(Race) Tyre thread!

[GuzziMoto]

Jim Allen is a tire politician for dunlop. He can shovel it with the best of them.

Every time a race tire gets hot then cools down, the rubber goes through a chemical change. This happen when molded using heat as mentioned earlier. It also happens to some extent each subsequent heat cycle. Typically the rubber gets a little harder each time it goes through one of these heat cycles. Different tires react diferently to heat cycles. Racing slicks tend to be the most extreme in this respect. DOT race tires also tend to change noticably within a few heat cycles. The type of tire and the quality of the rider both play large factors in whether this change is noticable.Rossi could probably sense a change in tire performance before any of us normal people could.

But rubber compound is only one aspect of a tires performance. Constuction and profile can play huge in how well your bike handles. Some may prefer the feel of sport touring tires and that's fine. But lighter weight tires, maybe with a more aggressive profile, can wake up the handling of a heavy, long motorcycle. Guys pay lots of money for wheels that shed a couple of pounds. Lighter tires can achieve the same effect. Or if stability is what you want, pick a heavier tire with a rounder profile. The choice is yours. The only thing I know for sure is to stay away from anyone who says this blank or this type of blank is the best.