Post by The Older GentlemanNo argument. But thast was because Japan itself couldn't *make* decen
tyres, and they were unwilling to import quality rubber.
Two typos in one sentence, from an Englishman who's arrogantly proud
of his
superior knowledge of the language?
The horror! The horror!
So far as I know, there are NO rubber trees in Japan, and all natural
rubber is probably imported from Southeast Asia or South America.
Natural rubber is very adhesive and offers good traction, but it wears
out rapidly.
The OEM tires on my 1974 Suzuki GT750L were natural rubber Inoue tires
made in Japan. They only lasted 5000 miles and that started me off on
a search for tires that would last much longer in touring use.
I tried exactly ONE Dunlop K-81, it was a natural rubber Irish-built
K-81 that
only lasted 3,000 miles.
But the grip was fantastic! All the Ricky Racers in Los Angeles knew
to look for the "made in Ireland" on the sidewalls when they bought
K-81's off the rack.
A cheapskate BMW rider steered me towards Cheng Shin tires which
lasted longer, but I didn't like the tread pattern. He claimed that he
was getting 22K miles on Cheng Shin rear tires on his /5 (or whatever)
Beemer.
I also tried Nitto tires, which wore very well and Dunlop provided
long lasting K-81 Mk II's and K-181's that wore like iron under daily
commuting on California's abrasive concrete freeways.
I finally got scared of the hard Dunlop K-181 rear and replaced it
after nearly 15K miles. That's the longest-lasting rear tire I ever
used.
Sometime during the 1980's Bridgestone began compounding more
expensive synthetic rubber with natural rubber to make their Spitfire
series of tires wear better.
I don't know where Japanese manufacturers get their synthetic rubber
from, but it would seem reasonable that it comes from some place that
has lots of petroleum,
perhaps Malyasia?
That remark seems to fit you and your catamite Smee very well.
Post by The Older GentlemanIn other words, Japan does make decent tyres.
Since the mid-1980's, anyway. But the OEM Excedra front tire on my
1982
GS-1100EZ was memorable for having very little grip and the the front
end didn't feel
"planted".
A knowledgeable friend who owned a Yamaha Eurosport wanted to show me
how he could slide my GS1100 around corners like he'd slid his own
GS-1100ET around, on a road that was very well known to both of us.
So we swapped and I rode his Eurosport which had race compound K-81 MK-
II's and I flat ran away and hid from him on his own motorcycle.
About five minutes later, he arrived at the hangout and declared that
my Suzuki's front wheel didn't seem "planted" at all. Part of that was
due to the difference in weight distribution between his Suzuki and
mine, but it was mostly that gawdawful BS Excedra tire.
Post by The Older GentlemanAnd they're called 'Battlax' tyres anyway.
You really don' know what you're talking about.
Oh, goody. Now I can point out your typos, too!