Early V7 Radial Tire Thread

[cadyfatcat]

@egschade
I am currently running Pirelli Scorpion Trail II tires on my V7ii with stock sizing: front bias/rear radial. Great tires and bike has been dramatically improved, read earlier in this thread for more in depth description. As someone else mentioned running front bias with rear radial should not be an issue - but the other way around (front radial/rear bias) is known to be destabilizing, although many people on the ADV boards I also frequent have supposedly run that setup without issue, I would not chance it. But again, front bias rear radial is generally agreed upon as ok. I have certainly had very good results with that and I ride hard.

@vagrant As for longevity, I will say this. I killed the stock Demons, which were ok performing tires IMO while they lasted in 4500 miles. The back totally worn down and the front with ~30% life left. I put on the Scorpion Trail II's and now have 5500 miles on them - and the front is actually wearing down faster than the rear - the front being a bias ply! I don't know what is better proof of the assertion that radial will give you better life than having both on the bike at the same time, knowing previously the rear tire was prone to wear faster than the front, and then having the opposite result. The rear still seems to have good life in it and the front almost looks as if it should be replaced within 500 miles. I am not currently with my bike but will be this weekend, so I will post pictures of the wear soon.

So while I don't have info on RAIII's specifically yet, I solidly recommend you get radials on asap. The change is too dramatic to let pass by. I am also going to try the RAIII's next so will be able to compare them to the STII's

 

[Vagrant]

Well i took a good look this am and the rear will be bald at 3500. I hit the send button on an RA3 for $117. to the door and we will see what happens. the tube will disappear when the replacement happens. interesting the 2015 in Az. made it 4400 miles on the rear. don't know if the tube on the 17 helped trash it sooner or the roads here.

 

[mechanicsavant]

Just put a set of Conti RA3s on my V7ii, after 200mi love em. Ride quality is better,they don't seem to dive into corners as the sport demons did, possibly because front is a 110/80-18 .also on using tubes on cast wheels some early cast wheels didn't have the "saftey bead" cast in & tubes were recommended.

 

[TimmyTheHog]

Just put a set of Conti RA3s on my V7ii, after 200mi love em. Ride quality is better,they don't seem to dive into corners as the sport demons did, possibly because front is a 110/80-18 .also on using tubes on cast wheels some early cast wheels didn't have the "saftey bead" cast in & tubes were recommended.

wait, if I read your post right, you have tubes in your RA3?

As for performance, they are easier to turn, more easier to handle, and yes as you mentioned, doesn't dive as Sports Demons were which kind of scared me

 

[mechanicsavant]

Perhaps I didn't express myself adequately. What I was referring too was when cast wheels were first introduced some mfg.s didn't cast in a safety bead . Think trailer wheels ,cheap trailer wheels . All newer wheels have them I hope ! That's the pop you hear when the tire "seats",surprisingly the rear tire took almost 100 psi. To seat! Front only took 60ish to seat! Once again sorry about any confusion . Not only is my typing wanting ,sometimes my Fung gets all tucked- up too

 

[Midnite]

Just had the RA3's mounted when the OEM tires wore out at just over 5K. As many have stated, it is a night/day difference that COMPLETELY transformed the bike. I updated the suspension around 2K miles and was still missing something. The RA3's sealed the deal. They're MUCH smoother, and immeasurably more confident in turns. I now feel completely confident pushing the bike in every way, and find it much more enjoyable to ride in every situation.

I went with the stock rear size and on Todd's recommendation, got the 110 in front, which looks great and feels even better.

 

[egschade]

@egschade
I am currently running Pirelli Scorpion Trail II tires on my V7ii with stock sizing: front bias/rear radial. Great tires and bike has been dramatically improved, read earlier in this thread for more in depth description. As someone else mentioned running front bias with rear radial should not be an issue - but the other way around (front radial/rear bias) is known to be destabilizing, although many people on the ADV boards I also frequent have supposedly run that setup without issue, I would not chance it. But again, front bias rear radial is generally agreed upon as ok. I have certainly had very good results with that and I ride hard.

Interesting that Guzzi appears to put MT60's on their new Rough variant with radial front and bias rear so things can't be that bad. I'm not overly concerned as I seldom do highways and even then it's rarely over 70mph. Maybe they figure that the 'typical' V7 rider rides this way and isn't doing track days.

 

[jpv7]

I have a front RA3 radial arriving today for my V7ii, size 110/80-18. There is a new Michelin Pilot Activ bias ply on the rear, so I'm leaving it on until it wears out.

