Tires for FZ6 (Recommendations Please)

[Panther1911]

I have a 2007 FZ6, I believe the tires are still original. Bike has 6700 miles on it.

They are starting to get down there.

I believe they are bridgestones.

I am looking for a good performing tire with long life.


I was wondering what you guys and gals are running and if you like them or not?

I am getting conflicting recommendations from friends.

 

[motojoe122]

I have a 2007 FZ6, I believe the tires are still original. Bike has 6700 miles on it.

They are starting to get down there.

I believe they are bridgestones.

I am looking for a good performing tire with long life.


I was wondering what you guys and gals are running and if you like them or not?

I am getting conflicting recommendations from friends.

This is one of those questions that may open a can of worms...For example, search oil threads. With that said, I recently put on Michelin pilot road 2's. 2k miles and a track day and they still look new.

 

[trepetti]

I switched from Pilot Powers to Pilot Road 3 and am very happy with the grip and looking forward to longer tread life.

 

[nitroheadz28]

I just put on some Michelin Pilot Road 3s a couple days ago, just did a road trip putting about 350 miles on them in the twisties and they are excellent :thumbup:

 

[OneCheekRider]

Any set of sport touring tires are great for street riding. Popular choices here are the Michelin Pilot Road 2, 3, & 4's, Bridgestone BT023 & T30, Pirelli Angels, Dunlop Roadsmart, Metzler Z8, etc. You will not outride the performance of these tires on street and they are great in a variety of temperatures as well as rain.

Personally, I'm currently on a set of BT023's. From my research, experience, and especially for the price, they offer the best performance in any weather and have lasted over 12k miles and are still going strong.

 

[The_Paragon]

I used to run Dunlop Q2's, those would usually last me 4,000 miles on the rear tire, lots of freeway straight line riding. I think i got 8000 on a front tire, though it was looking pretty rough by the end.

My last set of rubber mounted up was a set of Michelin PR3's, I have about 5,500 miles on those and they still look ~50% comfortably useable tread left.
-My own notes on the PR3: When brand new they didnt seem so confidence inspring. Sorta slow to turn in and almost a little mushy when leaned over. Now that they have some wear on them they seem more confident in corners. But... They rock the world over in the rain! I swear riding in the rain is just like riding on dry pavement!

As for over riding the performance of the tire.. Not really an issue for me! lol.
I can almost shave off that chicken strip on the PR3's, but thats all the harder I care to corner this thing!

My next set of tires will be PR4's. Theyre supposed to be quite a bit better cornering, and just a little longer life even.

 

[ChanceCoats123]

My current tires, Dunlop Qualifiers, are still in good enough shape for another riding season. But I've already pretty much made up my mind on Michelin Pilot Roads for my next set. I've heard very good things about the pilot road 3 up front. And if the pilot road 4 lasts longer on the rear, I might go with that setup.

 

[FZSexy]

hi OP

when i got my '07 it had those exact miles and tires. other then wear they are way too old to be reliably safe. i would change 'em out asap so good thing you're here asking. i changed mine at around 7200 miles with a set of these sport / touring tires. i have put almost 4,000 miles on the bike since and they show little sign of wearing out so far

i am an urban rider and don't do twisties or track but i do corner with enthusiasm and ride fairly hard. 90mph+ on the freeway is not uncommon and the tires feel very stable. grip is good in the dry, can't say in the wet. they were recommended by my mechanic as a solid, inexpensive choice. so far so good, you can get a set for around $160, give or take. mine were $240 mounted and out the door. my guy had 'em in stock so i did not have to order

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Continental-ContiMotion-Sport-Touring-Motorcycle/dp/B005J9292Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408391587&sr=8-1&keywords=motorcycle+tires+fz6"]Amazon.com: Continental ContiMotion Sport/Touring Motorcycle Tire Front 120/70-17: Automotive[/ame]

 

[Pagey]

If you would of asked this question 2 weeks ago I would of said Bridgestone BT023 without a second thought.

I have had 3 sets of these babies on my FZ6 and I love them BUT when I bought my Tiger it came with PR3 and I have to admit they are as good if not better than the Bridgestones (they are great in the wet) suffice to say there's alot of choice out there and alot of opinions but opinions are like belly buttons....everyone has one but they don't hold alot of water Blah

Listen to the advice and take on board everyone's experience but the choice is yours...good luck

 

[FIZZER6]

Welcome!

First, how many miles per year will you ride? If you are riding 10,000 miles/year you will want a sport touring tire so you don't have to change tires twice a year. If you ride less you may want to stick with the lower cost sport tires since tire rubber starts to deteriorate after 3-4 years anyway you don't want a 10,000 mile tire if you only put 2,000 miles a year down, just money down the drain because you'll be changing tires before they wear out due to age.

BTW: Your 7-8 year old tires are unsafe to ride on aggressively! Change them asap!

 

[ChanceCoats123]

As a side note, is there a way to check tire age? Like a manufacturing date on the tire wall? I bought my bike used and don't actually know the age of my tires.

 

[FIZZER6]

As a side note, is there a way to check tire age? Like a manufacturing date on the tire wall? I bought my bike used and don't actually know the age of my tires.

Yes. It's stamped in code on the sidewall, a 4 digit code. First 2 digits is the week of the year (52 weeks/year) and 3rd/4th digits are the year.

 

[The_Paragon]

Yes. It's stamped in code on the sidewall, a 4 digit code. First 2 digits is the week of the year (52 weeks/year) and 3rd/4th digits are the year.

^ I hope thats not your Tire!!!

 

[The_Paragon]

opinions are like belly buttons....everyone has one but they don't hold alot of water Blah

Best Quote Ive heard in a While!!

 

[Panther1911]

Thanks guys!

I haven't been riding too aggressively. I dont feel confident with these tires.

 

[FZSexy]

i also noticed a dramatic change in handling and stability with a new set. you'll be happy and relieved once you get 'em done.

 

[crazydmc]

My experience... 2007 fz6 with 67,000 miles

Original tires lasted about 7k miles
I used several sets of Bridgstone batlax bt021's then bt023's which averaged 10 to 11k miles
Now i'm on my second set of Michelin pilot road 2's -- first set got just over 20,000 miles! (I just commute, but same commute as with the bridgestones)

I like the Michelin's

 

[Solarservant]

I'll throw my vote in the hat for PR3's as well. Also agree that they aren't super confidence inspiring until you have maybe 1000 miles on them. You're well beyond the scrub-in at this point, so I have no clue what it is, but the grip and turn in just feel better.

That being said, I have been riding at the track on them a lot more than I should. Not the tire for this kind of riding to be sure, but really good for the street and amazing in the wet.:thumbup:

 

[Marthy]

I did a track day with Angel GT, only good thing to say about them. The track was 50% wet/dry and the tires behave very well. Perfect street tire to me and a bit cheaper than PR4s.

 

[FB400]

I am on my 2nd set of Pilot Road 2's. They have consistently performed excellent in all conditions. The set I have now brought me safely through tail of the dragon several times in Sep 2012.

I took the first set off at 12k miles and had lots of tread left

on the 2nd set now and I am approaching 12k miles. Expecting another 1k to 2k miles out of them. The quality of the ride has not really diminished by much if any. they feel as good now as the day I put them on.

I know there are later generations of this tire (PR3 and PR4) with purported improvements.. that may be true. but Not needing anything better than the PR2's for the type of riding I do and this generation is the least expensive.