Kawasaki Concours Forum
The C10, aka Kawasaki Concours - The Original => The Bike - C10 => Topic started by: divemaster5734 on August 06, 2013, 02:28:53 PM
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Howdy,
I'm newly back to street riding. Picked up an '87 C10 screamer with insanely low mileage and have become a total road addict.
I don't plan on the skin tight leathers with built in side knee pads and air foil just yet,(just the visual makes me shudder..lol) but I do ride fairly aggressively.
I have been going through tire reviews for a few hours and I am now more confused than when I didn't know a thing about road bike tires.
As for use, this is a pleasure bike only, so no rain unless I'm already out and get caught, however, I do live near Seattle, so something decent on wet pavement is a close second to cornering.
Most trips will only be day or weekends, and under 400 miles.
I have only been packing about 30 pounds in the bags.(Bilt brand waterproof adventure gear set and drinking water)
So, what tires have you guys found best for the C10's?
Thanks in advance.
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IMO the best tires you can run on a C10 with stock size wheels are the Avon radials. you would be looking for the Avon Azaro ST46 rear in a 150/80/16 and an Avon Storm 2 ultra
ST55 front in a 110/80/18. I've run these for several years and many miles and they have given me everything I expect out of a set of tires. There are tires that may give you a little more mileage, but not the crisp handling and stick these tires will give you.
Good Luck and I'm glad you are enjoying that C10, you will enjoy it even more with good tires.
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I bought these from Rocky Mountain ATV for my 2001 C-10 after reading about 80H sizes on this board:
130/70R-18 (63H) Dunlop Elite 3 Radial Touring Front Motorcycle Tire 1175030002 $154.99
160/80B-16 (80H) Dunlop Elite 3 Bias-Ply Touring Rear Motorcycle Tire 1200490004 $173.99
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That 130/80 18 size front tire will not work on an 87. The 2.15 front rim is far too narrow for that tire.
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IMO the best tires you can run on a C10 with stock size wheels are the Avon radials. you would be looking for the Avon Azaro ST46 rear in a 150/80/16 and an Avon Storm 2 ultra
ST55 front in a 110/80/18. I've run these for several years and many miles and they have given me everything I expect out of a set of tires. There are tires that may give you a little more mileage, but not the crisp handling and stick these tires will give you.
Good Luck and I'm glad you are enjoying that C10, you will enjoy it even more with good tires.
X2 ^^
I'm on my 2nd set. Wish they would update the rear
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That 130/80 18 size front tire will not work on an 87. The 2.15 front rim is far too narrow for that tire.
Excellent point.
I have noticed turbulence wobbles past 60, and suspension wobbles past 80.
The last road bike I had was a 90's XS1100 Special, had jetted carbs, K&N air filters, and 2- 2in1 headers. It buried the speedo at 160 with lots of throttle left.
I'm afraid to take to C10 past 115 with all the turbulence and suspension mush.
The 87 was only the 2nd year of the run. Technology has advanced since then.
Would a different rim to hold a wider tire be a performance and stability upgrade?
I plan on taking it to a shop for shock service, but don't really trust a guy on commission to be totally honest.
What have you guys found to be the best tire width/height combinations?
Thanks again for all your reply's.
There's no better way to figure out the best set up than tossing ideas around with people that have already been there and done that.
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There is no easy or cheap way to install a wider front rim from the later model Concours due to axle as well as wheel bearing size difference; one of the only ways to do this is with an entire front end forks, brakes etc...
As to the wobbles lets start with these simple questions.
Have you ever rode a fully faired bike before? They be a worlds different than an open naked bike.
Does the bike have a stock or aftermarket windscreen? Stockers were awful.
Does the bike still have the black lower boot scoops? These cause turbulence.
A loose steering stem bearing can lend itself to the wobbles.
Worn and improperly inflated tires can make for a squirrelly ride too.
As commented no other tire combo but the stock 150/80-16 rear & 110/80-18 front is recommended for the early models with the narrow front rim.
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+1 on T Cro's comments!
I got to ask, red one or silver one? I have both.
I run the Shinko Journey SE890 in 160/80R-16 in size for the rear. So far a great tire. Its a little taller and wider than stock. A few others haven't liked them. Air pressures are your choice but most run 40 up front and 42 in the rear. Don't forget to check the fork and shock pressures too. I run the max in the forks and 35 in the shock on setting 3.
