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Help With Tyre Suggestions Please


Skids

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I need to replace the Bridgestone BT020's on my new-to-me 01 VFR800. Whilst there is plenty of tread left, I think the date code puts them to 2005 manufacture. And I always disliked the BT020 anyway.

 

My usual choice of tyre for the last few years has been the Metzeller Roadtec 1. It's a wet-weather oriented ST tyre which suits the changeable weather over here in the UK for both my 800X and 1200F but I'm not intending the ride my 01 in the wet unless by accident, so my question is: are there any more suitable tyres? They don't need to be track tyres, I still need longevity (rear - 8k+ miles from my Roadtec's) but better dry grip would be great, as long as they don't turn into ice skates if I do get caught out in the rain.

 

I'll do some research once I've identified a few makes/models so any suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

Cheers.  :beer:

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All Dunlop, all the time. Knee down two up grip with RoadSmart IIs. Looking forward to the IIIs. I've never experienced better wet weather traction. 

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58 minutes ago, bmart said:

All Dunlop, all the time. Knee down two up grip with RoadSmart IIs. Looking forward to the IIIs. I've never experienced better wet weather traction. 

Thanks m8. 

 

Are not they not focused a little too much on wet weather? 

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Not that I think. Some folks put a Q3+ on the front to better match the wear limits of the rear RS2, but I never had any problems...and I ride it like my track bike. 😛

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1 hour ago, bmart said:

All Dunlop, all the time. Knee down two up grip with RoadSmart IIs. Looking forward to the IIIs. I've never experienced better wet weather traction. 

Why the RS3 and not the RS4?

 

When I had to choose it would be between Pirelli Angel GT, Conti Road Attack and Dunlop Roadsmart.

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For me, they'll age out before I get to use them up...and I don't believe I'll be happy with the profile for the mileage they claim. 

 

The balance of grip and mileage on the RS2 has been superb on the VFR. The 3 is supposed to be better at both, and for a LOT less $ than the 4. 

 

http://www.ebaystores.com/competitioncycle1100e

 

 

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Black round ones are the best, preferably less than 10yrs old depending on storage & just scrubbed in. Pick ones that match your budget & performance expectations, but be realistic in your assessment of your intended use. In which case most modern tyres from

any reputable brand will out perform you EVERY day. Don't confuse your intensions with your ability, or you will be wasting money on tyres you don't need. 
 

As always YMMV

 

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28 minutes ago, Mohawk said:

Black round ones are the best, preferably less than 10yrs old depending on storage & just scrubbed in. Pick ones that match your budget & performance expectations, but be realistic in your assessment of your intended use. In which case most modern tyres from

any reputable brand will out perform you EVERY day. Don't confuse your intensions with your ability, or you will be wasting money on tyres you don't need. 
 

As always YMMV

 

Thanks m8, exactly what I want to do.

 

Just looking for some names, that's all.

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Look at often overlooked Avons. They’re made in UK, so you know they’re made for your road and weather conditions. I’ve been running some variant of their Azaro (sport-touring) tires, the last 20+ years. Owning a tire a machine and balancer, plus working in a shop, I’ve tried and sold a lot of tires. Everyone who’ve tried Avons has loved them. They’re manufactured on a soft carcass, so they ride nice. I have their Storm on 2 bikes (VFR and SV), with the Spirit ST being their latest sport-touring offering. I had their TrailRider on my Tiger 800 and they were noticeably better tires than the Michelin Anakees I currently have on it. 

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Each to their own, I could never get the Avons I put on the 400 to grip in any conditions and threw them away, really. 

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Another vote for Dunlop Roadsmarts here.  I have a set of the 2's on my Beemer now and love them.  I got a great deal on them last summer since they were discontinued.  If you can find a set, you might see a deal on the 3's since the company is now making the 4's.

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Some thoughts and assumptions: to enjoy the performance of the 01; you need grip wet and dry - it's the UK so it rains and you'll get caught out. You ride on A, B and C class roads with variable quality pavement; you need a softer carcass. You want good mileage without squaring off.  Steer clear of Bridgestone and the hard carcass, look for ST tyres. Metzler, Michelin and pirelli will all be great. Personally I'd steer clear of Dunlop and Avon as they are slippery at moderate angles of dangle in the wet. Hope that helps

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16 minutes ago, Presson said:

Some thoughts and assumptions: to enjoy the performance of the 01; you need grip wet and dry - it's the UK so it rains and you'll get caught out. You ride on A, B and C class roads with variable quality pavement; you need a softer carcass. You want good mileage without squaring off.  Steer clear of Bridgestone and the hard carcass, look for ST tyres. Metzler, Michelin and pirelli will all be great. Personally I'd steer clear of Dunlop and Avon as they are slippery at moderate angles of dangle in the wet. Hope that helps

That sounds great, thanks. 

 

If you don't mind, what's the source of this insight? In the business or just a well trodden biker? 

