Best tires

[Peterwh]

I want to put new tires on my 1978 CB750 and want to get the best I can. I believe both front and rear have  stock, spoked wheels, 19 inch front and 17 inch rear.  

Currently I have a Dunlop K391S, 100/90v19 on the front but stamped on the rim of the wheel is 1.85 X 19.  I'm not sure if it is tubed or tubeless.  The tire has tubeless:on tubed written on it.

On the rear is a CS Marquis, 130/90-17 tubeless.  Stamped on the rim is 2.50 X 17.

What do you think would be the best choice for replacements?

[Peterwh]

This seemed to disappear.  Just wondering what will happen if I post a reply

[TOOLS1]

Peterwh wrote

This seemed to disappear.  Just wondering what will happen if I post a reply

Then you are talking to yourself
TOOLS

[Peterwh]

Must be. I thought someone would have an opinion but maybe not!

[sgtslag]

There are other posts on tires.  Try searching for them.  

Not sure on sizes, but the Pirelli MT66 Route tire is all I will ride on: proven wet traction (like glue for us); barely affected by cracks, steel grated bridges, and tar snakes; seem to last a while, but haven't ridden them long enough to know how many miles they will give me.  Your rim sizes are different than mine, so check the Internet for reviews on these tires, and then check sizes, to see if they will work on your rims.  Shop around the Internet for best prices -- Motorcycle Superstore seems to have very good prices, but you might find better. Cheers!

[Peterwh]

Thanks for the advice. I checked out the Pirreli MT66 but couldn't find a 17 inch rear. Any ideas anyone?

[sgtslag]

Well, check out Dunlop Elite III's.  They are the golden tire for Kawasaki Voyager XII owners, according to what is posted on their main site.  Several years ago, I ended up replacing the front tire on my Kawasaki 440 LTD (sold the bike earlier in the Spring), and I left it up to my mechanic what he put on it -- he mounted the Pirelli MT66 Route tire...  I love it so much, I put the matching rear tire on it, and then I put a pair of them on my 750, and my Voyager.

Running just the Pirelli on the front of my 440 seemed to make a world of difference:  it was almost unaffected by road irregularities (cracks, tar snakes, grated bridges and grooved road surfaces).  You will likely gain most of its performance just having it on the front, but if you want matching tires, check out the Dunlop Elite III's -- don't know if they make a 17" rear tire, or not.  Sorry.  Other than that, I could not recommend a tire, other than those retro tires, based on the designs popular back in the early 1980's, which are marketed specifically for older bikes (don't know the brand, but I see them on JC Whitney, and other vendor's sites).

The final option, and the most expensive, is to replace the rear rim with an 18" unit, but that is more money.  Best of luck. Cheers!