Sport vs. Sport touring?

[why_not_Zoidberg?]

I recently bought a 2006 FZ6, and am going to need new tires soon. The rear is squaring out, the front looks decent, but I'd rather not mix tires. My question is whether or not to get sport tires or sport touring. I will probably be riding 2 up 1/3 of the time with ~130lb passenger. The rest of the time I use it to commute 60 mi (round trip) to work, and in NW PA there is always a chance I'll be caught in the rain. I don't do track days, so I don't need anything too extreme, but I do like to crack it open on the weekends:rockon:. Any advice will be greatly appreciated!!

 

[greg]

probably best off with some sports touring tyres, they are harder in the middle, so last longer on the highway

i'd say it's a toss up between the bridgestone bt-023's and the pilot road 3's

 

[Motogiro]

:welcome:to the forum!


Bridgestone BT-023 is a great sport touring tire. It uses a dual compound on the back. The newer Bridgestones are using newer high silica compound that are providing superior wet grip to their previuos tires.
I've seen some great riding in the twisties on the BT-023 and they will give you decent miles

There are many great tires out there.
What ever tire you by try to get ones produced within the year.
There are date stamps on the sidewalls of tire that tell when it was made.

Example a "2511" would be 25th week of 2011

 

[Smersh]

Either Pilot Road 3's or 2's, or BT-023. I went Pilot Road 2's and loving it.
Btw, I got an email from motorcycle superstore - they are running a promotion of some sorts on tires, so may be worth checking out their site.

 

[ChevyFazer]

I got a flyer in the mail the other day from chaparral, they have some really great deals on tires right now. When I got my bike it had pierelli's on it, I was learning the bike at the time so I can't speak to much on those tires and my bike before was a dual sport, but I've been running the shinko 009 ravens and couldn't be happier. IMHO they should be priced a good bit higher for the performance you get out of them, great wet and dry traction and can easily go 15,000 on a rear. Really a great tire for the price!

 

[Randomchaos]

Im going to be slapping some Pirelli ST Angels on my bike soon. Have been reading of people getting some great mileage out of them. Also good reviews on wet traction and spirited riding performance. $277 on motorcycle-superstore for a set atm.

 

[Dave.TX]

Zoidberg, from your self described riding you need sport touring as they'll last longer. I just put a BT-023 on the rear of my bike. Thought of Michelin PR2/3 or Metzeler Z8 too. Lots of folks are using the Pirelli Angel's too. I think it all comes down to your budget and what you feel like getting.

I had a Shinko 011 Verge on the rear that squared and wore to the threads in less than 8,000 miles. It's a sport touring tire also. Not sure how a sport touring tire has a shorter life than a sport-performance tire like the Shinko 009. It did perform well in corners and such. After mounting the BT-023 I noticed a smoother ride, as in the Bridgestone seemed to absorb bumps better than the Shinko.

My riding style is similar to yours. A lot of slab riding and not much twisty.

As for Motorcycle Superstore you have to enter a "coupon code" at checkout to get an extra 5% off their prices. They do have free shipping as do a few other retailers. I got mine through Cycle Gear (free shipping but had to pay tax) because they mount and balance for another $20 and their prices were competitive.

All in all I don't think you'll go wrong with any of the above mentioned sport touring tires. If you buy the pair I think Chaparral has arguably the best prices right now. Not that it matters, they'll all price match.

 

[ChevyFazer]

I had a Shinko 011 Verge on the rear that squared and wore to the threads in less than 8,000 miles. It's a sport touring tire also. Not sure how a sport touring tire has a shorter life than a sport-performance tire like the Shinko 009. It did perform well in corners and such. .

I've herd mixed reviews about the 011's and inconsistent wear which would steer me away from that model but the 009's are considered a "high performance sport touring tire" by shinko with a dual compound for longer tread life

 

[why_not_Zoidberg?]

Thanks everyone for all the input. It'll be a couple weeks (read: next paycheck) before I order them, just spent a weekend in Niagara falls and blew way too much cash. My boss has Michelin pilot II's on his Ducati, he said they've always worked well for him. I'm going to continue to compare and read reviews, but I'm definitely going for a dual compound sport touring.

Thanks again!:Sport:

 

[Randomchaos]

I have also heard some good things about the Road Attacks by Continential, though I have seen some really bad cupping on the front tire due to the tread design after several 1000 miles on a 1125R.

 

[dolau]

Pilot road 2's are fine in all weathers and cheaper than 3's

 

[why_not_Zoidberg?]

I ordered the Pilot Road II's Tuesday, should get them by Monday or Tuesday next week. The weather has been so beautiful here and I can't ride until my new tires get put on :-(

 

[CBRF3RIDER]

Pilot road 2's are fine in all weathers and cheaper than 3's

My shop was only 10 dollars more a tire for PR3s over PR2s. I guess it depends on the shop you go to.


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