Just another tire tread

[Thermite]

So the monster's down in the back with yet another road hazard toasted tire.  I'm wondering If there's any value in long tire life in Hawaii.  I was running the Pirelli Angel back there hoping for some lifespan but I have to say it had the grip of a cheng shin.  Not a big fan.

Since seemingly all of my tires go down by road hazard I'm thinking why not just put on the stickiest tire available?  It will last exactly as long anyway.

Since I haven't been planning a tire swap I haven't been paying attention to the latest hot pick in tires.  Any advice?

[Speed 3 Pilot]

Dunlop Sportmax Q2s seem to be very popular owing to both handling and price...Sta just bought a set, hope he chimes in...

[Thermite]

Thanx.

[MadDuck]

Dunlop Sportmax Q2s seem to be very popular owing to both handling and price...Sta just bought a set, hope he chimes in...

As did I and Ben and my upstairs neighbor. As in buying the Q2's.  I think we all like them pretty good so far from what I understand. Road hazard is road hazard and is only the luck of the draw. I will not ride close to the edges of roads as much as possible though. From years of bad experiences on motorcycles and bicycles that is where the bad crap lies in wait for the unassuming. And, unless you are using the tire all the way to the edges, there's no point in buying the stickiest tire around. That'd be those high falutin' Pirelli's or DOT race tires.  Why pay extra unless you are going to use them?  I push Michelin Pilot Roads (Road 2's) on that BMW fairly hard and don't have any problems with them. I doubt I'll ever push the Q2's, on the 848, to their limit. Just sayin...........

[freeflydive]

And, unless you are using the tire all the way to the edges, there's no point in buying the stickiest tire around. That'd be those high falutin' Pirelli's or DOT race tires.  Why pay extra unless you are going to use them?

While I'm no where close to riding my tires/bike to edge of its capability, the Q2's are advertised for road and track use.  They have been very well reviewed against the much more expensive (and grippy/well reviewed) Pirelli Supercorsa SPs and the Calif Superbike School alternates between mounting the Q2's and GPA 211's on student bikes.  Great tire for the money...especially when on sale.  

Now, I wish the magazines would do another tire shootout to include the Bridgestone S20!  

[Thermite]

Okay thanks to all!  That sounds pretty unanimous.  That's what I was hoping for.

As far as avoiding the hazards goes the monster has been relegated to the urban short-haul and commuting role so it frequents the streets & sides between Pearl City and Kalihi.  I think these high volume traffic areas have more junk on the roads.  For the long haul and open highway rides I find the SBK far more comfortable and I have yet to pick anything up in the tires.

[Thermite]

The Matrix is in for a safety check and some follow-up on the ECU swap (TPS?).  Running a bit lean for sure.

I bought a set of the Q2's to go on the Monster tomorrow when the Matrix is done.

Thanks all for the input.

T

[Speed 3 Pilot]

Why the ecu swap on the Matrix?

[Thermite]

Why the ecu swap on the Matrix?

Uh, ... Termis!

Part of the transformation to monoposto.  What can I say, long discontinued but a brand new set fell from the sky.  Aluminum cans just like the stock.  Just perfect for me since I don't like CF.

Also I have regained controll of the previously seized rear suspension and the handling is coming along nicely.  I may even be able to keep up with you some day soon.

[Speed 3 Pilot]

Uh, ... Termis!

Part of the transformation to monoposto.  What can I say, long discontinued but a brand new set fell from the sky.  Aluminum cans just like the stock.  Just perfect for me since I don't like CF.

Also I have regained controll of the previously seized rear suspension and the handling is coming along nicely.  I may even be able to keep up with you some day soon.

Cool...

[DRKWNG]

That 998, running uncorked, on a set of Q2s is going to be a bit fun.

[Thermite]

That 998, running uncorked, on a set of Q2s is going to be a bit fun.

The 998 is wearing a set of Pilot Pures.  The Q2s will be on the S4RS.

The 998 is increasingly fun to ride.  Initially I had issues with the rear suspension.  It had never been adjusted and had to be stripped to be freed up.  I made a big adjustment on the spring rate from 410 to 575 using the Penske chart.  Very happy with that so far.  While I was looking around for springs I got a cold call from a tuner in California who had an RCS Ti spring at 575.  Sold it to me for near the same price as steel, who could resist that?

As far as the uncorking is concerned that's not going real well at the moment.  It's been at SSD for 5 days trying to get a safety check and TPS reset.  The new mechanic says he can't work with the DP ECU.  The slip-ons and ECU came to me all sealed in Ducati  packaging so I know it's all legit.  Also dropped off a second DP ECU this morning.  We shall see....

Aside from the uncorking the morph to monoposto has been a bigger plus than I hoped for.  It's like there's nothing behind me I'm dragging around.  I know the swap drops 8 lbs. but it feels like more.

And oh yea, my GF just bought a house at the bottom of snake, now there's a girl that knows how to get a booty call...

[DRKWNG]

Can't work with the ECU? That's a pretty plug and play affair, what part of it is stopping him?

[MadDuck]

Can't work with the ECU? That's a pretty plug and play affair, what part of it is stopping him?

That version ECU software may be before Eddie's time.    He should call Will.  But, seriously, it should be pretty much plug & play like Ben says.

[Thermite]

I couldn't agree more on the plug & play.  And I did the plugging so all he has to do is play.

I have a couple rides in on the new ECU, say about 200 miles.  It's not bad overall but it wont start after it sits overnight.  I have to crank it over a few times and then let it sit for like two minutes before trying again.  Then it will light the fires strait away and we're off.  

Simple TPS reset I think as the A/F ratio is just a smidge off.  I've read the manual option for the reset and decided to take a pass in favor of SSD.  For some reason the state won't let me do my own safety check so it was headed for SSD anyway.  Eddie said he couldn't "talk"to it.  I asked him if he tried Italian.

As far as before eddies time is concerned I've taught him to put the kickstand up before trying to start it so he's learning.