Tire Choice ???

super googan

super googan

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Hey guy's how about a few tire recommendations for me:woot

I ride in northern Delaware and south east Pennsylvania. Most of the roads I'm riding are pretty tight and technical.
Some of these roads are also shaded in dense woods and may have a few damp areas especially spring and fall .
I DON;T USUALLY GET A CHANCE TO RIDE AT A FASTER PACE FOR MORE THAN 15 MINUTES at a time before I get stuck behind a car or conditions are not safe for a faster pace. ( intersections , driveways, etc )
I'll spend a little time commuting around town and on the freeway but not much.

Now that I've mentioned the conditions on to what I want from a tire.

FAST WARM UP ! I NEED/WANT A TIRE THAT STICKS VERY WELL COLD AND WITHOUT EXTENDED WARM UP . Short sections of harder cornering between slower riding.

Mileage........not a big concern if I can get 2500 ++ miles that's fine

Grip .....the more the better ! especially cold and only pushed for a short time with slower paced riding between faster sections.

Rain............I avoid it like the plague May get caught once in a while but its very rare.

Guess I should also mention my experience and ability. 28 years riding I'm 42 now 20+ years on sportbikes. A few track days but that was 15 years ago.
I never was the fastest guy and I have slowed my pace with age......BUT
I can't/don't move around and hang off the bike like I did when I was younger.
Have an issue with my left arm that prevents that. So I'm actually using all the tire because I'm not using my body to hang off and keep the bike more upright. I do shift around a little using my legs but generally I'm closer to the center of the bike than most people sport riding and using all the tire.
Currently on the factory tires D202 or D204 ?? and they have given me a couple nervous moments to say the least. ( they suck )

Most of my riding is from April to September in temps from 55F-95f I wont be riding often if at all below 45F or above 100F.

I'm hope to get a few recommendations for a tire that grips VERY well for my skill level and conditions. Looking for confidence that I'm on the stickiest tire for me and how I ride. Cost, mileage, performance in the rain are not a concern for me.
I'm not sure if some of the tires intended for ultimate grip will work well under the pace, conditions I'm riding but my number one concern is confidence that I'm on a tire that can and will stick when I need it to.
The stock tires have ruined my confidence and put a few stains in the undies.

Thank you for any and all input.
 
Pilot pures!!!

I changed my worn out michelin pilot road 2 tyres for pilot pures, and they are the best road tyres I have experienced...warm up quickly, confident turn in feeling and still grippy in the wet and cold ( Australian Sydney cold that is )...I dont know how long they will last but I dont care...highly recommended!
 
Bridgestone 016's pal, all day long!! Least expensive out of all the major brands and are sticky as all heck after a couple of miles or so. Turn in is awesome and unless your ripping off track days with them, they should last over 2,500 miles for sure. Anyone whom I've convinced to buy these have not been disappointed yet.
 
YZFRiderNY said:
Bridgestone 016's pal, all day long!! Least expensive out of all the major brands and are sticky as all heck after a couple of miles or so. Turn in is awesome and unless your ripping off track days with them, they should last over 2,500 miles for sure. Anyone whom I've convinced to buy these have not been disappointed yet.
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The 016's are on my list for sure and I'm leaning toward them. The only thing that concerns me is that I've heard a few people mention they don't hold up well to repeated heat cycles.
I tend to do a lot of short rides 1-2 hours.
Have you or anyone else heard of or experienced problems after repeated heat cycles ???
 
super googan said:
The 016's are on my list for sure and I'm leaning toward them. The only thing that concerns me is that I've heard a few people mention they don't hold up well to repeated heat cycles.
I tend to do a lot of short rides 1-2 hours.
Have you or anyone else heard of or experienced problems after repeated heat cycles ???
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If your worried about them getting "greasy" I wouldn't worry. Now I know I'm not a really aggressive rider, but back when I was running the 016's I was a bit more aggressive than I am now. (Speeding ticket cured that!) and all my rides were in the 1-1/2 to 3 hour range and I never had a problem with them greasing over. I even rode them at the very end down at Deal's Gap with some "spirited" rides on the Skyway with no problems at all. The reason I switched over to the 023's was because I use the bike for commuting and the 016's were "squaring off" after 3,500 miles of use.
 
Pirelli Angel ST's. Had them on my '01, and I am planning on using them again on the '09. Warmed up nice and quick, great grip, great confidence in any (reasonable) condition, and lasted a long time...

>5K miles is long life to me. I have heard great things about the Michelin's too...just not any personal experience with them. Can't wait to get rid of the damn Dunlop's on the bike now...not the best tire, for sure.

Let us all know what you do decide to go with. :icon_beer:
 
Q2s, or my new favorite tire is the Pirelli Rossa Coursa. Both warm up in about 32 and a half seconds, and stick like glue. Within 1 lap of the track, about 2 minutes, they are up to temp. That said, the new 016s sound like a very good tire too. As good as tires are these days, as long as you pick a solid brand, eg: no Cheng Chen, you're good to go.

On the Q2s I'm getting about 5 to 6 track days, or up to 48 FULL heat cycles with no issues at all.
 
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I personally avoid Michelin like the plague but thats just me. I've had both Q2's and BT 16"s on my FZ so here is what I experienced: BT's seem to respond better to lower operating temperatures that a bike sees on the street. If your running extended periods of frictional heat input they will get greasier than Q2's. I've had to chase the front Q2 on the FZ on a cool day early into a ride. It might have been wise for me to have dropped the pressure a little but I havent had the same situation happen with the BT's. I give the street nod to the BT's for every day riding and milage they are marginally better than the Q2's in my eyes. Q2's are awesome for the track or if you are really pushing your street pace.

Now that said I watched Amevl walk away from me on the Dragon on a set of Avon Storm Ultras and get 6000 miles out of them.
 
I recently wore out the stock Dunlops and after many opinions settled for Michelin Pilot Road 2's. Tried and proven, long wear and good price. Transformed the bike and my confidence level - miles ahead of the stock tyre. Lot's of good rubber out there - your choice. Cheers.
 
johnnyontherocks said:
I recently went to the 190/55 rear and really like the feel of it.
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Me, too. I was actually surprised on how much better the handling feels. I am also liking regular old Pilot Powers. There are plenty of newer and more technologically-advanced tires available but the Powers can be found for a good price and have all the stick needed for any kind of street riding.

David
 
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We may have the same build and riding style.....short and stocky (me...not the bike).
I use all the tire (too lazy and old to stick the elbow and knees out).

I guess I'm the only one:

I SWEAR....by the Pirelli Diablo Corsas....good deals from Cycle Gear every couple months or so.
 
Changed out my front Dunlop RoadSmart at 11, 000 miles as I was going on a major ride and rain was forecast. Might have got more out of it.

Rear RoadSmart is nearing 14, 000 miles and is due for change but I have Pirelli Angel ST EMS standing by.

I'm not part of the "run your tires flat for traction" crowd and actually run mine where Yamaha says they should be.

I guess it's OK for people who ride 2,000 miles a year to use tires that last 2, 500 miles but I ride 1, 500 miles per month in the curvy Texas Hill Country and need more miles than that.

Tire pressure is a large factor and recommending running flat tires is something that identifies folks that don't understand tires.
 
super googan said:
I think I'm sold on the 016's but keep the comments coming . I'm in no hurry and I'm sure others are benefiting from the good info.
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well.. if you're sold on the bt016 ... just get the new S20 .. it's better in every way then the old bt016.

I have about 2k on them and they look like they can do 2x that easy.

+++++grip and confidence
 
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