General Comments

The alternative is to put a 110 on there, which is awfully small for the '79 CBX's 80+ horsepower (so's a 120, for that matter!).

So when you choose tyres for this model year CBX (the rear rim was widened in 1980), you not only have to decide what sort of tyre you want, but also whether you want a 120/90 or a 110/90.  In the selections below, I've picked a 110 for touring or general uses, and a 120 for more sporting applications or where a 110 is just not available.

The Safe Bet, General Purpose

An absence of the rear in a 110/90-18 leaves me unable to call the classic Metzeler ME-33/M-55A a Safe Bet.  For this, I'll suggest the Dunlop K591 Sport Touring tyres in the stock sizes.  They should work well enough for most general purposes, and they're certainly a conservative choice.  A tyre to avoid is the Avon Roadrunners, normally one of my favourites -- although they'll work fine in moderate riding, put the CBX into the twisties fairly hard and the front will generate too much heat, getting rather squirrelly -- which is not what you want when pushing a mondo superbike to the edge.

In addtion, recent price drops in the Dunlops, especially their bias-plies, have made these K591's an excellent value as well.

A Tight Budget

There's no question that the Kenda rear is the best value for money.  With the 80+ horsepower on tap, though, you'll be able to spin it fairly readily under power, so take it easy with the throttle until you're used to it.  On the front, I'd favour the Dunlop 491 over the Kenda -- traction and straightline stability are better, and it's not too much more expensive.

Touring

If you want tread life and extra straightline stability, that means a 110 on the rear.  The obvious choice then becomes the Dunlop K491 touring tyres.  They'll last very well for this bike, and although traction isn't as much as the more sporting tyres, with a careful hand on the throttle and some practice sliding the tyres you can have a lot of fun in the twisties too.

Sport-Touring

Handling and putting the power down out of the corner calls for a 120 on the rear, but how to get a reasonable tread life?  A compromise are these dual-compound sport-touring tyres from Bridgestone.  Although you might be able to spin the rear while vertical, once leaned over the outer tread compound will give you the stick you want coming off the apex of the turn.  The harder centre compound will help the tyre resist squaring-off, which since the 120 is more susceptible to this is a good thing.

Sport-Riding

These tyres work so well on older sporting machines that there's no other way to go.  For handling and traction you won't be able to beat the Avon Super Venoms.

Hey, it's a superbike!  The '79 model year was more powerful than the later models, and it'd be a waste not to use it all.  So I'll go with the sticky Super Venoms and sacrifice tread life for the sporting performance.

Avon

Bridgestone

Continental

Dunlop

Firestone

IRC

Kenda

Metzeler

Michelin

Pirelli

Key: