ST1100 Tires/Tyres

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From: "Lu, Sao-Dung" 
Steinar,
Certainly, one's subjective impressions of tire performance depends on
the conditions of use.
Your tire page could also contain some FAQs and other tire related info.
Here is my input.
I have a '90, 10K miles, original Excedras.
These tires are getting old, but still have tread left.  I am in
Houston, Texas, USA.  Temperatures up to 100 degrees F (38 C) in
summer and down to 36 degrees F (2 C) in the winter.  I get no head
wobble at any speed.
The front gets very slippery when wet.  The rear howls when leaned over
in  a turn.  Dry traction is fine for "normal, average" riding only.
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Below, are various snippets I (Lu) have saved from previous mail messages.
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The correct ME33 for the ST1100 is the 110/80 V18 V240.
It's the "V240" bit  that's important as this differentiates the high
speed (240km/h) high load  carcass which is necessary for the
ST1100.
According to Metzeler Technical in  the UK, all problems reported to
them relating to the ME33/ME55A combo on ST's  have been attributable
to people using the non-V240 ME33.
They also advised me  that sustained high speed riding on the
incorrect version of the ME33 on the front of an ST is likely to
result in catastrophic failure due to overheating of the carcass:.
BTW, the correct V240 rated ME33 is about 20% more expensive than the
"standard" 110/80 V18 ME33, so be careful that mail order places are
quoting you for the  correct tyre.
Most 'serious' ST riders I know have switched to radial tires.
Metzlers are better than stock and are nice, but they just don't have
the tire life. Avon ST radials are now available to fit the front and
rear correctly. I like mine, and other riders indicate a life span around
18,000 miles for the front and more than 10,000 miles for the rear.
(I know one rider that rides MUCH harder than I and he has switched to the
Avon ST's.) Two riders I know like the new Michelin A89X radials -
also available in the correct sizes for the ST. I don't have mileage igures
yet. Don't stay with the stock tires! [WARNING: Radial tires ake longer
to warm up, and may not provide full traction if the outside temp is
low. <45'f?
About tires I have used Michilin, first ?59 and ?89 on ST and I get lots
of problems with these, after that Honda and Michilin said that these
are not recomended to use on ST, I have mount the original tires the
Britstone, these are no so good when you "find" water, and last time I
replace the back tire I decide to mount the new Michilin "Macadam" for
ST it seems ok, it is better than the original tires when the road is
wet, I would prefer to use the  "Batlax" but it is not avalaible yet on
this "remote side" of Europe.
I also have the Pirelli Dragon and run 32?/36? psi F/R.
Much better than stock Dunlops.  The air pressure, which is different
than in owner's manual, came from Pirelli.  These handle very
differently to the original Dunlop cross-ply type things - it feels
like its on rails going around corners.  There is a different feel, a
weave, almost a wobble, until you get used to it, it seems almost like
its tracking 'too well', following the road so well  - perhaps the
Dunlops 'slewed' more, and seemed less wobbly.
They certainly seemed 'heavier' to handle.
Oh yes, these radials do require (front) tyre pressure to be spot on, or a
worrying wobble at around 110mph occurs.  As for wear, though, I don't
think I'm getting too many miles from the rear.
Both Jeff Bertrand and I have a set of Metzeler ME-Z2's and have been
discussing similar problems. I read somewhere that the Dragons and
Z2's are essentially the same construction,   only with a slightly
different tread pattern. Jeff was complaining of the same wobble you
mention, and I characterized it as oversensitivity.
Mine doesn't weave or wobble, that I've noticed, as yours do, but the
slightest movement of my hips seems to be reflected in the bike.
I've only put about 400 miles on my tires while Jeff has 2000.
Does this tendency get worse over time or does it stay about the
same? I'm very happy the way things are, but I would be interested
in knowing what to look out for in the future.
I run a Metzler MEZ1 front and a MEZ2 in the rear.  I have heard  that
the MEZ's are virtually the same tire as the Pirelli Dragon except  for
the tread pattern (correct me if I am wrong).
The observations that you have had with your Dragons are very similar
to my experiences with my  MEZ's.  I do notice though that the
weave isn't present on all roads.
There are certain stretches of our Southern California "freeways"
where  this anomolly is very evident and other sections where
it is not as  noticable or not even present.  I don't get any of that
weave/wobble on  surface streets at any speed.  The weave/wobble is
always present on the  same stretches of "freeway" and does not seem to
be related to the "rain  grooves" that are on almost all of our SoCal
freeways.  Nor does it seem  speed related.  It may be that tire
handling is very subjective, but  the weave/wobble is none-the-less very
disconcerting; isn't it?  What air  pressure do you use?
 It talked to Cory today at Pirelli (1-800-722-3336) about the
recommended air pressure for the Dragons (M03 and M04).
He said that Pirelli's latest application sheet list 32 front/34 rear.
He thought a range of 32/34 front and 34/36 rear was good with a
single rider and light luggage.  He recommended 36/38 front
and 38/40 rear with two riders and heavy luggage.
His recommendations based on his experience with his own ST.
Said he had about 35,000 miles and had tried a large number of
different tires (maybe 6 different types).  Said reason for shortage
of MEZs/Dragons was that Metzler/Pirelli needed to address the much
larger need for tires in other sizes.  He said he was running MEZ2s
on front and back.
Said back tire was similar to the Dragon except for tread design.
The front tire, however, was very different.  I believe he said the
MEZ2 was more triangular and, of all the tires that he had
tried, this gave him the LEAST amount of headshakes.
As an aside, he thought the Dragons/MEZ2 would provide
about 9,000-12,000 miles of service but that these numbers are
variable based on riding styles and road surfaces.
He mentioned as an example that the roads in Florida are much harder
on tires than other roads.  I assume he was comparing them to roads
in his part of the country, Pennsylvania.  Odd!
I mentioned the strange feeling-a certain lightness and a vague sense of
uncontrolled motion- that I was getting at about 115 mph.
He thought I might try increasing my pressure from 34 to 36 front
and 36 to 38 rear.
Certainly an easy thing to try this weekend, particularly with
temperatures predicted to be in the 70s.  Will report on this
experiment.       Another suggestion he offered was that the tires may
not be wearing in an even pattern.  I am uncertain how this could happen
given tires of uniform construction and an equal (left and right sides)
load on the bike. I tried to convince him to join the list since
this sort of expertise would be appreciated.
I gave him the www address.  Maybe after he goes there he will join us.
I told him I was going to post this info and he said it was OK.
However, he wanted me toencourage people with questions to
contact Pirelli directly at the above 800.
Bill Haynes is using OE Bridgestone Exedra bias ply on the front wheel
and a Dunlop Sportmax radial tire on the back.  With excellent results.
Bad Avons: I had bad experiences with 3 different ST23's that all were
DOT number 324.