

But whatever you buy, you may want to look into what caused that crack on your tire. Looks to me like it bottomed out and caught something sharp under your fender. I would hate to see the same thing happen to a new set.

 

[Maritime]

+1 that looks like damage from a bolt or screw under your fender area, I know cause I had that same thing, I had used a slightly longer bolt to mount my taillight and when riding 2-up it hit and put a groove like that. I then preplaced with a botton head fastener and put the nuts on top. If your underside is completely smooth I would not run that tire as is would be a defect and dangerous. If you cut it with a bolt, change the bolt and the tire should be ok to run as it doesn't look any deaper than the tread