Hollywood416
Junior Member
Had the new Stone's mounted up at my local cycle gear Thursday before last. Now they have a little over 1000 miles so I figured it's good time for a review. First thing I will say was while they were being balanced the quality of both the tires and the Yamaha wheels was evident. Rear took no weight at all to balance out and the front only took 1/4 ounce.
Once I got them on the bike and scrubbed in it was time to hit the mountains. First thing I noticed was the difference in handling from the 020 Sport Touring tire to the 016 SuperSport. The 020 IMHO handled better at parking lot speed being a little more "stable" but I am sure it will be better once I get used to the much more aggressive profile of the 016. At any kind of speed however from 20mph switchbacks to 70mph sweepers the 016 are absolutely AWESOME! Turn in is much easier, there is much less bar input needed to make the same turns with the 016. Almost have to be a little careful as they will dive off into a corner if you just "think" about it. :rockon:
The grip compared to the 020 is spectacular. Once I was feeling a little comfortable on the new rubber I started to push them to see just how far I could go.....I was unable to find their limitations. The triple compound on the rear just continues to grip no matter what. Being the first warm weekend of the year in the mountains a few of the roads were still rough with gravel and dirt from the snowfall and melt. Even under some of the worst conditions I have ridden they remained very stable. A few times they did step out just a bit but as quickly as they started they found another band of compound or better asphalt and gripped right back. If you weren't aware you'd never even notice they had missed a beat. Traction in all the bamds from center out is better than the 020 even the center strip. I rolled the throttle down leaving the house the second day and wound first out and shifted 2nd at WOT it brought the front up about the height the windscreen would normally be and carried it until I shifted into 3rd.....never ever did that with the 020 and I weigh 250lb. Only time will tell what that means for longevity but as long as I get 6000 miles I won't complain a bit and will buy them again.
Didn't get to ride them in the rain but did hit a few wet spots in the shade of the moutains and they performed as if it was dry even in the corners.They also get up to good temp twice as fast as the 020.
The only negative thing I can say right now is under very heavy braking the rear seems to break loose a little easier than the 020 but the front holds strong even in an emergency which I had twice over my 800 mile mountain weekend.
Overall they get five out of five stars in my book for everyday riding and tearing up the moutains on the weekends. If I didn't have so many tight twisties close to home I would probably look harder at the 021 but for what I do and where I ride the 016 is a perfect balance. :thumbup::thumbup:
Once I got them on the bike and scrubbed in it was time to hit the mountains. First thing I noticed was the difference in handling from the 020 Sport Touring tire to the 016 SuperSport. The 020 IMHO handled better at parking lot speed being a little more "stable" but I am sure it will be better once I get used to the much more aggressive profile of the 016. At any kind of speed however from 20mph switchbacks to 70mph sweepers the 016 are absolutely AWESOME! Turn in is much easier, there is much less bar input needed to make the same turns with the 016. Almost have to be a little careful as they will dive off into a corner if you just "think" about it. :rockon:
The grip compared to the 020 is spectacular. Once I was feeling a little comfortable on the new rubber I started to push them to see just how far I could go.....I was unable to find their limitations. The triple compound on the rear just continues to grip no matter what. Being the first warm weekend of the year in the mountains a few of the roads were still rough with gravel and dirt from the snowfall and melt. Even under some of the worst conditions I have ridden they remained very stable. A few times they did step out just a bit but as quickly as they started they found another band of compound or better asphalt and gripped right back. If you weren't aware you'd never even notice they had missed a beat. Traction in all the bamds from center out is better than the 020 even the center strip. I rolled the throttle down leaving the house the second day and wound first out and shifted 2nd at WOT it brought the front up about the height the windscreen would normally be and carried it until I shifted into 3rd.....never ever did that with the 020 and I weigh 250lb. Only time will tell what that means for longevity but as long as I get 6000 miles I won't complain a bit and will buy them again.
Didn't get to ride them in the rain but did hit a few wet spots in the shade of the moutains and they performed as if it was dry even in the corners.They also get up to good temp twice as fast as the 020.
The only negative thing I can say right now is under very heavy braking the rear seems to break loose a little easier than the 020 but the front holds strong even in an emergency which I had twice over my 800 mile mountain weekend.
Overall they get five out of five stars in my book for everyday riding and tearing up the moutains on the weekends. If I didn't have so many tight twisties close to home I would probably look harder at the 021 but for what I do and where I ride the 016 is a perfect balance. :thumbup::thumbup:
