The Bad
The last tires I had on my Tuono were Dunlop RoadSmart 2s. These turned out to be the worst tires I've ever run. I don't understand why since people I know like them and reviews on the web are pretty positive. I don't know but, I wouldn't use them again if they were free. I've run Q3s and liked them fine. The Q3s just don't last long enough for the kind of riding I normally do- on a weekend ride I generally cover 300 to 500 miles and sometimes 600 and I don't miss many weekends. That would be for one day. If I ride both Saturday and Sunday, the mileage can be much higher. I can't be buying tires every four to six weeks.
The RoadSmart 2s were very harsh riding at any normal pressure and I was fighting to keep from going wide on twisty roads especially if the road surface was rough or bumpy. I was blaming some of my trouble on suspension and thought my forks or shock had gone bad. Confidence was extremely low, enjoyment was about zero. Did I just get a bad set?
The Good
Mojo1 has recently used a couple of sets of Bridgestone S21s and was very positive about them. I think he said he is getting around 6000 miles on a set and he is changing tires before they get to the wear bar. So, I went with Bridgestone S21s this time and I have to say they are great. Put them on Saturday and yesterday was my first ride on them. It was kind of a medium length ride for us at around 425 miles but, we hit some twisty back roads, some of them rather rough and bumpy and a fair amount of beat up chip seal roads. The S21s handled all that while giving a very confidant feeling. They turn in so quick and easy, I had to get used to them- I'd turn in too much for the first couple of hours. They're also not picky about the line you take through a curve and you can change lines mid curve easily. They will also track steady through a curve without being twitchy. I had fun playing around abruptly changing my line mid curve just for because I could.
Any thoughts about these two tires?
"Sticky" tires as a general rule will not last "long". (insert you definition of "long")
Why? Well you pay a price for grip. Ever see a Motogp team change tires mid race? Sometimes it could be it has started raining so its time to go to a rain tire. Other times it is because the tire is worn out and no, a Motogp team will not start a race with a tire that's 1/2 way worn out.
One the street, on a street only motocycle, I like the Q2's and/or Q3's. On my Harley XR1200 it is the only tire I run.
I get about 3k miles out of the rear and front. For that bike, it is a good tire.
Tires that will last a "long" time will not be as "sticky". But they can offer you the grip you want on public roads.
All that /\ is just how I see it. (my OPINION ;) )
This is something I have learned working at a tire manufacturing plant the last 10 years. (car & truck tires)
No 2 tire companies make tires the same way. ;)
B.F. Goodrich assembles a B.F. Goodrich tire one "way".
We also assemble Michelin tires........cause they own us. ;) Those are assembled another "way".
So you can see how a thread like this can quickly start to resemble an "oil" thread. ;D
And we ALL know how a oil thread goes............... ;D ;D ;D
Gotta say, I was surprised at how bad the Roadsmarts were. I put a set on the Monster a few years ago. I had been thinking it was suspension, or something else, as the bike resisted turning in, and rode rough.
Just put a set of Pilot Road 3s on, much better. Havn't ridden far yet, but I am happier with the handling.
Avon Storms. Easily getting 8000+ miles out of my rear tire. That includes the trip to Alaska and a track day. They are a compound tire. I'm not an aggressive rider, slow off the line. I am VERY happy with the performance(stickiness) in rain and all road conditions.
I've been running pr4's for about 2 years now after burning a set of pilot power's up in under 1500 miles. Never had a lack of grip and they are just amazing in the rain.
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The Pilot Powers that came on my Sumo rims have held up good and I can say that once warmed up they have not surprised me. Very predictable grip!
I am about to need some tires so I will definitely be heeding some of the advice in this thread! Thanks.
If you are not riding like you are on the track, I recommend the dual compound tires, such as Pilot Road 3 or Pilot Road 4. They are harder compound (less silicon) in the center third where you need the long life, and they are softer compound on the outer thirds where you enjoy the curves. I usually get at least 7,000 - 8,000 miles from those.
+1 on the Avon Storms ... another good dual compound tire.
