[meyers_john]

I'm going to need to replace my rear tire soon. Am considering ME880 and MEZ2R. As I understand it, the ME880 has longer life and the MEZ2R sticks better.

Do any of you have info to offer beyond this? Like approx. how many miles could be expected out of each? Or whether the difference in stickiness is subtle or pronounced?

Beyond the above, would any of you recommend the Lazertech over the ME880 and MEZ2R? Why?

Thanks,

John

 

[rodburner]

Tires are pretty subjective.I put 10,000 miles on my original Bridgestones with more left,and some guys would grind a set off in 4500.My Azaro`s have 5000 now,look new and stick like glue.Its more about your riding habits,weight and main road surface type. Chip Seal will grind down a train wheel. Good luck.

 

[D9]

I replaced the stock Bridgestones at 7500 mi with Lazertecs - bike seemed to stick better afterward, ride quality improved, larger 140 80 17 rear tire improved the look of the bike as well. Only got about 5500 mi out of the rear, but liked it well enough to replace it with another Lazertech a couple of weeks ago - might have gotten more life out of the rear skin riding better pavement, but rough-ish oil and chip roads are everywhere here...

The ME880s look good also, I know a guy who has a set on his Bonneville and really likes them - unsure what mileage he'll get out of his or what kind of riding he does, they're apparently a popular cruiser tire, they look good on his Bonnie...

Not familiar with the MEZ2R... next time I may try a set of Azaros...

Cheers,

D9

 

[sweatmachine]

I got 10k miles out of my first Lasertec (sp?), and I replaced it with another. I may try the Azaros next.

 

[Brooksie]

What I would like to know is how did Moto Twin get an 18" front tire on their Black Bonnie? I want to go with a pure sports compund, since I use the bike for fun more than commuting. Avons sound like great tires for both of my bikes coming this spring.

 

[ohiorider]

On 2006-11-05 10:36, rodburner wrote:
Tires are pretty subjective.I put 10,000 miles on my original Bridgestones with more left,and some guys would grind a set off in 4500.My Azaro`s have 5000 now,look new and stick like glue.Its more about your riding habits,weight and main road surface type. Chip Seal will grind down a train wheel. Good luck.

Chip n' Seal .... Ohio's most important product! I spend a lot of time on it, and you're so right ..... it eats tires for breakfast. Although I'm getting good mileage from the 501GTs, I was going thru BT45s on the W650 every 4-5k miles, riding these county chip and seal roads.

John - you're correct about the diff betwen ME880 and MEZ2. The 880 is the touring tire, which (for me) is fine for general purpose riding .... touring, running the two lanes. I'm not the guy scraping pegs, however.

 

[badrufus]

John, I think the choice between the ME880 and the MEZ2 depends on what type of riding you do. I seldom ride long highway miles, but because of where I live, I spend a lot of time in the twisties. My T100 came with an MEZ2 (don't know anything about an MEZ2R??) on the rear and ME33 Laser on the front. I replaced the MEZ2 at 6500 miles (could have gone a bit longer) with another MEZ2. I can't compare it to the ME880, but can only say that it's a great tire, and I'll keep using it as long as it is available.

 

[SCbonneville]

On 2006-11-05 09:39, meyers_john wrote:
I'm going to need to replace my rear tire soon. Am considering ME880 and MEZ2R. As I understand it, the ME880 has longer life and the MEZ2R sticks better.

Do any of you have info to offer beyond this? Like approx. how many miles could be expected out of each? Or whether the difference in stickiness is subtle or pronounced?

Beyond the above, would any of you recommend the Lazertech over the ME880 and MEZ2R? Why?

Thanks,

John

John, I currently run the ME880's and really like them. I've run the stock 'stone and two sets of Dunlop GT501's (which I liked alot) but I couldn't get more than 5k miles out of a rear and 10k miles out of a front (and suffered significant cupping on both brands). Since I put about 12 or 13K miles per year on the Bonnie I was going broke buying tires!

I tried the 880's hoping to get increased mileage, knowing that I'd most likely sacrifice some grip since it is a harder compound. What I found with the 880's is that I haven't exceeded their grip capacity. They are excellent in the wet. I get 9k miles out of the rear (I'm on my third) and I have 25k miles on the front with no cupping. Unless you are REALLY cranking corners and scraping pegs, I think you'll find it's a great tire... Actually, I crank corners pretty hard and drag the pegs a bit and they've never budged...

The only size available for the rear is the 140/80/17 which because of the profile and deeper tread, is a good bit larger in diameter than the stock tire. I was running an 18T front sprocket and went back to the stock 17T to maintain the mph/rpm relationship...

If your looking for increased tire life, I think you'll like them...

 

[wenzel850]

John,

I love my Metzler's but the ME2Z didn't last very long. I have to replace it and its only got 5600 miles. Now as for the Lazer up front, GREATTTTT tire. I'm going to put a ME880 on the rear this winter.

As I've mentioned before I've had Metzler's Me33 and ME880 on my RZ350 and they lasted well and stuck like glue.

I ride a mixture of easy and aggressive, but I to live in a state that has horrible roads.

 

[meyers_john]

Thanks for all your replies. I ride mostly twisties, but doubt that I push the tires as hard as some of you might. Sounds like the ME880 might do the trick for me.