thebigtea Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Good day everyone- So as some of you know I just recently purchased a VFR to replace my deer kilt' old VFR. On said new VFR the previous owner has a Mitch Power 3 on the rear and a P-rel Angel on the front. Normally I am not a mix and match tire guy, but I have heard it's not the big of a deal. However after hoping off the T30 shod dead VFR the handling on the new bike is odd at best and damn scary at worst. In the rain: I ride in the rain quite a lot. This front tire makes me fear for my life. Honestly I was so terrified in a late October rain shower that I pulled over to the side and waited it out. I have never done that before. In the dry: The bike constantly feels like front wants to fall away from me. It tips in nice and feels fine to about 10 degrees and then I constantly feel like I am loosing the front. Question: Is this a terrible tire? Did I get a dud? Bad mix with the Power 3 (awesome feeling tire btw)? Do I suck at riding bike now? Pressure is good, suspension geo looks good. I just can't help feeling like there is something goofy in there. Or up there. Or around there. Somewhere. First thing come spring I am spooning on a Power 3 front, but I am curious if anyone else has had similar experiences. Thanks! Tea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer 007 Posted November 3, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted November 3, 2015 You may want to make sure they aren't mounted backwards. That said, each tire from different manufacturers and even from different model lines within the same manufacturer has a slightly different profile even if they are the right size and designed to work in unison. Some tires are more rounded and others are more oval shaped. Depending on their use, they may be even more squared off. My front tires turn into triangles by the time they are ready for a change after some good mountain runs and start to feel like you describe. They want to fall in part way with little effort, then need to be pushed onto the far edge. If you post up some pics, I might be able to explain a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rectaltronics Posted November 3, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted November 3, 2015 Pressure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer MadScientist Posted November 3, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted November 3, 2015 I have NEVER had good luck when mixing tires from different brands. One mix was Bridgestone BT016/Avon Storm and a Pirelli Diablo/Michelin PP combo. The Bs/Avon combo I did on my own, and learned never to do it again; the other combo was on a bike that I bought and was borderline dangerous to ride. I have mixed Mich PP front w/ PR2 rear with excellent results. I'm currently riding on Angel GT Fr/Rr and they are probably the best sport touring tires I've ever used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebigtea Posted November 3, 2015 Author Share Posted November 3, 2015 Thanks for the responses, they are pretty much in line with what I figured. I will just spoon the new Michelin's on in the spring and be happy. Then I will probably go with the T30s from Bridgestone again. Those where fantastic tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanesmatb Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Rubber is the first thing you should immediately change when purchasing a used bike IMO. You just don't know the variables (age of rubber, time exposed to sunlight, overheated/track days, internal damage, wear due to over/under inflation, etc.) regardless of how the tire looks. I had a set of low mileage Dunlop Q2s when I purchased my 5th gen. Looked great, had less than 800 miles and the Q2s are a good sports tire. The front skated on me on at least three occasions and was inconsistent on keeping a corner line. Once I really began to examine the tire, it was incredibly hard; I mean like a tractor tire. Couldn't get a fingernail in the rubber. The rear was much softer and didn't have any issues. I replaced the front with a Angel GT and left the Dunlop on the back for about a month. Setup worked like a dream - no issues. Replaced the back with a GT and could hardly tell any difference. Bottom line: Many handling issues you discover when purchasing a used bike can be traced to old rubber. Generally speaking, most of us (including myself) can't outride any new sports tire the big tire companies put out nowadays. You can easily outride a used tire that has a questionable history. From a safety standpoint, it's a no-brainer to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer thereisnospoon Posted November 5, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted November 5, 2015 these variations are interesting. I have a set of Angel GTs that are maybe 1000 miles old. I thought it was me at first, but the front is super squirrely on uneven (seams, lines relatively parallel to direction of travel) surfaces. I've used sets of PRs and a set of BTs and they were fine. This front is fine so long as I don't try to stop and the surface is perfect. Any imperfection and the front wants to go somewhere else, especially when braking on an uneven surface. The arrows are pointing forwards, pressures are per the sticker, i've tried +- a few pounds and it just gets worse with any deviation. I'm thinking this won't get better as the tire wears. I have a 929 rear shock, stock front. the buggers were kind of expensive, but generally got very good reviews here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebigtea Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 Sorry to hear this =( I know I am not super impressed with mine, though again, it could totally be because of the rear tire on here. I have never really loved Pirelli tires to be totally honest. I am much more of a Bridgestone man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer tbzep Posted November 10, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted November 10, 2015 Just for kicks and giggles, set your suspension correctly if you haven't already done it. Make sure your forks are at the correct height in the triples. Make sure nobody messed with the shock linkage to lower the seat height. Set your sag using the preload adjustments. There's a how-to here somewhere. Give it a quick ride and see if it makes a difference. You may also need to take out some rebound damping. If it is damping too much, it will prevent the shock from returning to full height before the next small bump compresses the shock even more. This is called "packing down" and it will upset the steering geometry. When I bought my used 2008 with only 8,000 miles, the shock spring was very weak compared to my old 2004 bike, allowing the rear to squat and change the steering geometry. It bottomed out a few times in bumpy curves even with full preload and rebound damping backed off. The bike felt like it was trying to fall over in the turns while feeling like it wanted to run wide at the same time. I thought it was just me, considering I had gained weight since owning the 2004. I ended up going to Jamie at DMr and getting a CBR shock and fork internals to tame the issues. It wasn't until I bought my 2007 Anniversary bike this fall that I proved to myself that the 2008 bike's OEM suspension was royally screwed. When I hopped on the 2007 with stock suspension for the test ride, it was just like riding my old 2004 bike again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer HighSideNZ Posted November 10, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted November 10, 2015 Does it seem worse one side to the other on tip in? If so, is it bent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted November 10, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted November 10, 2015 Does it seem worse one side to the other on tip in? If so, is it bent? +1 my 03 turn differently in one direction . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer 007 Posted November 11, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted November 11, 2015 Does it seem worse one side to the other on tip in? If so, is it bent? +1 my 03 turn differently in one direction . I heard you found a roadside fix with a hammer on one of your VFRs, Dave. I'm hoping my BMW doesn't need any of that action! To the OP - let us know when you find a fix. I hear the T30 EVOs are the bees' knees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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