tire experiences/preferences

[dave]

The most recent post got me thinking (no laughter please). Some time has past since the last rambling thread on tire choice descended into chaos. I have read them through and what was popular in year X becomes the whipping boy later on.

 

I would be grateful if folks chimed in with their current opinion as to tires for assertive road use...not balls out track days... nor transglobal migrations. I know I am throwing chum in the water and peeps are likely to have totally different opinions of the same tire, but maybe there are some tires that are more universally liked/disliked than others.

 

I currently am running Michelin 2CT Pilots. This is my 1st pair and have run them 5k miles maybe. They are wearing evenly with no cupping and show plenty of life left.

I am not a knee dragger so I can't say how they behave when overheated to goo, but to me they seem average or above in stickiness and are progressive about it.

It is hard for me to say how they effect the overall handling of the bike as I have only one other tire set to compare it to.

 

Thanks all!

[AndyH]

The most recent post got me thinking (no laughter please). Some time has past since the last rambling thread on tire choice descended into chaos. I have read them through and what was popular in year X becomes the whipping boy later on.

 

I would be grateful if folks chimed in with their current opinion as to tires for assertive road use...not balls out track days... nor transglobal migrations. I know I am throwing chum in the water and peeps are likely to have totally different opinions of the same tire, but maybe there are some tires that are more universally liked/disliked than others.

 

I currently am running Michelin 2CT Pilots. This is my 1st pair and have run them 5k miles maybe. They are wearing evenly with no cupping and show plenty of life left.

I am not a knee dragger so I can't say how they behave when overheated to goo, but to me they seem average or above in stickiness and are progressive about it.

It is hard for me to say how they effect the overall handling of the bike as I have only one other tire set to compare it to.

 

Thanks all!

Sounds like we have similar riding styles. Take it easy then maybe some mad moments well within limits set by many years of riding.

 

Your post seems to have hit the board at roughly the same time as the Metzeler topic.

 

To which I added my personal prejudices: Metzeler Z6 Howls like a monkey ... #6... namely:

1. I hate Metzelers in general (a number of folk with me on that)

2. Bridgestones have served me very well at a reasonable price over the years but

3. prefer Pirellis in general if I have the choice.

 

No experience of Pirellis on the V11 but I'm guessing Stradas would be the choice for 'Sports Touring' but would appreciate reviews re: cost vs handling (esp. in the wet) and wear rates and characteristics.

 

Oh, and did I say I hate Metzelers?

 

Andy H

[dave]

Sounds like we have similar riding styles. Take it easy then maybe some mad moments well within limits set by many years of riding.

 

 

Andy H

 

Indeed! The same invisible force that allows us to effortlessly float around hairpin turns and pass wraithlike through traffic just as easily can spank us to the deck and grind down the ecstatic grin. It won't keep me from falling in love again, I just won't choose the sexy sociopath with the facial tick this time... well maybe

[luhbo]

Roadsmart or Roadsmart II. Or Bridgestone BT023 (I think). Do a very good job until the very end and are good when it rains, too.

I don't like the [edit]Stradas the Angel ST [/edit], as they are no good tyres when the profile fades. Really bad in my eyes are the Michelin. They last very long, are good in the rain, but on curvy roads they wear rather V-shaped. That may look nice on a V-bike but riding them is a different story. Especially in the wet such a tilting tyre is hell for my nervs. So in the end they don't last longer than the two mentioned above but cost remarkably more.

 

No idea what Metzelers do. I hate them for giving up the best tyre ever for the Tontis and so forcing me to switch to the small Bridgestones. In fact they can't be really bad as it's one company with Pirelli.

 

Hubert

 

I forgot to say that I can't remember that the Roadsmarts were thought of as A1 tyres at anytime.

[AndyH]

I don't like the Stradas, as they are no good tyres when the profile fades. Really bad in my eyes are the Michelin. They last very long, are good in the rain, but on curvy roads they wear rather V-shaped. That may look nice on a V-bike but riding them is a different story. Especially in the wet such a tilting tyre is hell for my nervs. So in the end they don't last longer than the two mentioned above but cost remarkably more.

Thanks for the tip on the Stradas: could have been a costly mistake. Michelins wouldn't be my first choice anyway 'cos, right or wrong, I always think of them as sticky but too quick wearing. You tell a different story on that but thanks for the feedback on the V-shape thing. Doesn't sound good.

 

Andy

[grossohc]

Have used roadsmarts for last two tyre changes,seem grippy enough and are very good in the wet. Now have roadsmart 2's on, cant tell you how good they are yet, done 500 miles on the front and 10 yards on the rear.

[Guzzirider]

BT023s are much better than the older Bridgestones- good combination of grip and longevity.

 

Its pretty hard to buy a crap tyre these days they all seem pretty good.

[Tom M]

I've tried a few different sport touring type tires on my V11. I'm no knee dragger either but I do drag my boots from time to time. I'm still searching for the longest lived best handling ST tire. Maybe the Michelin Pilot Road 3's that I just mounted a few months ago will be it? Too soon to tell right now. I really hope to get >6k miles out of them since they cost a fair bit more than any other tire that I've tried.

 

Here's my take on what I've used:

 

Pirelli Angel ST: Very good handling but they were done at 5500 miles. If they lasted longer I would have bought them again.

 

Dunlop Roadsmarts: Good handling but they were done by 5000 miles. I wore out the front before the rear which has never happened before or since.

 

Conti Road Attack: The best handling tire that I've tried but they were toast by 4k miles. Turn-in was noticeably easier than any other tire that I had tried up until then and probably since. They have a higher mileage version now (the GT) so if I'm disappointed with the Michelins I'll definitely give the Road Attack GT a try.

