...How can you tell they warm quickly and how did you test the braking ability?
These 2 characteristics are very closely linked. If the bike has been stationary for 30-45 minutes the tires are basically
COLD. If you begin riding away down a decent piece of roadway there is a bit of reluctance for the tires to flex and stick until they begin to warm up. A quick handful of front brake will demonstrate this as the front tire will slide and you will not be able to get the rear tire off the ground. Go a few more miles down the road and the carcass will flex enough to both raise the temperature and pressure, allowing for more aggressive input.
As I have mentioned to you before, I practice emergency braking at least once a week. This means getting up to 50 MPH on an empty piece of road and bringing the bike to a stop as quickly as possible. Repeated 3 or 4 times per event, I have no fear of having the bike do a stoppie or having a front tire slide as I want to have that experience embedded in my mind so it doesn't influence my decision-making if I need to stop in an emergency. Once I got these tires warmed up, they worked predictably.
Lack of tire heat is also noticeable in cornering, particularly for the rear. Again, start off from
COLD and find quality pavement that will allow for 60-75% throttle application through a corner without oil, painted lines, etc. As you turn and apply throttle you will notice a slight disconnect between rubber and asphalt, and it won't improve until the tire warms up. I'm not talking track riding here, just normal spirited street use.
Until the core temp of a tire reaches ~140°F it just won't give the type of performance it was designed to. And, my experience tells me that these Bridgestone BT-016 tires get up to their operating parameters as fast as a comparable Michelin, Dunlop or Pirelli sport tires. With my approximate cold pressures of 34 front and 38 rear PSI at sea level and 65°F, they seem to be ready for action within 5 miles.
YMMV :Flash:
