[sarnali]

If you're riding on the street in a sane manner I'd try Dunlop D220's

While they're sold as a sport-touring tire they stick like glue wet or dry and hold up well.

I regularly scraped the pegs on my Bandit with them, when they did break loose it was just a gentle slide.

Obviously on the track or hardcore canyon racing they might be overwhelmed, but everyday street riding I think they'd work fine.

 

[detansinn]

What were you riding prior to the GSXR-750?

What feedback/or lack thereof are the tires giving you?

Can you clarify your assessment of "stink"?



The GSXR-750 is putting a bit of power to the ground. If you haven't owned a modern sportbike prior to the Gixxer, you'll find that it's acceleration/deceleration can give the tires a work out regardless of manufacturer.



Stay away from "race" tires as you will learn a whole new version of "stink" on a chilly morning.



Depending upon your size and weight, you might also want to consider some help with setup. Sometimes a subtle change (ie. a couple-clicks of rebound damping) can sort things out.



I agree with MO's assessment of the Dunlops. From my experience, I have found the Bridgestone tires work well. Both of my bikes wear Pirellis right now with one of the bikes on its second set of Dragon Evos.



Of course, if the tires "stink" after doing a burn-out in front of Dairy Queen, that's normal. haha

 

[rocketorM3]

Metzeler Sportec ROCKS

Don't know how long they last but while they do, great! On my YZF600 the front has lasted twice as long as the rear of course. The first rear was a MEZ4 now it is the M1. Can't say alot about the effect of the rear, as I have not yet learned to scrape a puck!

 

[Abe_Froman]

Given your street usage, I would just buy the cheapest good SS tire you can get which is probably the Mezteler Sportec M-1. A set can be had for just over $200. In spite of the above description of the "carcass deflection" causing a "vague" or "squishy" feeling (they may be entirely correct) my guess is that you will never understand what they are talking about unless you are on a racetrack or you are absolutely suicidal on the street. Now that I have done a couple trackdays I have new respect for street tires. Quite frankly I can't see how you would ever need/want anything more for the street. Moreover, my R1 makes a truckload more torque than a 750, and I still think my street-compound Pilot Sports worked amazingly well on the track.

 

[35377]

I replaced the stock Dunlops on my VTR1000 SuperHawk with Pilot Sports - what a difference! Can't say how they would do on the Gixer, but on the SuperHawk they are the most predictable tire I've ever ridden on. They stick like glue and warm up well in the winter (I ride year round in Connecticut). I got about 4000 street miles out of the first set - the second set looks like it will do about the same. Can't find anything bad to say about them.

 

[SmokeU]

I'd shoot myself if I could only get 4000 miles out of a set. I'd go through almost 3 sets a year(and I don't ride year round).

 

[35377]

SmokeU: I got 8000 out of the stock Dunlop 208's, but they sucked. What kind of bike are you riding? What kind of roads? Are you getting more miles on Pilot Sports? Do you have experience with other tires that handle as good but wear better? I'm guessing that "[email protected]" might have a thing or two to say about high performance equipment, so share the info, man!

 

[brickl]

So many good tires, so little money...

I went through 16 rear and 7 front front tires on my R1 between January and June of this year. I was unemployed and had little else to do, you see...

Anyway, I've sampled the following tires on the R1 in that time frame:

Bridgestone BT012SS

Pirelli Diablo

Pirelli Diablo Corsa

Pirelli Supercorsa

Pirelli Dragon Evo

Metzeler Sportec M1

Dunlop 208ZR

Dunlop 208GP (not A)

I paid close attention to performance and wear characteristics on these tires and I can say without a doubt that most of them have bad points, and some of them have good points.

Before I offer a recommendation RE the tires above, I'd tell you that if wear longevity is an issue for you, a sport touring tire like the Pilot Road or Macadam 100x, Dunlop 220, or whatever will give acceptable performance at 7/10ths on the road and will last a quite a while. I was just getting ready to sample some ST tires when my riding season was summarily ended by a TLS rider w/ a peabrain.

Of the tires above I would NOT recommend any of the Dunlops. The 208ZR gave my R1 a slight but noticeable headshake on deceleration that I was unable to dial out w/ suspension or air pressure tweaks.

The 208GP was even worse. But that's a DOT race tire, and I can forgive it's unruly tendencies because of that fact.

The Pirelli Dragon is an old tire that you won't want and probably can't get anymore. Good thing, too.

The Sportec M1 is a decent tire that has good performance characteristics, but is a bit lacking on the longevity issue. I was able to get better wear out of both the BT012SS and the Diablo Corsa, which are both softer compounds than the M1. The M1 front also felt really viby on the brakes, so much so that I lost confidence in the front somewhat. Not too good.

