tyres

Hello Chaps (and any Chappesses out there).
Has anyone experimented with different tyre choices? My 2007 SD 990 had Dunlop 208s fitted which (without wishing to offend any Fort Dunlop fans) I think are less than optimum fitment for the bike. Trouble is that I live in Germany and the bike is only homologated by the German authorities for Dunlops and Pirellis. I've always thought that Bridgestones are the best all round road tyres but they are not fitments here. What has everyone tried and what are the best wet/ dry experiences?
Thanks PP

Can anyone in the UK advise on what is a good price for a set of Michelin Pilot Power 2CT's please?

I use intobikes.co.uk ... it's the cheapest I've found. Last year got a set delivered for £189 but this is without VAT as we're exempt in C.I.

M&P have standard Pilot Powers for £155 a set, maybe worth ringing them to see what they will do the 2CT for!?

Theres also a 2nd hand pair on fleabay if you want a cheapo pair!

Be careful if you ever decide to take them to the track. Very careful.

Right! As we know there is no definitive answer on which are the best tyres to run, as we know everyone rides differently.

BUT, what I think we could do in this thread is if everyone who wants to could take the time to tell what tyres your running at the moment and what u think of them and maybe we could even memuion what you've swore by in the past. I think this would be a great step toward people getting some answers by just reading this thread! Cheers for your contribution!

To be honest in have no idea. If you ask me, people get far too hung up join sticky rubber despite the fact they don't get up to temp off track, wear quicker and have less grip.

I've seen Chris walker lap Mallory quicker on a standard 600 monster than racers on slicks.

Its not the rubber but the rider that counts IMO

For the last four years I have just stuck to a two tyre routine and it seems to suit me but like Weeksy says I think that my riding ability is so much the limiting factor rather than the tyres I run.

In the summer I fit Metzler Racetecs because I probably spend more quality time at trackdays than on the road nowadays and they are absolutely brilliant on track when it's mildly warm and dry. I fit K3 on the rear and K1 or K2 on the front. This is often decided because they wear out and I get them changed at track days and it depends on what the tyre provider has in stock at the time. They do wear out quite fast - especially if you do long motorway miles. They are not good in the wet - in fact they give me the heebie geebies in the wet. On the road they are great when it's dry and warm. Did I say they are shit in the wet? Yes they are. When I run them into the end of Autumn and into the winter they are comprehensively compromised on the road really. By Winter, in the wet and cold they are really shit and start eroding your confidence in grip and everything and eventually start to ruin enjoyment of road riding. There's nothing fun about feeling your rear end slide and slip on every roundabout exit and motorway slip road.

I the Winter I have twice fitted Metzler M5s, (the one with the silly lean-0-meter marks at the chicken strip edge). They have proved to be confidence inspiring in the wet and have good grip in most situations I've been in. I'd recommend them. I've never worn out a set because they last all Winter and then I get to Spring and want to change back into a track day tyre for the summer. Now I have a spare set of wheels so I will just keep the tyres on those wheels for the next Winter. Last year I did run the M5s on a few early Spring track days and I think they were really good actually. Especially because when it rained and the track was damp or wet they were WAY better than the Racetecs.

I don't wear out tyres fast enough to be constantly changing brands. I think I've just stuck to Metzlers because I don't find that they are causing me too many problems. It's my riding ability that needs improving, not the rubber! When it comes round to having to shell out another £250 I don't want to risk spending that amount of cash on something I don't know just because someone is saying, "Oh..... try Pilot Pures, or Dunlop whatevers".

Oh, I'm a product designer, and so aesthetics play a part. I like the tread pattern of Racetecs. Some other tyres I really don't like the tread pattern.

I the past I have sworn by Dunlop TT100s. And then the legendary Pirelli Phantom. They were both amazing at the time but if you had to ride on them now you'd say they were made of cheap hard plastic and would scare the shit out of you at every turn.

On my old cbr600 and my Daytona 675, I used to swear by Pirelli Diablo corsa 3's. but I have these on my SD, and since I've had them they have slipped quite afew times in cold and hot 'dry' days. I don't think I can recall a time when this happened on my other 2 bikes. But because of this I have lost confidence in them and need to change them asap. Hence this thread, and just for soe definition.

I had pilot powers on my rc8 which where ok but not awe inspiring. Was just thinking there might be a common tyre that people seem to use then we can make up our own minds which tyre to try.

