Tyres for commuting

pwmotorsports · Post by **pwmotorsports** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:40 pm

Right so need some new tyres that arent utter crap in the wet and get good mileage any suggestions ? anyone tried MAXXIS SuperMaxx? seem cheep make some good offroad tyres ?

trixynut · Post by **trixynut** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 11:52 pm

Standard fitting is the Michelin Macadam: these are touring tyres with good wet weather grip and reasonable price: think they call the Michaelin Mac 100 now.

billy budge · Post by **billy budge** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 10:00 am

Im with trixy on that one.

Think i got the best part of 10000 miles from new on the macadams or whatever theyre called now, and that was with some serious abuse abroad to them.
Take a while to warm up but are very good value for money.

fantic125 · Post by **fantic125** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 11:11 am

Michelin Pilot Road 2.
Dual compound - have had the rear on for 6000km and is looking good for another 3000~4000km's. Good grip and nice handling. Just fitted a front Pilot Road 2 (120/60) - $185.00 AUD.

pwmotorsports · Post by **pwmotorsports** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 11:18 am

so michilin seems the order so far ? currently use bt56 on her but after 3 years laid up new tyres are in order was thinking along the lines of bt21? any thoughts or do we think macadams are the order of the day still ?

billy budge · Post by **billy budge** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 7:19 pm

I recently fitted bt020's and personally i love them but the opinion im told is approx 5 to 6000 miles tops, not really ideal commuting mileage me thinks.
Could become an expensive hobby doing that.

slow codger · Post by **slow codger** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 8:35 pm

I have BT020's, but You may find the 5 - 6 k is kms and not miles.

Dave E.

TonyDevil · Post by **TonyDevil** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 9:14 pm

BT020s are fine in the dry, but not so good in the wet, also not as good mileage

i have Metzler Z6s on the TDM and they are better in the wet, but still similar mileage

the road pilot2s or BT45s(if on a budget) would get my vote

kebab19 · Post by **kebab19** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 9:52 pm

I currently have Pirelli Diablo Strada tyres on my Bandit 1200, which also has a wee bit of tyre shredding torque.
The rear lasted 6000 miles compared to other rear tyres I've tried which were knackered after 3000.

Grip is good enough for track days and have never let go in the wet. I will be putting a pair on my TRX once the current tyres are knackered. I would expect 7000 miles of use out of them.

Reviews (admittedly on CBR and a Thunderace):

http://www.motorcycledaily.com/07octobe ... strada.htm

http://www.shopmonkeys.com/pirelli.htm

TonyDevil · Post by **TonyDevil** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 10:46 pm

Diablo Stradas and Metzler Z6s are the same compound from the same factory, just a slightly different tread pattern.

dfh · Post by **dfh** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 2:29 am

Pwmotorsports where 'dja live? Ambient temp, road temp and rainfall have a lot to do with tyre choice

Like Fantic125 I'm in Adelaide, Australia, and before that Sydney.

Until this month I my tyre of choice has been the Michelin Pilot Road, they last me about 7.5 to 8,000 klms of touring

style and week-end fun. No commuting. Nice rounded profile with heavy but consistant steering.They cope very well (much better than sports rubber) with the hot temps-35 to 40plus Deg C-we get in summer but in the midddle of winter when the temps drop to 12 to 15degC they feel quite wooden.

If I lived in the UK again I would not use these tyres.

Metzler Z6's. Tried 1 set in a Sydney winter and they lasted about 6,000klm, tried another set in Adelaide and the rear lasted only 3500klm in summer. Sharp handler when new but less consistant over life than pilot roads, grippier than pilot roads's but only last as long as a sport tyre for me.

Better suited to a cold climate

Just fitted Michelin Pilot Road 2ct tyre like Fantic125. Big improvement in handling from the Pilot Roads so if I get the Kays that Fantic is then I will be well happy... time will tell

BTW Tony Devil mentioned BT45s.. these are crossplys for lighter bikes.. I rate them on my GS500 but they dont give any more kays on it than the TRX on pilot roads.

DFH

brush · Post by **brush** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 10:04 am

michelin pilot road 2 on rear, michelin pilot power on front ,so far ,works great.

TonyDevil · Post by **TonyDevil** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 1:34 pm

dfh wrote:BTW Tony Devil mentioned BT45s.. these are crossplys for lighter bikes.. I rate them on my GS500 but they dont give any more kays on it than the TRX on pilot roads.

BT45s are dual compound tyres, the weight has nothing to do with it
they have a lower speed rating than the others mentioned here, but the TRX cant reach the 160mph limit anyway
track use wouldnt be good as i'm told the crossply tyres couldnt cope wiht the heat

i have BT45s on my XTZ which is over 40kg heavier than the TRX
it still has over half the tread left after 5000 mainly motorway miles
(i have a different set of wheels shod with TKC80s for fun time)

Rural Rat · Post by **Rural Rat** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 12:01 am

Metzeler Z6 on rear has 7000 kms so far, appears about half life. This has all been winter though so I will see what happens when the heat comes on. Tried a Z1 on the front and watched it vaporize. Not a sensible choice for me. Now running Z4.
Have had good results with Pilot Roads (12-14000 km front and rear). I was just wanting to try others as comparison.
My daily ride is 43 km each way, a combination of Adelaide hills riding and the city grind, in all weather (No sleet or snow in SA though).
Good Luck.

dfh · Post by **dfh** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 1:42 am

TonyDevil wrote:BT45s are dual compound tyres, the weight has nothing to do with it
they have a lower speed rating than the others mentioned here, but the TRX cant reach the 160mph limit anyway
track use wouldnt be good as i'm told the crossply tyres couldnt cope wiht the heat

i have BT45s on my XTZ which is over 40kg heavier than the TRX
it still has over half the tread left after 5000 mainly motorway miles
(i have a different set of wheels shod with TKC80s for fun time)

On the contrary the compound ( dual or not) has nothing to do with it. The TRX runs a 5 inch rim designed for a 160/60 radial. The largest BT45 is a 150/70/17 and even though it is available in a suitable load and speed range ( 69V) that tyre is designed to fit to a 4 inch rim according to Bridgestone. You could fit a rim from the early TDM850 (91-95) to run a BT45 but why would you? The big advantage for low profile radial tyres is that they have much less internal friction than an equlivent sized crossply with the same load rating, so it runs cooler at constant speeds such as motorway commuting. The larger and more powerful the bike, the bigger the difference. This is why the 1996-on TDM dumped that narrow rim 150/70/17 crossply combo for a wider rim 150/70/17 radial tyre setup.

If we assume that Bridgestone uses the same two compounds on the BT45 and BT020 tyres then the Bt020's modern construction will make these compounds last significantly longer as a commuter tyre. Add in the cost of the TDM rim, and the unknown but likely to be negative stability and handling effects of fitting a narrower crossply tyre and its narrower rim to a TRX... well why bother.

DFH