17" rear tire choice

[teeeeeceeeee]

I just changed over from Michelin Pilot Power 2ct's to Pilot Road2's on my YZF750 (180/55 17 rear & 120/70 17 front). I wore the centre of the Power 2ct rear out in under 3000 kilometres. I live in the tropics so the heat does have an effect on wear rates. I have found that the Pilot Road2's are a less agressive profile (not as pointed) and seem a bit more stable at speed in a straight line. Don't get me wrong, the Pilot Power 2ct's are a brilliant tire but in my opinion are more suited to an agressive rider who spends most of their riding time in twisties.

The reality is that I spend less than 25% of my riding in twisties so the road2's should suit me better............................Time will tell.

TeeCee

[racerman_27410]

The reality is that I spend less than 25% of my riding in twisties so the road2's should suit me better............................Time will tell.

TeeCee

   I'm sorry to hear about that...... poor poor YZF750       

[Harvy]

Hey TeeCee, good to hear your still around mate..... I have not tried the 2ct's in either road or power versions yet... The standard powers are all I need for daily commuting and weekend runs.

Harvy

[pdxfj]

I currently have a Road2 on the rear and a Power on the front.  The last set were both Powers, which I was very happy with.  I honestly haven't done a whole lot of spirited riding on the Road2 but I will find out how well it sticks at the WCR.  The profile of the Road2 isn't as rounded as the Power but it doesn't seem to be an issue so far.

The Powers are a great set of tires and I never had any issues with them.  Even riding 1-1/2 days in the rain heading to a WCR.

I can't remember what K-man has on his FJ.  They were good tires, although I didn't push things hard.  Whole riding a borrowed bike on the wrong side of the road thing.   

[Harvy]

I think they are Metzlers mate.

[teeeeeceeeee]

G'day Harvy,

I was just down your way. I had a week with my kids on the Sunshine Coast (They live at Noosa) & another week on the Gold Coast. Geez.................it's changed down there, the Sunshine Coast has to be the roundabout capital of the world...........talk about make you dizzy. Between the roundabouts and the new Sunshine Motorway I kept getting completely lost.

The Gold Coast is another story, the southern beaches are f***ed. I wanted to take by sons surfing at my old stomping ground Kirra Point but the surf has been stuffed by all the sand pumping at the Tweed river mouth, the beaches are now 400 metres of sand before you hit the water which has stuffed the surf. Sure, the sand pumping has created the "Superbank" between D'bar & Kirra but all the old point breaks have been destroyed.

Back to tires..............Pilot Road2's have a softer compound (same as the old powers) on the outer tread and the harder compound in the centre so they should wear well but hang on in the twisties. Sort of the best of both worlds.


TeeCee.

[scapello]

Anyone tried the Battlax 021's?

[the fan]

I did on my YZF. I was not impressed.

See post #9 in this thread.

[kerry]

Over in the UK the most popular tyre for those who have converted the rear, is the Avon Storm but not sure if you get them there.  We run storms on 3 out of our 4 bikes.  Mileage is great, dry gip has never been a problem with good wet grip (well we are in England). 

021's are generally disliked over here and I know on the FJR's they aren't lasting long, especially on the fronts so I assume they'd be similar on the FJ's.

If you talk to Phil (Doc) who runs our club he recommends Conti Motions which I've just put on my FJ, although I've only done 50 miles so far so can't comment on them really.

http://www.conti-bike.co.uk/default.asp?spid=25

http://www.avon-tyres.co.uk/motorcycle/?page=tyres&method=showtyre&id=25

[scapello]

Well... here is the list with rough price, looks like price is within 25 bucks for the pair except for the Road 2's which are a bit more. I was expecting a larger spread. Anyone done the Conti's?



Disclaimer: I have no association with either of these vendors...blah blah blah I just wanted a comaprison

[pdxfj]

Also check www.swmototires.com and even Cyclegear if you have one close to you.  Plus there is www.ronayers.com

Cyclegear might be a little more than the other places, but when you factor in shipping the prices might not be too far off.  Plus C.G. will take $5 off a tire for mount and balance if you purchase from them.

I don't know of anyone that has run the Conti's.  Seems most people run Dunlop, Metzeler, or Michelin from what I have observed at rallies.

[the fan]

I noticed that you used a 120/60-17 as the baseline size in your quote.

If you are running the stock front wheel you might want to rethink that. The 60 series tire is designed for a 3.5" wide rim and does not fit well on the stock 17 x 3" FJ wheel. I have sold and installed alot of tires in the past and would never recommend installing the 60 series front on the narrow wheel. It distorts the carcass way too much and there is no benefit to running it that can not be mimicked by raising the forks 6mm in the tubes.

[scapello]

Thanks for the advice. What is actually interesting is that I am running non-stock wheels a 5.5" in the back and a 3.5" in the front but I just saw that my front currently actually is a 120/70 (I assumed it was a 60 when I did the pricing). Based on these rim widths what would be your recommended sizes? In the back I am running about ten millimeters clearance on either side of the current 170-60 and I think I want to keep it with that size since there is some fluctuations in width between manufacturers but maybe going to a 60 in the front wouldn't be bad. Less distortion under high side loads, correct?

[racerman_27410]

i like the 70 series for the front....  the ride is much harsher on the 60 series tire and i can only tell minimal difference in the side loading/handling between the two.

KOokaloo!   

[the fan]

On a long slow turning bike like the FJ, I would go with the 120/70 front and a 170/60 rear. the 170 is slightly taller than the 180 (3mm) and will offer slightly better turn in.

on the other hand, 180's are pretty common and can usually be found fairly cheap...