I often run Diablo's lol

Michelin pilots are ace too

I have a new pair of conti some things for april

No one else want to input?

I run Michelin Power Pure's and have done for the last 3 pairs.....I have found them to inspire confidence and perform well on track days with or without warmers. I know both Ronin and Klinck swear by the original 2CT versions of the same tyre BUT both disliked the updated power pure version, in klincks case so much that i now have a spare set of part worns from him in the garage!
My local tyre dealer who specialises in bike but does cars as well said to me the other day - "what is it with you and Ronin and michelins?.. Nobody and I mean nobody else asks me for them! Your the only two!" ...... his opinion was that Michelin had been left behind by Bridgestone and Pirelli due to their lack of involvement in WSB or MotoGP. Metzler being a Pirelli subsidiary have also benefited" he said - hence the racetec's being a good tyre for the SD - their use in the BSB supersport series on the 600's mean they have been developed on a bike of similar power output and weight to the SD .....

.... this year i intend to try racetecs for the first time.

Love my Racetecs ESP on track,
Dunlop Sportsmarts for the road. Better when cold and don't spook me when its wet.

I only used 2 sets of tyres last year.

At Lydden Hill I had a old set of supercorsas - they looked knackered but actually were great for the half day I bothered to ride.
Lydden hammers tyres as it performs the miracle of being inconsistant and slippy in places but very abhrasive, it's pretty much all right handers.

At Almeria I used Dunlop GPracer slicks - heaven.

why would one use Racetecs or Supercorsa SP on the road ? These tyres are made for track days and warm days on the street. If you do not have at least 25C they will not get warm enough and offer less grip than any touring tyre.

Any decent sport tyre will do better under normale european weather conditions. Conti Sport Attack 2 is a very good tyre, wet performance not as good as the Bridgestones and will last a little bit longer than the BT16Pro or much more than the S20. If you want to go on track any now and than Pirelli's are a good choice.

Michelin PP is a descent tyre developed ages ago, it is not on par with the above ones still good when cold and wet. Can be dangerous when above 25C, can loose grip without any indication. It has a very soft shoulder thats what some people like because it masks pretty well the suspension problems on bad roads.

I always did like Bic, Klink et all: Supercorsa / Racetec in Summer and 2CT's all through autumn, winter, spring. This year I tried Dunlop Sportsmarts and think they will do the job all year round.

Now remember, I hated Dunlops with a passion and hadnt had a set since the D207's that came with my new R1 in 2000 but that said I reckon Sportsmarts suit the Superduke and are as good road grippy as Racetecs. If I were still doing trackdays I would run Racetecs / Supercorsa or most likely D211's on the spare wheels but for the road Sportsmarts are all you need.

As a comparison, I have Pures on the RC8 and will be changing them for something better as soon as I can justify the expence.

If you can afford two types of tyres you are earning way tooo much (or single). At 350 pound for a average set here in oz I am happy with what I can afford.

Racetec K2 scrubs for the track absolutely no question, had them on for a few weeks on the road though my god they were awful from cold and in the wet. For the road you'd be hard pushed to beat the Metzeler Interact M5's that Bic likes, I did many a trackday on them too. Awesome tyres and lasted forever.

Got a pair of Pirelli Rosso Corsas on at the minute, probably virtually identical to the M5's but they feel a bit wooden in comparison. Hoping to get some more racetec scrubs when those are used up. I think the rosso corsas will be nigh on perfect for the early summer trackdays that I'm desperate to get on!

I use Racetecs on the road to finish them off. Track wears the sides where as road wears more of the middle. I only tend to go out for proper blasts when it's a nice day and it takes 20 mins to get to the roads that I pin it on. Never had an issue with them not performing well on the road. They are shite in the wet though or cold but that's hardly surprising

The Pirelli Diablo Superbike Pro slicks I tried last year were good but went off quite quickly. Racetecs were consistent for far longer.

Really like my Dunlop Q2's, good value, they warm up quick, awesome grip and have decent tyre wear. Haven't tried many tyres so I can't give an opinion on much else. Have heard good things about sportsmarts also.

I used to be one to say that running proper race rubber was not worth the financial cost, unfortunately once you have run a proper race tyre you never want to go back.

Pilot road 3's @ 33psi f 36psi r.
Confidence inspiring in the wet once they are warm
When the rear has broken traction ( rarely) it has been a smooth gradual slide.
Good mileage and can deal with a bit of freeway without squaring off.

