Yes, tires are expensive. Inflation spares no victims.

Everyone looks at it differently. I knew going in that the K16 was going to be an expensive bike to own. It was a conscious choice to make the commitment. No regrets.

I don’t stress over it. The bike is too much fun for the dollars to get in the way.

 

Tires $579/8,000 miles = 0.072/mile
+ Gas $3.15/35mpg = 0.09/mile
SMILES 0.162/mile $9.72/hour at 60mph

psychiatrist $200/hour

Take your pick.

 

Tires $579/8,000 miles = 0.072/mile
+ Gas $3.15/35mpg = 0.09/mile
SMILES 0.162/mile $9.72/hour at 60mph

psychiatrist $200/
Take your pick.

Sooo Where do get gas for $3.15 a gallon - anymore 🤨

Gotta $ pay to play - can’t take those fun $ tickets with you -

 

100% agree with @JohnS1955. There's no substitute for me for the smiles per miles, regardless of what the consumables cost. I knew that going in and will continue to do what I've been doing: enjoying every danm mile of riding. 💪

Then again, motorcycling is one of my few hobbies, so I'm all in. I don't golf or fish or hunt or stuff like that, so I pour my money into my bike.

Pretty sure OP's post wasn't necessarily about how expensive these things are, but I'm assuming more about how much more expensive things have gotten over the last couple of years and I fully agree on that. Stuff is stupid crazy nowadays, with no end in sight, it seems. There seem to be way more important things going on in the country than trying to get prices in check. But that's a topic for another discussion we shouldn't go into here... 🤷‍♂️

 

Pretty sure OP's post wasn't necessarily about how expensive these things are, but I'm assuming more about how much more expensive things have gotten over the last couple of years and I fully agree on that. Stuff is stupid crazy nowadays, with no end in sight, it seems.

Yes, things have gotten more expensive across the board. And it's not going to get any better.

Lamenting price increases feels good but doesn't fix anything. As mentioned by others, dark side is an option. As an alternative, if your K16 becomes too expensive to keep, moving to a GS or equivalent will substantially help with the cost of tires. You should be able to squeeze out about 12,000-miles on a given pair.

 

Mine will be worn out at the end of the fall riding season. The Bridgestone rebate is back, so it was time to shop. Wow! A set of T33s is $400, after the $70 rebate! Not paying that, I foolishly think. I change the selection to Dunlops. $579!

A bit of quick mental math tells me that I'm paying more for tire wear on a ride than for gasoline. That would be fine if gas was cheap. I remember not so long ago that tire expense wasn't even a consideration in the cost of riding.
Times have changed. The dollar won't buy what it did just a few years ago. I won't change my riding habits,

I am being financially destroyed by the cost of tires for this beast. I've gone through 12 rear tires in 43K miles and about 9 fronts. The price has jumped significantly. RSIV rear has increased in price from $230 to $338 since 2023, a 47% increase. Fronts have gone up from $157 to $239, a 52% increase. Meantime my income has dropped significantly and the cost of living/groceries/property taxes/utilities has gone up with everything else. Doing what I can but pretty much hanging on my my fingernails here.

Currently trying darkside on the rear to see if I can stand it. Results are mixed but generally favorable overall. For those none that asked.

 

A set of T33s is $400, after the $70 rebate!

I was in the same predicament and went for the T33 rebate. I burned through them on a 4,200 mile trip. I gotta say they were a disappointment; mediocre wet and dry grip, low milage. They handled really nicely with good feedback and a plush carcass, but I could never trust them to really dip into the corners.

I might change them out a bit early now that rainy season has arrived. To me, they compare with the budget tier like the Roadsmart 3. I've gotta agree with you on the prices, pretty nutty. I remember when $300/set was for the most expensive tires.

 

As @1KPerDay mentions, there's always the dark side. My double dark setup looks barely worn after my recent 8000 mile ride. It suits me to have options. Different riding styles and different tire options.

 

Really ? Double dark side ?? You have a car tyre on the front as well ?

 

I (fondly) recall 10,000 to 12,000 miles out of the rear Metzelers on my Road Glide (at about $150 a pop,) and given that the 'B' is a touring bike (the fun rides are on the RT) I'm going for another Metzeler on the B.
A 200/50/17 radial costs $256 and might well fit without spacing. It will change the final drive ratio by less than 2% (stock tire rotates 800 times in a mile. The Metzeler will turn 785, so the ratio will be 'taller' which given the power, and more gears than I need, should be a non issue.
If I can get back to 10,000 miles, I'll call it a win. (I'll continue to run the Dunlop RS IV on the front.)
I'll let you know how it goes

 

I reliably get 8K miles from as set on my R1200RT, and about 5K on the 1600GT. I ride the RT the most so it evens out. I don't think I have the skill to differentiate tire brands by riding feel, so I just go with whatever is the best deal. In recent years, Bridgestone have had twice-a-year $70 rebates, so I've used a lot of those. Never had a bad experience.
In the not-too-distant past, tire expense wasn't something I even noticed. The set of Michelins I put on my wife's Honda Pilot two years ago were $800. Today they would be $1000.
I'm noticing!

