Has anyone tried Tomahawk Tires?

Post by **Biff's R** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 8:16 pm

Has anyone here tried Tomahawk Tires? http://www.cycletires.com/index2.html

I am just curious. I am out of synch by 50% on my tires, and want to get back to balance(front and rear wearing out together.

R4R&R · Post by **R4R&R** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 8:50 pm

The name doesn't ring a bell, but seeing the colored tires does. You could get tires that match your bike color!

Will it make your bike do cool stunts like on their website?

Post by **Lobo1625** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 9:20 pm

The colored tires almost look like they're painted... If they were cast in color that would be a different story, but as soon as you use them they go back to black... Which I'm partial too myself. Seems like a cheap gimmick.

As far as quality or reliability, i've never heard of them before.

Post by **johnnyjs1** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 10:00 pm

Looked on the site. It says the rubber is dyed all the way through, so they retain their color indefinately.

frbank6 · Post by **frbank6** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 10:16 pm

Never heard of them, but after discovering on the website their tires are re-treads, I say no way.
http://www.cycletires.com/faqs.htm

Post by **towerworker** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 10:37 pm

I have read some of their FAQ's. I'm interested enough to look into this further.

Wayne

Post by **OU812** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 2:48 am

Retread on a bike? Go for it, and make sure you invite me to the crash.

kantuckid · Post by **kantuckid** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 12:32 pm

Have you noticed that there are , for the most part, zero sources for retread car tires nowdays? I used to work in a tire plant and it is noteworthy that the green unvulcanized rubber parts are cured together when the tire is assembled along with cements to facilitate the process. The carcass of course has a wear factor as well. I hope this thread dies much more quickly than a typical oil thread as it is a deadly subject in my opinion!

Jimbobvfr · Post by **Jimbobvfr** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 2:21 pm

They are popular on sportier bikes. They are colored throughout, so they don't turn black. They are not specifically retreads in the sense that a new slab is stuck onto an old tire. I've known people who have used them for sport riding, and they were surprised that they worked pretty well considering their price. Not on par with say, a Pilot Power, but certainly better than some cheng Shin crap.
Mostly made for the poser factor. If they were deadly, they wouldn't have lasted this long(I've seen them out for 3 or 4 yrs now)

Post by **OU812** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 3:52 pm

I am sure they are as good as the cheapest tires around. I just will not put them on, or ride a bike with them underneath me.

Post by **Boxer** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 4:27 pm

I only use Tomahawks on my "chopper".

Post by **Boxer** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 4:28 pm

I saw an old Indian that had one once.

allanj255 · Post by **allanj255** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 7:46 pm

Would not mind a pair of these on my R
[img][img]http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff26 ... /tyres.jpg[/img][/img]

Ves · Post by **Ves** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 1:24 am

Well, here's the thing. I looked into them a few years back. Considered using them on my track bike ($150 for a set of tires every 2-4 days is a lot better than $275 a pop). They are not "retreads" as in a new rubber layer glued to the carcus. The tires (Pirelli, Dunlop, Michelin...) are completely stripped and then new rubber is vulcanized on, just like when the tires are made. The technology they use comes from airplane tire remanufacturing. Tomahawk sponsors several racers that have had respectable results. Sport Rider did a test on them a while back (yeah they ended up in last place). So, although they didn't perform as well as the non-remanufactured tire brands, they also didn't blow up or fall apart...

Take a read at some of this stuff: http://www.cycletires.com/news.htm.

So, it's not all doom and gloom...

Moore4u · Post by **Moore4u** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 8:08 am

I bought a Tomahawk for my rear tire, after A nail put an end to my three day old Pilot Road. Reason I bought it was because i Purchased it and had it mounted for 80 bucks. Found out a cpl of weeks later that they are retreads. That being said, I put close to 8000 miles on the the tire before i had to replace it. I am not a REAL aggressive driver, but it gripped fine in the turns and was a good riding tire at high speeds. Did go back to a pilot road when the Tomahawk was replaced though. If you need a cheap tire fast, go with the Tomahawk, If you are wanting to get a colored scheme tire, go with the Tomahawk. Otherwise, go with what you know to be a good tire for your riding needs. Just my two-cents..

Corey

Post by **DJ Downunder** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 8:24 am

Just wondering..Do you have to pass a squid test before they sell them to you..or can anyone buy them..

DJ

Ves · Post by **Ves** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 9:28 am

DJ Downunder wrote:Just wondering..Do you have to pass a squid test before they sell them to you..or can anyone buy them..

DJ

No. But you do have to pass the Cheapass Ves test...

Post by **OU812** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 9:38 am

You certainly know yourself, Ves.

BITS806 · Post by **BITS806** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 9:41 am

A buddy had them on a ZX9R edge to edge they were fine and were used pretty hard, I would'nt worry about it.

Post by **Biff's R** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 1:32 pm

I received an email from a lurker and am posting it with his permission.

Here it is :
I've had several sets of Tomahawks, most recently on a 1200 bandit (none on my r1150r - yet), as part of an experiment, and due to cost for commuting use.

They are not "retreads" but "remolds".
(good carcasses are prepped, get complete new outers molded on as if they were new - different rubber pre-preg format used, but really similar to new)

They are prepped and processed like new tires, only diff is the used carcass.
Carcasses are good quality/brand tires, inspected, no junk brands.

(I'm a B level, lots of commute, some track, 51 yrs old, ~300k? lifetime miles on mix of sport, sport tour, bandit, blackbird, r/rt's, gs's, zx6, etc.)

I change my own tires as well.
My dad and I've used their remolds on planes for years, (as do most commercial operations) and a/c duty is pretty severe.

Reasons why to buy:
1 - half cost of new (only if you buy the blems, nothing wrong, typically some mold smear on id markings.
2 - dry performance is pretty good, but just a teeny bit "slimy" compared to new technology. I use the entire tread.
3 - colored tires (yes, it's all the way thru)
4- they do excellent dirt tires btw.

Reasons not to buy:
1- cost advantage not worth it (compared to sale prices of newer tech new tires, BT014's, MEZ6's, etc.) unless you buy Tomahawk blems.
2- lousy (bad) wet performance - really obvious over wet tar stripes etc.
3- continuous ignoramus opinions being offered are pretty tiring.
4- you have to be selective and persistent when ordering to get carcass type you really want - ie BT014, MEZ4, whatever base you want. Tomahawk/Cycletires aren't really setup to let you pick based on carcass (would be smart if they did), tho' every set is labelled with carcass they;re based on.
5- colored tires have to be cleaned to stay looking colored.
6- a bit more difficult to mount cleanly (edge material more sensitive to tool abrasion). Really visible when removing the old ones.
7- ;they don't make a "multicompound" like on mez6 (hard center, soft edge) or other newer tires.