New tire thread; what to get?

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

...this


.

I'm confident in the M3's, enough to ride hard on 'em solo on unfamiliar tight mountain roads, almost 700 miles from home, just not quite as much as the M1's which seemed a little stickier (and wore out a lot faster).

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

I just picked up a set of the Bridgestone Battlax BT0-16's for the CBR 900rr and I paid around $210.00 with shipping. I have only been able to get out and ride on them a couple times this year but I have put a couple hundered miles on them, and so far I absolutely LOVE them! The rear is a 5 compound tire and the front is 3, I believe... They have a hard center for longer life with commuting and conservative riding but the tire gets softer towards the sides and I think they have preformed very well in the few twisties I have been fortunate to ride this season. I would buy these tires again in a heartbeat... I picked them up off Ebay, and the seller was JC Motors.... Good luck with your purchase!

I knew a guy in ID that picked up a set of those, but he was a total rookie and couldn't ride anywhere near hard enough on his 1K to trust his opinion. Glad you like 'em, I'd be curious to hear what kind of mileage you get out of them and how you like them when the real season starts and you put some real miles on them.

[TransNone13]

I don't know if anyone is interested. But I purchased some 120/70-190/55 Michelin Pilot Road 3's. You know, the brand new ones (got in on the first shipment). I was looking for longevity and all weather performance. They'll be mounted to a CBR1000RR for spirited riding and commuting. Would be more than happy to share my results when the time comes.

[GuitarX]

Hey Frank, I've been going through a similar exercise. The Q2 seems to be a fantastic choice these days. I'm not a Bridgestone fan but the BT-016 has been getting great reviews as well.

This article might help a bit, as the test riders are definitely "fast guys". As much as they like the Bridgestones, check out the lap times at the end. The Dunlop gets much better times.

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/545/82...on-Review.aspx

This is of course a traction test on a track. They're not going for mileage so the article is not as helpful there. Still interesting though.

That first link kind of comes in the middle of the full article. Here is the link to the beginning:

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/545/82...omparison.aspx

[GuitarX]

I don't know if anyone is interested. But I purchased some 120/70-190/55 Michelin Pilot Road 3's. You know, the brand new ones (got in on the first shipment). I was looking for longevity and all weather performance. They'll be mounted to a CBR1000RR for spirited riding and commuting. Would be more than happy to share my results when the time comes.

Please do! I'm guessing these will be the next tires on my VFR. I currently have the Road 2s and love 'em.

[2isbetterthan4]

I knew a guy in ID that picked up a set of those, but he was a total rookie and couldn't ride anywhere near hard enough on his 1K to trust his opinion. Glad you like 'em, I'd be curious to hear what kind of mileage you get out of them and how you like them when the real season starts and you put some real miles on them.

I'll definitely keep you and everyone else posted as to the mileage and performance I get out of them once I can get out and really ride!

[TransNone13]

Please do! I'm guessing these will be the next tires on my VFR. I currently have the Road 2s and love 'em.

How was the handling and life span of the tires?

[dirkterrell]

I don't know if anyone is interested. But I purchased some 120/70-190/55 Michelin Pilot Road 3's. You know, the brand new ones (got in on the first shipment). I was looking for longevity and all weather performance. They'll be mounted to a CBR1000RR for spirited riding and commuting. Would be more than happy to share my results when the time comes.

Yes. I've been running the PR2's for a while now and like them. They're good in the rain and the PR3's are supposed to be even better.

Dirk

[GuitarX]

How was the handling and life span of the tires?

I have close to 3k on my current set and they barely show any wear. I run the VFR like a sportbike, doing mostly canyon runs. I use them from edge to edge which I'm sure has more to do with their profile than my Rossi-like skill set.

The Road 2s give me a lot of confidence - they're great on sandy roads, wet roads, and have great grip in the dry. The VFR is obviously a slightly heavier "sportbike" compared with super sports and the Road 2s make it feel very planted in the corners. Once you set your line they don't move around a lot. I don't know how they'd feel on a super sport but I love 'em on the Viffer.

As far as tire pressures I run the recommended 36F/42R in the Honda manual. This seems to give me all the grip I need with plenty of tread life. I haven't yet found the need to start screwing with that.

[Mother Goose]

As far as tire pressures I run the recommended 36F/42R in the Honda manual. This seems to give me all the grip I need with plenty of tread life. I haven't yet found the need to start screwing with that.

