Bias Vs Radial application

RedNigel

RedNigel

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Joined
Jun 14, 2012
Messages
1,429
Location
Richardson, TX
Bike
2010 Red NT700
I have watched a good video from Michelin explaining the differing properties of Radial vs Bias tires, yet I still dont understand when to buy what
Why do we run bias on "Dual Purpose" bikes, a la GS's and VStroms etc and Radials on NTs and other street bikes?

I wanted to buy a dual purpose tire but due to my own ignorance about tire applications, I was afraid to pull the trigger on one

Is there any one here who really understands tires and can give an unbiased view on it for a layperson?
 
I'm not a tire expert but generally speaking radials are softer so offer a nicer ride which is one reason car companies went to radials long ago. Bias ply tires have a stiffer carcass than radials so may be better in an off-road environment. The original idea of plies being laid on the "bias" or "radially" is no longer entirely true as it's possible to have a radial tire with plies on a slight bias (for additional stiffness) and conversely, some bias ply tires have plies closer to radial so the tire type name has become somewhat moot.

The Michelin tires fitted on Renaults and other small cars in the 1960s were true radials because they always looked like they were flat!
 
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I think DirtFlier has it right in his response. If in doubt put on the type of tire the manufacture recommends.
 
My question wasn't that: the question is : why one kind on one type of bike and one kind on another ?
 
Bias Ply tires have a stiffer side wall so you are less likely to bottom out on the rim when off road riding which is why they are specified on adventure and off road bikes. The Radial tire has a flexible sidewall which allows a road bike to have improved cornering by increasing the tire contact patch.
 
The whole issue of tyres can get quite confusing. My 07 Kawasaki Ninja EX250R was a sport bike designed for street only. It came with Dunlop 501 Bias Ply Tyres. I do think--as was mentioned, that radials give you a smoother ride and, from what I have heard handle better in the wet.

I have a friend who has an older BMW 1000cc Airhead, and he swears by Metzeler Marathon Tyres. He gets 20,000+ miles out of a set. I had thought of getting a set of Marathon 880s as my next set of tyres. I rode my friend's BMW and tought that it was quite smooth. I am not sure how good they are in wet conditions. Quite a few Gold Wings use the Marathons because they are designed for heavy touring/cruisers. Right now I am happy with my Michelins.

I don't know of any NT or ST owners who run bias ply tyres. There is probably nothing wrong with running them. I do like the fact that the bias ply tyres are much less expensive and seem to last twice as long. I also need to be educated on that subject. I do know that I got 15,000 miles out of the Dunlop 501s and I never ran that Ninja under 7500 RPM.
 
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Not all bias plys last twice as long ;) Nor do they cost much less.:(

My Guzzi is designed for bias. Pirelli Sport Demons are great tires for it, but, I am lucky to get 6k mi out of a rear tire. Right now I run the Sport Demon on the frot and Shinko 712 on the rear. I get around 10k mi out of the Shinko. Battleax BT-45's are another good tire, but, not as sticky as the Pirelli's, about 8k on the rear tire, but, they square off early.

People either seem to swear by or swear at the Metzler's. Didn't Phil put 880's on his NT at one time?
 
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...I got 15,000 miles out of the [bias ply] Dunlop 501s and I never ran that Ninja (250R) under 7500 RPM...
Click to expand...
Weight and horsepower are the two biggest enemies of rear tires, with heat being a distant third. Respectfully, your example had neither of the primary two and the high RPM operation was irrelevant. The rear tire doesn't really care how fast the engine is spinning, all it knows is that it's carrying xxx-pounds, going xx-MPH down the road with XX-horsepower pushing it.
 
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I think what he meant is he rode fast :) Hard cornering generates a ton of heat in the tire.
 
Well
The whole reason I started this thread was because I was looking hard at Dual Purpose tires because of the longevity factor. I really wanted to try the Michelin Anakee III but just wasnt sure

Most "ADV" tires are fo 85/15 to 90/10 anyway and most "Adventure" riders spend most of their time on the pavement getting to their "adventure rides"
I found a youtube video of a guy who used the Anakee for the IronButt Rally...11k for the rally and 5k getting to and from the start/finish from home
 
Clay, from what I hear from my dual-sport buddy, the adventure tires don't wear as well as the road tires if you're riding on the road. The adventure tires have blockier tread so that they can maintain traction in gravel and sand. The blockier tread puts less rubber on the road and they wear out faster on asphalt.

When I bought my first Kawasaki Concours it came with Dunlop K700 (F) and K701 (R) tires, both radial and, as far as I know, a Concours specific tire. I never heard of them being used on anything else. At 6,000 miles my rear had steel cord showing around over half the tire. I replaced it with a Dunlop K491 Elite II in a slightly larger size, identical to the rear tire used on the Goldwing 1500. It was a bias-ply tire and lasted me for nearly 15,000 miles. By 9,000 miles I had a K491 on the front, too. Lots of people really disliked the K491, calling it the EBWT (Evil Bike-Wrecking Tire) and said it had practically zero traction in the wet. I never noticed that. For the next 150,000 miles on Connies, I tried lots of tires, all bias-belted. I used Metzler 880 Marathons, Michelin Pilot GTs, and Dunlop Elite 3s. My favorite was the Pilot GT, but Michelin quit making it before I wore out my one set of those. I got a bit over 24,000 miles out of the front and about 17,000 out of the rear on the Connie, a bike with 100hp and one that weighed about 700 pounds. I got about that same mileage out of Metzlers, but didn't like their traction and feel as well as the Michelin or the Elite 3. I was going to try Shinkos but sold the bike before I wore out the Elite 3s that were on it.

I tried Metzlers on the NT. I put a radial on the front and a bias on the rear (couldn't find the right size radial Metzler for the rear), but didn't like the feel and went back to BT-023s before PR3s came out. Since having PR3s on the bike, I've had a Dunlop Roadsmart rear that replaced a PR3 that had a non-repairable puncture at Spearfish two years ago. The Roadsmart didn't last as long for me as the PR3s I've had since.

I've got a PR4 on the back now and a PR4 front waiting on the front PR3 to wear out.
 
Phil Tarman said:
The blockier tread puts less rubber on the road and they wear out faster on asphalt.
Click to expand...

The Anakee III reminds me a Roadsmart II and Michelin touts it as an extremely stable tire
Non of it matters though, since my new PR4 has already left the barn and is on its way to my house as we chat about it!
Im hoping to have the tire in my hands before the weekend
 
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