Maybe. But, I'd still call it wise to ride easy on new street tires for the first 100 miles or so.
It's hard to argue with this statement, moco. I personally think (and I have no empirical evidence to back it up, I have done no research, I have only my experiences) that the biggest reason folks get off on new tires is that they're not used to the "new" handling characteristics of the bike.
As tires wear in they change profile. Street tires, as they near the ends of their pitiful lives, tend to get a bit if a flat spot near their middles and take a considerable effort to turn in. This wear is, however, gradual, and the rider gets used to the handling characteristics of the bike in this condition. New tires with a well rounded profile tend to fall into turns. The rider shows up at "X" bike shop and gets off of a bike that takes considerable effort to turn. He buys new tires and instantaneously gets back onto a bike that turns easily and, in short order, makes a mistake.
Maybe I'm wrong, and maybe new tires ARE slippery. If they are, that slippery sure wears off in a hurry. The Avon DOTs on my racer right now have about 40 miles on them, and they stick well enough to have big globs of rubber hanging off of them.
