Sport-touring tires

Dustin

Dustin

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I'm looking for insight on sport-touring tires for my Gen I FZ1. I commute year-round and do a lot of touring so my primary focus is cold/wet weather performance and longevity with only a small amount of concern for price.

I am currently on single-compound Pilot Powers and have put about 10,000km on them so far with about 60% left on the rear. While they are great for hot and dry days, I'm finding the cold-weather performance is not fantastic and they don't give me a lot of confidence during the crappy weather we get out in Vancouver at this time of year.

That said, they are very inexpensive for a set and considering it looks like I'm set to get over 15,000km on a rear which is quite good I think.

So at the moment I've got my eye on the Conti Motion and just for fun I was thinking of trying the Shinko 009s as well. Although I am a bit hesitant about Shinko tires (the whole 'you get what you pay for' mantra); they really have been getting fantastic reviews and I can get a set for under $100...

Thoughts?
 
shinko's suck, so do the Conti's. IMHO You do get what you pay for is true.

Pilot Road 2' are the cat's ass. Been using them on my FJR and FZ1 in dry, wet and cold.

As with any tire as they are toward the end of the useful life grip changes somewhat and of course wear is all about the right wrist.
 
The conti motions are known for not lasting long but being a great SPORT-touring tire. I got the Pirelli Angels for about $230 shipped for the set rather than waiting for the Motions that were on back order. I changed from the BT-021s that i was happy with just to try something different.

After my Angel experience, I realize it is a good sport-touring tire but not so good a SPORT-touring tire. I'll be going back to the 'stones for my next set, this time the 023s. I liked how predictable the 21s were and since the 23s are supposed to be improved even more, I think they'll be a good fit for me. I've only had experience with the 'stones and the angels though.

Everyone seems to rave about the PR2s. I road a friends bike with them and thought my 'stones were better.
 
I will have to consider the Pilot Road 2s. Good point about the Contis and Shinkos and all the other low-budget rubber--I tend to agree with the 'get what you pay for' school of thought but it was really something to consider based on the price.

I should do some more research on the Angel ST as well and I have considered the BT023 before as well. The BT021 was the OEM tire on the Gen I FZ1 but I have not had good experience with Bridgestone before, having tried the BT014 and BT021 before.

Thanks for the feedback
 
Being in Florida, have you had any experience on the PR2s in colder conditions (35-45F)?

Those of you that have run PR2s, what kind of mileage did you see from a rear tire?
 
Dustin said:
Being in Florida, have you had any experience on the PR2s in colder conditions (35-45F)?

Those of you that have run PR2s, what kind of mileage did you see from a rear tire?
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As with any tire, take it easy when it's cold.

Mileage is up to you and your wrist. It isn't uncommon to get well over 10,000 miles from a rear OR less than 4,000 if you happen to live and ride hard in the twisty's. It will also vary on your local road conditions so you can only rely on what other's have gotten to a point.

Some riders like to ride their tire down to steel cord just to get every penny out of the tire. Ok for them but not me as my behind is worth more than riding on worn out tires.

I am hard on tires from one edge to the other and love it. The PR2 works very well to the end.

A side note on Avons. Many people do like them but many others have had problems with Avon's quality control. Get a good tire and you will like it however get a bad one and you may never buy another. I had a set once.
 
OneSizeFitsAll said:
As with any tire, take it easy when it's cold.
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Of course! I ask because I seek a tire that is better-designed for all weather conditions. I have run tires that are very consistent and inspire confidence in all conditions; including winter cold, slush & snow, hail, etc. Some tires conduct themselves better in the winter than others; my Pilot Powers not being one of them.

Having owned a bunch of different bikes with a bunch of different tires, I am confident in the fact that I cannot extract even 60% of the potential of a modern hypersport tire like a Pilot Power or Corsa III or whatever and I'm sure that something with less focus on outright grip will surely still have more to give than I am able to take.

Re: The mileage. You are definitely correct in that. I have found that I am very, very easy on tires and I can stretch a lot of life out them, even the rear Pilot Power on my FZ1 looks slated to last over 10,000 miles. My main reason for asking is just to gauge how much more longevity I can expect to see out of the Pilot Road 2s
 
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Agreed the powers or any other sticky tire is not the best for cold wet conditions.

I rode my FJR in slush and temps in the low 30's on Monday with PR2's that have less than 20% tread left and they were just fine.