Don't follow the manual on tire pressures. Honda used those for their stock tire, and once you change that, you need to follow the tire manufacturer's recommended pressures.

[OUTLAWD]

How was the handling and life span of the tires?

I got 8k out of my PR2's. I had them slip a few times on the street, and at IMI in pretty much every turn. Good for commuting and the occasional canyon run, but I just didn't have the confidence in them in the twisties.

Don't follow the manual on tire pressures. Honda used those for their stock tire, and once you change that, you need to follow the tire manufacturer's recommended pressures.

On a bike that is heavier, running a higher pressure (36/42) will give you substantially longer tire life...especially on the superslab. If I ran 36/36, or lower, on the triumph, I'd be getting 4-5k out of sport touring tires, instead of 8-10k. Tire pressures to me are a more personal preference sort of thing, as long as you are in the operating range of the tire

[GuitarX]

I got 8k out of my PR2's. I had them slip a few times on the street, and at IMI in pretty much every turn. Good for commuting and the occasional canyon run, but I just didn't have the confidence in them in the twisties.

Wow, I couldn't disagree with this assessment more. Obviously the Road 2 is not a racetrack tire so expecting it to perform like pure sport rubber at IMI wouldn't make sense anyway. But as for confidence in the canyons, they do a fantastic job. Much better than you would expect from a tire that's thought of as a sport-touring tire. Outlawd, I'm curious - what type of bike do you ride? Maybe it's just not a good match for the Road series? The VFR seems to do really well with this tire in the twisties and maybe that's why our opinions differ. Or maybe we just ride much differently.

I guess the problem with asking people for their opinion on tires is that everyone has their own preference as to feel, everyone has a different riding style, and we're all on different bikes. You may just have to try a few different tires and make up your own mind before settling in on your favorite. I found my favorite for the VFR and will be sticking with Michelin Roads in the future.

As for the Speed Triple which is more twitchy in its handling characteristics, I've been using the Pilot Powers and haven't been quite as happy (although I do like them a lot). I'm for sure going to try the Q2s on that bike next. If I don't like them, I'll try something different the next time. I'll use people's opinions to guide my choices, but not make them for me. Only I know what tire feels best to me on a particular bike.

[OUTLAWD]

Wow, I couldn't disagree with this assessment more. Obviously the Road 2 is not a racetrack tire so expecting it to perform like pure sport rubber at IMI wouldn't make sense anyway. But as for confidence in the canyons, they do a fantastic job. Much better than you would expect from a tire that's thought of as a sport-touring tire. Outlawd, I'm curious - what type of bike do you ride? Maybe it's just not a good match for the Road series? The VFR seems to do really well with this tire in the twisties and maybe that's why our opinions differ. Or maybe we just ride much differently.

It was on my Triumph Sprint ST, aside from the viffer, probably the direct market for the tire. I did not expect to drag knee with the tires, just be able to hold their own. When they were relatively new I ran up and down 7 solo, about as fast as I want to ride on the street, and the front was loosing grip, with relatively little warning. At IMI I was running slower than I was on my ninja 250...so its not like I was pushing any limits.

When I was running PP 2CT's, I got 6k out of the set (including 2 trackdays), I only got 8k out of the Road 2's, and the regular Roads, I did a bunch of burnouts to give me an excuse to take them off. I would much rather take the hit on mileage and run a cheaper tire that I have more confidence in. The only other sport touring tire I've run was the Conti Road Attack, and for the same mileage as the Road 2's, I'd have to say they had a much better feel, and only had a tendency to overheat the rear on hot days (running on/off ramps in NJ )

[dirkterrell]

It was on my Triumph Sprint ST, aside from the viffer, probably the direct market for the tire. I did not expect to drag knee with the tires, just be able to hold their own. When they were relatively new I ran up and down 7 solo, about as fast as I want to ride on the street, and the front was loosing grip, with relatively little warning.

Interesting. I've never had the PR2's break loose and I have occasionally done Deckers runs with unslow guys on literbikes without incident. I even had it over on the edge and went through the VTEC transition on one of those fast sweepers without so much as a slip. And I've gone through 7 a few times at a reasonably quick clip sans any tire-related excitement (now, wind gusts...).

I guess we can only conclude that the VFR is a superior machine.

Dirk

[OUTLAWD]

I'm not saying they were junk, but I just lacked the confidence I had in the sportier tires.

