K75 Tire Reccommendations

[tjtraver]

I need to replace the tires on my 1995 K75C . It currently has Metzler ME33 100 / 90 - V18 ( front ) and ME550 130 / 90 - 17 (rear ). I'm not too crazy about this tire combination ( it follows rain grooves like crazy ).

I wanted to go to Metzler ME880 , but they don't seem to have the same size tire , but may be able to substitute another series ( wider ) for the rear.
I'm not sure what this may do to handling.

I'm looking for ( what else ) excellent handling , good mileage and excellent rain holding.

The dealer reccomends Metzler Lasertech ( but they sure look a lot like my current front tire ME33 ) , so I'm not sure about going to these .

I look forward to any / all experience and reccomendations ...

What tire combos / brands have people really liked on their K75/K100 ?

Thanks , Todd

[johnnyquest]

The old ME33 that was on the front of my K75s when I bought it followed rain grooves like crazy as well. I changed both of the old metzelers out with bridgestone s11 spitfires, not a real popular choice but I had good recommendations from friends of mine. I'm a newbie and don't push my bike really hard, but have taken some mountain roads at a brisk pace and I can say I think these tires suit the bike really well. They're dual compound, softer on the sides then in the center so they should give pretty good milage. They also are much, much better on rain grooves than the old Metzelers were, and they're also pretty affordable, I paid $135 for both tires online.

I'm sure the veterans here can recommend some more popular brands that may offer you more performance if you push your bike more than I do, but so far I'm happy with my choice.

JQ

[tjtraver]

JQ,

Thanks , I was just looking at those on the internet , when I got your post . I had put them on my Yamaha SR500 and have been happy with them . I like the look of the tread pattern .

My local motorcycle tire dealer also thought that I could go to a 140/80 - 17 on the rear , which opened up other tire combos .

I look forward to seeing what others say ... if there a collective wisdom from the group ...

Thanks for you post ...

Todd

[Burnszilla]

This subject has been discussed before.
See this thread:
K75 Tires Thread (http://bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=5014&highlight=k75+tires)

[bfromb]

On my K100RT I'm currently riding on Metzeler M880 up front and M88 on the rear, I hated the combo ME33/ME550, they were terrible for tracking in rain grooves and pavement cracks. I've got about 6,000 KM's on the M880/M88 with still lots of thread and a much better ride in the rain grooves and I don't even feel the pavement cracks. I lost a little feel in the corners but I think the trade off was worth it..

[breyfogle]

I always ran ME33/55 combination on my K75s until the tires were no longer available. At least on my "S", they NEVER gave a problem tracking rain groves. If t\he Lasertech versions become available the next time I need tires, I may give then a try.

I've been running a Bridgestone 130/90 BT-45 on the rear of my K75s for several years now. Bridgestone likes to claim a lot of benefits from their dual compound technology (softer on the shoulders, harder on the centerline) that I can not confirm but the BT-45 does not square off as bad as ME55's did. Presumably, the soft shoulders wear faster than the harder center. Overall, I am quite satified with the BT-45.

As for using a 140/80 on the rear, I don't think this is a good idea. Your rim is just not wide enough for a 140/80 tire. It may "fit" and it may clear the swingarm but the tire profile will be distorted and may do funny things for the handling and/or the wear pattern.

On the front, I tried the ME330 as an ME33 replacement and can not completely recommend this tire. On the plus side, the ME330 increased the steering quickness tremendously. While the ME33 made the K75 steer something like a Harley, the ME330 makes it steer more like a CBR600. On the negative side however, this increased quickness is almost at the limit of frontend stability. There is a constant, almost un-noticable, twitching of the handlebars that can just barely be felt at the grips and seen in the mirrors. It may not be wise to try a 60 to 20 MPH hands-off coast down test, I'm not sure what would happen.

[Buzzez]

Don't do the 880s they are too heavy a tire. Slow into a lean and slow out. You won't like them. DAMHIK :brow