New tyre time!

Pug · 2 Sep 2010 at 18:28

What would people reccomend? Prolly only do 2k/year, but those are a hard 2k! Need to be supersport spec (fireblade) and perhaps dual-compound?

Contemplating Bridgestone BT-016, Michelin Power plus(?) lightweights or pirrelli Corsas.

Any suggestions/experience?

Flukester · 2 Sep 2010 at 19:01

I use pilot power 2ct, geat wear from them and grip like a grippy thing....best tyre ive ridden yet, but im quite a slow rider

famas · 2 Sep 2010 at 19:29

This question comes up a lot on bike forums and the power 2ct's get highly recomemded every time.

I'm running supercorsa's at the moment, amazing tyres but you need to keep them warm!

If i was in the market for new tyres i'd go for 2ct's, there dual compound like your after.

agnes · 2 Sep 2010 at 21:06

I have ran a fair few pairs as I burn through tyres

I ran the 2ct's, loved them at first, but hated them after getting the BT16's, they are fantastic tyres. How ever, I commute via country roads...

If you are only riding in the dry, hot sticky summers (HA!) then I would suggest the supercorsa BSB's... Bloody grippy... Very quick to warm up, but not forgiving in the wet lol.

ags

Pug · 2 Sep 2010 at 21:08

Are the pilot power 2CTs the same as those lightweight ones I'm seeing on their website?

Scratch that found it out myself.

So either power pure 2CT or BT016 then. Does the 1kg unsprung weight saving make a diff?

I'll avoid the corsas I'm not Rossi!

Fireskull · 2 Sep 2010 at 22:56

If you only do 2k I would just get some BSB supercorsa's just to look trick

cdcopyman · 2 Sep 2010 at 23:31

ive run BT-016's twice now , they wear pretty quick but seem to stick very well to the road , there quite good in the wet too

Pug · 6 Sep 2010 at 09:32

well, got the power pure 2CT and have done 150 steady miles. They seem to be pretty decent tbh, though havent gone anywhere near their limits.

Even still, the chicken strips seem very naarrow even though i havent banked over very much yet.

PieEater · 6 Sep 2010 at 12:52

Pug said:
Need to be supersport spec (fireblade)

I think this is a misconception nowadays, I've run 2 fireblades & a ZX12-R on sports/touring rubber with absolutely no issues. The only reason I would contemplate a sports tyre is if I were going to do a trackday.

VFR_KID · 6 Sep 2010 at 13:18

I wish i hald all these options.

But the damn VFR runs a 130 rear. a size most have on the front LOL.

Im on lasertech tyres and hate them. just dont have a huge amount of choice

Fireskull · 6 Sep 2010 at 14:05

Is there no way to retrofit a 160 rear wheel?

VFR_KID · 6 Sep 2010 at 14:33

not sure. Dont think there is much room in the swing arm area

Pug · 6 Sep 2010 at 18:26

PieEater said:
I think this is a misconception nowadays, I've run 2 fireblades & a ZX12-R on sports/touring rubber with absolutely no issues. The only reason I would contemplate a sports tyre is if I were going to do a trackday.

you're probably totally right, but i dont "tour" on my bike. I get it out, warm it up, rag its nuts off then put it away again. Ergo touring tyres have no benefit for me personally, and dont exactly cost any less either. These fitted to the bike were £235, touring tyres may have been ~£215 or sommat? Not worth the nagging concern (possibly over nothing) in the back of my mind...

Dogbreath · 6 Sep 2010 at 19:13

VFR_KID said:
I wish i hald all these options.

But the damn VFR runs a 130 rear. a size most have on the front LOL.

Im on lasertech tyres and hate them. just dont have a huge amount of choice

The Pirelli Sport Demons are supposed to be pretty decent tyres - but you aren't going to get much in the way of pure sports tyres in that size. Might be possible to go up to 140 or 150, but it does tend to affect handling a bit.

PieEater · 6 Sep 2010 at 21:07

Pug said:
you're probably totally right, but i dont "tour" on my bike. I get it out, warm it up, rag its nuts off then put it away again. Ergo touring tyres have no benefit for me personally, and dont exactly cost any less either. These fitted to the bike were £235, touring tyres may have been ~£215 or sommat? Not worth the nagging concern (possibly over nothing) in the back of my mind...

If you want to pay out for Sports rubber on the basis that that's what you need then fair enough. Your rubber is more expensive and last about half as long as mine whilst still doing the same job.

Pug · 9 Sep 2010 at 15:45

PieEater said:
whilst still doing the same job.

Not strictly true is it? Besides, i go through a set of tyres every 18months or so, i think the extra £30 is an expense i can afford tbh

Dogbreath · 9 Sep 2010 at 18:34

PieEater said:
Your rubber is more expensive and last about half as long as mine whilst still doing the same job.

If it was only doing the same job as a touring tyre (instead of providing more grip) why would it last half as long?

PieEater · 9 Sep 2010 at 18:50

Dogbreath said:
If it was only doing the same job as a touring tyre (instead of providing more grip) why would it last half as long?

Softer compound lasts a lot less.......... My argument is that the extra grip of sports rubber isn't required as the latest sports touring rubber provides plenty. Unless you're doing trackdays sports rubber is a waste of money. The tyre companies arn't going to tell you that because you're going through sports tyres a lot quicker and giving them more money than you need to. If you can afford to run sports rubber and it makes you happy then fine, if you think sports touring rubber on your blade makes you look silly then likewise, but modern sports touring tyres are more than up to the job and will save you money.

Pug · 9 Sep 2010 at 19:00

PieEater said:
Softer compound lasts a lot less.......... My argument is that the extra grip of sports rubber isn't required as the latest sports touring rubber provides plenty. Unless you're doing trackdays sports rubber is a waste of money. The tyre companies arn't going to tell you that because you're going through sports tyres a lot quicker and giving them more money than you need to. If you can afford to run sports rubber and it makes you happy then fine, if you think sports touring rubber on your blade makes you look silly then likewise, but modern sports touring tyres are more than up to the job and will save you money.

But i do ride it like its a sports bike? I dont pottle aroound on it, i ride it quite hard. I'd struggle to ride much harder ona track day somedays lol. If we were talking about a significant cost difference i could get your point, but we're not. ALso, if its a softer compound it should be more grippy on colder/greasier days, of which we get a few in blighty. And all of this is excluding the 1kg unsprung weight difference between this tyre and its closest rival.

PieEater · 9 Sep 2010 at 19:20

Pug said:
But i do ride it like its a sports bike? I dont pottle aroound on it, i ride it quite hard. I'd struggle to ride much harder ona track day somedays lol. If we were talking about a significant cost difference i could get your point, but we're not. ALso, if its a softer compound it should be more grippy on colder/greasier days, of which we get a few in blighty. And all of this is excluding the 1kg unsprung weight difference between this tyre and its closest rival.

Fair enough chap, I'm only offering advice if you don't want to take it I'm not going to try to force you to, if you really can ride better with 1kg less weight on your wheels then you don't need my advice anyhow. As stated I've used Sports touring rubber on 2 different incarnations of blade and on a ZX12-R, I've been riding for 28 years so I know how to throw a bike around. I don't need sports rubber so I'm just suggesting to others that they may not need it either and they could save themselves a bit of cash by going for a decent sports touring option (BT023 / Storm 2 Ultras).