Modern Vespa

Replaced the rear MSG with METZELER FEELFREE 150/70-14 on MP3-400.

MSG has done 8700km = 5405miles of heavy riding.

So far after 50km on the new tyre I like it a lot. Leaving tomorrow for 1400km ride, will report my feelings after that.

One think to note, I now have like 3-5mm between the tyre and the shock absorber. I doubt very much that 160 size would fit on MP3-400 unless you move the right side shock a bit (if you can do this). I know that someone did fit 160 on Fuoco (MP3-500). This could be slightly different storry on MP3-400..

160 fits 400 if it is 160/60-14. A 160/70-14 would be wider.

So far with just 13 miles and feels good. One thing I like is tread crossing the center of the tire. I can tell when it is gone. The Metzler and Diablo the tread does not reach the center and where the tire wears the most there is no way to measure the wear.

Boy do I feel left behind! Bought my metzler weeks ago, but left my scoot at the dealer this week for 6000 mile maint and tire change out while I'm on vacation. Naturally others are now posting reports on the tire

I just have to move faster to be the first report.

Aha..didn't think about that... Will try when this one is gone My feel is so far that it dips in to corners with more ease and kind of rolls smoother when there is not many gaps crossing the centre. (this could be due to different size as well of course) As far as wear is concerned it should wear out where the tread is as well IMHO...Will see

Apart from the new lovely handling - the only downside I've found on the Fuoco with a 150/70 fitted is that the seat is now sloping forwards as the rear is so much further off the ground. So I have to shuffle back on the seat every so often, and the wind-noise has increased.

Minimal ride distance so far, but the ease of handling seems at least as good with the 160 (I've worn out two Diablo 150/70-12s) and I did feel like I was sitting lower. Double checked tire pressure when I got to work to make sure it was OK due to feeling closer to the ground.

Subjective and maybe wishfull thinking but felt hesitation slightly improved as smaller diameter gets to magical 4000 rpm quicker.

nice lookin metz there Joe. keep us up to date with mileage reports and wet riding and of course how it does on the twistys

Not to butt in or anything, but a 160/60-14 and a 160/70-14 are the same width.

The first number is the width...160mm.

The second number is the ratio of height to width, so a 160/60 is 60% as tall as wide(from corners to bead) so its height is 96mm.

A 160/70 would be 160mm wide by 112mm tall.

A 150/70 is 105mm tall.

This is why the folks who installed the 150/70(like OAD and JimC) have noticed a higher rear feel while guys like Sushiman who went with the 160/60 have noticed a 'fatter' feeling tire(10mm wider, but 9mm shorter than the 150/70).

Of course this is all in ideal models that don't account for rider weight, shock settings, road conditions, or amount of tire inflation by the owner.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but this has been my understanding of em...here's a great little article on it:

http://www.amadirectlink.com/roadride/Riderresc/tires.asp

luthorhuss - you're forgetting we are fitting these oversized tyres on a 140 rim. The beads are pushed closer together, so the profile of the tyre is 'squished' . The lower profile 160/60 will be 'squished' into a narrower overall width than the 160/70 due to the smaller overall diameter.

Ahh... okay. I learn something new everyday on here. So because the 160/70 has more sidewall is has less compression to fit in the smaller rim. Makes sense.

Currently, my rear tire size is 140/70-14. I am only 5'4" so I am thinking if I were to replace the 140/70-14 with 130/70-14, does anyone knows whether this would lower the scoot at least an inch for me? I will take my chance that the smaller tire will wear-and-tear quicker.

stay with the 140 but drop the 70 down to a 60 this should lower the rear a bit. forgot to add . don't forget you'll also lose ground clearance when you do this and depending on how you ride you could scrape misc parts and pieces.

I installed the same Metzler last week. So far, all is fine. Maybe I'll go to the 60 next time to lower everything.

1400km later and it really feels great...Definitely handling improvement. Also after 1300km journey on the motorway only it shows almost no wear! Last question is how it handles in wet..

1400 km in 2 days!?! you are one hardcore mp3 rider!

Just picked up the scoot today from the 6000 mi service and the replacement of the rear tire. I also put a Metzler Feelfree 150/70 on the rear of my MP3/500. The first thing I noted was that the tire profile causes the tire to come VERY close to the right shock absorber (see picture). So close that I rolled the scoot back and forth with and without shock compression to see if the tire rubbed. After the ride home, I checked again to see if there was any rubbing on the tire, but I didn't see anything obvious.

The ride was remarkably different, and it was not just the difference between a worn and new tire. The first thing I noted was that the rear felt far more stable in the back. I haven't ridden any serious twisties yet, but the curves I did ride were very solid in feel, with a little difference in feel getting the scoot to lean. Nothing serious, just different and hard to describe. Overall, the first ride was very positive and a marked improvement over the last tire.

This tire is heavier than the MGS I had, and I'm told that there is more rubber in the center for longer wear life. That will remain to be seen, but the "heavier" tire seem to add balance to the way the scoot handles.

For other info, I inspected the belt and rollers after the 6000 mi service. The belt did not have any obvious wear, supporting an earlier post by Luthorhuss that the belt should be able to last significantly longer than the miles I rode. It will make a great spare belt to take on long trips.

The rollers were very obviously worn. I wish I had taken a picture of the rollers. I had noticed a significant stuttering in feel at the low speeds, and now the scoot rides smooth as silk in accelerating from stop through the low speeds to highway speed. The OEM rollers were put in; my dealer was not too encouraging about putting in third party (i.e., Dr. Pulley) rollers in the scoot. Maybe next change out.

