Which is the best Sport - Touring Tyre right now?

[texcollect]

I ran them on my FZ6 & like you was very suprised , they are a highly HIGHLY underrated tyre :thumbup: If my local stockist didnt retire i'd probably still use them , im guess he must of made his money out of them in the end

Not many people know that Shinko is actually Yokohama Tyres motorcycle division

Not quite correct !

According to their web site "In 1998 the Shinko Group purchased the motorcycle tire technology and molds from Yokohama Rubber Co., and began production of these products under the Shinko Tire brand. "

 

[jmun]

Picked up a set of Conti Motion, 265 installed, Thanks Marthy, was raining pretty good before I left the shop and rained on me all the way home. The tires felt so much better then the stocks I had on there. The old ones lasted for 8K miles, I wished I would have switched them out so much sooner. Its not only that they were wearing down that they felt like crap, as I had the bike with only 700 miles on the odo, I was never confident on those stock 020 tires. Now maybe I can open it up a touch more.

CYA!!

 

[dxh24]

I've not ridden most of those thus my vote is invalid.

What I can say is the FZ1 came with the Dunlop 221's and while they are NOT a good tire, I was able to run them down to the cords with 12,105 miles on them. The last 2k miles was a handling experience so ANY tire I put on after that was a dream. But.... I needed a set of tires and at that moment that the center gave way, I went cheap.

I got a pair of Shinko Raven 009's for $182.00 shipped. I wasn't expecting a lot of these tires but after the first 600 miles in various weather, I have to say I am impressed! I scrubbed them off on the evening I put them on by taking the bike to a vacant parking lot. The next few trips out, I pushed them harder and harder and they never broke free all the way to the edge. I purposely took the bike to work the first available rainy day and pushed them from easy to very hard in the rain and once more, they held their own very well.

The only remaining test is time... what time will they wear out!

Wow wish i got that kinda mileage out of my Versys' stock Dun-flops.... i'm at 4500 miles and the rear is beat, down to the strength compound now, gotta get some new ones, leaning towards pr2's or 3's or Diablo ST's.... will report after i get some time on whatever i get!

 

[Phil_RC_1]

I have an 09 FZ1, didn't like the pilot roads that came on it, they handled fine but I got about 6K miles when I could see about a half inch strip showing threads in the rear. Went to Metz Z8's, great tire! I currently have almost 4K miles on them now and they still have nice deep tread and just beginning to show a flat 1" wide strip down the center and they handle as good as they did new, but the jury is still out until I see how many miles they're gonna do to offset the cost difference. BTW: That's not bad since about 90% of my miles are commuting 80 miles a day with hardly any curves.

Just bought a used 07 FZ6 for the wife, it has Dunlop Roadsmarts and they are horrible handling compared to The z8's and Pilot Road. They have a good amount of tread so they can't be that old, they just handle bad IMHO. ie, skids to a stop, follows lines in the road, just doesn't have that stable feel in corners. Can't wait to try Avons.

Recently bought a Ninja 650 (Got an awesome deal, just going to repaint it, ride it for a month or two and resale it this coming spring). It has Shinko's on it. They actually handle very well and have a nice feel but I'll never see what kinda life span they have.

With that said, I voted for Metz Z8's, but I have little experience with any of the rest of the tires listed in the pole. Which leads me to believe this pole may not be accurate anyway. Like me, A lot of people are going to vote for whatever they bought and put on their bike regardless if they have tried any other brand. We do tend to be lemmings about this sort of thing

Most of my tire experience is with cruisers. Dunlop, Bridgestone, Pirrelli all were disapointing, in handling and life span. I've always had excellent handling, solid feel and longevity on my cruisers with Avon Venom and Metz ME880, they are undoubtedly the best tires in that Market.

Phil

 

[Grainbelt]

Just over 4,000 miles on a set of Bridgestone BT-023s. 1000 miles of that was a straight highway run to Nebraska, fully loaded with camping gear. The other three have been a mix of regional twisties and city riding.

Starting to show a little wear, I'd estimate less than half, so I should get 8-10k out of them. Similar to the 021, the rear has maintained a nicely rounded profile with no shoulders, keeping turn-in predictable and stable. Been riding in a lot of rain lately, and I haven't had any 'moments' other than wet tar snakes, but that isn't the tires fault.

For the money, I maintain that the BT023 is hard to beat. If the price on the Pilot Road 3s come down, I may try them next, but for $240 a set the stones are a great value.

 

[Grouse]

Just put a set of pr3's on my bike after only getting 7000 out of the bt20's, the back tire was so squared off I almost did'n need to use the stand. I have only put 300 miles on them so far most of it wet miles and have not pushed them too hard in the corners yet, but I am very impressed with the amount of grip from the front under heavy braking in the wet.
At £330 fitted they are on the expensive side but I ride in all weathers except snow and need to be able to trust my tiers.

 

[CDE]

Just put a set of pr3's on my bike after only getting 7000 out of the bt20's, the back tire was so squared off I almost did'n need to use the stand. I have only put 300 miles on them so far most of it wet miles and have not pushed them too hard in the corners yet, but I am very impressed with the amount of grip from the front under heavy braking in the wet.
At £330 fitted they are on the expensive side but I ride in all weathers except snow and need to be able to trust my tiers.

