New tyres.

[SteveP]

I will soon have to replace the tyres on my S2R800, can anyone recommend a brand and/or supplier? thanks.

[Ron1000]

I'm on the Pirelli Diablo Rosso II they are excellent. If you fancy a change I used to use conti road attacks also excellent they have released the road attack II which is supposed to be even better.

Also a mate is running the metzeler racetec r7, said they are unbelievable.

[Martin Duke]

I will soon have to replace the tyres on my S2R800, can anyone recommend a brand and/or supplier? thanks.
Dunlop Roadsmart 2 are my choice - very good - always feel secure and they last well too. I've been very happy with them.

[jonzi]

Been using the metzeler m7rr. Dunno how many miles I have done on them, around 3k or so.

Starting to square off a bit due to motorway miles, but very confident on them in the wet and plenty good in the dry.

[Flip]

What is it you have on at the moment and how happy are you with them?

What I would suggest when it comes to tyres is be honest with yourself over what you expect from them.

The latest range of track based rubber is all well and good when it comes to track riding but for the road as well as not lasting very long before they square off they tend not to be so good in the wet due to their tread design having little water displacing grooves towards the edge meaning you will likely be tottering round bends. In addition to this they need to get up to reasonable temperature for them to be at their optimum which again is not a problem on the track where they will be subjected to near constant loading but on the road they can cool down quickly when riding in traffic for example.

My Monster originally came on Dunlops which I hated on it and have disliked on everything I have ridden with them on including my race bike.

I have used Pirelli Dragons, Dragon Evos and Diablos all of which I have liked the feel of but because I couldn't get a rear in my 900's 170/70x17 size I decided to try Michelin's Pilot 3's this time which I am very pleased with generally with loads of feedback and what feels like limitless grip but seem rather sensitive to pressure and I haven't quite got them perfectly matched to my suspension yet after having my forks reworked by Maxton.

They are perfectly stable at higher speeds on sweeping bends but on very slow corners and the odd round-a-bout they give the impression of being low on pressure making the steering feel heavy and slow despite me raising the rear and pulling the forks through the yokes.

However, I am certain this is down to my suspension needing a little more dialling in as I have only heard good reports about them so would recommend but to be honest I would think that any of the current tyres available will have more grip and feel than most people will find the limits of on the road.

As for where to buy I have used FWR for both a ride in fitting service and mail order with no problems, Sticky Stuff have been great for mail order with very good prices and for my race bike (but he also supplies road tyres) I always use Tony at TST Services.

http://www.fwr.co.uk/
https://www.motorcycletyresandaccessories.co.uk/
http://www.tst-tyres.co.uk/index.php

[Stinger101]

I have 29 years of tyre industry experience and Flip asks some pertinent question regarding what you want out of your tyres/use. I've ridden on most things and have my favourites of course. I have just swapped from the OE Diablo Rosso 2's which were very nice & capable, but not too nice in the wet. Also I found a very slight vague feeling in the fast corners (80+) but perfect below that & regardless of the occasional 3 figure cornering, never let me down with a slide. It was just 'that' feeling.
I've recently fitted Michelin Pilot Power 3's & my initial discovery is of immediate increased cornering confidence. I can feel everything from very slow, sharp manoeuvers to very fast cornering. All this is on the road in dry & one run in the damp. None on track yet.
I was told that these sometimes feel 'heavy' at slow speeds, but my experience on them is the complete opposite. I'm really happy with them. 36psi each end on my 1200S.
Metzeler M7RR's have good feedback as a sporty tyre. Also the Z8 Interact as a more sport-touring offering that's had good reviews from people that know stuff.
Avon have some good feedback on their Storm 3D X-M and the 3D Ultra Sport.
Michelin (my favourite) do the Pilot Power 3's as a sporty offering that's I'm currently raving about & the Power Supersport Evo for fast road & trackday & the awesome Pilot Road 4's for a sport touring tyre that actually holds up well on trackdays...

Pirelli offer the Angel GT / Diablo Rosso 2 & the racier Rosso Corsa. All great tyres.
Older versions are available also which will be heavily discounted on most of these brands.

Go and see Nigel at Stowmarket T&E & tell them Mark Hornett sent you. I know & trust these guys. Also David at Autofit in Ipswich have some great staff there. both can fit to bike if necessary & balance motorbike wheels.

