tyres

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blinkey501
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tyres

#1 Post by blinkey501 » Thu Aug 04, 2011 9:08 pm

I have bridgestone BT 021 tyres fitted to my falco, and BT 020 tyres on my fazer they good grip and feedback. The tyres are a dual compound and have given good milage. I will be shortly looking to replace the rear on my falco and i am FIRSTLY told i have to stick to the same make and style rear has the front for insurance purposes? my dilema is i am advised that dunlop sportsmarts are a better all round tyre but are slightly more expensive and are a triple compound tyre and will give even longer service. has anyone got these dunlop tyres fitted and got good feedback on these tyres? :smt014
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flatlander
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Griff says

#2 Post by flatlander » Thu Aug 04, 2011 9:21 pm

He has heard good news about the Dunlops I will ask him tomorrow if he is there when I go down, but he says a few people have raved about them after trying them.
For the avoidance of doubt and for the benefit of my wife, not everything I may say here will be absolutely true I may on ocassion embellish a little for effect.
That said when it comes to motorbikes, I like to ride side saddle with a nice frock

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HowardQ
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#3 Post by HowardQ » Thu Aug 04, 2011 11:21 pm

I've almost always used Bridgestones on the Falco, but never done trackdays, so just fast road stuff.
BT 020s were good, I often used them with an 014 front, which worked very well on the Falco.
I reckon that the 020/021 sports tourer front can struggle a bit on the Falco, born out by the fact that 014s on the front lasted longer than a BT021.
You don't really notice when riding, its how long they last.
BT 014s did 7550 and 6500 (with some left).
BT 021 fron did 6200, but wore funny throughout, with funny block edges etc., stangely the blocks only finally looked OK again when replaced.

Only used BT020, 021s on the back.
BT020N lasted 4236
BT020Us lasted 4891 and 5321
BT021 lasted 5100.

Now running BT023s, rear went on in May, and front went on last week and not yet used, but have had very good reports everywhere including Manhattan M/Cycles in Sheffield where I buy them, who have had some really good reports from customers who find then significantly better than the 021, particularly the fronts. You could stick one of them on the back for now like I did.

On the ZX9R, which also needed new tyres at the same time, I went for Dunlops.
Couldn't decide between Roadsmart multi compound compound, which are really grippy sports tourers or Sportsmarts which are long lasting sports tyres.
In the end there were no 190 Sportsmarts in stock locally when I needed one, so went for Roadsmarts, and I am very impressed so far. Also behaved very well in the wet last night including a lot of standing water.
They grip very well in the dry on the 150bhp Kwack.

Reckon you will not go wrong with either of these on the Falco, or the Sportsmarts from what I hear.

As a final thought I hear that Bridgestone have re-introduced the BT014 as a cheaper sports tyre for people who do not do track days. If significantly cheaper they might be worth a try front and rear.
HowardQ

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flatlander
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#4 Post by flatlander » Fri Aug 05, 2011 6:01 am

Apparently the Dunlops areeant to be good at not squaring off and keeping the profile throughout the life of the tyre
For the avoidance of doubt and for the benefit of my wife, not everything I may say here will be absolutely true I may on ocassion embellish a little for effect.
That said when it comes to motorbikes, I like to ride side saddle with a nice frock

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#5 Post by D-Rider » Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:13 am

Sorry - lack of comment from me - no idea about these ..... mine is always Image shod.

Lovely :smt007
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flatlander
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Jut an idea

#6 Post by flatlander » Fri Aug 05, 2011 2:28 pm

Unless I can mix a battlax rear with a Michelin front I have a battlax part worn you can have if it is any use?
For the avoidance of doubt and for the benefit of my wife, not everything I may say here will be absolutely true I may on ocassion embellish a little for effect.
That said when it comes to motorbikes, I like to ride side saddle with a nice frock

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blinkey501
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#7 Post by blinkey501 » Fri Aug 05, 2011 6:19 pm

D-Rider wrote:Sorry - lack of comment from me - no idea about these ..... mine is always Image shod.

Lovely :smt007
never had pirelli tyres myself i really like the bridgestones, but never say never. i will try anything once you never know what might suit if you dont try others. i used to have metzelers in my early biking youth although the bikes i rode then only have a fraction of the power on tap of the falco :smt016
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#8 Post by D-Rider » Fri Aug 05, 2011 6:57 pm

I think that as tyres are:
  • a) only bought occasionally
    b) cost quite a lot of money
we tend to play cautiously and stick with what we know. The fear of moving to something that doesn't suit us or the bike or is just not as good as we are used to encourages us to "play safe".
Having dumped the OE fit Metzler mez3 things that were universally hated (not true of all Metzlers but those fitted to the Falco from new were truly diabolical), I went to Pirelli as a lot on the forum at that time raved about Diablos and Diablo Strada.
I started with Stradas, then went to Rossos (which were a great step up handling wise .... and the Stradas weren't lacking) and now I'm on Diablo Rosso Corsas which are very good. I've also picked up a set of Angel STs for the winter months. They're not fitted yet but they'll go on my less sporty rims and give me the option as to which tyres I run by just swapping wheels.

So I have tried different tyres but only felt confident to spend my hard cash with tyres within the same brand that I am used to ... back to my earlier points ....
“Scientists investigate that which already is. Engineers create that which has never been.”
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#9 Post by woodbutcher » Fri Aug 05, 2011 7:24 pm

Got roadsmarts on the cb 1300 cant fault them

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#10 Post by Nooj » Fri Aug 05, 2011 7:32 pm

I got fed up with 020's as they started to loose feel as they wore out (to me, at least) and would let go slightly without warning on greasy roads. After that I went with Corsa III's which seem to suit the bike really well. I then went to Z6's for a longer life and great performance in the wet, which I did indeed get. I now have a Z6 rear and a Corsa III front which work together well as both tyres are based on the same carcass, only the tread and compound are different, but not different enough to cause handling issues.

I might be in a position to experiment a bit now as I can't afford new tyres so will be looking for various part-worns to try out, or possibly new Maxxis rubber if I'm feeling affluent.
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#11 Post by Falconihlist » Fri Aug 05, 2011 7:45 pm

I have very limited experience of tyres on bikes full stop. I'm running Pirelli Diablo's at the moment, and if it wasn't for the fact that I had run them at about 20 psi they wouldn't be stepped. I've had no trouble with them at all, managing to run them through the winter and the great British summer. I will try something else, just to see what differences there are out there, but I have managed to get 5000 odd out of then so far, so I can't complain.
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#12 Post by MartDude » Fri Aug 05, 2011 8:15 pm

I've been very satisfied with the Michelin PR2's; done about 4,000 on them, they're lasting well, tho' the rear is beginning to show signs of squaring. Very confidence-inspiring in the wet; seem to warm up reasonably quickly; no grip issues (but I don't push as hard as some of you lot do).

The PR3's have been getting very good write-ups; I'll almost certainly change to those when these PR2's are due for replacement (probably the rear first, assuming the PR3 and PR2 are compatible)
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#13 Post by randomsquid » Fri Aug 05, 2011 8:18 pm

Just had a pair of Rosso IIs on the Falco. Were £230 ride in - ride out with some 90 degree gold valves thrown in. Feels fine up to yet but I'm being gentle with them.

Got Roadsmarts on the kwak and they're plenty for 60 odd hp.
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#14 Post by davidm » Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:57 pm

I've always been a Pirelli Fan. Currently got a set of Angel ST. They seem pretty good for most situations.

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#15 Post by woodbutcher » Sat Aug 06, 2011 10:07 am

Had the same experience as nooj with bridgestones found that they tended to go off as they wore out.

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