Time for everyone to weigh in on their favorite tires....i need to invest in a new set here in a couple hundred miles...and i need to know what the best bang for my buck is....and i would like to hear what everyone has tried and what they found works best on their bikes!! ;D
Pierlle Diablo now (bought tracked tire). But tired of soft tire as it is expensive to replace frequently.
I prefer dual compound (purely economical reasons)
Ya i think the diablos wouldnt last me as long as i would need....
Im looking for a tire that will last me awhile...wear well on the freeway....but i dont want to have to worry about sliding out going hard into the twisties!
Was looking at another pair of dunlop sportmax Q2's
Or.
Michelin Pilot road 2 street tires.
The Dunlops dont last nearly as long...but i think they probably grip better in the twisties...and not such great wet traction, $250.00 for a set
The Pilots last like 10,000 miles...dont grip as well in the turns...but handle great in wet conditions, $300.00 for a set
Pirellie Angel st's.
No complaints, I have plenty of grip and have not had any problems in the rain, although I don't ride in heavy blinding rains.
Beware there are people here that far excede my riding abilitys. The angels work well for me.
I do a good combination of back road touring and weekend twisties and really like the Metzler Z6. Anything softer and they just don't last long enough with the long trips I like to take.
Pilot Powers are cheap right now.
Good wet and dry grip, but you won't get the mileage like the Roads.
Quote from: MonsterInDark on May 02, 2011, 04:02:50 PM
Was looking at another pair of dunlop sportmax Q2's
Or.
Michelin Pilot road 2 street tires.
Of these I would go with the Road 2. They're not track worthy but do well in riding hard in the twisties. I've got the rear to spin up coming out of corners but it's pretty predictable. Had the front wash before as well a few times but I think this was more to do with road debris. Either way, if someone goes down because of lack of grip with the Road 2's in the twisties, it's safe to say they were pushing a little to hard for the road anyhow.
Road 2's in action.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e297/pennyrobber/action/TTF-cornerclinic8-16-09014-1.jpg)
My tyre thoughts FWIW >> http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=45162.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=45162.0)
Quote from: ungeheuer on May 04, 2011, 06:14:17 AM
My tyre thoughts FWIW >> http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=45162.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=45162.0)
probably only true if you're upside down... :P
I've always liked the Pilot Roads. For the amount of commuting that I do, I get gadzooks mileage out of them!!!
Loved the Pilot Powers that came on my bike. When I went to get new tires the 2CT's were only $10 more a tire so I bought those. They have been very good. Honestly I am rarely using the extra sticky part of the tire but hell it was a good deal. I like the reviews of the Michelin Pilot Road 3 tires. I am thinking of getting those but not sure. I am already really easy on tires, not sure if I need something harder.
Quote from: Heath on May 04, 2011, 10:16:08 PM
Loved the Pilot Powers that came on my bike. When I went to get new tires the 2CT's were only $10 more a tire so I bought those. They have been very good. Honestly I am rarely using the extra sticky part of the tire but hell it was a good deal. I like the reviews of the Michelin Pilot Road 3 tires. I am thinking of getting those but not sure. I am already really easy on tires, not sure if I need something harder.
Here's a good explanation of the Road 3s (and there's a Duc in the video):
Michelin Pilot Road 3 Tires Review at RevZilla.com (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS8XkFhSRX0#normal)
Quote from: ducpainter on May 04, 2011, 06:17:25 AM
probably only true if you're upside down... :P
If you're riding upside down they must have REALLY good grip! ;D
Just put on a pair of Pirelli Angels. Very well balanced combination front/rear. Had before Pirelli Diablo`s, Angels feel just as good if not better.
Cant comment on these yet but I just picked up a set of Pilot Road 2 from Competition Accessories. They have awesome deals on tire packages with no tax and free shipping. Bottom line, these were the best "out the door" prices I could find.
http://www.compacc.com/Tires (http://www.compacc.com/Tires)
Had diablo strada's on the last bike, loved them...they're discontinued now though.