The standard Diablo, contrary to what even Pirelli will tell you, is not a twin of the M1, save tread pattern. This is marketing FUD. The Diablo is a dual compound tire that is great for straightliners and city riders who like to carve once in a while. The tire will, however, wear into an abnormal shape if you beat on it really hard. The nature of the tire compounds become apparent when you thrash them, though. All in all, good tire for Tasty-Freeze posers due to anti-flatspotting. Not too good for hardcore canyon carvers due to lackluster side compound.

The Pirelli Diablo Corsa is a superb tire and ended up being my tire of choice by the end of the spree. Surprisingly, even though it's touted at hyper-performance item, it shows excellent wear longevity. It performs perfectly for me, as it stands up to extreme corner exit abuse outstandingly. My normal rides consisted of leaving 50 foot long ******* on 200 mile routes through west central Wisconsin farm country (from April on, before that it was Colorado's front range, where riding can be done all year, for the most part). All in all, I feel that the Corsa is a superb tire that should be looked at by sport bikers everywhere.

The BT012SS performs superbly, as well. Of the tires listed above, it offered me the best longevity. And that's incredible since it is such a soft compound. Who knows. Anyhow, the BT012SS seems to come in several forms. The BT012 that comes stock on honda and suzi bikes IS NOT the same as a commercially available BT012SS, and I have seen "BT012 SS Type" tires, as well. These are all different compounds and/or tread patterns, it seems, and I can tell that they are not up to par w/ the over-the-counter BT012SS. So look closely at what you buy.

The BT012SS is a good, confidence inspiring tire, IMHO, and while the front's tread pattern is kind clunky looking, it offers a lot of grip and good feel. All in all, a great tire, minding that you get the right ones, that is.

Supercorsas are not good for the street. Much like other DOT race tires, the compounds do not like repeated heat cycling. I found that the Supercorsa was a great tire during the first few canyon bombs,

then it hardened up and lost a lot of grip. Not good for the street, this tire, unless you plan on trying to impress the local squids w/ semi-slicks.

In the end, if you can live with the type of wear characteristics you'll get from a hyper-sport oriented tire, I would do the Pirelli Diablo Corsa or the BT012SS. For me it's the Corsa. It's just the bees knees in so many areas.

 

[detansinn]

Re: So many good tires, so little money...

Nice write-up

 

[Vlad]

I have to agree with the recommendation of the Pirelli Diablo. A great tire. However I am quite happy with the Sportec M-1's I have fitted to my VFR. It has superior grip to either the Pilot Sport or the Dunlop options (in my opinion, of course).



vlad

 

[Big_Boy]

Re: So many good tires, so little money...

quite a list, curious why you picked sport-tec M-1 over the rennsport street? I just got an '02 S4 monster that came with D207RR's. I do not profess to be a racer (still breaking the bike in), but I do feel the tires to be a bit slippery... I thought it was because they were new, until I read this... Now I am already thinking about which tire to try next... Sounds like Pirelli Diablo Corsa's should be high on the list... Have you heard anything good or bad about AVON? and what about MAXXIS?

Thanks for all the research, must have been HELL!

 

[brickl]

Re: So many good tires, so little money...

If I had the Monster S4 I would try the standard Diablo since the S4 won't have enough power to really abuse the tire. A litre bike, on the other hand, when ridden hard out of the corners, will be better off w/ the Corsa.

The standard Diablo, if used by a rider who consistently exits really hard, will wear into a V shape due to the dual compound. I have to state that you really have to push the tire to get to that point, but it can be done. The end result of a very pronounced V shape will be high speed straightline instability and unsettled initial turn in. On the S4 it won't be nearly as apparent as with a 150+hp bike, but you will likely notice that the tire will retain a shape conducive to quick drop-in, and it won't flatspot easily, which are good things.

 

[Big_Boy]

Re: So many good tires, so little money...

Thank you, and sounds good. I live in arizona and you tend to have to ride alot of straight roads to get to any kind of good twisties, and like I said, I am not a racer... yet. So a tire that would resist flat spots on all those rides to the twisties would be good.

 

[9214]

Sportecs?

I really liked the sportec M-1's, but they practically "melted" off the rear wheel every time I cracked the throttle. I put 3 rear tire on for the single front, and never got more than 2450 miles out of a rear tire. If I did regular track days I MIGHT be able to justify the short lifespan, but once a year isn't often enough.

I've switched to the Avon 45/46 combo-they're just as sticky on the street and last alot longer.

 

[SPman]

Metzler Rennsports are quite popular in this neck of the woods