I will mount this tire on the front, and then proceed to ride as hard and fast as I can (mostly over 70 mph). I'll let you know what i discover, but i expect that it will be just fine.

Cheers.

 

[timax]

Interesting that Guzzi appears to put MT60's on their new Rough variant with radial front and bias rear so things can't be that bad. I'm not overly concerned as I seldom do highways and even then it's rarely over 70mph. Maybe they figure that the 'typical' V7 rider rides this way and isn't doing track days.

So how are you finding the MT60's?
Is the 130 rear the same small block as the Radial version as used by Ducati on their scrambler or is it a chunkier tread paten?
The Ducati guys seem to rave about these tyres and i like the look of them more than the Trail 2's so would love to hear your thoughts.
Is the compound different between the 2 or is it really only the radial/bias construction?

 

[egschade]

So how are you finding the MT60's?
Is the 130 rear the same small block as the Radial version as used by Ducati on their scrambler or is it a chunkier tread paten?
The Ducati guys seem to rave about these tyres and i like the look of them more than the Trail 2's so would love to hear your thoughts.
Is the compound different between the 2 or is it really only the radial/bias construction?

I haven't mounted them as yet - having some back issues and doing a tire change isn't happening for a bit. May bite the bullet and have the dealer do it.

As far as tread blocks, the rear bias has similar looking blocks but they are slightly larger and deeper than the front radial. Pirelli doesn't really offer any information about compound. Reviews for both radial and bias indicate either constructions sticks well, even in cold and wet, so I suspect (hope) they behave when mixed together.

Again, I don't ride all that fast anymore so I do not expect problems from the front radial / rear bias mix. Not sure I'd want to push the envelope on this combo. Aggressive riders would need to be careful at 9/10 or 10/10 pace but if that's your riding style you probably should be on full street tires anyway.

 

[timax]

I haven't mounted them as yet - having some back issues and doing a tire change isn't happening for a bit. May bite the bullet and have the dealer do it.

As far as tread blocks, the rear bias has similar looking blocks but they are slightly larger and deeper than the front radial. Pirelli doesn't really offer any information about compound. Reviews for both radial and bias indicate either constructions sticks well, even in cold and wet, so I suspect (hope) they behave when mixed together.

Again, I don't ride all that fast anymore so I do not expect problems from the front radial / rear bias mix. Not sure I'd want to push the envelope on this combo. Aggressive riders would need to be careful at 9/10 or 10/10 pace but if that's your riding style you probably should be on full street tires anyway.

Well i just ordered the same tyres! The Conti RA3's aren't available out here yet and will be expensive when they are. I was going to get some Scorpion Trail 2's as i think they would be perfect for the roads i ride, or want to ride. The MT60's i hate to say just look so cool and are cheap here. Going to do as many gravel road trips as i can while i have them.

 

[Beau1K]

Is there any trade-in value for brand new takeoff's? Should I just put on the RA3's straight away?

I picked up on "have to remove the final drive to fit" thing but nobody mentioned how big of a job that is. It's only every 5000 miles so is it really an issue? Is it worth it?

Seems like a lot of folks are in the STAY STOCK size camp but for me I'd wanna go as big as possible for a nice fat contact patch.

Another thing. I don't wanna deal with tubes and I FOR SURE don't wanna polish chrome...so my dealer has agreed to swap out the spoke wheels for the cast ones off another V7III - for sure they are tubeless RIGHT?

And can I get some clarification on what the size options are.

Seems like the best setup is: RA3's with110/80-18 on the front and 130/80-17 on the rear? Front is 18 rear is 17? Is that the setup where I have to remove the final drive?

 

[Godfrey]

responses to your Qs in order.

- I've never seen any shop offer a trade-in value for new tire take-offs. I've put about 2300 miles on the stock tires, and will have about 2800 on them when I toss them. They don't fill me with confidence.

- I dunno about taking off the final drive with the V7III to change a tire. All I've ever seen on my previous Guzzis is pull one of the mufflers. It's not hard to pull the drive in any case; I'll see what's required when we put the new wheels and tires on my bike.

- Do what you please, but I'll tell you from my experience that going "as big as possible to fit" is rarely a good option for handling. It usually causes problems, in fact. Stock size to one size up, particularly if using the stock rims, is as much as makes sense. I'm staying with stock sizing.

- If you want tubeless, you either have to source the cast wheels from the V7III models that have them or buy aftermarket wheels. I'm doing the latter.

- That's the sizing that I'm getting in Conti RA3s, yes.

All set to head down to the shop on Friday and get the suspension and wheels work done. Looking forward to the ride, the work, and the results.

