Bridgestone BT021's in the wet

[tedrogers]

Bridgestone BT021's in the wet (sorry I mean BT020's)!

Hi all,

I just bought my first big bike and so pleased I went with a spanking new 2009 FZ6 S2 ABS model. I've been riding a geared bike for about 3 months. Did the whole CBT, buy 125cc, DAS, buy 600cc thing.

Breaking it in at the moment, getting used to the bike and not even had it's first service.

Was out in the damp the other day though, the tyres should have had the release agent scrubbed off as I had done well over 70 miles on them, coming out of a roundabout and put some power on and the back end came out.

Fortunately I didn't panic and just eased off the gas. Braking hard, especially on the front, would have been the worst thing to do I know that much!

But now I have lost faith in how much grip the Bridgestone BT021's will give me and I ride very pensively in the wet, which lets face it, is most of the time with the summer we are having.

So, I know I must exercise caution in the wet, but how much caution? Right now I'm being caught by cars at every bend / turn and leaving them behind in a straight line.

Advice anyone?

Thanks.

----------------------------

EDIT:

Just like to add here that the tyres are actually BT020's. This was a mistake on my part and changes things slightly.

 

[SANGER_A2]

Hi all,

I just bought my first big bike and so pleased I went with a spanking new 2009 FZ6 S2 ABS model. I've been riding a geared bike for about 3 months. Did the whole CBT, buy 125cc, DAS, buy 600cc thing.

Breaking it in at the moment, getting used to the bike and not even had it's first service.

Was out in the damp the other day though, the tyres should have had the release agent scrubbed off as I had done well over 70 miles on them, coming out of a roundabout and put some power on and the back end came out.

Fortunately I didn't panic and just eased off the gas. Braking hard, especially on the front, would have been the worst thing to do I know that much!

But now I have lost faith in how much grip the Bridgestone BT021's will give me and I ride very pensively in the wet, which lets face it, is most of the time with the summer we are having.

So, I know I must exercise caution in the wet, but how much caution? Right now I'm being caught by cars at every bend / turn and leaving them behind in a straight line.

Advice anyone?

Thanks.

I came off my first bike at a roundabout in the wet so it made me totally paranoid. Okay they were off-road motocross tyres and I was dumb enough to pull in the clutch, but it still makes me very nervous. I've ridden a hell of a lot in the rain and I do ride slower and I accelerate, turn and brake more gradually. I've still had the back end slide a few times though.

If you mix rain with any lean angle and gravel, deisel or worst of all a drain cover - you get slide. If you're lucky, the wheel will slide off it, hit some concrete it can grip onto and you'll carry on with your heart in your mouth. I think experience helps, but only so much. I don't trust myself or the bike or the tyres in the wet as much as in the dry. Especially with some of the awful road surfaces we get. Also, above 80, hit a deepish puddle and the bike will aqua-plane (this is without lean - with lean, you'd be off the road and in a ditch)- I know from experience!

This comes off kind of like a rant. And it is really. I hate the rain, hate riding in it and hate having to have winter and summer gear. But it still doesn't stop me riding in it all year round. I still do it, just slower on corners and much smoother and slower with turning, breaking and accelerating. <-- The bit in bold there is the only useful part of my post. Feel free to ignore the rest!

 

[Motogiro]

BT-021's work great for me. Even on dry surface,at intersections, and corners I ride with a good respect for what awaits. Debris, oil, sand/ gravel and anything you can imagine to catch you by surprise, leaking and spilling out of other vehicles. Add some wet and you got a real adventure.

I use the BT-21's pretty aggressively and find that when they are warm they really stick past the limit of the bikes capability.

I think as Sanger said that lean with water and whatever is going to produce pretty much the same results.

I know the tire is a great tire and I've bought my second set.

Have Fun
Cliff

 

[tedrogers]

Thanks for that...so I am doing the right thing.

It's hard getting used to keeping power on in a bend when there is a problem, learning not to snatch at the brakes too much (but also "just enough"), but like you say all of this will come with experience.

The best advice is just do everything smoothly I suppose.

 

[grommit]

The tyres must be warm to work.

They will take longer to warm up in the wet.



Fit frame sliders and wear the right gear.

 

[DaveK]

70 miles might not be enough to have them fully scrubbed in. 100 odd is better. Its not the tyres, I have BT021's now and they are incredible, love em to bits. Grip better, last longer and "feel" better than the 020's imho

ride safe

 

[tedrogers]

Re: Bridgestone BT021's in the wet [edit: actually their BT020's]!!

70 miles might not be enough to have them fully scrubbed in. 100 odd is better. Its not the tyres, I have BT021's now and they are incredible, love em to bits. Grip better, last longer and "feel" better than the 020's imho

ride safe

Apologies for this everyone, but I originally posted this when I was away from the bike, and when I got the chance I checked and the tyres are BT020's and NOT BT021's.

...would this explain the slippage / lack of grip?

 

[Jez]

Damp conditions + roundabout = diesel spills, most likely.

It's been dry here for almost 2 weeks, and then we got a 20 minute shower yesterday. I was out on the bike and got caught in it. Complete nightmare - it was like riding on ice, the road surface was so greasy. I twitched the rear wheel out twice on corners even at slow speed. Checked the tyre for diesel when I stopped, but it was clean.

Anyway, it poured in the night, and this morning I rode back in a steady downpour. Grip was so much better than the day before. They say it takes 30 minutes of heavy rain to wash all the contaminants off the road surface, and then you should have about 80% grip of dry tarmac.

I'm using Dunlop Sportmax Qualifiers, incidentally. They seem very good for grip normally.

 

[alanrim]

Re: Bridgestone BT021's in the wet [edit: actually their BT020's]!!

