Tire Recommendation

[bard]

The best tire I ever tested on 600 cc and 1000 cc is Pirelly Supercorsa Diablo III, dual compound so they last ok and excellent grip, most of the race bikes use these when slicks are not allowed or wet (in the country I live). But from seeing your typical riding I would not go for them, as they as supersport tires and you risk having poor grip due to insufficient heat input on them. The stock Dunlop's are plenty good for what you do, stay with them. Or go for any other sport touring tires, as they grip better than supersports when you ride them as you do, and they last longer.

Cheers Bard

 

[FalloutMan]

The important thing is, I have someone who will mount the tires for me, even if I don't purchase from them. The Yamaha dealer says I have to purchase the tires from them, in order for them to mount 'em up. Is that unusual?

Yes and no. My LMCD will mount tires for 50 a set if you buy from them. otherwise they charge 50 for the front and 60 for the rear! They also came close to the internet pricing after tax which was the deciding factor! Good luck in your tire search! I went with the dunlop roadsmarts and after an hour of rubbing 250 grit sandpaper on the tires to help speed up the waxing rub-off process they are great! Whichever tire you buy, take it to a parking lot and do a bunch of figure-8s getting lower and lower to help wear off the wax.

 

[dean2287]

The Yamaha dealer says I have to purchase the tires from them, in order for them to mount 'em up. Is that unusual?

That's one thing about buying tires on-line. I don't know about the US, but it cost me $120 to get my new tires installed. That being said, you pay more for tires at the shop, and that's why...it covers the labour charge.

Taking the wheels off yourself isn't too hard, and it costs a lot less to get tires installed if you take just the wheels in (it would have cost me nearly $200 if I had taken the bike in).

I put Battlax BT020's on and they are much better than the stock Dunlops I had, though new tires of any type feel good at first.

A word of caution too...new tires need 100k or more to "break in" as they are pretty slick new, so go easy for a few days after you get them. I hear of a guy putting new tires on and then low-siding it right when he pulled out of the dealership!

 

[dean2287]

...oh, I see this was discussed in the previous post, sorry. Just the same, be careful.

 

[sirius619]

i just switched to the bridgestone bt-016 yesterday after two sets on the PP 2CT's (6500 miles on both). i have to say i am really impressed already with the 016's. :Flip: the price for the PP 2CTs, that's what caused me to switch.

 

[Andz]

I took it to this motorbike place near my house and asked them to put a plug patch on it, from the inside. He said they don't like to do that, because some tires will still leak. He suggested putting a tube in it. I told him I thought that was a crazy idea

I have had an inside plug patch in my rear tyre for more than a year now with no problems. Putting a tube in a tubeless tyre is just looking for ****.

I have Bridgestone BT-010s on my bike but I believe they are not available in the USA.

 

[blchandl2]

A few years ago, I bought a Harbor Freight tire changer for ~$80 and a Mojolever tire bar for $80. After a few simple modifications to the HF changer, I am good to go. It paid for itself in two sets of tires. I have two bikes and go throught at least one set/year/bike.

I made my own balancing stands out of some plywood and roller blade bearings.

A local independant shop will mount tires for <$25 each if you remove the wheel from the bike. SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDANT SHOPS TOO!

 

[live2ride600]

Im getting ready to replace my fourth set of tires. I get horrible milage compared to almost everyone else I feel like. I get about 4k if I baby them, That was stock, dunlop sport touring one, bt021, and dunlop qualifiers. I dont know which I should go for to maybe improve on this problem. I dont do any burnouts, a few wheelies but only with power not dropping the clutch, and no other form of abuse. I guess SoCal has its drawbacks, Constant twisties and harsh roads dont make for good milage.

Any Ideas?? Also I know many complain about the 190s but I think Im going to give them a try. If nothing else just for looks and if they are that bad ill give them to my dad. Hes got a C14. I think I might get The dunlop roadsmarts,
Dunlop Roadsmart Sport/Sport Touring Tires - Package Special: Tires: Street: Tire Express, cheapest ive seen for a set including shipping and taxes.

 

[Humperdinkel]

I have one word for you , Shinko dont listen to the knockers out there they are a fantastic tyre with awesome lean angles......Check out my review of them http://www.600riders.com/forum/tire-tech-talk/10584-fresh-rubber.html , make sure you come back to it in a few days for the 10000k update :thumbup:

 

[Fz6Sa]

Michelin Pilot Roads 2,- no doubt in my mind!!!

Best rain tire I have ever been riding on!!
Takes forever for it to let go of its grip, - and even then its a gentle and controlled slide you can easily stop. Newer just lets go and leaves you hanging, - it just keep looking for grip no matter what you throw at it.

 

[stonefz6]

I bought my fz6 with shinko 006's on it. i drove it off the lot thinking i would need to change the tires within 2000 miles or so...7500 miles later I'm putting on a new back tire. i drive in about the same conditions you do and would definitely recomend these. i found it online for $96. i have never had a problem with these tires.

 

[rider1a]

Michelin Pilot Roads 2,- no doubt in my mind!!!

Best rain tire I have ever been riding on!!
Takes forever for it to let go of its grip, - and even then its a gentle and controlled slide you can easily stop. Newer just lets go and leaves you hanging, - it just keep looking for grip no matter what you throw at it.

Yep...super grip...except when I hit tar snakes, the RP2 love to slip a bit and is the only tyre that scares me when riding over snakes. Do you have tar snakes in Europe?

For those unaware of this new word addition to the lexicon of MCL gibberish, a tar snake is when the highway repair crews uses "tar" to fill cracks in the roadway surface. They are supposed to just fill the crack, but most of the time they lay the tar in manner that covers up to 3-inches on each side, making a 2 to 6 inch slick surface.

The problem with this is that during the summer these "snakes" create momentary loss of traction. That loss of traction increase the speed of the tire in the direction that it was headed and at the other side when the tire regains traction it completely unsettles the bike.

This is a completely dangerous and potentially fatal to motorcyclists practice and should be further studied to see if it can be made safer or eliminated entirely. The tar snakes are really bad during hot weather as they are soft and the shiny surface ones are the worst!

The RP2 hate snakes, more than the OEM tyres.

Fred

 

[Fz6Sa]

Yep...super grip...except when I hit tar snakes, the RP2 love to slip a bit and is the only tyre that scares me when riding over snakes. Do you have tar snakes in Europe?


Fred

I haven't seen those here in Years, - all the concrete road's have been replaced here, - so there is to my knowledge no T-snakes here any more.