tires? help me pick!!!!!

ok so i have a few tires in mind and cant make up my mind.

first a little history,

the wife rides the fz (8,000miles), i ride a 1050 tiger (4,100miles), we both ride to work alot and do some touring/aimless wandering on our days off. i get on the highway more than she (read iron butt )

on the fz- it had the stock bt020's when we got it, the rear didnt have much left so i had a diablo ( i belive to be a standerd diablo, not a strada ect.) the diablo works well just wearing out WAY to fast. the front b020 works well enogh just dont care for it all that much and is started cupping farily good

the tiger came with pilot powers on it and i like them well they have yet to really let me down, but i know there is better grip to be had i have just over 4000 miles and they are just under half i would say.

neither of us babies the bikes but we dont do track days or push extremely hard on the street. both bikes have the same size too.. mine dont need them right away but hers needs them soon..

the tires i am currently looking at are

bt016

87 f
114 r

pilot road (what i currently have on the tiger)

97 f
124 r

pilot road 2 (the ones i am going for the most )
117 f
148 r


prices are through a local dealer minus tax and mount, mount is like 25 ea on the bike and 35 off the bike, (yes the numbers are right, they charge more if you bring in just wheels, they like to look at the bike (brakes ect.) when they do tires to be sure your "safe" on the roads, and if they dont mount them on the bike they cant garuntee them.)

post them thoughts guys/ gals

Hey bigdog. Well on my FZ6 I decided to go with the Pirelli Diablo Stradas for both the front and rear. I did my research for about a month before making up my mind. If you guys are treating them as daily riders and aren't doing track days, I believe these tires to be the perfect fit. I ride to work everyday and also do a lot of highway/street riding on the weekends and needed a longer lasting tire. (I'm a bit of a penny pincher) A couple days after installing the Stradas I went on a 2 week long 3,800 mile road trip. I even took them on the Dragon's Tail. The grip was excellent! I was dragging my footpegs and the tires held strong. We were rained on just about everyday and I didn't have a single "oh crap" moment. After the trip there's barely any sign of a flat spot. The only down side is a little bit of road noise from the aggressive tread but you really have to listen for it. For your applications I recommend the Strada. I found them to be the cheapest on kneedraggers.com :thumbup: I have pics from the trip on my thread ROAD TRIP Good luck man!

Get the 016 for sure. They rock and are super cheap.

Wavex said:

Get the 016 for sure. They rock and are super cheap.

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+1 if you want to lean the bike at speed. If you want longevity, go for the roads or the road 2s.

These tires are intended for different things...not really in the same class.

I ran Qualifiers - they are awesome tires.

With that said, I've just gotten a pair of BT-016's and I love them. I've put over 200 miles so far, but NOBODY has given a bad review. I'm not sure how long they'll last though.

For you purposes, sounds like you might want the Dunlop Roadsmarts. I rode behind a guy with them on his Honda ST and he was doing some serious leaning on those. Naturally I hang off the bike and had no problem keeping up with new tires, but he was movin' (read: 60mph in twisties). Those seem better suited for your type of riding.

I love my Pilot Road 2ct. Close to 3k miles and they look new. I ride straight highway to/from work and I didn't want them getting flat spots. No complaints and plenty of grip for the weekends.

Hello everybody

I put 2 Michelin Pilot Road 2CT on my FZ6 two months ago, and I'm very pleased. I made 1500 km (about 1000 miles) with them, and even I driving quite hard, they seem to be like new.
Grip is good on straight lines and even better on curves. Be carrefull on first rounds, they slip a little when they are cold, more than BT016, I think the best tyres I ever try on a FZ6 (a friend of mine has put two of them on is bike, it's absolutely awesome, the grip is unbelievable compare to... all I ever seen!!!). But what about the durability of the BT016 ? I don't know, but usually miracles don't exist : the better is the grip, the worst is the life time

So for a normal / sport use, I recommend you the new Pilot Road 2CT, It seems to have very good durability on the middle of the tyre, but also very good good grip (but not the best) when you turn.

Nice ride

Have you looked at the Metzeler Roadtec Z6? Great tires, if a little pricey. These are OEM on BMWs, if that helps any...

Well-known for longevity and grip. Link to info: METZELER - Roadtec Z6 Concept

Give the Bridgestone BT-021 some strong consideration. I have put a few thousand miles on a used set and have been very satisfied and confident with the performance and mileage.
You can get a pair of them for under $250 shipped.

i have road 2's and for what u describe they will be fine. just dont lean too far in the first 15 minutes of riding.

and be wary in the rain. especially when they are cold. i got used to pilot power 2's and the road 2's in the rain do slide around a bit more especially when cold. not alot. but more than the pilot power 2's

I've had the road 2's about 2 months and love them I commute everyday and hit the mountains when I can.

