tire brands

[mikie]

I'll be getting new tires this week, and have been considering trying the Dunlop 220's. Has anybody used these before, and liked/disliked them to the point of having a useful comment? Feedback would really be appreciated.

[Martin Barrett]

so martin, do you still have the 180/55?

 

Yes as supplied - BATLAX 020's 180/55ZR17 - original tyres only done 2k miles

hope to get a few more miles under them in the spring , but its difficult with kids,wife, work etc

[Baldini]

can you give me a brief, laymans explanation as to why you like the smaller tire?

Bike feels better balanced leaning into turns on 170 rear. I always felt the front would turn in but the rear was sluggish to follow on the 180. For me, it's not about a "quicker" turn in, it's just the bike leans in a more linear, smoother, more consistent way on the 170, feels more neutral, better balanced front to rear.

 

As to why this is...well I dunno. Could be cos tyre sizes front to rear are closer. In my opinion 180 is for looks, these bikes don't make enough power to need that amount of rubber, it's fashion. Further I think that fat tyres are a liability on the road most times unless the bike is making power to need them & the rider is using it. One thing I wonder is that the bigger tyres need more heat in them to work? I also run a Tonti on 100 f/110 rear, with maybe 25hp less. I've ridden trackdays on that with no grip problems. On the road I've watched big tyres slithering around on road dust if they get slightly off line while the skinnies just find grip. I have more grip problems with the V11 on the road than with the skinny tyred Tonti. I don't believe that's just down to hp difference, I think it's tyres & the smaller diameter wheels.

 

It's my understanding from manufacturer recomendations that a 170 is compatable with 5.5" rim, although a 5" may be optimum.

 

There's been a recent thread on this - it was suggested 170 would run off edge of tread at less lean than 180 on this rim. I've run both to edge, but couldn't say. Anyone know? Anyone else on 170's on 5.5" rim ?

 

I'm no technical expert, but I've ridden bikes for 30 years & I'm just saying how it feels. I don't understand why people get so twitchy about this. Each to his own, if you need big wide tyres - fine, but don't knock us little guys unless you know the difference....

 

KB,Cymru

[docc]

I'll be getting new tires this week, and have been considering trying the Dunlop 220's. Has anybody used these before, and liked/disliked them to the point of having a useful comment? Feedback would really be appreciated.

I like the Dunlop 220. They seem softer than the 020 Bridgestones and the older Dunlop 205. They turn in nicely, stable at high speed seem to handle weather well.

[Mike Stewart]

Oh Boy,

 

Humm, with all this tire talk, I must say that with owning both a 00 V11Sport and a 03 Rosso Corsa, both bike like different tires.

 

The Rosso with the added one inch. in wheel base loves the quicker turning tires, such as the Metzler M1 Sportec or the Pirelli Diablo Corsa. Now on the other hand, my 00 V11Sport likes a slower radius tire like the Bridgestone 010 or even the Dunlop 220 (which I am going to try next). With a quick turning tire on the early V11Sports, the bike feels very nervous and never really settles into the turns. One must bring an extra set of shorts when using the faster turning tires on the 00-01 V11Sports.

 

At least, this is what my assometer is relaying back to me!

 

Mike

[Guest dkgross]

mike...you have the 180 on the rear, right?

[Janusz]

I also ride a classic V11S 2001 (before they messed the frame) and can definitely confirm that Bridgestones 010 are just about ideal for it with the rear downsized to 160/60 of course.

 

I wonder how the new 014's (replacement for 010's) will do. Got to try them...

[Kiwi Dave]

At least, this is what my assometer is relaying back to me!

 

Look for the crease in the seat after a hard ride. That'll tell you just how stable the bike is.

[al_roethlisberger]

This is very interesting feedback, especially comparing the "faster turning" 2000/2001 bikes versus the longer wheelbased 2002+ bikes, such as the LeMans.

