Tires, what are you using?

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wickedchop said:
I will and thanks......but regardless these tires are flat out DANGEROUS. They have no business on hard ridden sport oriented machines.
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Absolutely dude. The Pirellis I purchased were rock hard, slippery and would take FOREVER to warm up. They slipped out from under me while making a 5mph right turn. Dangerous is an understatement, those tires were out to kill me.
 
Glad you said it, I thought something was wrong with me, conditions or my machine this morning. First gear hairpins and hard 90 degrees......I.E. green light my direction, making hard rights and lefts was viscious, hard drive out was just as scary. These Pirelli's wanted me in one place and one place only....ON THE GROUND AND HURT!!!!!
 
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GregoXB said:
Look closer. The Pirellis that caused my low side had "Made in Germany" written in big letters, but, in small print and out of site, it said, "Made in China."
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As pissed off as I am right now, I did go out to my shop with an LED flash light and both garage doors open in broad daylight, put the machine up on race stands and looked. Mine ONLY say made in Germany, unfortunately they don't say made in China anywhere on either side.
 
buell248 said:
Just wanted to say thanks to Lunatic for hooking me up today with mounting and balance on my new Q3's. THANKS John!:up:
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gracious of you to mention me dave and was my pleasure. and now you know how an old-school pendulum style tire balancing machine works. was enjoyable doing that little project for you and you're a credit to the buell community dave.
 
Tires are such a personal choice, I run Michelin RP4 Standard, I was talked into running the GT version and do not like them. RP4 Standard have 2 ply side walls and 3 ply with one being aramid on the treads. Love this tire because it lasts 8Kmiles and sticks pretty good for intermediate riding. The GT version I only get about 4.5K and it does not stick, is too hard, not as stable, made for a heavy cruiser, Great if you like doing burnouts or donuts in the parking lot though, for riding it sucks.
 
They are a personal choice. Mileage and wear mean nothing to me at all, I would rather stick than slip any day of the week. I'd rather replace tires regularly than gear, motorcycle parts and trips to the E.R.......but I ride hard on the street when it's safe, not race track hard by any means but hard enough that I need maximum grip at all times. If your just cruising around like you say you do then yes you want all benefits from a tire including wear, so you don't really need race replica compounds and such.
 
I didn't realize people were having issues with their Pirellis. I love my Pirelli ROSSO IIs. I just put the rear on today. Scrubbed it in going up CA Highway 50 towards Lake Tahoe till about an hour ago. Loving the NorCal twisties.

I hit a nail in the front about 1K miles ago and upgraded from the Diabalo street. This set of tires hold a corner extremely well. I recommend the ROSSO 2. Nice, will not be my last set...

The tire I got was extremely sticky. I mean when I was carrying it under my arm it pulled my skin enough to bruise me when I tried to put it down. Wicked, there may have been a bad batch or knock-offs out there...
 
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Tbone said:
Tires are such a personal choice, I run Michelin RP4 Standard, I was talked into running the GT version and do not like them. RP4 Standard have 2 ply side walls and 3 ply with one being aramid on the treads. Love this tire because it lasts 8Kmiles and sticks pretty good for intermediate riding. The GT version I only get about 4.5K and it does not stick, is too hard, not as stable, made for a heavy cruiser, Great if you like doing burnouts or donuts in the parking lot though, for riding it sucks.
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Not doubting your experience with Michelin PR4 GT, TBone, but I've had pretty good grip with the GT version on my Uly. I'd say they grip as good as my Michelin PP3 on my SS and better than the SS in wet weather. I have taken some fast turns with steep lean angles and never felt any slip. I will add that the PR 4 rear tire did get a flat spot in the middle, but that was with 5,000 miles of mostly straight line riding with 4,000 on a XC ride. The only reason I changed them at 5,000 is because I'm going on another long ride. I might try the standard next tire change to see any difference.
 
Yes jl551c, let me(us) know? It appears that the RP4 GT version has some bias as well as radial plys. The standard version is all radial, and has more sidewall plies for the rear tire, not sure the difference on the front. The standard version is also cheaper than the GT version, I think by about $20, so to me it is almost like free mount and balance at cycle gear for the cost difference for a better and longer lasting tire. Also notice the standard version is made in Spain and the GT version is made in Brazil, so not sure if there is a material or manufacturing differences, standards, or something.... but i have read several posts that the Michelin's produced in Spain are a better tire? So far in my experience it also has been true. Also note I am an average rider, trying specifically to improve my cornering, still have chicken strips but they are getting smaller little by little.
 
Tbone said:
Yes jl551c, let me(us) know? It appears that the RP4 GT version has some bias as well as radial plys. The standard version is all radial, and has more sidewall plies for the rear tire, not sure the difference on the front. The standard version is also cheaper than the GT version, I think by about $20, so to me it is almost like free mount and balance at cycle gear for the cost difference for a better and longer lasting tire. Also notice the standard version is made in Spain and the GT version is made in Brazil, so not sure if there is a material or manufacturing differences, standards, or something.... but i have read several posts that the Michelin's produced in Spain are a better tire? So far in my experience it also has been true. Also note I am an average rider, trying specifically to improve my cornering, still have chicken strips but they are getting smaller little by little.
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Hopefully I can get enough ride time this summer to put my 2nd GT to the test. I'll be sure to check out the standard next. My front GT still looks brand new! When I bought the GT's I was under the impression that they were for heavier bikes. I'm over 200 plus I had all my gear for a XC ride. Still, the middle flattened out somewhat. I'll monitor and post results.
 
I was thinking about getting a set of Pirelli Angel GT. Anyone have any experience with these? Started commuting 120 miles a day and I need a set that will give me more miles.
 

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