I guess we can only conclude that the VFR is a superior machine.

Dirk

clearly...I have seen the light!

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Hey mods, how about a sticky on tires? a thread where people can list what bike they have, their size and weight, how and what type of riding they do on these tires, their opinions and observations, and mileage? I think that we could create a great database here!

[Bueller]

I had PR2's on the TLS and I rode it as hard on the street as I ride anything else, I took them to PMI and as I pushed harder and harder, they finally slid the rear powering out of 7, That's was as far as I pushed her. They were surprisingly adequate. On general I buy the higher performance tires and really don't worry about the longevity, as I tend to abuse.
I buy whatever is on sale for the best deal at the time I am shopping. Personally I don't feel much difference in tires, usually it's a huge improvement just to ride on new rubber compared to old shagged out tires that I have gotten used to. Of course it's going to turn in easier and stick like glue and all the other buzz phrases everyone uses when the get new shoes

[drago52]

I had PR2s on my old VFR also. I cut the rear loose once at IMI, but it was towards the end of a longer session and I got on the gas just a little too hard too early. I had no problem with knee dragging angles with PR2s. I'd like to try the PR3s, but they're about 15-20% more expensive than PR2s and I doubt I'll get 15% more tire life. The PR2s have worked great for me. Very confident in wet and sandy conditions with these tires.

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Hey Frank, I've been going through a similar exercise. The Q2 seems to be a fantastic choice these days. I'm not a Bridgestone fan but the BT-016 has been getting great reviews as well.

This article might help a bit, as the test riders are definitely "fast guys". As much as they like the Bridgestones, check out the lap times at the end. The Dunlop gets much better times.

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/545/82...on-Review.aspx

This is of course a traction test on a track. They're not going for mileage so the article is not as helpful there. Still interesting though.

That first link kind of comes in the middle of the full article. Here is the link to the beginning:

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/545/82...omparison.aspx

Nice! Thanks Gary! Yep, they really seem like a good tire for the $$. If the mileage is good, if not quite what I'm getting with the M3's, I might just give 'em a spin.

[Mother Goose]

On a bike that is heavier, running a higher pressure (36/42) will give you substantially longer tire life...especially on the superslab. If I ran 36/36, or lower, on the triumph, I'd be getting 4-5k out of sport touring tires, instead of 8-10k. Tire pressures to me are a more personal preference sort of thing, as long as you are in the operating range of the tire

I have 3 sets of pressures from Scer, 1 for street, 1 for canyons and then a range for track depending on air temps. I know that a higher pressure can give you better mileage, but it's not always a good thing, especially if you're 10lbs over what the tire manufacturer recommends.

[Mother Goose]

Hey mods, how about a sticky on tires? a thread where people can list what bike they have, their size and weight, how and what type of riding they do on these tires, their opinions and observations, and mileage? I think that we could create a great database here!

People's riding habits are different than the next, plus if you are checking your tire pressures at least once a week. Kind of hard to get a good feel for mileage and such with all those different factors. I could probably get 10k out of these tires if I never hit the canyons, never went to the track, or overall pussy footed around town. But I don't, so my mileage may be different than the next. I'll start one, but I'm just saying that it won't be very accurate.= for what you may be looking for.

[Mother Goose]

http://www.cosportbikeclub.org/forum...409#post547409

[TFOGGuys]

I had PR2s on my old VFR also. I cut the rear loose once at IMI, but it was towards the end of a longer session and I got on the gas just a little too hard too early. I had no problem with knee dragging angles with PR2s. I'd like to try the PR3s, but they're about 15-20% more expensive than PR2s and I doubt I'll get 15% more tire life. The PR2s have worked great for me. Very confident in wet and sandy conditions with these tires.

Actually, PR3s are only about $42 higher per set than the PR2s currently, and still pretty reasonable(120/180 set is $273.98 before tax and labor). I got 19600 miles out of my first set of PR2s on the FZ1, and the second set looks to be wearing similarly. The big advantages of the PR3 over the PR2 are better wet performance (especially at slight to moderate lean angles, (allegedly) longer life on terms of 15%, and the softer portion of the tread on the front tire is wider, so they are more confidence inspiring at mid lean. I agree that they offer more performance than can be responsibly be used on the street.

[drago52]

yep, 42$ higher than PRs = 18% price increase. Thats amazing that you got 19,600 miles on your PR2s. Think you can get 23,100 miles out of PR3s?