New tires

[richard100t]

I bought a new set of tires (front & rear at the same time). I went with the Continental ContiForce this time around, having had Shinko's on before. I can say with no reservation that these are the best tires I have ever had on the bike. The only exception was a Pirelli Diablo racing front tire that was pretty awesome, but of course it didnt last very long. The bike handles sweepers & sharp corners like it never has before.

I've been bouncing around from one brand of tire to another but I think I'm going to stay with this brand for awhile. If you want the bang for your buck tire, I would say that the ContiForce is the way to go.

[GuzziMoto]

I have ContiForce tires on both my Griso and my wifes V11. They seem to work fine. As you said a great value tire. Not up to the standards of Michelin Pilots but close enough and much cheaper.

They (the ContiForces) seem to last very well so far.

[richard100t]

I have ContiForce tires on both my Griso and my wifes V11. They seem to work fine. As you said a great value tire. Not up to the standards of Michelin Pilots but close enough and much cheaper.

They (the ContiForces) seem to last very well so far.

I've heard very good things about the Pilots. How much better would you say that the Pilots are over the ContiForce?

[GuzziMoto]

I've heard very good things about the Pilots. How much better would you say that the Pilots are over the ContiForce?

That would depend on the type of riding that you do and your personal preferences/standards.

Pilots have what I consider to be a better feel of the road and a more nuetral steering trait. They also tend to have quicker warmup and more grip. But if you want a number, all I can give you is my opinion. I would pay $20 more a tire for pilots but they usually cost more then that. If you can get a good deal on them or if you have more disposable income then I do then I definetely recommend the Pilots. But since your last set of tires were Shinko (I'm cheap but I'm not that cheap) I'm guessing you're in the same boat as me. You could ride your whole life on tires like the Contis and be happy. Even better if you never ride on tires like the Pilots. For street riding I would say there is no serious reason to pick the Pilots (or a comparable top shelf tire) over the Contis unless you want and can afford the increased feel and grip. There is nothing I would do on the street that the Pilots can do that the Contis can't. The Pilots just do a nicer job of it.

[Dan M]

... How much better would you say....... ?

 

Ahh the tire thread. We're due for more subjective redundancy. Wait, I think I'll start an oil thread.

[richard100t]

Ahh the tire thread. We're due for more subjective redundancy. Wait, I think I'll start an oil thread.

The intent of my thread was merely to tell my experience with a new set of tires. However...since tire makers keep putting new products out we will always have tire threads. If theres some new snake oil to put in my engine I want to hear your opinion about that too!

[dlaing]

I tried a ContiForce at the rear wheel many years ago. It gave me Speed wobble at about 80MPH. No other tire I have tried did such a thing. It must have been a defective tire, but I would not try them again. But yeah, grip, wear, and price were all excellent. Maybe I should be more forgiving and give them a second chance?

[richard100t]

I tried a ContiForce at the rear wheel many years ago. It gave me Speed wobble at about 80MPH. No other tire I have tried did such a thing. It must have been a defective tire, but I would not try them again. But yeah, grip, wear, and price were all excellent. Maybe I should be more forgiving and give them a second chance?

 

May it not have been balanced properly? I can tell you that mine dont wobble even at 125 mph

[dlaing]

May it not have been balanced properly? I can tell you that mine dont wobble even at 125 mph

Maybe. I think out of balance would create vibration, not wobble. I remember watching that tire get installed and balanced. I am pretty sure the tire was defective. I tried various tire pressures to make it stable, but nothing worked, accept for replacing it. It was probably a one of a kind lemon, possibly crushed while in storage or transit?????

[richard100t]

Maybe. I think out of balance would create vibration, not wobble. I remember watching that tire get installed and balanced. I am pretty sure the tire was defective. I tried various tire pressures to make it stable, but nothing worked, accept for replacing it. It was probably a one of a kind lemon, possibly crushed while in storage or transit?????

Anything is possible. I cant blame you for not wanting to get another one after getting a bad tire.

[GuzziMoto]

I tried a ContiForce at the rear wheel many years ago. It gave me Speed wobble at about 80MPH. No other tire I have tried did such a thing. It must have been a defective tire, but I would not try them again. But yeah, grip, wear, and price were all excellent. Maybe I should be more forgiving and give them a second chance?

 

It may have been a defective tire, or even installed slightly off. But it also could have been a mismatch between the front and the rear if I understood you correctly. It sounded like you replaced only the rear with a Conti.

Now I know most of the time two different tires will play nicely, but they tell you not to do that for a reason. Every now and then two tires will not work well together at all. I have experienced that both on a bike and in a car.

If you want a low cost tire that perfoms almost as well as the topshelf tires, the Contis are a good choice. If you can afford topshelf tires they are better.

[Dan M]

The intent of my thread was merely to tell my experience with a new set of tires. However...since tire makers keep putting new products out we will always have tire threads. If theres some new snake oil to put in my engine I want to hear your opinion about that too!

 

And it is appreciated as well as useful. Now watch where it goes from here...

[kalev11]

I have used up a set of conti force tires and they were good all around tires but did not last very long. I just chose conti road attack as my next set... should last longer and they will look sharp when installed.

[dlaing]

It may have been a defective tire, or even installed slightly off. But it also could have been a mismatch between the front and the rear if I understood you correctly. It sounded like you replaced only the rear with a Conti.

Now I know most of the time two different tires will play nicely, but they tell you not to do that for a reason. Every now and then two tires will not work well together at all. I have experienced that both on a bike and in a car.

If you want a low cost tire that perfoms almost as well as the topshelf tires, the Contis are a good choice. If you can afford topshelf tires they are better.

Yes, I had a pair of Avon Azaro II, the rear wore out, replaced with Conti, and then later replaced the front Avon with a Metzeler Sportec, thinking that would cure the problem, but the problem went away after adding the rear Sportec.

I mix and match all the time going through maybe 4 rears for every 3 FRONT.

I suppose the Conti not matching with either front could have been the reason....perhaps a good reason to avoid the tire for those that mix and match.

Lately I have been switching between Metzeler and Pirelli, which cross match probably better than any two other brands.

[GuzziMoto]

Lately I have been switching between Metzeler and Pirelli, which cross match probably better than any two other brands.

I would agree with you there. Same tires with different tread patterns practically.