2x mt 90 rear adv 950
mt90 front adv 950
diab rear SD
diab front SD
mt21 rear XRR
mt21 front XRR

736.93 total

My stack O Pie tyres that just got delivered this week for some of the summer, and thats a smokindeal .
And every time I look at my tyres, they need replacing Turn and BURN.

Superduke came with Diablo Stradas which were rock hard utter shite and left a 13ft skid mark when i came down off the back wheel and landed me on my arse
Running Diablo Rosso 2's at the mo and a great tyre but havent got long (2k kms) so far and not much left. Thinking of giving the Metz Z8 interacts a go next as its mostly road riding and it rains a LOT here until our summer. Which lasts for 3 weeks and is usually in september....

What's the Diablo corsa called these days?

Great tyre for road or track.

Possibly different riding enviroment here for me than you guys, rare to get a day under 25degrees most of the year, and currently air temps are around 32-40 degrees during the day.

I run Dunlop Q2s on the SDR, had Pirelli Supercorsa Dragons stock, good tyre, but not the sort of feedback I like.
I find the Q2 quick to warm up, good feedback, I can really tell where the tyre is and what it wants. Only had 2 minor slides on the road, both very predictable. Plenty of grip for my riding right now. Can't comment on the wet as this bike has never seen the rain.

On my ZX6R I am running Power Pures. They were on there when I bought it. They are ok for most riding, but do not like getting hot. A couple weekends ago on my usual run, after doing 1 pass of my favourite section of twisties they got quite warm, 3 corners into my second lap and the just let go at the rear, big slide. Thankfully I saved it, they did come back into line fairly easily, but the tyres were just cooked. I babied the bike down to the cafe after that and even at moderate lean angles I could feel the rear squirming around.
I am just using them to run to and from work now, and will be replacing them with something different once they are used up, might run Q2s on that as well, or try something like the 003RS or an S20.

I used to run Pilot Road 2s on my GSX1400, was a perfect match for that bike, never slipped, had enough grip to grind away half of each foot peg, part of the side stand and an engine mount while rounding up sports bikes in the hills.
On a lighter bike though in this climate they do not operate properly from what I have seen.

Tempted to give Pilot Road 3s a try during winter where we have more chance of rain and cooler days, but I do not have the confidence in them for weekends of playing in the hills.

SDs have a problem with rear grip due to the front biased weight distribution, getting your suspension set up right is just as important as tyre choice, Sticky tyres wont help much at all if your suspension is all to cock

Pirelli Rosso Corsa`s are the SD tyre for me

I checked today... my new ones are a pair of Conti Motions to go on next

That's an expensive thing in itself just getting the suspension set up. Is there no way if doing it yourself ?

Of course you can do it yourself - those adjusters aren't wired to the battery!

Had Corsa III's which hardly ever warmed up then had Avon Venoms which were better, but have had Pirelli Angels for the last 2 years and like the grip and the longevity. I just do the twisties and mostly dry warm months and if you've got something you like at a decent price then you might as well stick with it.

Yeah I know about the adjusters, but what I mean is, how would you know wether it's set up 'properly' as it where??

I'm. Gonna try some metzeler roadtec z6 next!

Pirelli, Diablo Super Corsa SC2's. I've run two track days on em at Sepang and they are good for another session by the looks. And I use them for pottering around in the traffic here. Bit slippy in the wet but hey, its fun. Had the Diablo Rosso Corsas before. I had no confidence in those at all, especially in the wet. Not good enough for the higher road and track temps we have here. I'm happy with the SC2's.

I was recently searching for a new pair of tyres. SO far I have used Metzeler Racetecs, who are great but not such long life and next I fitted a pair of Michelin PowerOne which I really hate. I was among Diablo Rosso 2 and Dunlop Sportmax Sportsmart. I chose Diablo cause of their rumor.

In the bottom line, Rosso2 is the best street tyre for SD I 've experienced since today. Great grip, quite fast warm up, and quite safe on the wet. They are also quite comfortable for the moderate trackday.

Just slapped a pair of Michelin Pilot Power 3CT's, new for this year I think, just to give them a try. So far, they feel a lot sturdier than the 2CT's I had. Linear acceleration is more stable and cornering feels solid. Haven't done any crazy leaning yet since they're not scrubbed in, I'll post an update after i get a few miles on them.

