Tyres: Feedback

First topic message reminder :

Can anyone with feedback about the different tyres they've run on their bikes post some info here. I dragged 6000km out of the originals but should've chucked them at 5000km. They seem to go good then all of the sudden start falling apart...

I put on a set of Michelin pilot road 2's (front and back) and they seem pretty good. Unfortunately I already got a puncture after only about 1000km and had to get it repaired. It was a big hole (part of a hacksaw blade went through the rear) and the repair job is good but it losses a few PSI each week.

Now we'll find out if you guys are 'real' riders or not, by how long it takes for you to loose the angel and show the demon.

I must admit, I originally steered away from the Pirelli's for exactly that reason - that dammn stupid marketing hype bullsh!t.

They say it disappears after about 600-odd Km.

I generally have chicken strips when road riding. I never head into a corner fast enough to need to get it all the way over when on the road.

That said, the stupid "Angel" motif is well inside the area I use on the tyre and so hopefully it will be gone in a week or two...

im going for a ride tomorrow too - might head up to pits for a coffee tomorrow morning if there isn't the predicted morning rain [or if it stops at a reasonable hour]and a few blats up and down OPH. i am quite impressed with the tyres - seem to be ace.

Scrub-In ride yesterday went well

Approximately 350km round trip from home to Windsor to meet a mate then Putty Rd, Wollombi for lunch and across to the Old Rd for the return run home.

The new Pirelli's showed very good grip with positive feed-back when pushed (some sand mid-corner on the road to Wollombi showed the grip levels quite well).
Turn-in is progressive but quick when moving from upright to a lean.
Holds a corner very well and is easy to shift around mid-corner if needed (at the speeds I was doing, anyway. Others will no doubt be happy to push them further than I did).
Very positive grip when breaking or accelerating.

And.. yes, the stupid marketing hype imprint is well within my cornering and so will scrub off in time...

I was talking with a bloke on Saturday and he said he gets around 25-30000 km from a rear tyre on his 03 B12. Ok, he's a ulyssian (mornington wanderer's), but still how is this possible?

The best I've ever got from a rear tyre on the B12 was around 15000km. I don't consider myself a particulaly fast rider, there's certainly faster riders than me around. What's the trick?

b12mick wrote:What's the trick?

walk/push it the 25-30,000km!
i think i'll be lucky to see 5,000 out of the stock dunlop.

I reckon I'll be lucky to see 3000km

I had a Metzler M1 on the back for 7000km, which I should have replaced at 5000km.

Great tyre, stuck to the road like shit to a blanket, but given I can do 15-20000km a year (when I've got the money), the idea of paying $1500 to $2000 a year on tyres just doesn't appeal to me.

boomer wrote:

b12mick wrote:What's the trick?

walk/push it the 25-30,000km!
i think i'll be lucky to see 5,000 out of the stock dunlop.

Trust me, I don't think he'd be fit enough the push the bike 500 metres.

elementary my dear chaps..... vigorous activity with the right hand=increased cost

potatomasher wrote:elementary my dear chaps..... vigorous activity with the right hand=increased cost

But isn't that the point of riding these bikes? ie vigorous activity with the right hand= FUN

potatomasher wrote:elementary my dear chaps..... vigorous activity with the right hand=increased cost

So what you're saying is that if I want to save money I have to stop having quite so much fun?

In that case, I think I'll put up with 15000km out of a rear tyre.

potatomasher wrote:..... vigorous activity with the right hand=increased cost

Plus you'll go blind!.....apparently.

whitey1 wrote:But isn't that the point of riding these bikes? ie vigorous activity with the right hand= FUN

Now I understand, these bikes make a lot of torque, torque is a force,(stick with me here) force is measured in Newtons. So...

F Fully
U Utilised
N Newtons

All these years and I didn't realise where fun came from.

