[_searcher_]

Without getting into specifics - I would say that mileage on tires is almost completely dependent on how you ride. I've had touring tires that I've roasted in 3000 miles (that said - that was old-tech bias ply).



My experience with Dunlop D207s was less than 2000 miles. SO - I would say get the cheapest, grippiest tires and stop worrying about how long they're going to last.



If you're poor, ride mellow

 

[justaspeedfreak]

Abstinence...

is the only way to ensure no wear. If you must partake, use the Metzler Sportec's. They are fine rubbers and always last many sessions for me. I even used them at Road Atlanta and they worked great!

 

[SilverBullet]

Bridgestones

I have BT010s on 2 of my bikes and they are fantastic (on top of that they're NOT expensive at all).

Riding very agressively (doing burnouts even) I got over 6000 on the rear of my Speed Triple and the front is still going strong.

When I buy, I buy BT010s.

 

[15052]

Re: Bridgestones

Agreed, the 010's are a decent tire. Had them on a Speed Triple, lasted about 5000-5500 (can't remember). Also now on my Speed Four (only 1600 so far). But the 020's which came on a Sprint I had weren't too bad, and they are supposed to last longer. Can't speak about the price of the 020 VS. 010.

 

[12er]

Mez4's are my choice, just had a new set (3rd in a row) thrown on the old K12 week before last. I get about the same 9k out of them before the front is bald...

 

[6057]

Dude.... No question, you want one of two tires.

Bridgestone BT010's, or Avon Azaro II (35/36 for sport touring, 39/40 for sport... er... sporting?)

Check out this link right here.

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/produ...ntID=55818&2sectionID=50719&2documentID=55817

Anyways, I've used both, and they both kick booty, and don't cost squat.

 

[crazybike_37]

CRAZY TALKS BACK

Well, unless somebody gives me some real info about grip on the Z4's or the BT-020's(anybody done any scratching on a set of D220's?), I'm just gonna order up a pair of BT-010's. Unless somebody has a pretty good idea of what kind of sidewall scrubbing-ness I can get out of a set of sport-tourers, I'm gonna play it safe and get sport skins. I dang near tucked the front on the set of Z4's I've got on there now, and that was with about 6,000 miles on em. They were about 1 1/2-2 years old at the time, and I wasn't even scratching anything yet. Scared the poop out of me. Not just the prospect of crashing, but really the idea of getting cozy with the barb-wire fence along the side of the road.

 

[smythie]

Re: CRAZY TALKS BACK

The 020's are a pretty good tyre. They don't have quite as good turn in as the 010 does, but the rear does wear pretty well. And they stick pretty damn well. One of my friends got his Bandit over far enough to touch the frame down, and that was two up. There are others in our club that ride with the 020's and are very happy. Some others in the club ride with a combination of an 010 on the front and an 020 on the rear. probably the best of both worlds.

Also have a look at the Michelin Pilot Sport. It is another good tyre. It's only problem is that it needs some heat in it before it gets max grip. As a result it doesn't have the wet road grip that some others like the 010's have.

 

[sarnali]

Why don't you try Dunlop D220's? even though they replace D205's they're more sport than touring and they stick like glue in the rain. I mean cranked-n-banked rolling on the throttle fairly hard and hardly sliding at all, I woudn't bother with the Maxxis myself, I was so broke I put a set of Cheng-Shins on my Sporty years back and about all you could say was they kept the rims off the ground, I'd guess Maxxis would be about the same.

 

[YZFknucklehead]

Re: CRAZY TALKS BACK

The BT010 tires are great. I'm getting ready to change my rear BT010 tire that has 6300 miles on it. It came with my F4i and those tires heat up fast, stick to wet pavement and perform flawlessly on the road. The BT020 tires are also good, but not as sticky. Stick with your decision.

 

[15311]

havent used them all, but now I swear by

BT010 front and BT020 rear.

This has suited both a VTR1000 and VFR800 beautifully. Great grip, particularly nice steering manners + decent wear.

 

[dominatr37]

>



010's rock. I use them on my YZF600, and they stick like glue, as well as last a good, long time. 020's stick good too, though they tend to stick a little less in cold conditions, but they are a good sport touring tire. In heated conditions they won't let you down. BOth aree great tires. I use the 020's on my GPZ1100 all the time, and get about 12K out of them. The 010's I get about 9K out of the rear, and 14K out of the front.

 

[ogre23]

Re: Bridgestones

I agree. I'm on my 3rd rear tire on my Warrior, the first was a 010, which got me about 5000 miles, and the second was a D208 which was worn down to the steel in only 2000 miles. Needless to say, the third one is another 010.