Interesting to hear how the pilot power 3's fair out. I'll happily recommend the Metzeler Z8 Interacts to anyone who's trying to get more miles.Easiest tyre ive ever scrubbed in. Was confidently leaning and leaning after only 10 miles!! They have great dry grip and are awesome in the wet. Suits our climate here which generally can have a lot of damp weather and temps in the mid teens at highest now. I must say the mags got it right with the Z8-highly recommended!

Mounting up Bridgestone S20s today, replacing BT016s.

When I bought the bike it came with Full Bore USA M-1 tyres (what a joke), they're basically rebranded Shinkos and gripped like plastic. The rear lasted only 2k miles. The only pro I can think of is the rear tyre felt very flat, which made low speed wheelies super easy.



Now running Dunlop Q2's infinitely more grip and much more confidence. They seem to have a taller profile and make initial turn in very easy, haven't had them out in the wet yet.

I used the q2's in 2011 track and street. Great response and warm up time. I really liked the tyre profile but the tyre wear was rather disappointing.
Last year I was using Bridgestone 003rs for track and 016 for street. The RSs were really sticky and even lasted up to 6 track days.

Right now I have q2s and maybe get the PR3s after this set.

I ride whatever I can find cheap on sale, but is still usable for track days. Right now that's the BT016, they went on sale last year for $120 when the S20 came out. It doesn't really matter what you ride on until your suspension is balanced for your weight. Ideally, if everything is balanced correctly the tyre will wear out evenly, have better grip and last much longer. Once that part of the equation is solved, then you can nitpick about the finer details between brands.

http://feelthetrack.com/2012-schedule-c ... our-tires/

Just fitted a pair of Power 3s also - softer and stickier from the off compared to the Road 2s and 3s I'm used to - doubt they'll last long though..........

My Pirelli Rosso Corsa set now has 5500 or so km (3500miles) done including a trackday and have around 40% to go. Always with 2.2-2.3 bar in both front and rear. Pretty good I'd say

I own a 05 SD 2-3 years. I have tried 3 tyre sets. Metzeler Racetecs which are great for track and roads with good surface. They are hell at wet and slippery roads.Also their milleage is very short. Michelin Power One 2CT which are the worse of the worst . Now I fitted Diablo Ross2 who are the best for the road and also for even trackdays.

I've used Michelin Power 2CT untill I got my Superduke. I tried the Power Pure and they didn't fit my style of riding. Switched for the Pilot Power 3 last year, and I love them. Sticky right from the start, I've never had the rear spin out I like the way they lean into the corners.. they dont fall into the corners, but are more passive

Last year? Power 3 have only just arrived in the UK.

Oh sorry, I meant Pilot Road 3 2CT !

Just got back from riding pretty hard on my first set of Diablo Rosso 2's and so far so good - almost don't even have a chicken strip on the front tyre. The rubber's a bit harder than Q2's ( 7 sets of Q2's previous to the Rosso 2's ) - Rosso 2's turn in a bit quicker than Q2 . Only reason i'm running the Rosso2 is because Motorcycle superstore made a mistake and shipped me the 2's instead of Rosso Corsa's and i just wanted to ride and didn't feel like shipping em back..

wondering how much better you guys who are running Rosso Corsa's feel the Corsa's are than Q2's - i'll probably go back to Q2's ( i had confidence in em ) but would like to try a set of Corsa's .......

cheers

When I bought the bike it had Metzeler Racetec tyres, with no profile left in the middle of the rear tyre. This caused the bike to 'drop' into the corners. So far it has been very cold over here, and these tyres definitely have issues with cold weather (which is understandable because they are track tyres).

Although I have Bridgestone S20 on my Fireblade, I have chosen Dunlop SportSmart for my SD. The Bridgestones have been performing great in wet and dry, but it's a relatively 'flat' tyre. Since I wanted an easy turning bike, I wanted a more 'round' tyre on the SD. I thought about the Michelins, but think they have a too 'steep' shape, causing the bike to 'drop' into a corner (not scientifically tested by me, so very subjective )

So, now have the Dunlops. Only rode for maybe a 100km's so far, under 'colder' conditions. Personally, I'm really impressed with the grip. Loads of grip, even when cold (and new). Steering is very neutral, but light. No unexpected responses so far. I will try to remember to update my experience with these tyres, once I've put more miles on them ... I'll be back

Well in all fairness there was a few burnouts at a Christmas run in there Was surprised though was actually expecting double that. And the front was pretty stepped and shot looking too. Havent bothered with very sticky tyres in years, they dont last piss they dont