Just ordered a set (120/70/17 front & 180/55/17 rear) of Conti Motion sport touring tires for $190 and some change from a local shop. (Yeah, I realize I could have gotten the set for about $20 less from sportbiketrackgear.com, but at that price difference, I'm okay with paying more to support a local business.)
Previously I've run a Conti Road Attack rear. I got a solid 5k miles out of it (with no complaints about grip), and probably would have gotten more if I'd bothered to check the pressure more often. I'd wager it spent most of its life at about 28psi, 8-10psi shy of where it should have been, and it still wore in the middle like a hard bastard.
I've also run Michelins (both Pilot Power and Pilot Road 2ct). Again, no complaints. The Powers wore more quickly than the Road 2ct's, but they were both pretty much as expected.
So what it comes down to for me is: Any particular reason the DMF knows of that more people aren't running Conti's?
I mean, worst case scenario, they suck and I'm out less than the cost of a Pirelli Angel rear tire.
What's been your first or second hand experience? That is, you, or someone you know directly.
Not "a friend of this one dude I met at Sonic at a bike night in Fresno."
I've run them for several sets now. I mostly commute, some two up (more when I'm not in school), and some fun riding. My last rear that just came off lasted for ~7k (I estimate, since I put it on around August, and I did my 24k service last year around this time). Normally I get two rears to a front, then I change it because I don't like what AZ sun does to tires. I ran 39-42 in the rear the whole time and about 35-38 in the front.
I like the contis better than the ravens, but that is almost entirely subjective. They're pretty hard, though, and slow to warm up. They seem to do decent in the rain, especially as sometimes I forget that the wet stuff is slightly less traction inducing. If you make sure to do some turns, they don't square off too bad. The last few millimeters around the wear bars seem to go startlingly quickly into the air. ;)
When you exceed the grip rating, they are pretty forgiving (on the 800... on second thought, that might be the bike).
I've not ridden any other Contis yet to be able to compare... I appear to have converted to the Scorpion trails now. My roads often have scattered dirt, gravel, and other nonsense... and the more miles I put on these Pirellis, the more I like them. I'll review longevity and other nonsense in my other thread later as I only have ~100 or so miles on them now.
Quote from: mergatroyd on March 28, 2012, 09:33:34 PM
I've run them for several sets now. I mostly commute, some two up (more when I'm not in school), and some fun riding. My last rear that just came off lasted for ~7k (I estimate, since I put it on around August, and I did my 24k service last year around this time).
If I can get 7k (with decent traction) out of a rear tire that costs me $120 installed, I'll call it a steal. :o
Any comments on the front? Realizing that for me it's one of those things where the only time I'm gonna make a note is when it doesn't do its job.
Quote from: Buckethead on March 28, 2012, 09:44:20 PM
If I can get 7k (with decent traction) out of a rear tire that costs me $120 installed, I'll call it a steal. :o
Any comments on the front? Realizing that for me it's one of those things where the only time I'm gonna make a note is when it doesn't do its job.
I was running a 60 series, so it's hard to comment. The only time I have had the front do anything strange at all was just recently while two-up. It slid a little on the crosswalk paint during a right-hander. In the past I had been changing fronts either every other rear or when I changed model/brand. AZ sun tends to beat up on tires that sit out all day, plus I ride in the ridiculous cold and the kind of warm. In my experience the fronts (of any tire) start showing dry-rot before reaching the wear bars.
It's also hard to tell how much of the "drop-in" was due to tire brand and how much was due to the smaller tire size. I think I was running a 60 series in the Ravens (it's been a while and many [drink]), but I seem to remember thinking the Contis were a little more eager to turn.
I seem to recall that a Raven squared off after 4k, a non-leaning Conti after maybe 5k. This last one feels like a bit of an anomaly, but it's also the first one with no chicken strips... and the first set after the suspension got bettered thanks to Penske and Showa.
Quote from: mergatroyd on March 28, 2012, 09:56:52 PM
The only time I have had the front do anything strange at all was just recently while two-up. It slid a little on the crosswalk paint during a right-hander.
Not unheard of by any means.
So a bit slow to warm up, but decent mileage and no complaints about grip once they heat up?
Quote from: Buckethead on March 28, 2012, 10:11:08 PM
So a bit slow to warm up, but decent mileage and no complaints about grip once they heat up?
given, of course, that I don't do track days and have no pretensions about my skill... but yes, in a nutshell.
Conti Sport Attack on mine Road attack 2 on the missus
Replacing my rear on the S2R1K next week after 7000 klm hard cornering and one track day.
Love them never lost grip and they felt great all the way to the belts now just starting to show.
Swapping over to the Sport Attack 2 next week.
I would rather have a tyre that grips its whole life than save a few coins and have one that
scares me towards the end of its time.
The missus just did 1000 ks on her new Road attack 2's over the weekend through cold Alpine twisties and they have only just lost the letters in the middle
The bike and her has been cornering so much better giving her a lot of confidence .
I rode her 695 the other day and the Contis RA2 have a great planted corner feel .
Two thumbs up from me. [thumbsup] [thumbsup]