not to soft/hard

[kennedyted]

im having a problem deciding, i had stock battlaxs, bought a set of pilot powers and i love the grip the feel the ride, but lasts for ****, after 1k miles in 2 months its getting squared off, i do more highway riding than non highway

what i need to know is what would be a happy medium? i dont do alot of leaning, so would dual compound tires even be worth it? i dont think i lean enough, but i dont want a hard tire thats gonna slip, i cam get a set of s20 or 220, should i ? how do you know the hardness of a tire buying it online?

 

[outasight20]

Pilot Road 2's are supposed to last a long time compared to the Powers...

 

[ticktock]

Pilot Powers are geared more toward spirited riding with a lot of corners. Much softer than the Pilot Road 2's. I do primarily highway and the PR2's will be my next set.

 

[dpaul007]

In the same boat. The guy I bought my bike from put a pilot power in the back and it's squaring off with plenty of tread left. My front is starting to dry rot, so I'll throw a PR2 in front this year, and we'll see how long the rear tire lasts.

 

[MisterX]

I've run on both the Pilot Power Road 2CTs and Dunlop Q2s. Both provide longevity for highway riding, but good grip for the weekend twistys. Can't say which one I prefer over the other. They're pretty close.

 

[chomorro]

I really like my new tires. I think they are bt016 pros. They have outstanding grip and its been almost 4k miles and still look new

I have been to the edge of the tire of few tires with no issues, best gripping tire i have had.

 

[kennedyted]

was pretty excited to try the continental motions for 180 a set seeing how thats what i paid for my pilot power rear, awesome tire just no life on it, called kneedraggers and they have like 400 sets on backorder, he told me to try the shinko advance 005s so gonna have em next week, thanks for input

 

[Motogiro]

The S20, BT-016 and BT-16 Pro tires are termed "hypersport" tires. They have great grip for street use but if you're not an aggressive rider you might pick a tire that will give you better mileage. The Battlax BT-0123 will be a good tire that is dual compound and gives you good grip where needed and a longer wearing center tread for commuting. Any tire you buy will square off in the center depending on the type of riding you're doing. Of course softer compounds will wear sooner.

Here's a little more info from a review: Bridgestone BT-023 Tire Review - Motorcycle USA

 

[iSteve]

I have just over 8500 miles on the 023's and the back is just starting to square off but should make another 2k miles. The front is still in excellent shape.

My plan was to try Continental Road Attack 2'S next. But if the 023's make it to 10k without being too beat I may be flipping a coin to decide on the next set.

 

[ebster1085]

I agree with the two last posts above. I got a new set of the Bridgestone BT-023's about 3k miles ago and love them. No signs of squaring off and little wear to speak of at this point. I do 70 miles round trip a day to work with mostly highway cruising. I also like to take my bike for spirited jaunts on the twisties and so far these things have been able to handle everything I could throw at them including getting so low on a turn the other day that I was scrapping the feelers.

If it is longevity you are after and you aren't a very aggressive style, I would go for the BT-023's over the S20's as they will last longer. Make sure to check out the Motorcycle Superstore website. They have great tire deals, particularly on Bridgestone. They also charge no tax or shipping. I got my full set for $238 shipped..cant beat that.

 

[vinmansbrew]

was pretty excited to try the continental motions for 180 a set seeing how thats what i paid for my pilot power rear, awesome tire just no life on it, called kneedraggers and they have like 400 sets on backorder, he told me to try the shinko advance 005s so gonna have em next week, thanks for input

You'll have to let us know how those work for you. I still have the stockers on my 06 and the previous owner must have done nothing but go straight. A little over 4k and they are squaring and the strips on the sides were about 1.5-2 inches wide.
Not enough corners to remove the squaring but I have gotten the strips to about .5 but they are pretty squirrelly being as old as they are.

 

[GTPAddict]

I have the Shinko Verge 011's and love them, on my second set now. I got 10,000 miles out of them, mostly commuting with fun weekend rides in the mountains. There is nothing I can complain about with these tires. They're not too expensive (OI bought mine from MotorcycleSuperstore.com), they grip well, and they last.

Shinko Tires

 

[vinmansbrew]

Excellent news there. I will keep the verges in mind too. 10000 is good mileage.

 

[QwickFliCk]

changed my tires to the michelin PR2's when i first bought my fz at 3800miles now i have close to 18k miles!! the front tire is starting to bald in the center but other than that theyre still goin!

im planning to switch to the pilot powers 2ct's for a trackday though

with the pilot powers ive read some articles and people say you have to constantly maintain the tire pressure or it will square off very fast