I am a member at most other Bandit forums; focussed on the 1250 cause that is what I have, most guys on them are reporting 5000+ miles out of the stock Dunflop D218's; I got 2100 kilometres out of both, front and rear!!! Once again I do not consider myself to be pushing all that hard;especially as I was running the bike in

Dink

Re-cycled wrote:

potatomasher wrote:..... vigorous activity with the right hand=increased cost

Plus you'll go blind!.....apparently.

whitey1 wrote:But isn't that the point of riding these bikes? ie vigorous activity with the right hand= FUN

Now I understand, these bikes make a lot of torque, torque is a force,(stick with me here) force is measured in Newtons. So...

F Fully
U Utilised
N Newtons

All these years and I didn't realise where fun came from.

brilliant. i shall use that in the future

That is good. I like it!

Re-cycled wrote:

potatomasher wrote:..... vigorous activity with the right hand=increased cost

Plus you'll go blind!.....apparently.

whitey1 wrote:But isn't that the point of riding these bikes? ie vigorous activity with the right hand= FUN

Now I understand, these bikes make a lot of torque, torque is a force,(stick with me here) force is measured in Newtons. So...

F Fully
U Utilised
N Newtons

All these years and I didn't realise where fun came from.

Love it, can I use it.

I put a new set of rubber on the bandit today.
Decided to put a set of Pirelli Diablo Rosso's.

We'll see how they go compared the the Pilot Powers.
Original Dunlop set got me 3500 and the powers got 8400. so we will see how we go with this set.

It finally rained here today. Actually, it fair pissed down on the way to work. I'd forgotten how much fun riding in the rain can be. Except not only did it highlight that the rear tyre is nearing it's useby date (metzler Roadtech Z6 with 12,000km), but I also found out that my wet weather pants have a leak in them. Nothing like having a wet arse and not being able to put on some dry pants.

So today the B12 gets a new rear tyre and I get a new pair of wet weather pants. I'll probably get a PR2 (yes the local tyre shop has some) as the other option is a Continental, and for the difference of about $20, I'll take the PR2. I really wanted to try the Avon Storm ST, but surprisingly the local shop doesn't have any.

For the record. The Metzler Roadtech was a slight dissapointment. I expected to get around 15,000km out of them but only got 12,000. It's not totally shagged, but the it's down to and passed the tyre wear indicators on the right side. I could probably squeeze another 1000 or so K's out of them, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Don't get me wrong, it's a good tyre, but I expected to get a bit more mileage out of it.

Without a doubt my next tyres will be Dunlop Q2s.
I have a mate that road tests bikes and such and he went to the launch of the Q2s at Eastern Creek last week. He absolutely raved about them and when blokes like Shawn Giles get off the bike and say that the tyres are as close as you will get to a top of the line race tyre, then it is all good.
Apparently they are leaps and bounds ahead of Pilot Powers and at around $500 a set, I am about to find out.

depends how soft they are - some of us dont have unlimited funds

potatomasher wrote:depends how soft they are - some of us dont have unlimited funds

I was thinking the same thing. Based on the milage I got out of an M1 on the rear, I'd say I'd be lucky to get 3000k's out of a Dunlop Q2. Which for me could mean up to 6 tyres a year, umm no thanks, I don't have that sort of money.

potatomasher wrote:depends how soft they are - some of us dont have unlimited funds

It would obviously depend on the type of riding you do.

If all I did was commute to work and some highway riding I wouldn't get a softer tyre either, but the majority of my riding is playing in the twisties so grip is more important than mileage.
And I am not even going to hazard a guess on how long they will last before they are even released...

Cruisecontrol wrote:

potatomasher wrote:depends how soft they are - some of us dont have unlimited funds

It would obviously depend on the type of riding you do.

If all I did was commute to work and some highway riding I wouldn't get a softer tyre either, but the majority of my riding is playing in the twisties so grip is more important than mileage.
And I am not even going to hazard a guess on how long they will last before they are even released...

I see your point. The 5000k's I got from the M1 was the most fun 5000k's I've had on the Bandit.

Well with about 3000 on the new Diablo Rossos cant be more happy. i thought id never do a permanant switch from the pilot powers, but i think ima stay with the Pirellis now. Performed awsomely on my snowy ride. and to me, they give me more confidence in the wet than then Pilot powers. Will just have to see how they go with the milage. I may even be forced to do another track day to compare.