Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I have a '75 Honda CB360 and the tires are starting to look a little old. They still have half descent tread on them, but are looking a quite bit cracked. I'm not sure where would be a good place to get tires and not sure about the size (F- 300 18, R 350 18 ). That and I am 90% sure my bike has tube tires and it doesn't seem like there are many places out ther that handle those. Do I have to use tube tires, or can I use a regular tire and not put a tube in it? Thanks much.

If your bike has spokes then you're going to have to use tubed tires. I have had good luck with Bridgestone S-11s on several older bikes.

Unless your bike has some aftermarket mag wheels you will need tubes. It is suggested to put in new tubes and rim rubbers with a new tyre, but many people don't.

Your front is a 3.00X18 and crosses over to a 90/90 18 or MJ90 18.
Tour rear is a 3.50X18 and crosses over to a 100/90 18 or MM90 18.

Last year the 90/90 18 tyres were almost impossible to find. (several suppliers had them in catalogue but not in warehouse until in the fall) You can run a wider (next size) if you still have clearance. A lot of older tyres (and those made for older bikes) are universal fittment and same tyre can be front or rear. Most newer style tyres are end specific, and cannot use a front on rear and vise a versa.

Are you mounting your own tyres? or a shop? (most shops frown on mounting tyres that they did not sell you, some will even refuse to mount or charge extra) Also, unless you have sealed wheel bearings, repack them when you change tyres.

FYI If it has spokes it needs tubes. (there are very few exceptions to this)

Can you put a tube in any tire? Or do you have to get a tire made specifically for tubes?

Just about. Some radials can't be tubed, but any tyre that will fit your old CB can. (read sidewall and most tubeless tyres say ok to mount with a tube)

So, I've been looking around at tires, and most of the brands I find have "front" in a 90/90, but they don't have a "rear" in a 100/90, but they do have "front" in a 100/90. Can I put a "front" 100/90 on instead of a Rear? I'd kind of like my tires to match.

Very few tyres are F or R fittment and are Ok to run on either, but if tyre is for F only DO NOT put on rear or vice versa.
Unless you can run a size larger (wider) 110/90 on the rear the only companies that still make both sizes you need are Avon, Chen Shen and Duro. (Avon is the best of these but also costs about double or triple that of CS or Duro) So its either mix brands or run the above. Experts have debated (and still are) weather its ok to mix brands forever, the only thing generally agreed on is not to mix a bias and a radial. Unfortunatly with older bikes it is not what you want but what you can actually find, and not just with tyres. Also keep in mind that even the cheaper tyres made today are better than the best tyres that were on the market when your bike was new.

I found Bridgestone S-11s. A front 100/90H18 was $52 and a rear 110/90H18 was $61.
Google is your friend.

And here I thought this was going to be a discussion about older model tires, (or Tyres as the case may be.) I remember when I bought my first set of new tires, they were Dunlop T100's. I'm surprised that a Google search still comes up with a ton, (tonne here in Canada, ) of results, but none seem to be that actual tire, but maybe an alternate substitution for it. Does that old tire from the 70's still exist?

I don't have the Dunlop T100's listed here: http://totalmotorcycle.com/photos/tire- ... Dunlop.htm but there are several older ones.

A bit of general advice... if your tires are older than 4 years, you should replace them as the rubber gets really hard. 5 to 8 years is pushing it and anything over 20 years... well... (I did buy a 15 year old Carlisle tire once...DOH)

Mike