Apologies for this everyone, but I originally posted this when I was away from the bike, and when I got the chance I checked and the tyres are BT020's and NOT BT021's.

...would this explain the slippage / lack of grip?

The BT020 is going to be about as good as the BT021 in the wet as you keep the bike more upright so are likely to not be on the softest bit of the BT021.

The FZ can put down a lot of power so just take it easy, let the tyres get a few more miles on them and you will be fine.

 

[SANGER_A2]

BT-021's work great for me.

I forgot that in my rant I didn't actually answer your question. I've had Bridgestones or upgraded to Bridgestones on all of my bikes (usually from Dunlops etc) and they have been great, Excellent mix of very high quality and price.

Bridgestones are also (including the FZ6 tyres) great in the dry. I haven't noticed they are any better or worse than any other brands of tyres in the wet. I don't push them in the wet. I find I'm actually more confident with extreme lean angles on my old GPZ500S than the FZ6 - this may be due to the heavier weight and taller seat etc.

Something else I forgot to add previously, I try to avoid breaking ON bends unless in an emergency. Leaning & braking at the same time increases the chances of losing grip and accidents happening. It's best to break BEFORE a bend in any vehicle! This is hugely more important in the wet!!!

 

[lonesoldier84]

guy died near where i live on a bike doing 50kph in the rain. he rode over a sewer and it washed his front end out i think pretty much immediately.

dangers in the rain are plentiful. Riding carefully is always advised. on a racetrack you have assurances there wont be miscellaneous dangers....on the roads, not so much.

 

[tedrogers]

Another thing I must add here is that as the bike is brand new and I had a checklist on delivery for the whole bike, I assumed everything was as it should be. This is stupid and I can't believe I fell into the trap.

So, this morning I checked the tyre pressures and the rear was well over inflated. It was setup for a person almost twice my weight! I only weight 75kg in all my gear, so I put the tyre pressure to what it should be.

Hopefully this should make a difference too.

 

[ClarkFZ6]

I had the BT 021s on my 08 FZ6 when I bought it a year ago. I've since put 12500 miles on it riding in all weathers. The tyres stood up really well, I managed 10000 miles from them. I never had any issues in the wet - maybe because I was a new rider and was being cautious anyway. I never risk anything stupid in the wet, always brake early and lean off the bike slightly to keep it more upright round corners. I've now got a set of Supermaxxis Sport Touring tyres and they seem good so far, although haven't put too many wet miles on them.

Ride safe.

 

[segue00]

Another thing I must add here is that as the bike is brand new and I had a checklist on delivery for the whole bike, I assumed everything was as it should be. This is stupid and I can't believe I fell into the trap.

So, this morning I checked the tyre pressures and the rear was well over inflated. It was setup for a person almost twice my weight! I only weight 75kg in all my gear, so I put the tyre pressure to what it should be.

Hopefully this should make a difference too.

Check the suspension preload, too while you're at it. The throttle response can be abrupt until you get used to it.

 

[tedrogers]

Check the suspension preload, too while you're at it. The throttle response can be abrupt until you get used to it.

How would adjusting the preload affect handling / balance / acceleration / deceleration?

Also, do you mean on the front, rear or both?

 

[Fahren]

he prolly means both front and rear suspension.....too soft and the bike wallows over big bumps n dips, too hard and you will feel every knock, its something u will find out for yourself...riding style, terrain, your own weight etc..i have a 22year old FZ600 running Bridgestones and there fine in the wet, but it wont matter a fig if u hit a drain cover or a patch of diesel. Just ride carefully and try and relax, always try to take the straightest line on bends etc (if u can) and dont worry about cars beating you in the wet let em go and have there few seconds of fun better to be alive and well than picking up bike bits from the road!!

Some road surfaces are bloody dangerous when wet like that old purple tarmac stuff which my town has in abundance!...saying that there isnt a decent road in my town (cept the one leaving it lol) its bad enough in the car, on the bike its sheer hell!

hey what ever happened to Metzelers? think thats how its spelt, very sticky but didnt last long lol!!

 

[Aleziel]

BT20's are AWFULL on cold and wet conditions! i got my bike on october and i was gathering funds to change them come march, but when it got warmer they starded behaving totaly different.

my advice is that if youre using the bike for short distances in poor weather, sell them to someone that might be interested in their ridiculously high mileage, and get some fast-warming ones like diablos' etc.

 

[Iethius]

I have been riding bt-20's for 4 years, great when heated, I am switching to bt-16's this weekend because of a flat, In my opinion there are so many factors that will effect your ride that experience and paying attention while learning is probably the best, although nothing can replace personal experience, the experience of those that have gone before us is very valuable. You are at the right place to get the direction you need to go to get your answers.

Good riding

 

[tedrogers]

I have been riding bt-20's for 4 years, great when heated, I am switching to bt-16's this weekend because of a flat, In my opinion there are so many factors that will effect your ride that experience and paying attention while learning is probably the best, although nothing can replace personal experience, the experience of those that have gone before us is very valuable. You are at the right place to get the direction you need to go to get your answers.

Good riding

How much riding do you do? Would that be the same set of BT020's for 4 years or have you replaced them?

So, what advice can people offer as regards tyres that warm up quickly?

Do BT021's warm up quickly compared to BT020's?

What are these Diablo's mentioned earlier? You mean the Pirelli ones?

Sorry for the dumb questions, but I'd rather bin off my new(ish) tyres for something that sticks! For the sake of £150 - £200 it's just not worth risking the bike low-siding on me.

Who would buy a pair of scrubbed BT020's anyway?

 

[DaveK]

Stick with your BT020's till they are worn out mate, they are damn good tyres. Just slow it down in the rain and let it rip in the dry. Id still be using 020's if the 021's didnt exist.

Simples *squeek*