Can you run a sport bike tire on a cruiser? Will it negatively affect anything (i.e. ride, handling, dignity)? I was looking at the Conti Sport Attach-Hypersport radial tire which claims to have both excellent wet and dry handling.

 

I would look to see if it has the proper load rating for your bike. I prefer a bias tire over a radial for my SG.

 

Lots of tyres make those claims, including suitable ones for our dressers. Sport tyres are generally V speed rated, which means they don't have much tread, they are also relatively soft, so will wear very quickly and are designed for wide rims, even wider than the latest Harley ones! However they are also unlikely to come close to the load ratings, as drukanfu points out.

'Sports Touring' tyres will be much more suitable and I am in the process of squeezing an Avon Storm into my old Glide, 160/70x17, on an old Deuce wheel, so I have trodden this path! However there may not be many suitable sizes for your stock rims.

If you want better quality performance tyres, by which I mean comfort, grip and handling, try one of the European brands, such as Avon, Continental, Michelin or Pirelli. Personally I would skip Metzeler. My preferance is Avon, which I have been using on my Harleys since the 70s.

 

Thanks for the insight and the advice! I have Avon's on my custom chopper and they are pretty nice all the way around. So thats probably what I will go with.

 

Thanks for the insight and the advice! I have Avon's on my custom chopper and they are pretty nice all the way around. So thats probably what I will go with.

 

I've got metzlers on my FLHX. I'm 2009 and so the selection can be limited.

For those that have had them I'm wondering about the differences. Feel / handling / wet / traction / wear.

To the op: I've had good luck with this set of metzlers but I hear conflicting reports. Avon doesn't seem to make a tire for my motorcycle and changing the rims seem rediculous for the sake of a tire.

I would consider a wheel swap in the future perhaps but the $$$ has added up this year.

 

I just put a set of night dragons on my 06 EGS. What a big difference. Much better handling . Just not sure how many miles I will get out of them.

 

ive been riding for 42 years now, and on ALL the bikes ive had, i was informed to NEVER put radial tires on a bike that was designed for bias tires. the rims and suspension were designed to respond a certain way under certain conditions, and you dont want to upset that balance. it would be even worse, to mix radial and bias tires on a bike. thats looking for an accident to happen.

 

Where do you get that from? Many bikes are delivered from the factory with a bias on the front and a radial on the rear.
What you don't want to do is put a radial and a bias on the same axle but that's for cars (or trucks), nothing to do with bikes.

 

I have a bias on the front of my Glide and a radial on the rear. IIRC the other way around is not recommended.