Post your Firestone/Coker Review

[Dot Heton]

I would like to know how you like them. Do you ride long distances or neighborhood cruising? high speed, wet/dry etc... maybe compare them to other vintage tires.

One thing I've seen in pics is that they look dirty, like old dusty tires, maybe it's just the pics.

 

[Tim of DO THE TON]

They've jumped the shark 10x over. They're the equivalent to 6 inch stiletto heels. All show, no go.

Aside from the fact they're the most overplayed fashion accessory you can put on a bike, they're poor performing. Lousy cornering, track badly on grooved pavement and are as square as a brick. And on top of all this, they're among the most expensive tires you can buy.

Buy some AVON RoadRiders and ride your bike. If people can see the tread on your tires you're riding too slowly.

If you're desperate for some vintage looking tires, give the Dunlop K70 a look. Frankly at least they're close to period-correct. I think the Firestones date back to the 1930's or something. So if you're building a pre-war museum piece, by all means, get the Firestones.

 

[jd750ace]

Everybody I know that has them on a bike never rides it anywhere. The few I have ridden with slipstones on them handled like shit. Felt like the back was flat, or a car tire, both of which suck.

 

[Phail]

If you're talking about this tire then I have one: http://www.powersportsplace.com/parts/cok-72225

Disclaimer: I'm on a hardtail chopper.

I'm still waiting for my bike to get back from having the frame worked on so I haven't rode on it yet. But I plan to do about 5 to 6000 miles on it this year or more. I did 4000 last year on a Shinko and I didn't like the ride. I'm going to Born Free this year from Reno, so that will be a good test. I'll chime in again with the report.

I figured this 5.0 Firestone will give me a much softer ride due to being a few inches taller than the Shinko. I'm also running an Avon 21" up front.

 

[jd750ace]

Am I the only one bothered by a lack of speed or load rating info on a tire that costs $157.00?

 

[Phail]

Review coming tomorrow night [placeholder].

 

[jamesgs4]

wow, some people are passionate about other people's tires

 

[Tim of DO THE TON]

This has nothing to do with who uses them - they're shit tires.

 

[jdizon]

This has nothing to do with who uses them - they're shit tires.

Word! Pretty but shitty

 

[rusty rocket]

I have bias ply firestone tires on a hot rod model t, They are shit for handling, tracking and are out of round. so my guess would be that the cycle tires are the same way.

 

[jd750ace]

I'll be damned if I shell out 150 bucks for a tire without published weight and speed ratings. Guess there's a reason for that! Glad it's not just me that thinks they suck.

 

[hard_y_rd]

Review coming tomorrow night [placeholder].

Interested in your review Phail. Running the exact same setup as you tire wise. Let me know how it handles.

 

[Gene]

Am I the only one bothered by a lack of speed or load rating info on a tire that costs $157.00?

I'll be damned if I shell out 150 bucks for a tire without published weight and speed ratings. Guess there's a reason for that! Glad it's not just me that thinks they suck.

Echo echo..lol

Are you taking your motorcycle to the salt flats for high speed runs? Hauling gravel? In all seriousness, they should have a ply rating on the them i.e.; 4 ply which can then transfer over to a load range B.

I've dealt with bias ply tires/vintage re-pops before and the end user is going for a certain look rather than any (or lack of) performance gain.

 

[jd750ace]

Gene, hauling my 250 pound ass around in Texas heat eats tires up a little fast the way it is. Often my buying decision is affected by these ratings, which affect not only the performance and handling, but the longevity of the tires as well. Not that I'd run an old style square tire (already rode a bike or 3 with them and they universally suck) just trying to instill a little culture of process around here. There are many things done and suggested around here that are patently unsafe, and a novice shopper that reads labels would be able to deduce that an issue might arise. Just sayin. Buy them jeep tires if ya want!

 

[Phail]

I'll be damned if I shell out 150 bucks for a tire without published weight and speed ratings. Guess there's a reason for that! Glad it's not just me that thinks they suck.

4 Ply
Load Range B
Max Load 760 lbs

Just advertising the ratings for them.

 

[Phail]

I've put 130 miles on the tire so far. I'm not an expert and probably don't know anything since I've only been riding for two years now. But here it goes.

101 degrees and I'm running 28 PSI in the rear. I'm running a 3" stretch on a hardtailed XS650. (light weight bike)

My previous rear tire was the Shinko. I didn't like it much. It was really hard even at low pressure. I bought the Firestone because I saw it on a few bikes I really liked and thought it was be a nice tire to run.

When I got the tire here it measured almost 2" taller than my old tire. It was also really soft compared to the other tire. I liked the looks of it and the size.

I mounted the tire myself and I had to use lots of soapy water to get it on. It fit really tight. I had to pump it up to 60 psi to get it to seat on the bead. I did not have it balanced.

The first ~25 miles it rode well. But I was still getting used to my new bike. (I redid the hardtail taking 5" out of it, so it's basically totally different to me now) I road on regular blacktop road with some bumps here and there. Went over two cattle guards. It seemed fine.

Today I rode another ~110 miles. This time I rode through Virginia City with lots of curves. I felt very confident on the curves leaning the bike over pretty good. Once touching my foot peg. I was riding about 30-40mph (speed limit is 35). Not sure if it's the new hardtail or the rear tire but it felt really good. I did hit a few potholes and had a gut check. But all seemed good.

Going down 395 is when I started to feel the tire out of balance. So I'm going to put beads in it this week. But even though it was fine on the cement freeway. It was 101* outside today by the way.

Once I got onto i80 with the cement grooved road I felt what others have said. It was all over the road. I was telling myself it was all fine that it's normal while in the back of my mine I was thinking the wheels are coming off my bike, LOL. After getting off i80 I was fine again.

So for my first ride on the bike with this tire I think it was positive. I'm not an expert and I don't have enough experience with other tires. This tire seems pretty good to me and I like the way it looks on my bike.

 

[jd750ace]

Thanks for the pic. Fills in an info blank.

 

[Dot Heton]

That is a good looking bike!

It's nice that you gave details and specific situations instead of just saying you liked it or hated it. I thik it's the best looking tire out there for vintage.

 

[Tomterrific]

Erased because I posted a dick head rant. Sorry.

Please, everyone, ignore my rant and enjoy your bike no matter what it is.

Tom, first real motorcycle in 1967. Honda 305 Super Hawk.

 

[Phail]

I've got 360 miles on them so far. I still like the tire. I'm going to do another 400 next week then a 1000 mile round trip to Born Free. I'll let ya know.