As for your shock - rebuild it yourself. This isn't really a "rebuildable" shock. Remove it, then drain the fluid out thru the airline hole and refill it with the same amount of shock fluid.
Here's a link to a handy kit:
http://www.murphskits.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=1_97&products_id=119 (http://www.murphskits.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=1_97&products_id=119)
Murph's will be an addiction for a while...
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PS - the bike won't go too far past 115 anyway with the big painted parachute on the front. That's not really the point of this bike. They are pretty good "sleepers" though. They'll do 90 or so all day though.
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They are pretty good "sleepers" though. They'll do 90 or so all day though.
With the upgraded 17" wheels, ZRX front end and ZZR rear shock the main problem I have is that the bike is now so dam smooth & stable up to and past the ton that I've got to watch my speed when slabbing it as I'll get to 90ish and not even notice it...
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+1 on T Cro's comments!
I got to ask, red one or silver one? I have both.
I run the Shinko Journey SE890 in 160/80R-16 in size for the rear. So far a great tire. Its a little taller and wider than stock. A few others haven't liked them. Air pressures are your choice but most run 40 up front and 42 in the rear. Don't forget to check the fork and shock pressures too. I run the max in the forks and 35 in the shock on setting 3.
As for your shock - rebuild it yourself. This isn't really a "rebuildable" shock. Remove it, then drain the fluid out thru the airline hole and refill it with the same amount of shock fluid.
Here's a link to a handy kit:
http://www.murphskits.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=1_97&products_id=119 (http://www.murphskits.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=1_97&products_id=119)
Murph's will be an addiction for a while...
Red. (Black Cherry)
Would have never bought one, this was part of a trade from a customer.
Have to say though, it's been growing on me.
Dawn, sunset, and street lights really bring out the rich dark color.
Went to Murph's site.. yeah, had to create wish list and a budget.
Might just use this one as a trade and get a new one with all the "fixens", abs, suspension and performance modes, etc.
It takes thousands just to tweak the dirt bikes, would probably be better to sell this to someone that wants an era accurate bike.
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There is no easy or cheap way to install a wider front rim from the later model Concours due to axle as well as wheel bearing size difference; one of the only ways to do this is with an entire front end forks, brakes etc...
As to the wobbles lets start with these simple questions.
Have you ever rode a fully faired bike before? They be a worlds different than an open naked bike.
Does the bike have a stock or aftermarket windscreen? Stockers were awful.
Does the bike still have the black lower boot scoops? These cause turbulence.
A loose steering stem bearing can lend itself to the wobbles.
Worn and improperly inflated tires can make for a squirrelly ride too.
As commented no other tire combo but the stock 150/80-16 rear & 110/80-18 front is recommended for the early models with the narrow front rim.
No, I have not ever rode a dressed bike, I was pretty sure that was a factor.
I think at some point someone had it lowered, but done at a dealer.
maybe I'm just used to riding a bike with suspension that is built to take a 50' jump at will, so when I hit a freeway interchange at 2 or 3x the posted limit it's just too much for the design.
The back tire looks new. The front has at least 90% tread, but there's small age cracks beginning in some of the non-contact areas.
I'm just not proficient interpreting road tire design.
The bike is 100% stock, other than obviously tires, and a throttle palm rest.
Definitely need to do something about that faring if I keep it.
Are the boot scoops necessary?
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Foot scoops are not necessary. They do suck cool air onto your feet in the summer or push cold air away in the winter - they're reversible.
Check the date codes on your tires, perhaps they're old and getting a little slick since you said they are cracking.
The Concours can be lowered by dropping the triple tree down front forks and changing the rear shock link (big aluminum lug bolted to it) to a lowered link that is offered up to -1.5 inches. Real simple job, no shop required. Post that lowered link for sale and it would be snatched up pretty quick i'd bet. It may also mean your center and side stands have been shortened.
As mentioned before, tire and suspension air pressures play a big part on the handling of this big heavy bike.
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A Yamaha XS1100 that can do 160 with lots of throttle left?
I got some ocean front property in Arizona....
You need a new speedymeter.
BTW-the XS1100 was last produced in 1981.
+1 on the increased air pressures and head bearings.
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With the upgraded 17" wheels, ZRX front end and ZZR rear shock the main problem I have is that the bike is now so dam smooth & stable up to and past the ton that I've got to watch my speed when slabbing it as I'll get to 90ish and not even notice it...
It gets worse on a C14! My C10, was a wonderful machine, but nowhere near as deceptive fast as the C14.