 

Metzeler Z6: I went through a couple sets of these and they were fine except for the front tire noise (no big deal) and the lack of center tread which makes judging how many miles are left in them tough. I did get 6k+ out of them which was nice.

 

Stock Bridgestones: They were worn out when I bought the bike so of course they sucked.

[luhbo]

...

Thanks for the tip on the Stradas: ...

 

Sorry for the mistake, my mistake. I had the Angels that I felt were too weak when worne.

 

Hubert

[PeteTW]

+1 on Pirellis, I especially like Diablo Rossos on the V11, but my riding style might be little more sports orientated than original poster. They nice and grippy on a heavier bike like the V11 and you can get your knee down in confidence. Having said that they wear very evenly (as long as you don't spend too much time on motorways of course) are very good in the wet and I still have plenty of wear in current 3,500 miles pair. Not tried the Angels so can't comment. I didn't like previous Bridgestones as much, can't remember which ones now but they weren't the BT023's they sound quite good but I'm happy with Pirellis so won't be changing brand.

[Baldini]

Michelin 2CT Pilots. This is my 1st pair and have run them 5k miles maybe. They are wearing evenly with no cupping and show plenty of life left.

I am not a knee dragger so I can't say how they behave when overheated to goo, but to me they seem average or above in stickiness and are progressive about it.

It is hard for me to say how they effect the overall handling of the bike as I have only one other tire set to compare it to....

 

Pilot Power 2CT's? Supersports tyres. IME they stick like glue, I've never overheated them or found the limit of their grip on the road. I like them. The Scura reaches it's limits before the tyres do. They do steer pretty quick & have a fairly sharp transition when leaning. I don't ride in the rain & can't comment on wet weather performance, but it maybe that sharp transition is what Luhbo doesn't like (& is common to other Mich?). I struggle to get 3k miles out of a set, so if you're pushing grip & still getting 5k miles with more to come, maybe we are talking different tyres.

 

All other tyres mentioned above are sports/touring type & it's not comparing like with like - none of them will give you the dry grip of the 2CT, but will likely last longer.

 

Maybe it's fanciful thinking or prejudice but my (probably meaningless)impressions over the years:

Metzelers work well but poor feedback dilutes confidence (Metzeler noise is mentioned in other thread, years back I recall ME33 howling like that, when pushed & lent right over, don't remember getting that on any other tyre, but maybe I just didn't notice)...

Pirellis - reliable, good grip, good handling & good feedback, progressive, even wear (...so I don't know what that means now they're same company as Metzeler!).

Michelins - great grip, quick handling, good feedback but can sometimes wear to odd shape.

Bridgestones I never really got on with - BT45's on Tonti & 020's on the Scura - unpredictable grip, poor feedback & they wear funny, but Guzzirider says above they're better now & anyhow they're good enough for MotoGP so...

Conti - only used Sport Attacks - had beautiful, linear steering/handling when new - like someone said about Road Attacks I think - just so consistent & flowing, perfectly suited to a Guzzi, but handling went off a bit when worn. Good grip. Cheap.

Haven't used Avon or Dunlop since old Roadrunners & TT100's which could give a whole other level of quirky...I always felt the Speedmaster was an unfairly maligned tyre.

....& then there were Pneumants , handcrafted in the Eastern Block using only the finest, matured Bakelite!

Modern tyres? Like Guy says, you never had it so good!

 

 

KB

[Chuck]

When I took the last set of Angels to Todd Egan, a *very* fast rider, to put on the Scura..he said he wished he could put me on a set of Q2s back to back. I *assume* Q2s are the best for our heavy V11s as far as handling goes, that's basically what Todd cares about.

That said, I *like* the Angels. Handling is quite good, and wear is reasonable for a good handling tire.

[dave]

I was just reading a review on the Michelin 2CT that explains something that was bothering me. When exiting corners on the gas I feel the back end act like the wheel is shifting on the axle just a bit. Not a good feeling... No sir. Nothing is wrong back there as I can tell. I thought "Maybe just another Guzzi thing?".

It turns out that this phenomena has been enjoyed by others without Guzziness. It is the transition from the yummy sticky edge compound to the harder center ( the opposite of a Tootsie Roll Pop.) Everything else about the tire I like. Mr. Baldini might be right about me not having 5K on the tires... my memory is not so good.

[PDoz]

Can someone please explain the pirrelli line up to me? In particular, where along the ST range do the angel / diablo / diablo 2/ diablo corsa et al all sit.

 

I suspect I've made a mistake fitting a diablo on the back when I already had a near new angel on the front. Truth is I'm never going to approach the limit of either tyre - the angel gives enough grip for me to get the (lowered) pegs down in the wet. Modern tyres are absolutely amazing (hey, it's been 20 years since I last had road rubber)

[Baldini]

http://www.pirelli.com/tyre/gb/en/motorcycle/catalog

 

For arguments sake, tyre types go: touring - sports/touring - sports - supersports - race, with progressively more grip but less longevity. Handling characteristics, warm-up, wear pattern, wet performance etc etc will also vary.

Pirelli look to go from Angel (sports/touring) thru Diablo Rosso 11, Diablo Rosso Corsa to Diablo Supercorsa (road & track versions).

 

Cos fronts wear slower than rears normally, & cos front grip is probably more critical for most people (usually losing front is worse than losing back), some use grippier (faster wearing) tyres on front than on rear - opposite to what you have. If you aren't pushing the tyres, & they feel OK, I guess it's not a big problem. Just be aware that tho rear's gripping, doesn't mean the front will & watch how they wear.Wear pattern can have big effect on handling.

 

KB