General Comments

How can you beat the classic ME-33/ME-88 combination from Metzeler?  It's a classic, and deservedly so.  Good predictable handling, long tread life, and legendary wet performance combine for a solid reliable choice.  Even the price has come down to reasonable levels now.

The Kenda K657 Sport Challenger is superb value for money on the rear.  Although it doesn't have quite the traction of the premium tyres,  it does perform well in the wet and dry, and returns decent tread life too.  On the front, however, it's less of a bargain -- most riders prefer better traction on the front, in particular in the wet, and it does have a tendency to accentuate any highway weave.  So put the Kenda on the rear, and on the front put a tyre with better characteristics.  Even though the ME-33 price has dropped so much, the Dunlop 491 has dropped more, and so for the tight budget the Dunlop gets the nod.

This is not an easy choice.  While Metzeler's ME-33/ME-55A choice is a classic, I feel it is somewhat over-rated, particularly as the ME-33 front tends to slide until it's heated up somewhat.  Especially when you consider that the price of Dunlops has dropped, the K591 stands out as a very good inexpensive choice.  Tread life is not as good as, say, the Pirelli Match, but at this price it's certainly more than tolerable.

For Sport-Riding on an older narrow-tyred motorcycle such as this, the best choice is unquestionably the Avon Super Venoms.  Traction and handling are superb, and while tread life is not great, that's of lesser relevance for a sport tyre.

I'd go for the classic ME-33/ME-88.  While it isn't perfect, it's a very good combination for most kinds of riding.

Avon

Bridgestone

Continental

Dunlop

Firestone

IRC

Kenda

Metzeler

Michelin

Pirelli

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