Tyre Recommendations Please

[StephenC]

Hi all.  I had a minor crash last year and have lost a lot of confidence in my riding, especially around corners.  Whilst a lot of this is me I also suspect my tyres have some role in it.  I bought a nearly unused (approx 2000km on the clock) 2009 Monster 1100S a few years ago and the tyres are the same ones since then, so I suspect they are at least 7 years old.  The treads are still good, but I am wondering if the quality of the rubber has degraded as I often feel like the rear is slipping on me.  Therefore I plan on changing them, what would folks recommend?  I do no track stuff and pretty much just commute.  I do ride in the rain but it never drops below freezing here, so no ice.  Confidence in corners is more important than longevity.  I think the current tyres are Bridgestones and I have had the first generation of Pirelli Angel (on a previous Monster), I wasn't that impressed with them.  Thanks for the help.

[Kopfjäger]

There's a lot of info in the Tire sticky.

[S21FOLGORE]

First off,
7 years old tires are way too old. Discard them, and put a set of new ones right away!
(I personally don't use if the tires are more than three years old. If I were broke, and need a motorcycle for commuting and running errands, I might use 4 years old tires, but probably would save up and change them before the rainy season.
Even for the car tires, I wouldn't use if they are more than 4 years old.)

As for which tire to buy (or to recommend), ... it's like asking which God should I believe, which girl should I go out, which gun and ammo should I choose, which oil should I use ...
(For the record, I liked Pirelli Angel ST which you said you weren't impressed. I liked them enough to buy Angel GT.
I have no confidence problem with these tires.)

Stay away from track oriented tires anyway.

[Howie]

Time for new tires.  Rule of thumb is 5 years from date of manufacture.  I suggest a Michelin Pilot Power 3 or Road 4, Pirelli Diablo Rosso II, or maybe a Dunlop Roadsmart Q3 or Roadsmart II.  Like
Kopf said, read the tire sticky.

[StephenC]

Thanks. As well as recommendation of a new set (I will read the aforementioned thread) I was looking for confirmation my current tyres are too old. When I last had the bike serviced, the mechanic felt I was wasting my money getting new ones and talked me out of it. 

[koko64]

A customers 7 year old tyre recently split while riding. You can be lucky or unlucky with them. Play it safe.

[koko64]

It split while I was test riding it and deflated. The bike belonged to a learner rider. I checked the date on it and yep, seven years old and probably run underinflated.

[koko64]

Another thing was that to touch such old tyres they will feel quite hard as if overinflated. They have gone off, lost grip and also lost their compliance. This makes them seal poorly and not yield to objects they might hit causing damage. This crack did not appear until the air pressure was restored to spec and ridden. The cracks in the sidewall suddenly appeared once the tyre was correctly inflated and warmed up down the road.

Oh, and the bike was sold with a RWC by a shop..

[Charlie98]

Thanks. As well as recommendation of a new set (I will read the aforementioned thread) I was looking for confirmation my current tyres are too old. When I last had the bike serviced, the mechanic felt I was wasting my money getting new ones and talked me out of it. 

Although I wouldn't be so brutal as to say you need to find a new mechanic (a mechanic isn't necessarily a tire expert by default...) he's completely wrong on the tire issue.  It's time for those to go!

I'm so paranoid, the few times I've bought a used bike, the first thing I do is slap new rubber on it... you never know how the tires were treated (riding under inflated, for example) and that's all that's between you and kissing the pavement.

I like the Rosso II's that came OEM on my 796, I just put my 2nd set on.  For strictly commuter duty the Angel GT might be a better choice, but you can't go wrong with the Rosso's.

[StephenC]

Thanks for all the replies.  You are all confirming my own suspicion, that my current tyres need an upgrade.  I'm fastidious about tyre pressures, so they are never over or under-inflated.  However, the rubber on the sidewalls looks like that last photo and it certainly feels hard to touch, when compared to my car's tyres.  I'll read through the main thread and choose a pair to swap to.

[Stuka Pilot]

The Rosso II's that came standard on my M1200 have performed very well.

To date not a hint of slippage, very confidence inspiring. Looking a little worn currently and almost certain to replace like for like.

[NAKID]

The Rosso II's that came standard on my M1200 have performed very well.

To date not a hint of slippage, very confidence inspiring. Looking a little worn currently and almost certain to replace like for like.

I had the Rosso II's on my 821 as well. I wasn't a huge fan. For me, the seemed to slip a little on the edges, and they did not last very long. I got about 6000 miles out of them. Like someone else suggested, if you're going to be doing any amount of commuting, I would recommend the Angel GT. I am running that now and with over 8000 miles on them, the still look and preform great.

[Charlie98]

I had the Rosso II's on my 821 as well. I wasn't a huge fan. For me, the seemed to slip a little on the edges, and they did not last very long. I got about 6000 miles out of them. Like someone else suggested, if you're going to be doing any amount of commuting, I would recommend the Angel GT. I am running that now and with over 8000 miles on them, the still look and preform great.

Jeepers... I only got 5K out of the first set.  Just the cost of doing business...

[StephenC]

My local has got a choice of: Dunlop Roadsmart, Pirelli Rossa II or Bridgestone BT30 and can order in the Pirelli Angel GT.  They are recommending the Dunlops.  What do you think?  Bearing in mind that my commute is not very long (15mins) I'm trending away from the Rossa II as I gather they need to heat up to really shine.

[StephenC]

After reading a pile of reviews, I've ordered the Pirelli Angel GT.  Thanks for all the input.