Modern Buddy

My scoot has a new rear tire in 3.50x10. It's a Shinko whitewall.

The front tire is likely original to the bike. It's a 100/90-10. It's horrible and needs to go.

I don't care if my new front tire is a whitewall to aesthetically match the rear, and given what I've read around here about the current state of available whitewall tires in this size, I really don't want a whitewall tire.

Of the available choices, I think I want a Pirelli Angel or Michelin S83.

Question 1: is it relevant that my rear tire is bias-ply. I mean... would it be meaningful to also have the front tire be a bias-pay? Or doesn't it matter, and I should just choose a radial-ply tire because they're better?

Question 2: If a radial-ply tire is the better choice, should I go with the Pirelli or the Michelin? (Only the Pirelli is available in bias-ply, so if I do want bias-ply, that settles my choice.)

Question 3: is there another brand I should be considering?

Thanks!

I have no science to back up my opinion but I think you should be fine putting a good quality tire on the front(I would rather have the front tire have more grip than the rear.)

I have been recommending the Pirelli Angels for a while now. Great tire- they last as long as most other tires, great grip dry and wet, comfortable, and they are cheap. I run the 3.50x10 size.

I think the best tire for the money is Kenda. I mix and match everything, knobby, street tread... whatever is handy. You're on a 10" rim going 50 and below for the most part. I've found the front usually lasts 2 to 3X the rear. Check the pressure often. That little tire can be down to 12lbs and still look fine.

We run the Continental Zippy on our Buddy. Performs well and wears well. Far superior to the OEM tire.

Ask a dozen people what the best tire is and you'll get a dozen answers, so I'll throw in my choice. I've been riding on Heidenau K61 sport tires for awhile now and really like them. Good grip in dry and wet and decent life. A little tough to mount because their sidewalls are fairly thick. If you let a shop do it then no problem.

One thing for sure, I wouldn't get Michelin S1 tires for anything bigger than 50cc. Great performing tire (I had them on my Buddy 150) but it's rated for only 60mph and the sidewalls and tread area is very thin. Plus they don't last very long on bigger, heavier scooters.

Anything with a smooth road tread. Angels over the S83's just for that reason.

DeeDee wrote: ↑Sat Jan 23, 2021 12:19 am I think the best tire for the money is Kenda.

That's what I went with. I like to buy locally and found a Kenda dealer that will sell me the K329 and install it at no charge. In the end, it will cost me the same as buying online and having it mounted locally, so I'm okay with supporting local business.

Not in stock, should be in late next week.

Tire came in and I had it mounted. I like the look way better than the whitewall. Looks quite a bit shorter than the tire that was on there, so I'll have to recalculate speedo correction. Oh well.

Shorter? I never experienced a tire looking or feeling shorter. I liked Contential Zippy on my buddy. Hated Michelin S1.

The back tire gets more wear in my experience, so it’s weird your back OG is fine and the front isn’t...

I always changed both tires at the same time as I didn’t need one end with less traction but also always kept my “mostly good” front as a spare each time. Never needed a spare.

Happy riding!!

jijifer wrote: ↑Sun Jan 31, 2021 5:32 pm Shorter? I never experienced a tire looking or feeling shorter.

Are you saying all tires have the exact same dimensions? I was unaware that was the case.

jijifer wrote: ↑Sun Jan 31, 2021 5:32 pm The back tire gets more wear in my experience, so it’s weird your back OG is fine and the front isn’t...

Perhaps you misunderstood what I wrote. The rear had been changed by the previous owner, but the front was original to the scoot.

I had 4 kinds of tires on my buddy in 12 years- the OG tires that I got rid of right away. Those K61 were next but kinda a hassle since my shop didn’t carry them. The Zippy (my favorite) and once the shop was out of zippy and talked me into Michelin S1 - which I super hated.

I had the upgraded front shock so my scoot sat a bit higher as was. So if there was a height diff in those 4 kinds, I never noticed. I always got my Zippy a little wider than was spec (I don’t recall what now) but yeah, no diff in height that was noticeable that ever recall in those 4 tires types and brands

And I did Misread that about your rear tire.

about 100 miles in, I can't tell you that the Kenda 329 is a *great* tire, but I will totally tell you that the Shinko from 2007 was an *absolutely horrible* tire. It's like riding a whole different scoot!

eggsalad wrote: ↑Thu Feb 04, 2021 10:30 pm about 100 miles in, I can't tell you that the Kenda 329 is a *great* tire, but I will totally tell you that the Shinko from 2007 was an *absolutely horrible* tire. It's like riding a whole different scoot!

The thing with front tires is they need to be changed long before they are worn out(at least if you want a good ride.) From what I have seen Buddy front tires can start to cup(scallop) around the time the rear tire wears out, by the time you have worn the back out twice the front will be noticeably cupped. At this point most people won't notice the cupping when looking at the tire(most people don't even know what cupping is.) It is something I will often point out to people on group rides.

I don't like riding on tires that are cupped so now when I buy a new tire I install it on the front then rotate the front tire to the rear. This means I get a new front tire every 4-5k, plus the the front tire doesn't wear that much so when it is installed on the rear it still lasts a long time. But I do my own tire changes so it doesn't cost me anything to do the extra tire change.