 

This may account for many folks' discrepancies and differing opinions on how the application of certain model tires work with their bikes verus other's. I'd like to hear more about the Pirellis and the Avons especially on the later bikes, and also how well they hold up in mileage.

 

As long as I can get 5-6k miles out of a set, I'm pretty happy.

 

al

[Mike Stewart]

mike...you have the 180 on the rear, right?

Yeah, I have 5.5 inch rims on my Rosso and 00 V11 Sport with 180 tires on both. I have tried the 170's on the rear of the V11 and it did not feel much different to me.

 

I have tried Metzeler Sportec's two times on my 00 Sport and both times they have made the bike feel uneasy , meaning that the bike will not settle down and feels loose (this is due to the tire profile). I have tried just about every suspension tweak that I can think of (increasing fork rake, decreasing fork rake, different suspension adjustments and not one thing has rid the bike of it's nervous feeling. I guess I like a bike that feels like it is on rails through the turn. So back to the Bridgestones we go!

 

To sum this up, the Sportec is an excellent tire and it works well on my other two bikes but for the 00 V11 Sport, the tire just does not work well in my opinion. I have spoken with the Avon rep last year at the bike show and he agreed that some tires do not work right on certain bikes.

 

Mike

[Baldini]

usual rubbish

...oh and Mr Angry in BC...as for original fitment/Guzzi knows best - if the bike had still been on std springs, it'd have had me in a ditch long time back. Why so uppity?

[Guest Brian Robson]

So if you fall off the bike its the fault of the springs Taffy?

Read the latest test of Honda's new 1000 and how when fitted with different tyres from those used by the manufacturer, which were chosen to provide neutral steering characteristics, the handling went all to hell.

The different tyres were at least the size recommended by the manufacturer and not smaller to make the bike "tip in quicker".

Look at the length of the threads on tyres, and I'm convinced that most riders choose their tyres on how pretty the tread pattern is.

The standard Bridgestones last over 16,000 km in wet and dry and are usually the cheapest tyre in the market place.

From seemingly tense, but remarkably calm "Mr Angry"...love the pseudonym.

[Baldini]

So if you fall off the bike its the fault of the springs Taffy?

No. It's my fault for not changing them.

 

Everyone rides different & has different expectations of the bike. I accept Guzzis as big, heavy, not overpowerful bikes but I love them, & for what I do with the bike, it suits me to get handling as good as I can. Tyre mileage is not as important to me as grip/ handling.

 

Seems to me Guzzis are unusual in that people use one basic model for everything from touring to scratching. What may be appropriate in one application may not be in another. Each of us will change bits until it fits what we want of it, for most of the time.

 

I'd still like someone to be definative about 170/180 lean angles on 5.5" rim. Any Germans you can ask Jaap/Paul?

 

From seemingly calm, but remarkably tense KB, Cymru ...hey man ... look at this flower...

[Mike Stewart]

OK, I went out and bought a set of Dunlop D220 tires. I mounted them today and man what a stiff sidewall. Must be twice the stiffness of the Metzeler Sportec sidewalls. The tire profile looks alot like the Bridgestone 010. Can't wait for the ride to work tomorrow. I can only hope that the tires settle down the 00 V11 Sport.

 

Mike

[Enzo]

Yes, the Dunlop 220s feel great on the '00 V11. I found out that the 160 is indeed much better on back then the 170s I had before. I resisted this, but I was encouraged by the forum here to get the more narrow tyre.

 

Now I'm a big believer in thin is nice. I have since put on a softer tyre on the back - Dunlop 208. But I kept my 220 on the front. Is this dangerous? So far so good; I don't notice anything unusual with the handling. But maybe there is something I should know about mixing rubber. I figured that the two tyres were from the same family and wouldn't upset the apple cart.

 

I think some of you would be maybe unsettled by how the bike 'falls over' on a dime. I like it that way though. I rode a LeMans with a big back tyre, and I couldn't get the bike to turn.