The annual tyre thread

It's that time again, and I can't make up my mind what to fit to the
Gaytona.

I don't ride as fast or as hard as I used to, I ride all year round when
I can, I want good grip but not a tyre that's fucked in 2K miles.

The choice is:

Pirelli Diablos at £159 a pair.
Avon Viper Sports at £147 a pair.
Michelin Pilot Sports at £126 a pair.

Can anyone tell me why I shouldn't save a few bob and buy the Michelins,
are they bad or just well priced? IIRC Bonners has them on his ZX-10R
and he doesn't ride like a poof. Do the Pirellis last, I know about
their grip being good. Anyone tried the latest Avon Viper Sports?

I don't want BT014s because I didn't really get on with the ones fitted
to the Gixer, they took ages to warm up and didn't last very long. I'm
not really that impressed with the degree of feel from the front BT010
that's currently on the bike either, the rear is too shagged to make a
judgement on.

 

Er, I think I've got dunlops on my 10R. I've not really considered it,
which to me shows they're doing a good job.

FWIW, I don't think the Avon AV50/51s were any good on the 955 I had.

 

Christofire says...

These are the AV 59/60s, the new design.

I hated the AV39/40s I put on the last ZZR, but the AV45/46STs I've had
since have really impressed me.

 

I hated the AV39/40s I put on the last ZZR, but the AV45/46STs I've had
since have really impressed me.

Seconded re the AV45 / 46 on both my bikes. Mileage and grip.

 

I don't ride as fast or as hard as I used to, I ride all year round when
I can, I want good grip but not a tyre that's fucked in 2K miles.

The choice is:

Pirelli Diablos at £159 a pair.
Avon Viper Sports at £147 a pair.
Michelin Pilot Sports at £126 a pair.

Don't rule out Continental Road Attacks or Avon Azorro AV45/46 or whatever
their replacement is called.

The attacks have always outlasted 020's and 45/46 when I used them on the
B12. There was no difference in grip wet or dry either.

Mark

 

The place I get my tyres from was steering me towards Diablos for the
Nordwest. That would be because you can't get a Pilot Power 2CT in the
right size for the back of it though.

The 2CTs on the Tart have done about 1500 miles so far including 3 track
days and Manx week. They inspire confidence and there is still plenty of
tread left. I see some say they feel unstable at high speed on some
machines though. What impresses me is how well they have retained their
profile. The Tart, however, doesn't get much motorway work, and is dog
slow by UKRM standards. It will be interesting to see how the 2CTs look
after the French run.


--

+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR Moto Morini 2C/375 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Mark says...

Thanks, but I already have AV45/46STs on my Bandit 600, and as much as I
love them on that bike I'm not confident enough in them to put them on a
bike with twice the power output. That's why I was looking at the Vipers
instead.

 

Given what you've said above, I wouldn't discount the Pilot Road.
Better in the wet & longer lasting than the Sport, but still grippy
enough to allow peg-grinding on 220Kgs+ of Tiger.

I've had a few different types of Michelins over the last few years. I
don't think they could make a bad tyre these days if they tried.

--
Krusty
www.MuddyStuff.co.uk
Off-Road Classifieds

'02 MV Senna '03 Tiger 955i '96 Tiger '79 Fantic Hiro 250

 

Krusty says...

Sounds like the Azaro AV45/46ST, but as I said somewhere else, I'm not
entirely happy with putting twice the power of my B6 through one if I do
decide to play a bit. With the Pilot Road I can't get past the feeling
that they look too much like Macadams, which leads me to think I'd be
better off sellotaping rashers of streaky bacon to my rims instead.

From reading through as many tyre threads on forums that I can find, it
apears the Pilot Sport is not a good wet weather tyre at all. Apparently
the Vipers are very highly rated wet and dry because Avon used a Daytona
955i during development work, so they're kind of built for the bike.
They're 20 quid more than the Michelins, but I am leaning heavily
towards them at the moment because I've been very happy with the STs
I've had in the past. Diablos don't give anywhere near the mileage I'm
looking for, most reports seem to reckon 3K miles as an absolute maximum
with a very noticable deterioration in handling afer 2K.

Lets give these Vipers a shot and see.

 

Safety nazi.

The proof'll be in the pudding, but it's hard to see how they could be
good in the *wet* wet. They've got about as much tread on the outer
quarters as a slick. Silica & fancy compounds can do wonders on damp
roads, but when it's wet enough to require water clearence from betwixt
tyre & road, tread's yer only option. Still, it's a bit hard to tell
from photos, & if they've got a good rep, go for it.



--
Krusty
www.MuddyStuff.co.uk
Off-Road Classifieds

'02 MV Senna '03 Tiger 955i '96 Tiger '79 Fantic Hiro 250

 

I'm pretty impressed by the tyres on my bike, plenty of feel and grip.
They're a little bit slidy in the wet but that's my fault.

 

I got on well with BT012s on the Thou but they may cost more and last
less time than you want.

 

LOL Loz. When I picked the gixxer up from you, you were singing their
praises! Anyway, it's got Pirelli Diablo's on now. I agree with
your findings, now that I've got used to it more BTW.

Mind ewe, I was riding like a pouf in the wet winter because that
already squared rear 014 lasted another 2k miles until there was no
sign of tread at all in the middle.

And I ditched that Justisimmo for a Roof R020. At triple figures I
barely notice the wind now. I'll get my coat.

 

Black, round ones.

The Diablos I have on the 9R are pretty good, at least on a par with
the BT010s that were on previously.

Only a Riding God would be able to tell the difference on the road.
You might as well just get the cheapest. You tight git.

I find that generally it takes *me* longer to warm up than any of the
different tyres I've had on 9R, IYSWIM.

 

http://www.motorcycledaily.com/19june06_vipersports.htm

A (Yank) viper review.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/archive/index.php/t-15689.html

Badly written Kiwi review.

Oh, shit.

I did consider them, but they were unknowns whereas Diablos are almost
a trademark for safe tyres.

 

Mike Barnard says...

They were 'alright' but they did square off very quickly. The first set
I had were bloody fantastic even when I did my first trackday at
Donington on the very shagged rear, but I never had the same degree of
confidence in the replacements - they just felt sort of wrong from the
off. Once warm they gripped bloody well, but they took a dog's age to
get any heat into them. I wouldn't have another set now I know there are
better tyres out there for the same money. The lads on T595.net pretty
much all say they aren't suited to the Daytona anyway.

From what I hear about Diablos you're going to need shares in Pirelli.

 

I don't think you'd go far wrong with the Diablos
from my experience with them. They're a cracking
tyre and handle fine in the wet or dry - if I
can get me knee down rounds Brands in the wet
then I'm sure they're fine for road riding!

 

You just have to beware of the extra grip they give compared to the
BT014s. It was this that propelled me over the top of the gixxer at
50-odd mph instead of washing out and low-siding me. Sometimes, too
much grip _can_ be a bad thing.

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3 (slightly broken, currently missing)
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
`\|/`
`

 

Pffff... n00b.

 

Heh.

<aside> Paeky fids...
--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3 (slightly broken, currently missing)
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2, IBB#10
`\|/`
`