+1 on the Pirelli Diablo Stradas, from what you describe as the riding habits. I've been on mine for over a year now at a, well, "brisk" or "sometimes stupid" pace, and both the wear and grip in rain or sun has been fantastic for everything I've wanted to do.

The bt016s will give you better ultimate grip in the dry, but you'll be replacing it probably sooner than you'd like.

I've got 2 in college, so I too have to be a bit of a penny pincher.

For this bike, I'll put these Stradas on again when needed.

My .02

Good luck

Cali rider said:

Give the Bridgestone BT-021 some strong consideration. I have put a few thousand miles on a used set and have been very satisfied and confident with the performance and mileage.
You can get a pair of them for under $250 shipped.

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I'm a repeat user of the BT-021's. Getting a new back tire tomorrow . They've given me great mileage and I've eaten pegs with no stalks on them....They're a multi-compound...

Cliff

Re: tires? help me pick!! had to pick today

well didnt have much of a choice on the tire situation, as we rode a bit yesterday and found the rear to be worse off than guesstimated,:spank: this dont hurt my feelings too bad as the rear is shot and i dont like the front anymore, still works ok just is cupping good ..

i couldent wait for the pr2's like i wanted so we got what we could on a few days notice. she will have some bt021's when they get in.. will post up again with pics after we pick it up and get some miles on them. looks like the price will be about 250 out the door, bought, mounted and everything..



pics of the old stock bt 020 front and a regular diablo on ther rear the front has about 8,000 miles and the rear might have 4,000

Re: tires? help me pick!! had to pick today

bigdog9191999 said:

well didnt have much of a choice on the tire situation, as we rode a bit yesterday and found the rear to be worse off than guesstimated,:spank: this dont hurt my feelings too bad as the rear is shot and i dont like the front anymore, still works ok just is cupping good ..

i couldent wait for the pr2's like i wanted so we got what we could on a few days notice. she will have some bt021's when they get in.. will post up again with pics after we pick it up and get some miles on them. looks like the price will be about 250 out the door, bought, mounted and everything..



pics of the old stock bt 020 front and a regular diablo on ther rear the front has about 8,000 miles and the rear might have 4,000

Click to expand...

Had those 020's when I bought my bike new and I think the front tire tread design helps lend itself to cupping. Switched to the 021's and it made a big difference. Got my rear tire replaced and scrubbed it in yesterday. Even brand new the rear was not as slippery as you'd expect. Was always waiting for a little slip while scrubbing in but it never let loose.

Good luck on your decision. There are obviously a lot of really great tires to choose from.

Cliff

Had the BT 021's on now for over 16 months can really recommend these tyres. Just replaced the front, done over 8,000 miles on the back.

The following info taken from the Bridgestone web site.

* Sport touring radial design for touring-oriented riders
* The “luxury feel” is provided by the combined advantages of both sport and touring tires
* Front and rear pattern designed to provide good shock absorption with less vibration and noise to minimize fatigue on long rides
* Rear tire features a dual-tread compound with a Cap Base construction, which provides mileage from the center compound and grip from the shoulder compound, while enhancing tread stiffness for better grip, shock absorption and all-weather performance
* Blackwall; tubeless design
* W-rated for speeds up to 168 mph

well we got the bike back with the 21's and they look and ride well.. and at 273 headed down the road i cant complain too bad.. so far they ride very well. on highway, rough back roads and in general.. the grip so far is good and will get better as they are scrubed in.. updates on milage ect. to come.. for those that dont know here they are.. stock photos will get some on the bike in a day or three.

Hi. Has anyone tried the Bridgestone 003 tires ?

I've had 2 sets of Pilot Powers and a currently a set of Road 2CTs. I averaged 7-8K miles out of a Pilot Power rear and 10K out of a front. The Road 2CTs seem to be holding up better without "squaring" as much as the Pilots. Even when worn to nothing, the Pilots still held a line with predictable feel. I commute 70 miles a day, rain or shine and I'd ride on nothing less than a Michelin.

About the 2ct's, I never had any issues about the tires starting to square off, even after 16,000 miles. Still had plenty of tread left, but picked up a nail in my rear tire, so I got a fresh set. As far as my stock Dunlops, they did start to sqaure up.