Bias or radial tires for 2003 BMW K1200LT | GTAMotorcycle.com

Bias or radial tires for 2003 BMW K1200LT

Rob Star

Rob Star

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My dad owns a BMW K1200LT, he has been having issues with breaking radial belts in new tires rather quickly. Specifically the front tire. He doesn't do a lot of riding, just recreational small local rides. Hes old and barely rides the speed limit and never pushes a tire anywhere near its limits.

In the last two years he has replaced the front tire twice now, both tires have been mezzler, and both started showing humps on the side walls from the belts breaking. The tires literally still look brand new.

I did some reading and found a post somewhere that some one said that he needs to use a BIAS tire, and not a radial.

Can anyone shed some light on this? Are radial tires not right for this heavy bike? Or has he just gotten a couple bad tires?

Any insight is appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
 
Are you sure the tires are breaking down and the sidewall lump isn't just where the belts overlap and it was there from the beginning? Very strange, subscribed to see what people have to say.
 
if you go to some of the BMW specific sites
there is some info about bias ply tires being preferred on these bikes
didn't know they were made anymore
and yes it is a weight thing
 
Just dont buy Metzler tires they seem to be Chinese made garbage from my experience.

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Scuba Steve said:
Just dont buy Metzler tires they seem to be Chinese made garbage from my experience.

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Bias ply tires are built with stronger sidewalls, some heavy tourers can be tough on radial tires because of the lower load ratings on radials. The stock tires on that bike have a load rating of 79, which is 963lbs. Standard Metzler radials in that size are load rated at 58 (520lbs). This could be too low for a bike that tips the scales at 1000lbs+ with fuel and rider.

Radials running at low pressure and high loads can also over-stress sidewalls, this might be what's happening to your radial Metzlers.
 
Sounds to me to be a case of a crappy tire, especially if the bike is mostly a garage queen.

Has he tried to claim warranty on the tires?

At the very least the first time this happened to a tire with few miles and only a-year-old, that'd be the last time I would ever buy that brand.
 
@Mad Mike, thank you kindly

@PrivatePilot, It appears I was missinformed by my dad, the first tire he had on the bike was a Metzler, it lasted a long time, was not bias, but sidwalls failed, then he said the most recent tire was a Michelin of some sort, which the sidwalls failed on in a year.

Thanks for the replies guys.
 
what model of tire is he running?
 
It's common for tires to become under inflated when parked for long period.

I check mine often and adjust when needed.


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Many of the modern ST radials have an additional version available for the heavier touring bikes with a higher load rating. When shopping, look for those as they will likely be the most appropriate for the bike.
 
fugue said:
Many of the modern ST radials have an additional version available for the heavier touring bikes with a higher load rating. When shopping, look for those as they will likely be the most appropriate for the bike.
Click to expand...

The heavy carcass tires are noted with a GT designation. They do trade some stickiness for long wear and toughness, I have them on my FJR and Busa, I like getting 15K out of my tires, I don't like the feeling of the back end breaking loose.
 
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