longest lasting rear tire?

[scduc]

I have 5k on my stock 00' 750. but I was starting to loose confidence in them. That is the important thing. If you ride hard, you rubbers will fade quickly. But 5K is really not too bad for bike tires.

[brecchi]

thanks for all the replies. im gonna go with either a bridgestone battlax bt-021 or a michelin pilot road. still deciding whether or not to go witha 170 or a 180.  theres a 180 on there now but i can save some $ going with a 170. now i just need to find a good place to get it mounted cheap in nyc

[Lumpsters2rk]

I recently put  a set of Continental Road Attacks on my S2R 1000, and I have to say that I am very immpressed with these tires. Very good grip wet or dry, very good feedback and general road feel, and I've got about 2000 miles on them, and they are wearing much better than the original BT-014's which were gone in 2500 miles(rear), and the Pilot Powers which I got about 3300 miles out of.

Seriously though, even if I don't get that much more milage, I will still buy another set stricktly on performance and feel. I can honestly say that these are the best road tires I have ridden on by far, and I have turned a few buddies on to them as well. They were sceptical, but in the end they all are praising them too.

My bike already had a feathery feel to it, but I swear it feels like I shed thirty or forty pounds off the bike on turn in. The bike falls into corners so effortlesly now it is unbelievable, but they have a very progressive feel while leaned over that inspires crazy lean angles, and makes what once felt very sketchy to me, feel effortless and very routine.

The tires also makes the somewhat average S2R 1000 suspension feel alot plusher. Alot of the roads around here are pretty crappy, and there are alot of tar and chipped roads as well. Both the BT's and the Pilots had a very harsh feel and alot of road noise compared to the Contis. They also make highway rain groove, and also the oil grooves on tar and chips all but disappear.

As you can tell, I am verry pleased with these tires, and I am supprised more people have'nt tried them. I think I paid $225.00 for the set, and at that price, they are hard to beat IMHO. 

[hypurone]

Well, I can tell ya it AIN'T the Diable Corsa III's!!  I'll be lucky to get 3K out of the rear. Oh well, it was fun gettin what I got! Back to my M3's...

[EEL]

I want to further emphasize what ducvet and brad black said about keeping tire pressures up with my own personal example so here goes

I bought a brand new dunlup qualifier for my rear. Unfortunately, i got a finishing nail through it in the first 250 miles. It was such a small leak I didnt notice it. The tire actually held pressure for a couple of days. The be specific I didnt notice it for about 2 1/2 months or approximately 1500 - 1700 miles of riding. I went to a wrench day at DarkStar's and noticed a significant profile difference and significant wear.  I checked the pressure and I was at 19 psi. Filled it up and 2 days later it was back down.

Running tires at 19psi can wear tires out in about 1800 miles.

My previous set of dunlop qualifiers lasted 3800 miles. pressure was about 32-33 which is factory spec.

I switched to a pilot power (standard, not dual compound) and ramped up the PSI to 38 COLD. Max PSI is rated at 42 COLD for this tire. HUGE DIFFERENCE IN WEAR

I got them right after my 7500 tuneup (Approximately 8000 miles) I have 12k on the bike right now and they look like they easily have another 3000 left on them.

Summary

19 psi - 1800 miles
32 psi - 4000 miles
38 psi - probably 7000 miles

You can see that this curve is not linear - If you want significant improvement in tire wear, you dont need necessarily need to go to road tires and such, you just need to make sure your tire pressure is accurate

And BTW, I ride relatively hard, I dont flog them at that track or do burnouts but I ride at a "spirited" pace that would be considered at least average to above average. Please bear in mind that though I do hill riding, I also commute on the bike. About a third of the hill riding is spent on the freeway just getting to the hills.

Bottom line - Check your tire pressure. It is the MOST significant thing you can do to extend the life of your tire. I disregard all tire recommendations; pirelli's, dunlops, michelin's, bridgestones unless you get a pressure rating in the review.