As for the question on tires... The Avons in stock size mentioned above are all I ever ran on my '01.
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A Yamaha XS1100 that can do 160 with lots of throttle left?
I got some ocean front property in Arizona....
You need a new speedymeter.
BTW-the XS1100 was last produced in 1981.
+1 on the increased air pressures and head bearings.
I couldn't remember the model year when I posted and still can't. The bike had gone through several owners before me. I used it to get to a union job site that was about 65 miles away.
Only buried the speedo a few times when on an open stretch during the commute. The wind would blow through the helmet so hard it it made my eyes water after passing about the 130 or 140 mark. So the world was very blurry, but I know the needle went past the numbers, and it read to 160. The worst part was the way it made any exposed skin roll and then flap and snap on my neck like a whip. The howling was so bad my ears would ring for an hour. Could have easily been a faulty speedo but no matter the exact speed, the forces exerted on the rider were crazy. I was in my 30's and decent shape, so wasn't an overweight thing.
If I remember correct, I had around 1/4 throttle left.
Didn't mean to offend you with any false claims. All the mods were done to it before I got it, so if there was anything else done I wouldn't have known.
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No offense taken, as I was sure you meant a different model. That was just my way of saying, "Are you sure of that, Bubba?".
The FJ1100/1200 could do about 135/140. I still want one of those.
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Another tire I discovered last year was the Avon A26 Road Riders. If you don't think a bias ply tire can handle corners like a radial, ask Daytona Mike. He followed my bike all day when we rode the Arkansas roads, and especially on Push Mountain, and I had the Connie laid over farther than it ever had been.
The A26 is available in many sizes including sizes for the early model Connies.
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Sounds like most people stay with the 110/80-18 front. What other sizes have been successfully tried?
Same for the rear 150/80-16. What other sizes work?
I notice looking thru some specs on the tire sites that a tire can have a larger diameter but yet turn more rev's per mile. Maybe that was a typo.
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Sounds like most people stay with the 110/80-18 front. What other sizes have been successfully tried?
Same for the rear 150/80-16. What other sizes work?
I notice looking thru some specs on the tire sites that a tire can have a larger diameter but yet turn more rev's per mile. Maybe that was a typo.
Was wondering about that.
I haven't checked the rear size, but the speedo definitely reads wrong. Flowing with crowded rush hour traffic it reads 65, I know were lucky to be doing 55.
It's probably only about 7mph off, and I would rather it err on the side of caution, but annoying nonetheless.
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The speedo is driven off the front wheel hub. My rule of thumb is it reads about 4-5mph too fast at 65 as I've been followed by the wife a few times and she asks why I'm going so slow. I'd like to buy a front tire which has a little larger diameter to help correct the speedo. I definitely don't want to go the other way.
Same theory on the rear. I'd like to get a tire with a little larger diameter to keep the rpm's down a little.
Even within the same tire sizes, I see specs that seem to vary by 4% or so on how many rev's per mile. I don't know how accurate the specs are, but after all they are specs so shouldn't they be accurate?
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Same theory on the rear. I'd like to get a tire with a little larger diameter to keep the rpm's down a little.
Steve's 7th gear mod does a great job.
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Steve's 7th gear mod does a great job.
That was the first I've ever heard of it.
Looked it up and sounds interesting.
Do you do much mountain driving?
How aggressive do you ride?
What are your impressions?
Did you have your speedo recalibrated?
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That was the first I've ever heard of it.
Looked it up and sounds interesting.
Do you do much mountain driving?
How aggressive do you ride?
What are your impressions?
Did you have your speedo recalibrated?
No need to recalibrate the speedo as it is driven from the front wheel. The speedo error all but goes away if you switch to the 130/70-18B "Wing" sized front tire but the tire is a big one and makes the bike handle much slower and "truck" like. This is only an option on the later model Concours with the wider 3.0" rim that is still too dam narrow to properly fit a 120/70-18R tire.
Steve's 7th gear is great for taking the buzzy edge off the engine at interstate speeds and you absolutely will not notice it in the bottom end performance unless you are already out riding the bikes performance envelope. I have Steve's gear change and find that the engine just feels more relaxed and at ease with itself at speed other than that it is hard to tell the difference.
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I'll second Roadhound's recommendation on the Avons; I have those on mine and the bike is so nimble and responsive it feels like I just carved 100lbs off the weight; yet they are not touchy at all.
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+1 on Roadriders. No problems here.