Pictures of the tire follow.

Also, I was told by my dealer (in Knoxville) that someone traded in a 500 with 1100 miles and the first service has been performed. Not exactly sure of price, but they are selling it as a used scooter so a deal may be possible. If you are interested, PM me and I'll pass dealer info along.

Hey Fuzzy,

How does the bridgestone 160/60 work out for you on the 400? Still happy after more miles?

RObert

Kevink,

Don't want to cause any worry, but looking at those pictures it looks as if the rear wheel is off centre somehow. Looking at the rear mudgaurd and RH shock. Surely the gap should be equal between the shocks?

Edit
Just been and looked at mine, I have a Continental Twist 140/70/14, the clearence between the shock and tyre on the LH is about 8mm, on the RH it's about 12mm.

This has surprised me

That was my first thought, but riding it I don't notice any issue. I think with the larger tire the "offset" distance becomes more noticeable. I'll measure it today to see what difference I get.

I guess I am overdue for an update.

Yes I am still very happy with the tire and have put over 1,000 miles on it. It will be another month to see if it gives me longer life than the MGS or Diablo. The wider tire 160/60-14 like the Diablo 150/70-14 is better in the turns than the OEM MGS 140/70-14.

For some reason either my riding style or the road surfaces I ride on cause my tires to wear out quicker than most others report here. My Diablos and MGS were toast in less than 4,000 miles. If the Bridgestone lasts longer it will be my tire of choice.

Between my MP3 250 and MP3 400 I have replaced 17 tires in last 15 months.

Fuzzy just curious what tire pressures have you been using and have you tried upping it to just under max to try and increase you mileage on them?

I guess I am overdue for an update.

Yes I am still very happy with the tire and have put over 1,000 miles on it. It will be another month to see if it gives me longer life than the MGS or Diablo. The wider tire 160/60-14 like the Diablo 150/70-14 is better in the turns than the OEM MGS 140/70-14.

For some reason either my riding style or the road surfaces I ride on cause my tires to wear out quicker than most others report here. My Diablos and MGS were toast in less than 4,000 miles. If the Bridgestone lasts longer it will be my tire of choice.

Between my MP3 250 and MP3 400 I have replaced 17 tires in last 15 months.[/quote]

Fuzzy, it's just a theory, but I'm pretty confident I know why your tires don't last as long as others. I grew up in the neck of the woods you live in and honestly, I think its because of the roads. Most of the South Georgia roads are that sort of "pressed" rock semi-gravel pavement that has been sitting and cracking in the southern heat. The nice thing for most of us is that pavement really means asphault, nice and smooth. Sure there's the occasionaly pot hole or crack, but these are few and they tend to be bad on the shocks, not on the tires. That South Georgia gravel pavement is like a cheese grater on small bike tires. Below: asphault on left/gravel pavement on right

On my 250 I tried different pressures for the entire life of tires with no measurable difference in life. 11th rear tire is on it now.

On my 400 I have been running 36#. Bridgestone is 4th rear tire. 11,600 miles on MP3.

fuzzy a couple more questions:
wich one is better bridgestone or diablo:
looks:
ride:
$$:
overall

I went out yesterday to give the new Metzler a better test ride. Went on a charity ride through several twisties in TN; both in dry and in wet conditions.

Rode about 120 miles covering highway, sweeps, and twisties. On the highway, the scoot settled right in and felt more stable than with the 140/70 tire. All bumps and irregularities in the road were easily handled and in some cases, hardly felt. The scoot seemed to take a little more effort to roll into the sweeps and the twisties; something I very quickly adapted to. Once in the curves the scoot tracked perfectly. Someone remarked that it didn't seem like the scoot leaned as much as the other motorcycles in the curves, but I didn't notice any issues entering the curves and never felt out of line with the center of gravity. I did notice most of the riders in front of me tended to brake a lot more entering the curves than I did (I hardly ever needed to brake entering a curve), yet I never entered into any curve too fast as evidenced by not rolling off the throttle in the curve or having to lean more to get through the curve. In fact, I thought we took all of the curves at relatively tame speeds.

No issues in riding in wet weather. It rained for half of the ride and I never noticed any difference in handling.

The tire pressure was at 37 lbs when I left on the ride. It is high for a 1 up rider for a 140/70 tire, but the pressure is right in the range for this size tire.

Now if I could just figure out why the tire is not centered between the shocks. I have been concerned about the close proximity of the tire to the right shock absorber. I don't know why I have virtually no clearance on the right, but about 9 mm clearance on the left (see pictures from earlier post). However, the springs don't rub the tire (I put the shocks in the first two settings in testing this). I think my last tire was the same way, but with a smaller tire the gap was significant enough that I never bothered to measure the distance. Any insight on this would be appreciated.

Sorry I am slow responding, I missed your post.

For looks it is subjective. Both are big and give the bike a bigger look. I like the tread crossing the center on the Bridgestons as it is easy to judge how much is left. The Diablo the tread tapers to nothing at the center and as it wears the taper moves further from center but does not show how much the center is worn.

Ride is comparable, but I have not made it north to the mountains since getting the Bridgestone. Not sure when I will get there.

$$ the Bridgestone is slightly more expensive but my hope is it will last longer making it less expensive per mile.

Overall the issue between them is life and until I wear it out I won't know. I will in a month.