Current ride came with Pilot Roads...not road II's...and I absolutely hate them. Will be putting Sportmax's on here this week...hopefully they're better.
Diablo Strada's are pretty nice, great milage and work well for spirited back roads as well as those flat commutes on hot Houston cement. Too bad they discontinued them, I 've got 5k on a set and probably could get at least 2k more.
The Angel ST appears to be a comparable option.
On My S4 i am using prelli Diablo Rosso Corsas they are superb and seem to last a long time even in super hot Thailand and on very long runs the rear has over 4000 miles on it and still has loads of life and tread
on My Monster 750 I have metzler Z6 second set so i must be happy with them
My 750ss 1991 has Dunlop Qualifier 2s and they seem good too but the rave tire now is Dunlops new Roadsmarts and Sportsmarts which everyone is raving about.
Quote from: jerryz on June 10, 2011, 01:21:21 AM
My 750ss 1991 has Dunlop Qualifier 2s and they seem good too but the rave tire now is Dunlops new Roadsmarts and Sportsmarts which everyone is raving about.
i've heard amazing things about the sportsmarts too... i think ride or bike magazine rated those 5 stars, the first tires that ever got that rating from them.
what sucks is that the sportsmarts are only available in europe, and maybe asia. little to no chance they are going to bring them to the us, they're supposedly tuned for euro roads and wont work that well on us roads. :(
I'm another fan of the pilot road 2s. I just hit 9k miles and they are just starting to flatten out. I just got back from a 2k trip with a lot of time in the rain, and they were great. Having the confidence to ride at a normal speed in the wet makes for getting out of the rain sooner. [thumbsup]
Quote from: ducpainter on May 03, 2011, 09:54:28 AM
Pilot Powers are cheap right now.
Good wet and dry grip, but you won't get the mileage like the Roads.
I'm in the market as well.
Which would you choose between the Pilot power, power 2ct, Power Pure.
I want the grip but at the same time, I do commute on my bike, it's not just for weekends.
Of those three, are the power pure being the most expensive, also the most versatile in terms of dual compound and durability?
IIRC the pure is the softest and most track oriented, the 2ct is like the regular power but with a little softer sides and the regular power is the same all they way around. My wife's 620 has standard powers and they seem fine, though I haven't had it on the track. Road 2s aren't bad, Road 3s look pretty interesting but I haven't tried them yet. I think the Avon Storms give a bit more grip and longer life than Road 2s and they are my current favorite sport-touring tire.
If you're into doing long trips at all I'd stay away from the Pures or the Pilot Powers. Its amazing how fast those can disintegrate on you. My buddy had to replace both his Pilot Powers during the last trip. I'm not sure how many miles he had on them total, but the tires looked fine at the beginning of the trip, and we had to ride a few hundred miles with him showing cords to get to somewhere that would have a tire.
Not an issue for everyone, but it was something I hadn't thought of. I like having sticky tires, but I also like to ride out to the middle of no where.... and preferably back.
In the last few years I've used all the iterations of Michelins except for the Pures. They are light and I would kinda like to try a set.
All the Michelins were great, but I went back to the regular pilot powers and ride the piss out of em. They work fine, even when literally pushed over the edge.
They're cheap at my local shop (Yamaha, Kwa, KTM, victory,etc, etc). It's pretty twisty here in the southern Appalachians and when pushed pretty hard you can make em move around a little, but they are predictable and hold very well. For the $$, a good deal where I live.
LA
I personally like Corsa III's but they don't last for sh!t. Also, I destroyed the oem BT016 in 2800 miles on the rear and got 4K out of the front. I went back with BT016 and am doing a lot less wheelie-ing in first to save a little rear tire life. Am going on a 3300 mile ride in September and am considering Pilot Power front and Pilot Road 2 in rear. Anyone ever do this? Am a bit hesitant about mixing but I have heard they are the same carcass. Would love to hear FHE on this setup?