I purchased new tires for our ride to New Brunswick. They did extremely well and I'm more than pleased. You know how you can tell you have good tires? When you never think about them. I don't remember a single time during the 3,400 miles thinking about my tires. That's awesome. hot, cool, rain, downpour, smooth pavement, rough pavement, potholes, never a second wasted thinking about them.
Metzeler Roadtec 01
(http://www.metzeler.com/site/us/mediaObject/MetzelerSite/CommonImg/Product/Tyres/roadtec-01/roadtec01_product_sheet_460x500_NEW/original/roadtec01_product_sheet_460x500_NEW.jpg)
BAD tire.....of the dual-sport type, the Kenda K270. the most unstable, unpredictable, down right dangerous tire I've ever ridden. If you're riding "off-road ONLy", then it's acceptable, but it's sold as a "dual-sport" tire, 50/50 tire, it's performance on-road is completely UNacceptable.
GOOD tire.....well, there's good tires for certain situations. I loved the Shinko 705's on the KLR, but they were terrible on the tenere. Shinko 244's are great 50/50 tires, but you need to be careful and use them for their intended purpose. Don't load your bike up heavy and hit the highway at 70mph for a 300 mile day, they'll probably loose knobs. Keep the load relatively light, and the speeds down, and they're great tires..use them for their intended purpose. Heidenau K60 Scouts last FOREVER, 11,000 miles on the rear, over 17,000 on the front, and they're 50/50 tires. i had no complaints whatsoever with their on-road performance, and off-road they're OK. I've only ridden them on the tenere, a 600 pound bike, they're probably better off-road on a lighter bike.
I've tried a few tires on the VFR, using them for both regular street riding and track days. Because the bike uses a 170/60 rear, I am forced to use Sport Tour tires like the Dunlop RoadSmart 2, Pirelli Diablo Rosso II, Metzler Z8 Interact though I did pair the Dunlop Q3 and Pirelli Diablo Corsa fronts with those brands rear. Bridgestone offers the S20 in a 170 rear and I did those as well. I was pleased with every one of them in both environments. The best mileage I ever got was about 4,300 out of the Dunlops, the worst being 2,500 from the Bridgestones.
On my track only bike (2005 GSXR750) I run the Bridgestone S21's. I'm loving them. I had to replace the chain/sprocket set after five events so since the rear wheel was coming off, I replaced the tires as well. They were still good, but I doubt they would have gone the full ten events I'm signed up for this year. I can't give any realistic mileage review, nor a "rough and/or bumpy surface" evaluation (unless Barber starts deteriorating quickly) but I haven't had any cause to ever doubt them to the point I am eager to get another brand on there.
Now that I have a "track only" bike, the VFR is equipped with Bridgestones, an S21 front paired with a T30 EVO rear and they are working beautifully.
This is my first Shinko 705. There are many like it but, this one is mine.
My 705 is not by best friend...more like a trusted acquaintance. I have no intention of mastering it or being mastered by it. Enough of the creed spoof.
I mounted it a couple months ago and it still has lots of life left in it. I had been running 244s for several years and grew tired of changing the rear too often...like 2K to 2.5k miles. However, everything is a trade-off. The rear Shinko 705 is very sensitive to air pressure when riding on pavement. It will produce a rapid side-to-side oscillation (about 3Hz) that will subsequently induce a rapid bowel evacuation if you don't realize what is going on down there. I've never had a tire with this particular quirk. At low pressure (like 20-22psi even) it will "wallow" lightly in the rear and produce a striking lateral motion in the front wheel.
It's hard to focus on for any distance but the front wheel appears to move perfectly laterally without any perceived turn or wobble at the axle.
Otherwise, it's been a very usable tire at most any pressure off road....provided that the off road surface is not mud. The front 705 controls fine in gravel/chirt,dirt at road pressure (28-34 psi or so)....even wet surfaces so long as it is not mud. Controls great, turns smooth, and much more predictably at 14-18 psi, or so. Good enough on bedrock creek crossings....just marginally more draggy in gravel bottom creeks. I like the longevity, so far. But, I'll most likely go back to the 244 on the next swap....unless I get like 12,000 miles out of them.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4504/23650824158_d72cdbbf72_b.jpg)