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As I rule I'm happy with road oriented tyres on a road bike, as they are so good these days and I'm not looking to push hard. I'm even happy on quite hard tyres and like the economy anyway. However, I have a set of spare wheels and put some race oriented tyres on them for a track day. I bought them second hand off ebay for £50 from a club racer. They are Dunlop SPortmax GP tyres and were very sticky on the track day. As they have lasted well I've left them on for my commute until I can find time to put my other wheels on. The thing is, I think the Falco feels much better in daily riding with these tyres on. The soft sticky front is giving me much more confidence than the Michelin 2CT on my other set. It's not that I had any concern with the 2CT front, its just that I can feel the grip on the front now. I've always wondered how people can feel the grip, but I feel I can. Because I still feel the Falco is a big bike, that extra sense of grip is adding to the pleasure of riding it.

It's worth pointing out that these race tyres will not be great in the wet or cold. As race tyres are easy to obtain and cheap, you may want to try them in summer.

Road Legal? Not many race orientated tyres are.

You running them at race or road pressure?

http://www.dunlop-tires.com/dunlop_euen ... ortmax_gp/

Legal depending on which variant

I am running Dunlop Sportmax Sportsmarts, one down from the GP. I have done 3 trackday's on them plus 1000 miles commuting. Dunlop tyres are getting better and better and right now I would say they are at the top of the heap.

Running 36 f 38R on the RSV and I think they recomend that for the GP as well.

Yes, these are not full on race tyres. They are road legal but made for club racing really. Pirelli Super Corsas are another popolar tyre. I'm running at normal pressure on the road - 35 and 40.

You reckon you can generate enough heat to get them sticky by commuting??

That's a good question. At the track day they were very hot. I did wonder if they were too hot. But then told myself a racer would be putting them through more load and they always felt very sticky and never budged an inch all day. I've not monitored the heat on the road carefully, but they definately were warmed up. Even cold they feel sticky and pick up gravel all the time. They feel sticky on the road, but I didn't push them. Will keep an eye on that.

Im really torn between the bridgestone 023s and the new pirelli rosso coras.
I hate making decisions as to expensive to get wrong

Tyres have never been better, anything road legal will work on the road, but the sticky track biased road tyres are really a waste of money unless you're doing regular trackdays. All modern sports touring tyres will take anything a Falco can hand out on the road and will be more than enough for the odd trackday in the novice/slow inters group.

Why pay £130 for a Diablo Rosso when a Z6 will do the same job in the dry, perform better in the wet and last 1000 miles longer for £110?

The Z6s work out around the same price as Bridgestones 023s

Nooj wrote:
Why pay £130 for a Diablo Rosso when a Z6 will do the same job in the dry, perform better in the wet and last 1000 miles longer for £110?

errrr ..... based on what?


The problem with most of these tyre discussions is that they tend to be based on myth, rumour and non like-for-like comparisons.

It's very difficult to get good, objective comparative data.

I will second that

I am on my second rear conti road attack - and I have noticed it has worn more than the first one... having said that, even though I have not done the miles, the miles covered have been at a fair lick....

I still expect to get 5000 miles out of it, but - the last one was still in good order at 6000

+1 for Pirelli Rosso Corsa... had a new set on around 1k miles ago, no sign of squaring, taken them to the edge, amazing grip and get extremely hot!

The point I was trying to make was that I have been switching between race tyres and good road tyres (Michelin 2ct) and, whilst I have no grip problems with the road tyres, I like the FEEL of the soft race tyres on the front. I think it suits the Falco, gives confidence and improves the enjoyment. Also, as many racers sell their tyres second hand (all the fast road riders I know buy secondhand race tyres in summer), these tyres are cheaper too (£50 - £90 a pair). Try them and then, as Simon Cowell would say, you've earned the right to have an opinion