Ok, all, lets get a religious discussion going. I will be needing a new rear tire by the end of this summer. I would like to ask you all about what brands/models you all prefer. I tend to do a mild ride around town, but I will sometimes go find the twisties in the Hill Country and do a little "spirited" riding through the corners. And, yes, I am intentionally not mentioning the tires the PO put on that I am still running.
I vote round and black. Preferably pneumatic. Tho... There is somethng to be said for a nice fat whitewall on VFR W
I've got about 3k on my first set of PR3's thanks to all the tire info on this site, I couldn't be happier.
I'm running the PR2s on my '09, bought them just about the same time the PR3s came out and since So Cal doesn't get much rain, I figured I save the $80 bucks and get the PR2s. On the '01 I'm running Power Pilot 3s. The '09 is more of my commuter/touring rig and the '01 will be my weekend play bike/track day bike. As far as the '09, I'm digging the way it feels now as opposed to how it felt with the Dunlops that were on there. I haven't had much time on the '01 just yet as I'm still kind of giving it a "refresh" i.e. Flush/fill all the fluids, install new brake pads, etc., but if the PP3s are as good, if not better than the PR2s in the twisty stuff, I think I'll be pretty happy. I don't expect to get as many miles on them though. Right now I have about 7k on the PR2s and they still have plenty of tread left.
I am running Continental Road Attack 2s. I have over 4k on them so far, and I ride them pretty hard. High speeds, acceleration and panic stop practice, and they have enough stick. Problem is no center groove to measure how much tire life is left, so since this is my first set, I am not sure how much life is left. Motorrad, a German test company, recently did a sport-touring tire test. Might be a good reference if you can find it on the internet in English.
You will get as many opinions as there are posters here. I'm not a particularly fast rider, most of my riding falls into the "short distance sport touring" category. I picked up a set of Pirelli Angel ST tires on sale earlier this spring and had them put on my wheels last week. I really haven't had enough seat time to give an evaluation, but they are smooth and the bike seems to turn faster and easier - just my subjective impression. As I rack up a few miles I'll try to remember to give some more impressions. They are supposed to be good in rain, have a dual-hardness contact patch with harder compound in the middle for racking up highway miles with less wear and stickier compound on the edges for the twisties.
Id say continental motions, good price and value from my experience. Used them in all kinds of weather (winter, rain, light-med snowfall, etc.). Never had any grip issues or anything of that sort when i ride (mainly commuting and semi aggressive riding every once in a while) and good mileage from them. (My hyosung has 7k on them and still looks great and the viffer...too early to tell). From what i have seen it varies from person to person though...may be either the best value street tire on the market or just another budget set of tires.
Got two BT023's hanging in my shop. Those or Conti Road Attacks. My favorites. I buy at American Motorcycle Tire. Any of these mount with just your hands. Yep-- and lube.
Same for me. I also do some occasional canyons and all weather. I went with the Michelin Defender. Team Michelin Recommendation| Michelin Tires
Heard good things about Michelins new Pilot Power 3's from a couple of different Sportsbike riders, supposed to be noticeably better than Pures and BT-16s they'd had before. I liked the earlier Powers but found they punctured too easily in the wet. Don't like the Road 3's flat profile, found them hard work through long distance tight twisties when riding hard. Pilot Power 3s:
Hi Ski - I've only put a few miles on them, but so far so good. By now they should be sufficiently scuffed up so I can see how they handle they curves. I'm hoping to get out this weekend for a few hours of riding and maybe some more impressions. They are good looking tires for sure, I like the Angel/Demon theme, but the real test will be how long they last.
tyres I'm currently using Michlin PR3's, which seam to be really got in the dry and really good in the wet British weather. I've also run Angel ST's on a CBR 600F. Great tyre which handles more like a sport tyre than tourer and was getting 9,000miles out of a front and about 6,000miles out of a rear with fairly hard riding. Thinking of trying the new Angel GT's next.
Michelin Pilot Road 2's for years, and now I am on my 2nd/3rd set of PR 3's. Great tires. I highly recommend them.
