Replacement Tires + Seat Thoughts

[keithf]

Hi All,

I was wondering any thoughts on replacement tires to replace the original Bridgestones on my HK0. I was looking at a couple of choices:

CHP-Motorsports has what looks like the original Trailwings for around $60.00 each, And the mytrailbuddy-store is offering IRC Trials in the correct size for about $42.00 each. These would be used mostly for riding, not a perfect restoration. Or any others that I should consider?

Also both of these sites offer what appear to be very nice original complete seat replacements. Any opinions and experiences with either of these greatly appreciated also..

Thanks!

 

[69ST]

Trailwings have the best grip on pavement, among knobbies. There's a lot of criticism of IRC tires, calling them "hard plastic", which translates into less traction on pavement. The tradeoff should be tread life. The `Wings are a soft rubber compound, so expect to the rear to reach 50% tread wear by ~3000 miles. Fronts should easily last ~4x that mileage. Offroad, IDK that there'd be much difference in grip. Tires prices have reached stupid-high levels across the board, for everything.

As for complete, aftermarket, seats, there are fewer choices out there than you may realize, probably no more than 3 manufacturers supply the entire market. The chp seat has the logo stamped into the pan, which turns-off a lot of potential buyers. Take your pick as to vendor. Just be sure to order a "6V style" seat. The 12v era (1990s) bikes use a completely different latching system that is incompatible with the `69-`82 bikes.

 

[keithf]

Trailwings have the best grip on pavement, among knobbies. There's a lot of criticism of IRC tires, calling them "hard plastic", which translates into less traction on pavement. The tradeoff should be tread life. The `Wings are a soft rubber compound, so expect to the rear to reach 50% tread wear by ~3000 miles. Fronts should easily last ~4x that mileage. Offroad, IDK that there'd be much difference in grip. Tires prices have reached stupid-high levels across the board, for everything.

As for complete, aftermarket, seats, there are fewer choices out there than you may realize, probably no more than 3 manufacturers supply the entire market. The chp seat has the logo stamped into the pan, which turns-off a lot of potential buyers. Take your pick as to vendor. Just be sure to order a "6V style" seat. The 12v era (1990s) bikes use a completely different latching system that is incompatible with the `69-`82 bikes.

Thank you racerx for the great information! Sounds like the Trailwings are the way to go for me, even at the higher price. Definitely the originals have stood the test of time. I'm assuming replacing the tubes at the same time would be good also.
Great info on the seat, the logo on the pan wouldn't bother me that much, but I do want the type with the original HK0 look of the pattern of the seat cover and the rivets on the sides..

 

[69ST]

I'm a hardcore road rider and covered better than 20,000 miles on Trailwings. I could live with replacing a rear tire every other year, cheap enough. They buzz, on pavement, but that wasn't intolerable. The switch came when I realized that less than 0.5% of my riding was over unpaved surfaces. IMHO, the `Wings performed surprisingly well on the road, even through the twisties. That said, it'd be all too easy to lean just a little too far into a turn, at speed, and the last row of tread blocks is not only narrow, it has no sidewall transition. Are you going to lean the bike at peg-scraping angles? Unless you're really looking to push the bike to new extremes, no and I mean NO!! Not trying to induce panic, just give you some basic facts. For most owners, road tires don't make much sense; the Trailwings are the best choice...for their "jack-of-all-trades" capabilities.

As for a reproduction K0 seat, NEVC sells a nicely made version and at a reasonable price. Some have claimed that it's the same unit available on ebay. Of all the reproductions available, K0 is far & away the most commonly available. None of these has any logo stamped into the pan.

 

[keithf]

thanks racerx!, the NEVC seat looks great. I didn't know about that vendor so checking out a lot of other offerings they have also..

 

[airblazer]

Has anyone had much experience with the Cheng Shin brand? My bike probably has the original tradewing... the bike has less than 3000 on the odometer and the tire is dry rotted and cracking on the sidewalls. The Cheng Shin on the rear looks in nearly new condition. Just curious to know if anyone’s rode on one of these for a couple years and what the verdict is compared to the bridgestones.
The seat on my bike is also overdue for replacement, so thank you for that advice as well.

 

[cjpayne]

I had the Chen Shin tires on a K1 I used to have. They were the ONLY good china part for these bikes that I ever found, but of course, they discontinued them. They're not nearly as sticky to the road as the TW's, but they lasted alot longer because they were simply a harder compound. I mostly do back road driving on the pavement for extended rides and occassional off road. The best combo I found for me was having the Bridgestone Trail Wing on the front(better steering stability) and the Cheng Shin on the rear(for longevity).

 

[airblazer]

Thanks for the info CJ, I didn’t know the Cheng Shin’s were out of production. Do you just do TW on both front and rear now?

 

[cjpayne]

Thanks for the info CJ, I didn’t know the Cheng Shin’s were out of production. Do you just do TW on both front and rear now?

On my HK1 I do. Around 1500miles and the rear is probably about a 1/3 gone. The front is still all there(looks like it anyways). If I can find a Chen Shin for the rear, thats pretty new, I'll use it.

BTW, the tread pattern for the Chen Shin's can vary. The type I used were the same pattern as the original TW's.

 

[69ST]

On my HK1 I do. Around 1500miles and the rear is probably about a 1/3 gone. The front is still all there(looks like it anyways). If I can find a Chen Shin for the rear, thats pretty new, I'll use it.

BTW, the tread pattern for the Chen Shin's can vary. The type I used were the same pattern as the original TW's.

That rate of tread wear is virtually identical to what I got. 3500 miles is a short lifespan for a tire. But, it's only the rear. I never wore out a front and at least one remained in place for 10K+ miles. So, for the most part, it averaged-out out to buying one tire every ~30 months. Not gonna lose any sleep over $24/year...

 

[cjpayne]

That rate of tread wear is virtually identical to what I got. 3500 miles is a short lifespan for a tire. But, it's only the rear. I never wore out a front and at least one remained in place for 10K+ miles. So, for the most part, it averaged-out out to buying one tire every ~30 months. Not gonna lose any sleep over $24/year...

Yeah, I do mostly ride on pavement too. Since the rear is the power wheel and nearly all of the drivers weight is on the rear, I'm not surprised that they wear out so fast. Those TW's are so soft, that when I wheel the bike across the kitchen floor, the knobbies make "sneaker squeak" noises.LOL. They do make for a quieter and less vibration ride than the Chen Shin's do.
I recommend that nobody puts a Chen Shin on the front. The stability and braking ability are noticeably affected, especially during the colder months. They are, however, great for the rear...... IF your putting serious mileage on your bike.

 

[69ST]

For pavement, the next step up...from `Wings...would be road tires. That's really just the other side of the same specialization coin. I reckon one could say that the `Wings are akin to standing a quarter on its edge(...or something?!?) And, just as road tread is better on pavement, I don't doubt that knobbies made from higher Durometer (stiffer) rubber would have an edge over unpaved surfaces. Both would last longer than `Wings on pavement. "Ya' pays your money and takes your pick..."