Pirelli Corsa III's.
End Thread~
Pirelli Corsa III's.
End Thread~
Remember Yesterday. Plan For Tomorrow. Live For Today.
Current Stable:
'o5 SuzukiGSX-1oooR (Custom Street Fighter).
'o6 Pitster Pro 50cc Pit Bike (125cc Big Bore Kit).
Let's take step back and see what is going on here.
Sure, let me try to answer and get your expert opinion:
How long is it taking you to warm up the tires? (Have you done a track day with them yet?)
No track day yet, I was so unsure of them after a few canyon runs that I am/was debating pulling them off before I do a track day. Of course, at the track under track conditions they may be the best thing ever, the issues I've had were mostly in cool/cold weather (up to the low 70s) and only at canyon speeds (make of that what you will).
What is slippery about them? Are you pushing the front tire? Is the rear lighting up when you are trying to take off at a red light?
Yes to both. And it's been mostly at low/slow speeds when the weather's in the 40-60* range.
Remember, I'm only on a 600, and yet even under light throttle applications, such as rolling away from the stoplight right by my house into the right hand turn I've had the rear slip/catch/slip. I went back and checked the road, nothing visible. It was maybe 45-50* out.
The front washed coming into/up my driveway in similar weather, and again at low speed. My driveway is uphill and it's cement so there's a transition from the pavement of the road to it. I've lived here for 6yrs now, and I've always been careful going up or coming down due to the change, yet even on race take-offs and ex-trackday tires I've actually never had any issues even with snow on the grass--except on the Q2s.
As to at-speed issues, running the same roads I ran on the Michelins, I get a bit of rear wheel slip at hard lean angles under throttle and I get some front end wash under hard deceleration. On the same roads with any other tire I've ridden the same pace (or faster) without issue.
Again, these are *minor* and *small*, my ass isn't across the center line and I'm not leaving a black smear all across the road, but even these little slips and catches are unnerving since my old tires didn't have any issues.
Lastly, have you tuned your bike for you yet? I know I might have said it before but I cannot stress the importance of having a bike tuned for you. If it's not, then might as well just start throwing your cash in the trash now.
Tuned as in suspension setup? No, I was waiting to do that at the track since I can beg/borrow/steal help from those way more knowledgeable about it than I am, and on the track I can see how the setup works then tweak it since the track's way more consistent and controlled than a road would be.
Last edited by Ghost; Wed May 25th, 2011 at 09:04 PM.
Faster, faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.
~Hunter S. Thompson
I used two gauges, one's digital (dunno the brand) the other's a Motion Pro Professional, as far as I can tell, they're both reading around the same (I use the MP first, then the digital since the digital reads to the 0.5lb).
They were both balanced, and the weights are still on them, I could take them to be rebalanced, but it's not a wobble issue.
I'll recheck the chain, I hadn't thought of that.
Where's the date code on the Q2s, and what's an acceptable age range?
Faster, faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.
~Hunter S. Thompson
Scrub the Armor-All off your tires?
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"...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
-Theodore Roosevelt 1907
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Blu/Wht '01 Gixxer 1K, '91 KX500
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Tokin' SortaTalian
(Pronounced: Kind-A-Dago)
The date code for a tire will usually be stamped in an oval on the sidewall. I think it's a 3 or 4 digit code. the first 1 or 2 numbers have the week of manufacture and then the year of manufacture. I have a set in the basement stamped "5009" so they are from the 50'th week of 2009. F**k, Christmas tires. Those are always made by elves!
There is not really a hard and fast rule for age, I suppose. If they are really old and have a dubious storage record, I would wonder. If your supplier is good even an older tire would have been stored well, I think. But maybe check it out on the set you have and consider if they are old rubbers that maybe cooked in someone's shed for a couple years.
MRA #88
Keeping it midpack since 2010!
Q2s have been in production for alittle over 2 years now so being out of date would not be a concern to me.
I've been using them for 2 years now and the only problem I have is when it is cold and they can take along time to warm up.
I'm even using a 180 on the rear on my 1000rr for track days and they grip better and have more feedback than any street tire i have ever used.
The best bang for the buck that I have found and I can ride a faster pace.
