Tires for EX500

[dawerz]

I am looking to replace the tires on an EX500. The front is a 110/70/17 and the rear is 130/70/17. I was thinking about getting lower profile tires (i.e. 110/60/17 and 130/60/17) in addition to shaving foam in the seat to allow my wife to get both feet on the ground. Tires with high mileage and decent grip in the wet is the goal as this is a commuter bike (no trackdays or twisties). Any suggestions on tires that would meet these goals and come in the desired sizes? Thanks.

 

[dawerz]

Bump and will an EX500 seat for the pre-93 model fit on a 2002 EX500?

 

[CaffeineMan]

Seat does not swap - dunno on the tires

Alas the ex500riders.com forum is down, or I'd point you there for tire recommendations. I know at least one rider there is a big fan of the Pilot Activ, so you might see what you can find about those tires in other places.

The seats have different part numbers between the 93- and 94+ EX's. That usually means they don't swap. FYI, the way I answer questions like that is to go to ronayers.com and look through their "OEM Parts" section which has a copy of Kawi's online parts diagrams. You can go to the EX500 page and it contains links for each year bike, so you can easily compare them side-by-side in two browser tabs or windows. That's harder to do on the Kawi website. They're also known to have decent prices for OEM parts.

<edit>
Oh, one comment on the tires and ride height. Personally, I wouldn't depend on tires for a significant component of the lowering of the bike. It's hard enough to find tires for this bike that you may find yourself choosing between your desired performance characteristics and your desired size. For instance, the Activ's don't come in 130/60, only 130/70. I'd figure out how to lower the bike to the right height so that you can ignore the differences in sidewall height of the various tires in which you may be interested.
</edit>

 

[dawerz]

Thank you for the info. I'll look into to those Pilot Activ's.

 

[CaffeineMan]

ex500riders is back

ex500riders is back. Below is a link to a thread where a Seattle resident asked for recommendations for good wet weather tires. There's not a whole lot of discussion in the thread, but it lists a couple more tires to consider.

As to the info in the thread, newfieninja is the guy that has Activs and loves them and it sounds like his riding may be similar to what you're looking for. I think RacerX is worth listening to because he used to race the EX500 and now commutes on his EX in NYC in all weather. He also explains things well so you know where he's coming from and he seems to take into account the riding style of the person that asked the question. Bladecutter seems to have some good knowledge as well, but he's extremely opinionated and tends to make flat statements without any explanation or background. I give his opinions less weight because I can't tell where he's coming from and I can't tell if he's taking the person's riding style into account.

In terms of popularity, lots riders that are looking for an all-around tire, as opposed to a performance-at-all-costs tire, seem to use the Pirelli Sport Demons. They come in stock sizes and are often the cheapest of all the good aftermarket tires out there for the EX. But they are bias ply tires, so those biased towards radials don't like them. I'd be curious to know what you finally decide.

ex500riders rain tire thread

 

[dawerz]

Thanks again. I checked out the site and am leaning towards the Michelin Pilot Activs because I do have a bias towards radials. This is just based on what I have heard about tire wear and grip. Please correct me if I am wrong though.

 

[CaffeineMan]

Well, it's always tricky to speak generally, but my impressions are that bias plys have no problems with wear. If I had to guess, I'd guess the sport demons would out-wear the activs. They'll also probably be cheaper initially. I think it really comes down to grip. How much do you want and how much do you want to pay for it, in terms of initial price difference and fewer miles? From what I've read, I do think the Activs are a good compromise between grip and wear, so it sounds like they'll be a good choice for you.