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35 minutes ago, Presson said:

Some thoughts and assumptions: to enjoy the performance of the 01; you need grip wet and dry - it's the UK so it rains and you'll get caught out. You ride on A, B and C class roads with variable quality pavement; you need a softer carcass. You want good mileage without squaring off.  Steer clear of Bridgestone and the hard carcass, look for ST tyres. Metzler, Michelin and pirelli will all be great. Personally I'd steer clear of Dunlop and Avon as they are slippery at moderate angles of dangle in the wet. Hope that helps


I’d agree with your carcass assessment of Bridgestone and Dunlop, as they’re the stiffest.

 

I used to regularly speak with a Dunlop test rider. He’d vehemently deny your Dunlop rain performance claim, as they regularly drag knees in the sprinklers, over a variety of road conditions.
 

For USA riders, Dunlop is the only manufacturer with testing facilities in the states. 

 

In my aforementioned years on a variety of Avons, I’ve never experienced a lack of traction, in any condition. It’s my opinion, many who blame tires for lack of traction fail to assess the pavement quality. For instance, well-worn/polished pavement has zero traction, I don’t care the tire, rain or dry. 

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If you don't mind, what's the source of this insight? In the business or just a well trodden biker? 


  • Hi Skids, as you ask my opinion comes from many thousands of miles in all weather over many years particularly up and down the A1/A14/A11 and the M/A40/49 plus scratching on backroads in Herts, Bed , Bucks, Norfolk, Yorkshire, Cumbria and Wales on all the different tyre types mentioned. My thoughts are based on riding on UK roads. I have no affiliation whatsoever with any tyre manufacturer. Everyone has a view about tyres and we all have our own preferences. I really don't like Dunlop, Bridgestone and Avon, but I know others have different preferences. My thoughts were an attempt to break the tyre requirements down to basics for UK road riding 
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Harrumph, it's about time somebody stood up for that small French upstart, Michelin 😉

 

Since Y2K I've gone through a number of tires but keep returning to Michelins. First pair were Pilot Sport, then Pilot Power, and most recently Pilot Roads 4 & 5. 

 

During this time I've also used Bridgestone 020, 010, and 014, as well as Dunlop D208 and D207(oe on my '09 VFR800), and one set of Pirelli Angel ST. 

 

My favourites have been the Michelins, their combination of ride, grip, and longevity suit me to a T. All of the others were adequate, but lacked something by comparison. Fwiw, only one track day and most of my mileage is on trips in the American West. Plenty of heat, grippy pavement - esp. in California, but also cold & rain.

 

You have an abundance of choice but nowadays,all of 'em are good.

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My guess is that even the worst tire today is probably light years better than the best tires that were available when our bikes were new.  Probably can't go too wrong with any of them.  I'm not familiar with many of the brands / types mentioned - I'm supposing that most of them for general use are 2 compound tread or even 3 - I would be partial to that feature.  My Road 2's are 2CT and I'm getting around 9,000 miles from a combination of touring and spirited riding through the canyons - they could go more for commuting, but by then they're getting squared off and the handling suffers sufficiently for them to be replaced. 

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Thanks all, I have some thinking to do.  :beer:

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1 hour ago, Mohawk said:

Hey Skids I hope you appreciate my advice was tongue in cheek 👍😂

 

I figured you weren't fully serious, however you do make very valid points....all these tyres will be far better than my ability to use them to the full.  :beer:

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18 hours ago, Cogswell said:

My guess is that even the worst tire today is probably light years better than the best tires that were available when our bikes were new.  

Too right ….Avon Speedmasters were dérigeur when I started, squared off rear when new ..

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9 minutes ago, Thumbs said:

Too right ….Avon Speedmasters were dérigeur when I started, squared off rear when new ..

Yep, and the BT020's she's currently wearing 🤮

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6 hours ago, Thumbs said:

Too right ….Avon Speedmasters were dérigeur when I started, squared off rear when new ..

How about some K591s??? 🤣

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Maybe my only regret with my 5th is that when I got it, I replaced the tires with something other than my usual Michelin Road 5s: I gave the Pirelli Angel GT IIs a try since I liked how they fixed the slow, heavy steering of my ZRX1100.  At 8000 miles, I'm not quite as enthused.

They worked very well but now they are getting slightly hinky in the feel due to some mild cupping.  I am sure that, based on prior experience, Michelins would not have done so.

I voted with the wallet- when a 6th gen '03 came along, it immediately got the Road 5s.   I would say the very slightly slower steering is a small price to pay for the much longer life and excellent rain performance.  Not that the Angels were bad in that regard, but I feel the Road 5s are just a bit better in the wet.

Along the same lines, my FJR1300 has Road 5 GTs, and honestly, there's no other tire for that bike.  And my friend the local dealer service guy agrees, nothing else lasts as well.  The ones on my bike are well past 10,000 miles and have life left.  On that heavy, front-end-loaded tire-eater of a bike, that's really good.

Now I see Michelin has the Road 6 going.  The 5th gen VFR will see a set of those before summer is out.

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Angel GT has gone downhill over the years. Or at least haven't kept up with competition.

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