Need tires

[K Rig]

I've got my 04 Fz6 and I noticed today a small piece of rubber peeling off the side of the rear tire just above the sidewall along the edge of the tread. Looking at it i noticed there are a few weather cracks along the sidewall. :disapprove:
The tires are Continental Contiforce tires.
I'll keep an eye on it to make sure that it doesn't get any worse but I'm looking for a new set of tires for the summer I guess.

Does anybody have any suggestions on what brand and tire(s) i should go with?

 

[Wavex]

I like Bridgestone, but you can't really go wrong with sport/touring tires these days... I`d recommend:

For mostly cruising/commuting and some spirited rides = sticky enough = lots of mileage = BT021
For mostly spirited rides with lots of lean angles = stickier = less mileage = BT016

 

[CCHOUSEKY]

I'm gonna need some new shoes by mid-summer myself and I'm trying to figure out what to go with next too.

To the OP, I can't recommend the BT-016's enough for their stickiness, but if you do a lot of commuting, I wouldn't go that route. I got between 5-6000 miles out of my set (which is good for those tires), but I like to only have to replace tires once a year.

Does anyone have any feelings on Pilot Powers (NOT the 2ct...just regular old Pilot Powers). What type of mileage could I expect, are they a good tire for the weekend warrior (i.e. sticky)? I wouldn't mind trying the Pilot Road's, but I'm always on a budget and can get the PP's for fairing cheap. And keep in mind that I don't commute 30 minutes one way like I used to...just across town now, so wear won't be as severe on the center.

 

[K Rig]

K, I'm not sure if i should go for a stickyer tire or not. The Contiforces i have are have a speed rating of W. I commute to school which is about 2 miles one way, so not too bad, but I'd probably have more peace of mind if i had better grip on the road while I'm still learning. I've read some good reviews on the new Pirrelli Angels but they're pricey.

 

[Wavex]

I'm gonna need some new shoes by mid-summer myself and I'm trying to figure out what to go with next too.

To the OP, I can't recommend the BT-016's enough for their stickiness, but if you do a lot of commuting, I wouldn't go that route. I got between 5-6000 miles out of my set (which is good for those tires), but I like to only have to replace tires once a year.

Does anyone have any feelings on Pilot Powers (NOT the 2ct...just regular old Pilot Powers). What type of mileage could I expect, are they a good tire for the weekend warrior (i.e. sticky)? I wouldn't mind trying the Pilot Road's, but I'm always on a budget and can get the PP's for fairing cheap. And keep in mind that I don't commute 30 minutes one way like I used to...just across town now, so wear won't be as severe on the center.

Pilot Powers are very comparable to the 016's in stickiness and mileage. The main diff is the profile, with the 016 having a much "rounder" profile compared to the more pointy profile of the PPs... FWIW, I am running PPs in my avatar pic

K, I'm not sure if i should go for a stickyer tire or not. The Contiforces i have are have a speed rating of W. I commute to school which is about 2 miles one way, so not too bad, but I'd probably have more peace of mind if i had better grip on the road while I'm still learning. I've read some good reviews on the new Pirrelli Angels but they're pricey.

Sounds like you'll be very happy with the 021s... they offer plenty of traction for any rider and the only reason for choosing the 016s over the 021 is if you really like to push it (read spirited rides with lots of corner speed and lean angles involved) and aren't concerned with mileage. I wish I got 6k out of my 016s


My personal opinion only as usual...

 

[Red Wazp]

Big fan of Michelin Pilot Road 2. Tires are very subject to how you ride but if your looking for a long milage (cheapest per mile) the PR 2 is a great way to go. Yep you can get Powers cheaper but the won't last as long.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Big fan of Michelin Pilot Road 2. Tires are very subject to how you ride but if your looking for a long milage (cheapest per mile) the PR 2 is a great way to go. Yep you can get Powers cheaper but the won't last as long.

+1 on the above. I wore out the bridgestones pretty quick on both my FJR (ft tire at approx 6k, lots of cupping) and FZ.

I'm very happy with the Pilot's on the FZ. Once the bridgestones wear out on the FJR, I'll be getting another set of Pilot 2's....

 

[Wavex]

What BT are you comparing to the PR2? The 021s?

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

What BT are you comparing to the PR2? The 021s?

I put Bridgestones 020's as replacement tire's. I don't remember if the original tires on the FJR was an 020 or 021.

I originally had Bridgestones stock on both the FJR and FZ6....

 

[Norbert]

i like my pirelli diablo stradas. they warm up fast and have great grip in the cold (below 32F) and rain.
pirelli is replacing these with the angels st.
they are supposed to be even better based on the reviews i've read.

just giving my $0.02.

 

[Motogiro]

In my experience the BT-021's would be good for you. They'll give you decent mileage and some added grip with the stickier outer tread compound on the rear. The front will be a single compound. I used 021's for some time with good results and that was doing some pretty aggressive rides. The front would wear twice as fast as the back but I was going hard on them. I later switched to BT-016's because of the type riding I was doing.

 

[Goop]

i like my pirelli diablo stradas. they warm up fast and have great grip in the cold (below 32F) and rain.
pirelli is replacing these with the angels st.
they are supposed to be even better based on the reviews i've read.

just giving my $0.02.

I'm thinking of these for my next set...I have Dunlop Roadsmart now and love em, but I always like to try new things.

 

[Iethius]

I have run Bridgestone BTX 020 and BTX 016, on my FZ and the 016 was a better ride for me. Can't say about the mileage on the rear 016's because I seem to pick up nails easily with them and have not worn one out myself.
I put a Metzeler K2 racetec soft rubber tire on the rear this weekend because they were on sale for $99 w/ free shipping and I know a guy who will mount and balance for $20 if you bring the wheel to him. That's $119 to put me back on the road and I am on a budget. Guess it's not the best to mix tires and all that, but I don't ride in the rain much, and bet it won't matter since I am not racing pro anytime soon. I ramble...

Saving $ for some PP 2ct, Metzeler M5 interact, or Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa, have not decided yet but I am leaning toward the pp 2ct even though I don't like the original pp's. Too many factors to consider based on on how you ride, I ride aggressive for pleasure, no commuting or touring so my needs are different than most. Hard to go wrong with today's tech, Probably.
Good luck, safe riding.

PS: If you are still learning I would not spend a lot on tires, I had chicken strips for a while while learning to ride, OEM tires work fine starting out IMO, but who can put a price on peace of mind/ safety/and the confidence of feeling secure. Confidence is important those first few miles.