GN400 tyres - Metzeler ME22 & ME77?

[.Chris.]

Tl;dr - are either of these tyres any good? Particularly looking for people who've actually used them. Is the (more expensive) ME77 any better than the ME22?


I'm thinking of getting some new tyres for my GN400, because the handling at the moment is pretty awful - it often feels like it wants to fall into turns and generally feels a bit dodgy and unstable. I can't think what else would be causing this

The tyres on there at the moment are a Malaysian Kung Feong Road Commander on the front (3.00/18), and an Indonesian 'ARG Rubber' (3.50/18) on the rear. It's a shame to get rid of them really as they've both had very little wear - the previous owner told me they were nearly new when the bike was put away in a shed in 2001. This does mean that they're probably about 12 years old now though, and the front does gradually lose a little bit of pressure.

I do have a spare set of wheels with Avon Roadriders on (90/90H18 front, 100/90H18 rear) - however they're a bit old and starting to crack, plus the rear wouldn't be a straight wheel swap as the one it's currently on has a loose/bent spoke.

Looking at tyre websites, if I want a matched pair then the options seem to be relatively limited - of the major brands there's the Metzeler ME22 & ME77 'perfect', the Pirelli City Demon, and the Dunlop K82. The K82s are a bit expensive at £112 a pair, and the City Demons seem to get poor reviews. That leaves the Metzelers. Does anyone know if these tyres are any good, and if there's any benefit in going for the more expensive ME77 over the cheaper ME22?

Either that, or I go for an unmatched pair - e.g. a Continental Conti-Go on the front and an ME22/77 on the rear. Is this arrangement a good idea, or best avoided?

Alternatively, I could experiment with sizes - if I went down to a 3.25 on the rear I could get a pair of Michelin M45s.

Or would I just be wasting my money, and I should keep using the current ones for a bit longer, trying to get used to how they feel?

Any and all comment/help gratefully received!
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Chris
1985 Kawasaki Z550F

[bikenut]

:karma: hi dude,

yopu pays your money and takes your choice.

considered maxxis tyres??

using them for ages now with good wear and handleing, but ride slow in wet ( slow down by a good 10mph in the wet etc.. on the bendy bits ( which is everywhere locally ))
c906 and c907 tread pattern similar to metzeler which where on the 750 when i got her, changed to maxxis as they where the cheapest at the time ( and still are i think ).

using on a 250 for last 15k miles and still good tread, but rear has flattened |( but good tread off centre so considered grinding back to profile ).

very good in dry but i slow down in wet cos it hurts when you come off ( not done for 35 years now but thsats done it, will drob come off on way home . 2 miles away!! ).

prey for me......... :D

[garth]

[.Chris.]

OK thanks for that. I was going to ditch the roadriders anyway to be honest, as they're rather old and cracked.

Unfortunately Maxxis don't do any tyres that would fit the bike.

Surely somebody out there must have used ME22s and ME77s?
____________________
Chris
1985 Kawasaki Z550F

[Timmeh]

I had ME22s on my first TZR and they were absolutely shite.

I quickly ditched them and got BT45s.
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GSXR400 x2 | '94 RVF400 | '93 TZR125 4DL (again)
20:22:30 BLUEX5: i would love to be forced to undergo a**l plugging with different sizes
20:48:18 Temeluchus: comp you hunk of smouldering homos3x you

[Robby]

I would go for anything that fits from a brand that I've heard of. In my experience, cheap branded new tyres are far better than any worn out or time expired (hardened) tyres.

I think I had Roadriders on my old CB500 (AM 21/22 I think). They were definately the budget Avons, I liked them. Far better than the worn out BT45s that were on there before. I run Michelin M45s on the CB250, they're cheap and do the job, particularly good on poor surfaces.

[Walloper]

I've used Metzlers on my BMWs for years. 7000+ miles on them.
I'm fitting Metzler Z8s to my K1300GT this week as I trust the Metzler though I swapped for Continental which was great for grip but only lasted 3000 miles.
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W-ireless A-rtificial L-ifeform L-imited to O-bservation P-eacekeeping and E-fficient R-epair

[Islander]

I had ME77s on the rear of my BMW R100RT in the 80s. I found them to be good tyres with reasonable wear rates and good grip in both wet and dry conditions. They can only have improved really