I would like to see a picture of your tires, maybe they are not even the Q2s I am using. Maybe a previous version.
I run 31 psi front and 28 rear on the track.
No tire can do it all, when warmed up they can almost keep up with a DOT race tire, almost is the key word, at half the price
Last edited by DRKATO1; Wed May 25th, 2011 at 10:32 PM. Reason: more info
Hey Ghost, I was a died-in-the-wool Michelin user until I rode my friend's bike with Metzeler M3s. They felt soooo good. They stuck like glue and the bike didn't move around mid-corner at all. It felt like I was riding on soft pencil erasers. He had been trying to turn me on to the M3s for a while and I was stubborn. After riding his bike, I'm now a believer and will be moving over to the M3s on all my bikes. Try 'em...you'll like 'em.
Did you try this thread of tire reviews?
http://www.cosportbikeclub.org/forum...ad.php?t=38422
I specifically wrote about the M1 and M3 tires there. Being an all-season rider, a tires behavoir, feel, predictability, and grip at lower temps is more important to me than ultimate grip at the perfect temp and pressure. I tend to run somewhat elevated pressures in my M3's, though still 2 psi under max pressure, for mileage reasons, and don't seem to have any grip problems or problem warming up the tires. I may even go to the new M5's at the next tire change if the reviews are good.
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"...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
-Theodore Roosevelt 1907
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Blu/Wht '01 Gixxer 1K, '91 KX500
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Tokin' SortaTalian
(Pronounced: Kind-A-Dago)
Cool, I'll check for the date code and see what it says, thanks!
Yeah, Bang-for-buck was what attracted me to them in the first place. Michelins are damn expensive, especially as I tend to go through them rather quickly. Scer's other thread suggested 34f and various rears, so I may got with 34/34 and see if that changes anything (though I'd done 33/33 in the past). If I get to the track with them still on, I'll try the 31/28--which seems odd to me, but worth a shot I guess.
Hm, nope I missed that thread, let me read through it and see what everyone's riding on...
Yeah, I tend to ride (accidentally) into snow and sleet a lot more than I want to--and some on these boards were with me when we did Independence Pass in snow and freezing temps, or the sleet and freezing rain of Vail Pass...and a number of other fiasco-rides that seem to follow our little group.
So, yeah, cold-weather grip is pretty vital to me, and that's where the Q2s have been rather non-confidence-inspiring. In fact, I kinda want to ride them in the warm to see if they become the tire that everyone loves.
I'll check that thread and the Metzlers, along with the Corsas and a few others that've been mentioned here.
Last edited by Ghost; Thu May 26th, 2011 at 08:43 PM.
Faster, faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.
~Hunter S. Thompson
True believer that some tires do and others do not match a bikes characteristics (as well as riding styles). Qualifiers, liked them worked well with how I ride and how the bike distributes weights. M3's, hated it-way to slick for me (bike fell at minimal lean when new) and took forever to heat up. Front never felt planted. 2CT's, the Cats Ass-they feel so good from mount to replacement. They work well with both my bikes and feel inspire confidence. Stick with what feels good, I understand experimenting and the great thing about tires if you don't like them just trade with someone who does or sale them for close to cost. Everyone needs tires, especially you track attackers
98 VFR 800 (Old faithful)
06 Sprint ST 1050 (Sexual Chocolate)
The Corsa and the M3 are essentially the same tire, different tread pattern. As Pirelli owns Metzeler there is much shared regarding R&D. Neither company believes that multi-compound technology is a good long-term solution to balancing performance and wear, they use steal bands set at different tensions throughout the tire instead. This provides quick warm-up and none of that odd/slick feeling when going from one compound to another on tires like the Q2. So if you like either the Corsa or the M3, you can basically base your purchasing decisions on price. M3's are dirt cheap right now (about $200 per set); it wasn't long ago that I was paying $350-$370 per set.
VFR's complaint of slow warm-up on the M3 is the first time I've heard this. I run them on a VFR and totally disagree, as do hundreds of reviews I've read on multiple websites. In fact, most people that I've spoken with, whom have had the willingness to experiment between road 2's, power 2's, and M3's, have gone the opposite direction of VFR's opinion and chosen the M3. I believe that he has misinterpreted neutrality for a lack of "front-end planting."