To summarise, there really isn't a bad tyre out there amongst the premium brands but the important thing is to fit the right type of tyre ie. trackday / fast road / sport touring / touring that suits your needs.
Sorry for the essay, people that know me, know that I can't give a short answer on my favourite subject...

[Flip]

I have 29 years of tyre industry experience and Flip asks some pertinent question regarding what you want out of your tyres/use.

Cheers, appreciate your comments- I have been riding for a pretty long time and I think there are too many people out there who think putting the latest race rubber on their road bike will make them instantly faster whereas in most cases it will result in reduced confidence on the road particularly on wet or poorly surfaced ones.

I have just swapped from the OE Diablo Rosso 2's which were very nice & capable, but not too nice in the wet. Also I found a very slight vague feeling in the fast corners (80+) but perfect below that & regardless of the occasional 3 figure cornering, never let me down with a slide. It was just 'that' feeling.

That is exactly my experiences with every Dunlop I have ridden on including pukka race rubber- maybe it is their triangular profile giving me a feeling I am not so familiar with compared with what I am used to. I prefer a slower steering tyre and then setting the bike up how I want it to corner.

I've recently fitted Michelin Pilot Power 3's & my initial discovery is of immediate increased cornering confidence.

I was told that these sometimes feel 'heavy' at slow speeds, but my experience on them is the complete opposite. I'm really happy with them. 36psi each end on my 1200S.

Again, exactly my experience of the Pilot Road 3's in both counts. I have increased the pressure in the front to help alleviate this but still not perfect.

Another thing worth mentioning (in my experience at least) I would stick to the standard sizes as being tempted to go up a size on the rear may 'look better' but will likely slow your steering down further.

[SteveP]

I have Dunlop Sportmax D208 at the moment, no idea how old they are as i have only had the bike for a year, but they need replacing soon anyway. They don't inspire confidence, the front feels vague and the rear has stepped out more than once. Thanks for all the info.

[SteveP]

Thanks very much for the essay, most helpful. Was thinking of trying Autofit as they are 2 mins from me and have done my car, will definately go there first now.

[Stinger101]

D208's are very old technology and not a patch on the modern items. On one side of the tyre is the date code. There is a sequence of letters and numbers starting with DOT then some random looking letters/numbers that end in an embossed oval of 4 numbers. If it's only 3 numbers in the oval, they're pre 2000!! Example 1810 means they were made in the eighteenth week of 2010. First 2 numbers are weeks of the year (up to 52 of course) second set is the year. D208's will be post 2009. Get 'em off!

[Flip]

D208's are very old technology and not a patch on the modern items. D208's will be post 2009. Get 'em off!

Surely you mean 'pre' 2009?

I am sure I bought a bike in the 90's with those on- anyway bloody horrible things (in my opinion)!!!

[Stinger101]

Surely you mean 'pre' 2009?

I am sure I bought a bike in the 90's with those on- anyway bloody horrible things (in my opinion)!!!
Oops. Pre indeed. I think they were released around 2001/2. I've had a few bangs on the head since then....
should pay more attention to what I'm typing...

[SteveP]

Thankyou all for the replies, number on tyres is 4108, nine years old then...

[Darren69]

I currently have the Diablo Rosso Corsa at they are excellent in the dry, but I'm not sure how they would fair in wet conditions as there is no tread on the last few inches each side. Less than the Rosso II's I had previously which seemed ok wet or dry. If I rode all year round I would probably go for those again (if you can still get them) or try the Angel GT's (which I haven't tried)

[utopia]

Whatever you go for, if I was buying new tyres I would certainly go for something with a dual compound.
The harder centre section will help to retain the tyre's profile for longer.
I've just had 8,000 miles out of a rear tyre (Michelin PR2) and the profile was still decent up to about 7k.
This, in my opinion, is perhaps the most important issue in a road tyre, given that they will all be more than sticky enough for most riders.
My choice would be Michelin PR4s.

However, these days I buy ex-race scrubs at £70 a pair from a member of this very forum.
At that price, the profile doesn't need to last so long cos they'll be replaced early anyway.

[pooh]

Angel GTs great in the dry but amazing in the wet and they last.

Pooh

[EvoAde]

Just scrubbing in a pair of Michelin PR 4's - excellent. Had PR3's on previous bikes so I've been a fan for a while. Nothing wrong with the standard Pirelli DR 2 though.