New tire!

When showed up at SF Moto awhile back, they suggested a new tire. The tire tread looked fine so I had my doubts. After reading up a bit on tread life of the Chen Shin stock OEM tire, I'm thinking it's probably time to swap out for a new one. Being a scooter, it's probably that much more important in terms of safety.

After looking a the Continental Zippy 1, Michelin S1 and Pirelli SL 26 per, I ultimately decided on the Michelin S1 based on forum reviews and the attractive tread pattern. The Zippy's looked a bit too girlie for my taste. Too many curvy swooping lines and dots. I hadn't heard much about the Pirelli, so the Michelin seemed like the best choice.






The price was right too. I also confirmed with Michelin's corporate office this morning that the overall outside dimension is indeed smaller (though not by much, 0.08") than my current tire. This was important to me b/c I didn't want anything larger which would make it even more difficult to flatfoot at a stop. Shipped, the Michelin S1 came out to $41. After installation, I should be set back no more than $75-80 total.



That's cheaper than doing it at SF Moto. They also use the Zippy so much that I don't think they'd have the Michelin S1 in stock anyway. Either way I'd have to order it and since a friend of a friend of a friend owns a shop, I'm heading there for the installation.

The tire should be here in a week and we'll see what the installer says about my existing tire. I'm curious if he thinks it's got more tread life left or if it's good that I got the tire at this time.

Another reason I'm opting to get the tire instead of getting a preliminary evaluation of the tire (2nd opinion) is b/c I did experience some slipping during the winter using my current tire.