What helped sell the PR2 for me was when I attend FJR gatherings and well over half the bikes are running 2's that says alot. Many of these riders are serrious long distance people who ride in all weather and road conditions. Because my Gen 1 fjr is a hot bike I prefer to ride in in the cold.

Here's a pic with at 7,000 feet and below freezing.
IMG_0002-5.jpg


As you can see it was 28.5 and we were running 75mph. Actually it got down to 19.5 for a while but never over 30 for an hour and a half. A bit chilly,eh?
IMG_0096-2.jpg


Buy the PR's and be happy!
 
I commute and ride year round as well, and I currently have several thousand miles on a set of Dunlop Roadsmarts, and really like them, they are holding up awesome. I have a set of pilot 2's in the garage to put on next when I need them, but I would buy the Dunlops again no doubt.
 
Dustin said:
Being in Florida, have you had any experience on the PR2s in colder conditions (35-45F)?

Those of you that have run PR2s, what kind of mileage did you see from a rear tire?
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I rode alot in Florida, and the PR2 was superb (rear, ran a PP up front). The sides grip alot at sharp angles and the middle can give you somewhere in the 10k range. You cannot go wrong with them, period. I will also add that in the rain they were very good. Pretty much good everywhere... I was putting alot of knee down last time I went to the dragon and I never once felt like I had to back off.
 
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I think I will give the PR2s a try next then. Based on my current mileage on the Pilot Powers, I shouldn't need to replace the rear for another 10,000km and the front should still have a ton of life left--I guess I'll change the rear once it's ready and run the front and rear one more cycle and then switch to the Pilot Road 2

Thanks!
 
Bridgestone BT-023 or BT-023GT (for the heavier bikes)


Absolutely awesome in wet and dry. The -023 replaced the -021 but lasts over 30% longer.
 
Jeffibus said:
Bridgestone BT-023 or BT-023GT (for the heavier bikes)


Absolutely awesome in wet and dry. The -023 replaced the -021 but lasts over 30% longer.
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I have heard excellent things about the BT-023 and I have had a good experience with Bridgestones in the past.

However, in lieu of my planned Cross-Canada trip (and back via USA) in 2011, I may order a set of Shinko 009 Ravens in the spring and mount them just before I leave. Since we are just doing a strictly highway route and taking it easy (my girlfriend's bike can't go more than 75mph anyway), I think it would be a waste to buy a set of PR2s or BT023s or Angels just to have them destroyed in a short time.

I suppose it's a good opportunity to put my curiosity to rest and save a bunch of cash on tires I will be using for a month only. At the very least, I am confident they will be able to handle riding in a straight-line at the speed limit just fine. ;)
 
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Sport Touring Tyres

The argument from members is strong for the Pilot Road 2.

I cannot comment on that tyre. However, I had a set of Bridgestone BT023s fitted at my last service and they have been excellent from day 1. Great stability and grip and they feel 'comfortable' over distance, soaking up bumps, etc. a lot better the original tyres (Dunlop Sportmax).

I found that at around 5K miles the rear original Dunlop still had grip and legal tread, but was becoming quite 'squared off' and that affected the handling- i.e. requiring more effort to lean the bike into corners.

The new Bridgestones are fantastic - I would definitely recommend them.
 
Missyl1713 said:
I commute and ride year round as well, and I currently have several thousand miles on a set of Dunlop Roadsmarts, and really like them, they are holding up awesome. I have a set of pilot 2's in the garage to put on next when I need them, but I would buy the Dunlops again no doubt.
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Ditto.... I use them on the Fazer and the Blackbird... lovem...
 
Over here in Manchester, England I've commuted daily for ages all year round and in torrential rain and low temperatures ( 2-3 celcius) no idea what that is in american speak but I swear by Dunlop Roadsmarts on my '08 FZ1 Fazer and FZ6 before that. The dual compound is top for grip in the wet and I get good mileage as well.


___________________


Taksi
 
Why don't you try the new Metzeler M5 or Michelin Power Pure, heard from a lot of guys that theese two are by far the best one currently available, especially the M5 with have an incredible grip on the wet, and on dry they are formidable, on the other hand the Power pure are the lightest tires around, I fitted the on my Bike a few day ago, and since is raining like hell I didn't have the opportunity to test them, but heard all the best about theese...
 
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