I also have the PR3's and have 0 complaints. I think the handling is more effected by the suspension on the bike than these tires. I'm 190lbs with gear +a bag or two but still feel pretty great! I've done lots of wet riding on my last big trip and they handle very well. The stock tires were complete crap in the wet. They would slip if you hit a tar spot on the road (where they tar the cracks in the road) even riding in a straight line but with the PR3's that has not been an issue. I didn't push it in the rain, but I did take a few corners much faster than typically would and still felt great. I also had to slam on the breaks for some tourist moron that decided to stop with his truck and camper in the MIDDLE OF THE FREAKING HIGHWAY. Didn't pull over, just stopped in the one lane (was a small highway). As I passed him he was taking a picture of the pretty mountains. I leaned on the horn and passed him doing 13,000RPM with a scorpion exhaust so I'm sure he got the jyst of how I felt about his decision.


It is really hard to do a comparison between all the other tires on the list. I have only ridden stocks and now the PR3's on my bike. I got mine for $300 cash and I can't complain. I'm sure there are some other awesome tires on the list given all the replys but I can certainly give the PR3's two big thumbs up!

 

[SweaterDude]

everybody ive talked to about the pr3s say that they are the best in the wet which is the true test for tires. i couldnt give two s**ts about how a tire is in the dry the wet is where it counts

edit: that said my dad has a BMW R1150 and he loves his metzelers but they are very unbalanced and require a lot more weight to the wheel

 

[MarkG813]

Anybody else have positive experiences with Pirelli Diablo Strada? I bought my FZ6 with 11,500 miles. I now have 17800 miles on the bike and now need to start looking for a new rear tire.

 

[LefZe]

I think my ride season is over... The metalwires on my rear wheel can now see the light. How much more in dry can I ride with it? Could the tire blow up when driving? The rear tire has about 9000km...

My new tire will of course be the Pirelli Diablo Strada. Must be a hell of a ride with Diablo tires. Or are there anyone better for my FZ6-N?

 

[spock]

I have used Diablo Strada on my fz6 naked with excellent results in a lot of different conditions, and nice durability -> 10000kms for the rear one (don't remember the front)

right now I have a mixed set: dunlop qualifier at the front dunlop roadsmart at the rear, with these tires I haven't had any touring at all and just a little two up, more spirited rides (I am working on improving my riding skills), after 6000kms the front tire has reached the center marks, and the rear one has no more grooves at the sides, just a little at the center and it is as round as the day I bought it, pretty happy because it is the first rear tire I finish that way

 

[WMU_BRONCO]

It would be interesting to know where each of the above tires are made. My Pirelli Angel ST says on the sidewall they are made in Germany. Would be nice to find out where the rest are made.

 

[codeblue]

I like the Bridgestone Battlax BT-023's, I got it before I hit 7,000miles and now I am short of 90miles more before hitting 18,000miles. That's 11,000miles on those tires! And it looks like I can still squeeze another 1,000-1,500miles more. The wears bars are getting close to the surface and still plenty of rubber on the sides since I'm not super aggressive on the turns. Both tires seems to be wearing out evenly. I'd buy another pair if the price is right although I've seen the Continental Conti Motion really cheap and might buy a pair for future replacement. Can't complain about handling and of course I'd give an A+ on longevity.

Here are a few pictures of my rear and front tires showing their wear after 11,000 miles.

Ares

 

[spock]

wowww, what a mileage you get there!

Sorry for the crappy cell phone pictures, showing my rear roadsmart after 6500 kms -> about 4000 miles

Cheers.

 

[FinalImpact]

wowww, what a mileage you get there!

Sorry for the crappy cell phone pictures, showing my rear roadsmart after 6500 kms -> about 4000 miles

Cheers.

Used!!!!!!
Well Done! :thumbup:

 

[FinalImpact]

I have new tires but the bike is parked!
BT-019 Pros so I'll be dragging this thread up sometime in the future. . .
Hopefully they're good for season. . .

$188 shipped. . .

 

[PhotoAl]

Put a PR3 on the bike Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Replace a PR2 with 12,000 on it and could have done more but no groves in the center portion and with winter (rain) coming didn't want to push it. Have 476 miles on the PR3 so far. Have ridden several times this week in the rain (not fun). The grip is great although I have not leaned it over too much as I'm a chicken in the wet. Rode home one night in lots of rain and 45 degrees - washed my gear off. Got up to a little over 75 on the interstate. Have tried to break it loose by twisting on the throttle in 1st but have not been sucessfull shifted up at about 9,000 so was just getting into the power. Overall very similar to the PR2 and feels like better traction. Now to get one for the front!

 

[chunkygoat]

I suppose my opinion would be biased because I have only ever tried 3 of the tires, 1 of them not even on the list.

Stock BT21 - I wasn't impressed. Short life of 9,000 miles, average grip - slipped on me in the rain too (i credit it mostly to rider error though).

Pilot Power 2ct - Terrific grip. Man that tire stuck. But considering my fz is a 99% commuter, track like tire qualities aren't really a priority of mine. This set (at least the rear tire) got 8,000 miles. TERRIBLE tire life for a street tire if you ask me.

Pilot Roads - These are the tires I use now. They seem to me like a perfect compromise between the stock tire with terrible grip, and the debo track quality of the pilot power. This tire has good grip in the turns, great tread pattern for repelling water, and lasted me 13,000 miles. I love this tire so much I bought a set 5,000 miles before I needed them.



So I really like the pilot road series for the street. I imagine the power's would be amazing on the track (then again so would pirelli diablo's). It would depend on what you are looking for in a tire, and what you use it for (track or street).

My vote is the Pilot Road.

 

[mave2911]

Don't you guys know how to spell TIRES.

It's actually the correct spelling, until the Americanese got lazy....

And Humpy, not the Z8s?

Cheers,
Rick

 

[Humperdinkel]

And Humpy, not the Z8s?

Cheers,
Rick

I answered the poll question before the Z8's were released & was using & loving the Z6's :thumbup: