tire shopping

[rakhan]

I need a new rear tire the white stripes are starting to show so I am looking to buying a new one. The idea being the best bang for the buck. This is the first time changing tires since I bought the bike so very new to me. ON my car i normally run tires down to the wire but on a bike that may be frowned upon lol

How is this tire as far as quality and price
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Michelin-Pilot-Power-Sport-Radial/dp/B000GV8VDG]Amazon.com: Michelin Pilot Power Sport Radial Rear Tire - 180/55-17 67624: Automotive[/ame]

Also how much can i safely ride on my current tire with the white line showing up?

 

[ChevyFazer]

What white line are you referring too? And if your looking for best bang for your buck tire, IMHO there is no other choice than the shinko raven 009's

 

[rakhan]

sweet that looks even better. The white lines im referring to are some sort of stripping down the middle of the tires that is underneath the rubber, i would imagine it is some sort of warning line. Ill take a pic an post it up.

 

[Motogiro]

sweet that looks even better. The white lines im referring to are some sort of stripping down the middle of the tires that is underneath the rubber, i would imagine it is some sort of warning line. Ill take a pic an post it up.

:rof: I don't think that's a warning! That sounds like the thread. Under the rubber is thread, Under the thread is air. LOL! Stop riding on the tire! :rof: You are miles under the warning markers that tell you to change the tire. Well they don't actually tell you. You have to look at them. Go look at the side wall of a motorcycle tire and you will see little triangle arrows that point to where the tread wear indicators are. It sounds like you're far past that...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVfPiwa35zU]Motorcycle Maintenance & Accessories : How Long Do Motorcycle Tires Last? - YouTube[/ame]

This is not a wear indicator. It is a tire ready to fail.

 

[Dave.TX]

Reminds me of the old maypop tires. :spank:

I found this deal at Chaparral. They're Bridgestone BT023 and from what I've read very comparable to Metzeler Z6 and Michilin Road Pilot 2, just less expensive.

I have Shinko 011 Verge tires on mine right now. After 6,000 the rear is squaring off (but no wear stripes visible ) but still riding nicely. Shinko's are very inexpensive but seem to be pretty decent quality. It's what is on my bike when I bought it. I can remember following a Honda CBR600RR around some sweeping corners at over 90mph and keeping up with him, leaning pretty good. Not bad for a sport touring tire.

It sounds to me like you don't care what's on your bike as long as it's cheap and someone says it's a good tire. Go find some used takeoffs if that's the case. You'll prolly find them really cheap.

 

[LCR]

For someone like you get take offs. $50 for a rear that will last 2000miles

 

[beekerfz]

You really should NEVER let a tire wear out like that fast and dangerious is one thing but thats !@#!@# STUPID Shinko is good bang 4 the buck Pirrelli Angel excellent tire wear and traction wise. When u take that tire off look at how little rubber there is left scary man I work at a shop and see this**** all the time must admit I probably break the law once in a while on my bike but always have good tires!!!!!! :rockon::rockon:

 

[FB400]

I will refrain from laughter as I see alot of that already going on here.

You need a new rear tire dude. Actually you needed one a thousand miles ago.

If you want something that is going to perform really well and give you 12,000+ miles I would recommend the Pilot Road 2. I have 10,500 miles on mine and honestly it looks like I could go at least 4 k more. PLENTY of tread left. Not even close to reaching the (real, Lol) tread warning indicators.

 

[FinalImpact]

Ya - in the auto world that's a MAYPOP - in this realm - MAYDIE. . . .

Way beyond its wear limits. . . Yikes!

 

[Motogiro]

Ya - in the auto world that's a MAYPOP - in this realm - MAYDIE. . . .

Way beyond its wear limits. . . Yikes!

LOL! I remember Maypop tires! Maypop tires came on the old 'Rolls Canardly'. Rolls down the hill Canarldy get up on Maypop Maynot tires!

 

[rakhan]

OK thank you every, yeah I feel pretty dumb now haha:rockon:

Bike is parked until I get a new tire. What are these take off tires mentioned. Are they used tires from track days? If so that doesn't sound appealing I want something with at least some reliability and performance lol. I think right now I will just pick either the shinko or the Bridgestone BT-023.

 

[Motogiro]

OK thank you every, yeah I feel pretty dumb now haha:rockon:

Bike is parked until I get a new tire. What are these take off tires mentioned. Are they used tires from track days? If so that doesn't sound appealing I want something with at least some reliability and performance lol. I think right now I will just pick either the shinko or the Bridgestone BT-023.

Sorry man I don't want you to feel anything other than educated with a big smile on your face while enjoying that great bike!
Also remember to gear up! :rockon:

 

[Kazza]

OMG, get off the road!

I think you might need tyres pretty urgently.....



We're laughing with you not at you but you could have come a cropper big time with tyres like that.... glad you're not hurt and you're off the road until you get a new tyre

 

[LCR]

OK thank you every, yeah I feel pretty dumb now haha:rockon:

Bike is parked until I get a new tire. What are these take off tires mentioned. Are they used tires from track days? If so that doesn't sound appealing I want something with at least some reliability and performance lol. I think right now I will just pick either the shinko or the Bridgestone BT-023.

Absolutely nothing wrong with take offs I run them on everything from the 250 to my GSX-R 750. Reliability and performance are NOT sacrificed or an issue.

 

[rakhan]

ok so what exactly are take offs and where do i get them?

 

[Fishwiz4]

take offs are tires that somebody used for a short period of time on the track, and have removed them because they do not have quite as much traction left in them as they did when they were new. they still have way more traction in the rubber than anyone should need on the street.

as far as where to get them.... i'm not really sure.

as for getting tires for yourself, i would think you would be better getting some good tires new. correct me if i am wrong people... but most take offs would not be very good all around tires, and would be poor in rain and may tend to square off if used on straight roads since the tires are designed to be used in a setting that requires allot of lean. they also will tend to be very sticky tires witch corresponds to shorter life (but they can be cheap enough to offset this fact).

hope that clears it up a little. also, i have never used or bought them myself so i hope somebody corrects me if i said something that is incorrect. sorry for the long post.

 

[LCR]

For someone like you it's better to just buy sport touring tires and be done with it, if you never plan on taking the bike to the track than doing crazy (stupid) speeds on the street than you'll be fine.


But to answer the question, All depends on what you get. Street tires are plenty capable to run fast times on the track and plenty of people (at least here in Texas use them) for the track. Full race tires are a different story and don't really do good in the rain, they have no silica in them which from my understanding helps alot for wet traction. They are slick when cold and don't last for anything.

The reason people quit using them on the track is 1. they are gone on the sides meaning that they are at or past the wear bars. 2. the chemical compound has changed from repeated heating and cooling (heat cycles) and they no longer stick like someone needs to on the track. This ONLY applies to race compound tires NOT street tires.

The rear tire on my GSXR-750 right now is a race compound take off with a bald left side and been through way to many heat cycles but on the street it still grips. I was doing some 120+mph twisites and some full throttle and it gripped without complaint. However Im probably only going to get ~500-800 miles out of it.

Here's an example of race take offs these ones retail for about $500 and he's selling a set for 150 installed. however you'd be lucky to get 2-3K out of that rear depending on compound and they would be slick as all hell when cold.
TIRES-- Sportbikes---Dunlop D209 & D211 $150/set INSTALLED

As I said just drop the money on a good BT-023 or Pilot road 3. I only brought up take offs because I didn't know your riding style at the time.

 

[rakhan]

Ok thank you yeah take offs don't seem to be that great of a deal for what they are. And your right my riding style is just driving around town, and the occasional back country spirited ride through the twisties. sport touring tires should grip plenty for what i need. It looks like Im going to either go with the shinko or the PR2. I know the PR2 is probably a lot better.

 

[ChevyFazer]

It looks like Im going to either go with the shinko or the PR2. I know the PR2 is probably a lot better.

don't let the price fool you about their quality. I can get about 12,000 out of a rear and about 18,000 out of a front, and they still have plenty of grip. I'm still no where near being able to push my bike to its limits, but at the same time I've yet to be passed by a faster rider on blood mountain (home of Georgia's dragon) I have 100% confidence in the shinkos ability to grip when warm because I know how hard I have pushed them, if they are not up to temp they can and will break away with no warning when being pushed. That's the only bad thing I have to say about them, the pierelli's I had before would at least push a little before the give way. As much as I rave about the shinkos and their price, I'm coming up on needing a set and I think I'm going to try one of the name brand sport touring tires so I can get a better comparison, since when I had the pierelli's I had just got the bike and by the time I was getting used to it I needed new tires.

 

[Josh1466]

I'd look at Continental Conti Motion tires as well. I put a set on my FZ at the end of last season and I really like them so far. They're cheap and handle well, but I don't have enough time on them to judge how long they'll last. So far they seem durable though, as a sport touring tire they should last longer than a more aggressive tire.