 

Another reason to consider going Darkside and get 40,000 out of your rears will save you money in the long run.

NW

 

I am at 10,000 miles on my Michelin Road 6 GTs and they look like they can go another 2,000 easily. 2013 GTL.

 

That’s awesome. My Road 6 GT rear was at the wear bars at 3800 miles and to the cords at 4400. The next Road 6 rear (non-GT) was to the wear bars at 2511 miles and to the cords at 3041. FML 🤦‍♂️

 

Now at 5500 or so, the 'RS IV 'GT' has (maybe?) 1500 miles to go on the 1600B. (I'm keeping it local until I replace it.)
'Gentle' commuter on some outstanding NC/VA country back roads, but I don't abuse it.)

 

Now at 5500 or so, the 'RS IV 'GT' has (maybe?) 1500 miles to go on the 1600B.

Where did you find an RSIV GT? I've never seen one for sale in the US to my knowledge.

 

Before tariffs/cost increases, I found TyrePro in Greece via EBay and made a deal with them to ship two rear GT's for the price of one (shipping cost.)
They did the same for a set of fronts later.

If I recall, the 'to my door' cost was $300 per rear tire. I did so wanting to compare mileage with the 'S' American tires once they wore out.
What I'm learning is that mileages are all over the place on the S tires (so far.)

Both the RT and B both are running GT's front and rear currently. On the RT, I wouldn't bother with another GT as 6,000 is where I am now on that bike and I'm waiting to see belt threads soon.

 

Ive been riding for 23 years and I don't ever remember motorcycle tires being cheap. The cost of tires is a small price to pay for the joy I receive when Im out riding. Fortunately Im not overly aggressive on the throttle so my tires tend to last a little longer and I don't worry about gas for the same reason I don't worry about tires. Im still glad to see the price of gas has gone down so I have more money to buy expensive tires.

 

Complaining about tires cost of a motorcycle is akin to a truck owner driving a big V8 truck complaining about gas mileage. 🤷‍♂️ Life is full of choices…

 

Not really. Some motorcycles eat tires a lot more rapidly than other motorcycles. The K16 is a hungry beast 😅

 

@J-Luv

 

@J-Luv
View attachment 202860

I guess cornering performance is not an issue on that one! Looks great!

 

Tires are the most important item when riding on two wheels. I buy the best tires as in Michelin. . .why F around?

 

Didn't mean to start another oil thread. Who remembers the complaints in MotoGP when Michelin replaced Bridgestone?
For the average rider, like me, there are many good choices these days.
Maybe we're in Lake Wobegon where all the riders are above average!

 

This is a cost of tires thread. I mentioned dark siding as an option, which it is. And it isn't for everyone. It wasn't for me...until I examined it more closely and read about more from the perspective of mostly long distance riders who have been doing it for years and without negative consequences. I tried it. It was no big deal. For me, dark siding has a place in my riding that benefits me. If it's not for you, not a big deal, that's great. But If you want to debate it, this thread isn't the place for it. There are other threads for that. Just keep in mind that most guys I know who dark side don't have time to debate. They just may be too busy putting on miles. But if you want help deciding or going dark, they will make the time to be of assistance. Best wishes.

 

And I appreciate the response . I've spoken with a few guys who have done it on an aussie forum , but they are into those iron butt rides , big days , big miles , not much mountain carving .
I'm intrigued , it's not for me , but I appreciate the time you've taken to explain it to me

 

Anyone on a dark side setup able to keep up with the likes of Gunnert or Damian using proper motorcycle tires when riding through the twisties? I don’t think we had any darksiders on the Coronado Trail this past weekend. I understand they are adequate for highway travel, but I haven’t seen much comment on performance when it comes to roads where riders are pushing for performance in the twisties.

 

Anyone on a dark side setup able to keep up with the likes of Gunnert or Damian using proper motorcycle tires when riding through the twisties? I don’t think we had any darksiders on the Coronado Trail this past weekend. I understand they are adequate for highway travel, but I haven’t seen much comment on performance when it comes to roads where riders are pushing for performance in the twisties.

I wasn’t there (Springerville) this year, but last year on day two I was on the Coronado trail S-to-N with @amorley, @FloRider, me, and @Prince in that order. I had a darkside rear on the B. Slowly, Andy and Doug pulled away but not drastically. I didn’t get the impression Paul was annoyed with me holding him up. I may have pushed a little harder had I been moto-tired on the rear. Whatever.
“Ride your ride”…that’s what we all hear regarding safety during group rides - yet here is another example of “keeping up with the other guys” as some form of measuring stick.
Why is that?
I chose to try the darkside rear for that trip to try it out. I had significant miles to/from AZ that were just miles of straight road. I accepted the performance negatives during twisty road riding. I still had fun.