Totally agreed. I've run them for many years, and the M1's before that, and never had an issue with cold temp performance, and all the articles said the same, which is why I went with them in the first place. In fact, the early versions of the Pilots were criticized roundly for their sketchy and scary cold performance vs. the M1's, hence my choice.
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"...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
-Theodore Roosevelt 1907
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Blu/Wht '01 Gixxer 1K, '91 KX500
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Tokin' SortaTalian
(Pronounced: Kind-A-Dago)
Metzler's totally sucked a$$ on all my Kaws (over 250,000 miles and only two sets of the Elephant brand --- I wanted to give them a second chance -- WRONG). Michelin FTMFW!
"Its all about the motorbikes, always has been and always will be.". ~~ Ewan McGregor 2007
"It's hard to play the blues when nuthin's really wrong."~~ ---- Joe Walsh 2012
I.B.A. # 14748 124@X - YRMV
Lol, I'm beginning to think that after it's all said and done, I should just go back to where I started, eh?
I really want to like something else...especially for the money, but...maybe I should just go back to what I (apparently) prefer and know best...
Lame, I know...
Who has the best prices on Michelins (locally or online)?
I usually got them through the shop I worked at, but that's not happening now.
Faster, faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.
~Hunter S. Thompson
^ TFOG
"Its all about the motorbikes, always has been and always will be.". ~~ Ewan McGregor 2007
"It's hard to play the blues when nuthin's really wrong."~~ ---- Joe Walsh 2012
I.B.A. # 14748 124@X - YRMV
Were they M3's? Since Nicks' write-up was a little on the vague side, I'll go ahead and bet Gary's left nut that they weren't, and that he's comparing apples to oranges.
Don't let a couple of internet comments scare you away from trying the M3 or the Corsa. Like I said, most everyone I know that have tried the M3 have happily made the Michelin line a distant memory; not that the Michelin's are bad tires. Several of the better riders on this forum seem to concur. You can't go wrong with the Pirelli either, but you'll spend a little more.
Last edited by V4whore; Fri May 27th, 2011 at 05:01 PM.
^M3 FTL
"Its all about the motorbikes, always has been and always will be.". ~~ Ewan McGregor 2007
"It's hard to play the blues when nuthin's really wrong."~~ ---- Joe Walsh 2012
I.B.A. # 14748 124@X - YRMV
Jeff had a weird problem with his, something I've never heard of happening to any tire, ever, in almost 30 years besides this case.
I've run M1's and M3's (probably 3 or 4 sets) on my gixxer for 50k miles now, and have never been anything but totally happy with them. And, for reference, I ran older 18" Metzlers on my '86 Gixxer 1100 from new in '86 until I sold it in '04 and was always happy with 'em too.
As always, your results may vary, and it depends what and how you ride as to if you'll be happy with them or not. all I can say is that i heartily recommend them, and, as mentioned, the prices on 'em now are pretty awesome ($196 total/set is what I paid).
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"...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
-Theodore Roosevelt 1907
--------------------------------------------------
Blu/Wht '01 Gixxer 1K, '91 KX500
--------------------------------------------------
Tokin' SortaTalian
(Pronounced: Kind-A-Dago)
98 VFR 800 (Old faithful)
06 Sprint ST 1050 (Sexual Chocolate)
Thanks for the TFOG suggestion Nick.
Anyone have any input on the Michelin Power One 'A' tire? (In general, and/or compared to the old Pilot Power Race that I can't seem to find anymore)
The selector at http://www.michelinpowerone.com/en/index.html suggested them...
-OR-
Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP?
http://www.pirelli.com/tyre/ww/en/mo...ml?param0=road
Last edited by Ghost; Mon May 30th, 2011 at 12:43 PM.
Faster, faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.
~Hunter S. Thompson
not sure what specs you put in, but you can't expect the same confidence from street tires as race tires. but if you are saying that sports oriented street tires are holding you back on the street...something isn't adding up...
from the sounds of it you should be looking at Power Pures, Power Ones (street version), BT-003RS (street), or just straight up race DOTs (Michie, Conti, Dunlop, Pirelli, 'stones...any should suffice)
I rock the stock tires. When they wear out, I get a new bike.