Tire talk

[P3_techman]

Well, Forum. It's finally time to replace my Sportlax Q2s. That being said I have been doing research into what kinda new shoes I wanna get for my 1125, and have narrowed it down to three:

Michelin Power Pure 2CTs - From my experience with them on my XB9SX. Awe-inspiring grip all the way to the
edge, crack-head fast steering, good feedback in a corner, and OK wet grip.

Pirelli Diablo Rosso IIs - From the reviews I have read they seem do about the same as the Michelins but with
slightly longer tread life. Not to mention Erik put Pirellis on his bikes OEM, so they can't be a bad match to
our bikes. This one just seems to stand out above all the others in it's performance and pricing.

Metzler Sportec M5 Interacts - Reviews are the best of any tire I saw, and honestly I was a bit surprised. Never
heard anyone ranting and raving about this tire or really anything from Metzler on here before. Reviews
say they have excellent wet grip, longer tread life, and still offer a very high traction cornering experience.
There was even someone with an XB12R in the reviews saying how great they are.


First off, I ride a lot. Almost constantly. About 2 weeks ago I was at 5200 odo. Now I am at 64 and some change. Much of that is cruising, but at least 200-300 is in the twisties at steeper lean angles (Hawaiian mountain roads) and a few high speed interstate jaunts. That being said it also rains here ALOT, the roads are wet and cold and then like 3 or 4 hours later it is 80 degrees and the roads and you are absolutely baking hot and perfectly dry. There are a fair amount of "marbles" and ridiculous amounts of potholes to dodge on the roads around here as well. The roads generally suck, honestly. Save for a select few.

So my question is; what tire would you suggest, Forum? What experience(s) have you had with one or more of those, and why would you suggest/discourage getting them based on my riding? Do you have any more to add to my list? Give me your $0.02, Forum.

 

[thrstrmech]

ran Dunlop stock D207, moved onto D208, next D220, next the Roadsmart II's, now running Shinko Raven's 009, Metzler was my choice tire when I had my Can-O-tuna back in the day, don't remember the other brands on previous bikes...for wear and wet handling, the D220's and the Roadsmarts were awesome here in SoCal...still feeling out the Shinko's though I've already put 12k on my first set, front tire still has lots of meat and the back is due for a new one...haven't tried the other sport tires cause I commute on my XB9S daily, so my $$$ goes to dual compounds.

 

[dannenvance]

I just bought a set of Shinko Verge(s) and I love 'em. Two enthusiastic thumbs-up. They're a touring compound though, not an aggressive sport grip. That said, I'm not an aggressive rider and I feel WAY more confident on these tires than my stock Scorpions plus you'll get good mileage. The reviews are all super good. There's my $.02.
Good luck w/ whatever you go with.

 

[nikfleisch]

Michelin Pilot Power 2Ct's - Whats I'm currently running, love the grip and way they feel.

 

[P3_techman]

Michelin Pilot Power 2Ct's - Whats I'm currently running, love the grip and way they feel.

What bike do you have them on?

I'm worried that aggressive riding with those on my 1125 will make them wear out in about 2k miles, which is probably only about 2 months or so of riding for me.

 

[Loki]

I'm worried that aggressive riding with those on my 1125 will make them wear out in about 2k miles, which is probably only about 2 months or so of riding for me.

Yeah mine didnt last more then 2k and they didnt warm up evenly so you would feel iffy in the leans but the tire shape seems to have a drop off edge. I wont buy again. I even ran them on the track and quickly took them off.

 

[P3_techman]

Yeah, my friend had them on his S1000RR and said the same thing. I never noticed it on my XB though. They were the perfect tires for that thing.

What do you run now?

 

[buzzhead8189]

I have had Continental Road Attack 2's for several thousand miles. All flat and straight Iowa riding and they still look almost brand new. LOVE THEM! I am a firm believer in their 'Traction Skin.' More traction than I am comfortable using and they seem as though they are going to last quite a while.

 

[Theycallmecrash]

So far my favorites are the pirelli angel STs my front lasted 8k and my rear almost 6k very very hard miles on it. Never once did that tire step out on me. The bridgstone bt016s im running now break traction all day unless i run the rear pressure uder 30psi. Oh yeah xb12

 

[P3_techman]

Squidbuellie, that safety looks old, but are you in Hawaii?

 

[icecoldcoasty]

im running the metzler z6 interact and love them. they are a multiple compound tread so they are sticky on the sides and wear great on the center. im a pretty aggressive rider im heavy on the throttle and hard on the breaks and really lean in the turns and so far theses tires are great. i live in alabama and recently it has been 38-45 F in the mornings and around 70-80 in the afternoon and these tires warm up and stick like glue. rode a little in the rain and also had no issues or anything to complain about. I dont ride aggressive in the rain but never once lacked in confidence cornering or slowing down. if they got a nail or defect i would buy another set. my 2 cents i know not alot of people run metzlers but ive run all brands on differnt bikes and i cant say any bad about the metzlers

 

[nikfleisch]

I have them on my 9r, twp runs them on his 1125 I know.

 

[kelley386racer]

Pirelli angel st. Had them on my RC51 and would pull power wheelies in the rain at any angle. Never had them break out on me and sold the bike before I wore them out. They are going on my XB12 soon. The wear was nice and even and warm up quick. Very predictable.

 

[P3_techman]

This is awesome Information, please keep it coming!

Please specify what bike you had/have the tires on though, every bike has different demands.

 

[vance580]

I run Pirelli Angels on my 1125. Haven't had them long but have heard a lot of good things about them. A few guys I know run them on their liter bikes and have gotten decent mileage with them. A constantly overlooked tire I think is the Dunlop Roadsmart 2's. I run these on my XB and have rode in all kinds of weather and they are awesome tires. I ran a set to the cords and they always gripped. They heat up quick even in 30 degree weather and channel though all kinds of storms. I got about 8-9000 out of my rear and about 11000 out of my front. They do flat spot if you do a lot of straight commuting but it never affected how I corner.

 

[thrstrmech]

[up][up][up]Dunlop RoadSmart II's, going back to them on the next set, have it written down somewhere about how many miles I got out of the last set, think it was 8-9k, going to have to find it now

 

[P3_techman]

I ended up going with the Pures.

I originally planned to put the Metzelers on there as they seemed to be basically the same tire with longer tread life. Then, found out that you can ship tires to Hawaii. So I ended up paying double what I was going to get them off the internet for a set of Pures on sale. Incredible tire though.