 

[Vagrant]

final drive does not need to come off. remove left muffler and lower shock bolt on left shock then pivot up. It makes it easier to get tire back in if you let the air out. Wast of money not using up the original tire first. you sound new to this and wouldn't know the difference anyway.

 

[timax]

I just pulled the rear wheel of my V7II and found with the left muffler off it was still tight and i was possibly going to scratch the rim. Im sure you could probably do it but i wanted to check the lube on my splines anyway so took the drive off. Really it adds 5 min to the job at the most and then gives you heaps of room.
This is with only a centre stand , no jack. I wanted to see what it would be like when on the side of the road.

 

[jpv7]

I disconnected the right shock also (make sure to support swingarm!) which allowed it to come down a bit more and that helped.

 

[Beau1K]

Waste of money is riding on crap tires. And fear not, no money is being wasted, nowadays we have this "internet" thing where folks can list usable items for sale.

I'm gonna list them for $150 for the pair...then the new tires will only cost me net like $200...I can live with that to have what I want.

And yeah...not new...but thanks

Wast of money not using up the original tire first. you sound new to this and wouldn't know the difference anyway.

 

[Godfrey]

Spent the day at the GT Motocycles shop with my V7III Racer installing suspension, wheels, and tires.

- New springs for the rear Öhlins shocks, a higher rate than OEM to handle my size/weight body.
- A Matris fork cartridge kit with, again, springs more closely matched to my weight.
- A set of Kineo tubeless spoked wheels in the OEM standard sizing.
- A set of Conti RA3s in the 110/80-18 and 130/80-17 sizes.

One detail that the mechanic suggested (and I went for) was to drop the front end 10mm on the fork stanchions for a bit faster steering turn-in. It seemed reasonable to me, and is similar to what I once did with my LeMans V way back in the mists of time.

Once installed, we set up the Matris fork adjustments to the suggested standards, then tweaked the preload just a little bit lighter from there to get the sag where it felt good to me sitting still. Similarly, the rear suspension units are at the default damping settings, we set up the sag per the spec, and then tweaked the setting just a little bit higher to where it felt good to me sitting statically in the shop. Then I took the bike for a short ride to see what it felt like.

Much better: The steering felt more planted and confidence-inspiring, the steering turn-in more natural. The tires feel much more grippy and predictable. I returned to the shop and we did a leak check on the forks (none) and arranged for my stop-back tomorrow morning to pick up all my take-offs with my partner so I can bring them home and decide what to do with them.

(Anyone want a set of V7III Racer OEM wheels with some low-mileage Pirelli rim protectors on them? )

It was only a short test ride as it was late in the day and both I and the mechanic wanted to shut down for the evening. I rode back to my hotel afterwards (about a 6 mile run through heavy Friday evening traffic) and my impressions held true: the bike feels much better to me with these upgrades. Of course, that's still only a little bit of ride testing and no serious corner carving yet .. I was too tired and traffic on a Friday evening too heavy and crazy to do much more. After my partner and I pick up the take-offs tomorrow, I'll ride the bike the 400 miles back home to Santa Clara ... While it might be spot on, I fully expect that I'll need to do just a little more pre-load and damping tweaking when I have some more time in different riding situations on the setup. But it's far closer to the mark already, a much better point to work from.

Overall, the changes are all positive and the value of doing these changes obvious and worth it to me. It takes what I know is a very good bike and moves it up to an even better level.

Many thanks to Todd and his mechanic, David, for their advice and efforts! They've truly done me very well, and although this work is not an inexpensive proposition, when I think what it might have taken me in time and trying different combinations and tires, it saved a huge amount of effort and expense to have their advice and act upon it. I didn't have to go for the Kineo wheels, but they are for sure very pretty indeed and they are a real tubeless rim, with no messing about trying to seal up the OEM wire wheels or switching to a tubeless mag wheel.

Onwards! Home tomorrow!

 

[drawnverybadly]

Godfrey, any reason you stuck with OEM sized Kineo wheels instead of 17" all around? I feel you'd have way more tire options with 17" front and rear.

 

[Godfrey]

That would go to another level of modification and research, thinking about what tires in what sizes, etc, would work properly. I like the fundamental handling dynamics that the V7III Racer already has and was interested in preserving that. If in the future tires that work become unavailable in this size, well, then we can always go with alternative wheels and sizings.

Of course, if light weight is really your objective, the beautiful Kineo tubeless wire wheels are the wrong direction anyway ... you really want a set of carbon fiber mag wheels for that. That's a whole different order of business from what I wanted, which is simply a little further on the meme that the Racer already has.