And, for the hooligan minded amongst you, the 010 is sufficiently sticky to let me lift the front wheel of my low-altitude cruise missile. Well, at sea-level anyway. There's just enough power loss at 5000 feet to make it bog instead of pull up. Grr. Anyway.

-Kawazuki

 

[Buzglyd]

Re: CRAZY TALKS BACK

I've heard the BT10/20 option works great. I originally had Michelin Macadams on my Duc and switched to Pilot Sports which I loved however I tend to do more long distance riding and riding with a passenger and the Pilot Sports squared off too quickly.

I'm not quite the peg scratcher others are so I went back to Sport Touring rubber.

 

[20874]

While we're at it

How about the comparison of mileage between sport and ST tires of the same brand? BT010 vs 020 or D208 vs 220? I too shall be looking for tires soon. I have 4k on (ZX9 OEM) 207's which have ample (another 3k?) tread, but are seriously squared off. My current situation requires a great deal of regular distance riding and no free time for backroad scratching. I am considering ST tires for the first time. Would an ST tire yield superior mileage on a hi-perf bike?

Also, what is the best tire for wet riding?

 

[tumbler]

Re: While we're at it

That is a comparison that I would be interested in too. I have seen comparisons between sport tires and DOT supersport, but not sport-touring.

 

[obandoj]

I had the MEZ4 Metzelers on my VFR and they were great, then I went with the BT010's and they were even better on that bike, they are still on, and I love them. After riding my friends SV650s with the BT010's, I went out and bought a 2002 SV which came with the MEZ4's as OEM tires, the next Sunday we went riding together, and after a few miles we swaped bikes and discovered that the MEZ4's are the tires to have on the SV650s. They make the bike handle so much better that now my friend can not wait for his tires to need replacement so that he can replace them with the Metzelers. Disclamer: this type of riding takes place in very twisty mountain roads in Arizona and track days, so I don't know how it will translate into city every day riding. Stay away from the cheap tires, you get what you pay for, good luck.

 

[dnakase]

2 local guy I know swear by the SuperMaxx. These guys both ride the bejuzzus out of their bikes one as a motorcycle messenger the other just a hard core mistro of the twisties.



But being a slave to fashion I mounted M1s when at 7,000 miles I could'nt take the Z4s any longer. I don't expect them to last forever but I wouldn't go back to the MEZ4s unless I rode in the rain, but I live in SoCal so I don't have to.

 

[3810]

The single biggest handling change you can make (for better or worse) to your motorcycle are those black round things you stick on the front and back rims. I've run BT010s on my SV, VFR800, and '02 Speed Triple. They have worked great on all of them. I guess I ride fairly hard. I got about 4300 on the front and 2000-2300 on the rear with the sides giving out before the centers. When I tried the 020 on the rear of the VFR and Speed Triple, I didn't notice any real difference in mileage versus the 010s. The 020 worked BETTER as a performance tire on the Triple and the 010 worked better on the VFR. The only reason I can figure the 020 worked better on the Triple is because it has a stiffer sidewall and wouldn't allow the rear to wiggle like the 010 did. The 010s worked great on my SV. I don't think you can go wrong with them. They get my highest recommendation. I also think the 010/020 combination would do a great job for you. I don't know about the Maxxims. I'd want some really good riders to tell me they worked well before spending my money on them. I can't directly speak for the Metzeler Sportecs but I just put a set of Pirelli Diablos on my VFR. Since they are made to virtually the same specs (except tread pattern) by the same manufacturer, they should be quite similar. I am extremely disappointed in the Diablos performance. The press reviews raved about them, even for occassional track days. Can't say I feel that way at all. They steer significantly heavier than the BT010 front. I took my VFR out to a "minitrack" I can play pretty hard on. While the conditions weren't ideal--air temp in the mid 60's, and F/R tire pressure at 36/38, the rear slid significantly sooner than the 010 under the same conditions. Can't speak for the mileage yet, but it would have to be a lot better to make up for the lack of feedback & traction compared to the 010s. The 010s are very untempermental too. They heat up quickly, don't get all squirrelly when they cool down (like the Pilots do) and offer great feedback to the rider. Not too hard to figure what direction I'm leading you to, huh? Good luck. Cheers, Jack

 

[sarnali]

Re: While we're at it

Get the D220's, I ride in wet weather 8mos. out of the year and the D220's are THE rain tire to have , trust me on this, you'll be scraping pegs in the rain, they're that good.