I bought a new Dunlop K555 150/80 15 yesterday to replace the 4 month old Metz 880 rear that had a big hole in it. The hole and the fact that the Metz slipped on me a few times on damp pavement prompted me.
I got it at http://www.hondasuzukinorth.com/ off Stemmons and Royal because they had it on sale for $114 + tax and only $21 for mounting (I took the bare wheel to them). That seems like a good price so I thought I'd pass it on in case anyone needs one. You probably should call them first to make sure I didn't get the last one. The other place I found one was $129 + tax and $28 to mount.
Curtis
Curtis, What size metzler did you have? I run the 170/80 on mine, second season, no problems. I went to the Metzler site, & they say the 170 will fit a 3.5" rim, whereas the 180 = 4" rim. Please confirm. I really prefer the Metzler over the Dunnies.
Greg
Greg,
I had the 150/80 Metz. At the time, I didn't realize the Metzlers were so much narrower. When I replaced the orginal Dunlops I measured the width while on the rim and the Metz 150 was a full 1 1/4 inch (31.75 mm) narrower than the Dunlop at the sidewall. Maybe your 170 puts more rubber on the pavement than my 150 did so it may be less prone to slip.
Hopefully I'm done with tires for a while. I'm tired of throwing away tires with full tread on them. I bought my '99 Magna last year with only 2500 miles and thought it prudent to replace the 5 year old Dunnies in case the rubber compound was getting hard and I didn't want them to slip. That is what is ironic about the Metz slipping on me.
I don't know about the 180, but it is said to be a much taller tire. It might rub when you bottom the rear shocks. There are some folks running the 180 on the stock rim though. Personally I don't want a taller tire. This bike is geared too tall for my uses (mostly in town) and I am considering going to the 15/42 sprockets for that reason even with the right tires.
Curtis
Hi Curtis,
Just got back from a 3 day trip on my Magna. Works like a charm. This AM I drove it for 1 hour steady at 140 KPH (88 mph) and only turning 6 grand. It was early morning. Someone pointed out to me that my rear tire did rub at one time, cause some of the extreme outer sidewall has a little tad gone off it. I did hit the MOTHER of all pot holes 2-3 weeks ago, thought I broke something. I think thats when it happened. I can clean up the inside of the fender (remove protruding bolts etc) pretty quick if I must.
Cheers!
Greg
Thanks for the update, glad your tire is working out. I hope you had a good trip. I did 800 miles this weekend myself. My son was going to ride the Magna along with me on my Valk and a friend on his 1800 'Wing but he didn't get any sleep the night before and didn't feel rested enough to get on the bike. He has not been riding all that long so it was his call and I think he made the right one. We hit some showers and one pretty bad storm which would have been very demanding on a newish rider on a bare bike. Great trip though, I needed it.
Curtis