| Author | Message | ||
     Milesvdustin |
Hey everyone. I have been running Metzler M1s for about 3k miles. I do a decent amount of accelerating fast, and sometimes slowing down real quick when things get in my way like cops and those dang stop signs! I figured the tires would last a lot longer, as they are almost smooth down the middle now. Any suggestions for a good tire that will last longer and still provide me with great corner grip? I like to dive pretty low in the corners on my '98 S1. Thanks! Dustin | ||
| Ratbuell |
I run Dunlop D208s on both my S1W and my S2. Got over 3k on the S2's rear already and only about half gone, mostly (unfortunately) slab riding. Not the best in the rain, but I like 'em. Although...I'll probably try a set of Diablo Corsa IIIs once we start getting them in. I LOVED them on the 1125! | ||
| Eshardball |
I have Pilot Powers on my S1. 2K miles on them and they show no appreciable wear. Great grip even when cold. I only have my experience with the Dunlop 207 to compare them to though | ||
| Xodot |
I wore the stock Dunlops that were on my Y2K S3 flat at the end of the season and put on Michelin Pilot Power 2CT. They are supposed to have dual compounds - a hard, and therefore long wearing rubber in the center of the tread for straight up riding, but it has a softer compound toward the edges so as you lean into a curve, the tire grabs better. You end up with a long lasting, yet sticky in the curves combination. I am a novice rider and quite conservative in the leans, but I can see by the scuff marks that I am actually leaning more than I thought I was. That's how progressive and smooth the change from hard to soft rubber is. I think they may be marketed under a different model name in the USA than here in Canada. Try searching "Pilot Road2" in the US. | ||
| Mikef5000 |
Check out the knowledge vault in the TIRES section. I have a post about sport touring tires, and there's another post about tire life. I HATED my D208's (2500 miles). The bridgestone battlax BT021's were not bad, but not great (6k miles), now I have Diablo Strada's. The grip is GREAT! I can't wait to see how long they last. (Message edited by Mikef5000 on December 01, 2007) | ||
| Duckbuell |
Hi Fellow Buellies, My 2001 S3 has Diablo Stradas. I went through 2 rears at 4200 miles each, and one front at 8800 miles. About half the miles were riding with passenger and some luggage. Also, in Texas we have hot temps. and not as many curves! Ride quality is comfortable, handling is great, and they stick well, no problems in cold wet weather. I was hoping for more mileage out of the rears - but I think it depends on your speed, and types of roads. Here is the last trip to North Carolina on the tires. NC roads can wear out the sides of your tires sooner than the centers!  (Message edited by duckbuell on December 01, 2007) (Message edited by duckbuell on December 01, 2007) (Message edited by duckbuell on December 01, 2007) | ||
| Italialaw |
Ditto on the Stradas, best tire for longevity I've had on my buell. | ||
| Milesvdustin |
Hey thanks for the ideas everyone. I guess I will let you all know what I decide in the future! | ||
| M2nc |
Ditto on the Stradas, best tire for longevity I've had on my buell. A close second for me. D205 out last the Stradas for me. The best set up so far for my M2 has been the D207 up front, D205 rear. 5700 miles has been my best so far and average over 5K on each. About 9K on a D207 front and 11K on a D205 front. | ||
| Jlnance |
I've had excellent results from Continental Road Attacks. This tire has 8000 miles:  | ||
| Loki |
If you liked the M1.... Try the M3. My S1 is shod with the M3 while the RS has the Z6. | ||
| Rellim51 |
That's what my Road Attacks look like after 2000 miles! I must be doing something wrong. Everyone said they would last forever but the most I have gotten out of a rear is 3300 miles. | ||
| Dfbutler |
I tried the M3s, but did not like the feel of them as much, but they had great longevity. They lasted about 50% longer then M1s. I went back to the M1s because I like how they felt better. I still get about 7K on rear and 13-14K miles on fronts with M1s (Message edited by dfbutler on December 02, 2007) | ||
| Brinnutz |
I have the Dunlop D208's with about 5,000 miles on the front and rear. I ride pretty hard on them, curves when I can find them, wheelies when I feel like, and only have done a handful of burnouts on them. Still have some tread left, probably another 1000 miles or so. I don't think they are very sticky, so next season I'll be looking at something better, but I don't know what. I like to go fast around curves, these 208's slip alot... | ||
| Loki |
I favor the M3 over the M1. It did take some getting used to and playing with the suspension set-up. The 3 has a much stiffer sidewall and takes a little longer to warm up. | ||
| Cereal |
I'm no expert in this, but I'm pretty sure that the rubber breaks down with age. So an older tire will wear quicker than a newer one. You may get 8k out of a tire in one or two season, or 4k in 4 seasons if you don't ride as much. Also, a lot of the web sites that sell the tires at low prices are selling you older tires. The date of manufacture is on the tire somewhere. | ||
| Djkaplan |
"They lasted about 50% longer then M1s." Heh... that hasen't been my experience transitioning from the M1 to the M3. I've been wearing the M3's out pretty fast, especially the front. | ||
| Not_purple_s2 |
+1 to the Conti Road Attacks I've put about 4K on mine this summer and they still look new. | ||
| Rellim51 |
I don't see how you guys are getting these kind of miles out of your tires. I have the Conti Road Attacks and at 3300 I had cord showing in the center. No burn outs either. | ||
| Cyclonemick |
I got 4500 out of my rear Qualifier. | ||
| Cereal |
My Road Attacks have 4k and have plenty of life left. Maybe Rellim's are older stock(see above posting)? | ||
| Skntpig |
I prefer side grip to longevity. I run the Dunlop D208 GP-A race compound and love them. The edge of the tire wears out before the middle but I guess that depends on your riding style and or lean angle. I don't do any touring and try not to ride in a straight line ever. I can get 1,000 miles on a rear and about 2,000+ on a front. I'm sure you could more than double the mileage if riding straight. I like the Dunlops because even if they are slick bald they will predictably slide without letting go, all the way down to the carcass. Get the best tire you can afford for your riding preference. Good tires are always cheaper than bike repairs and doctor bills. | ||
| Mikef5000 |
I don't see how you guys are getting these kind of miles out of your tires. No kidding! I had cords showing on my D208's at 3k miles. More cords at 6000 miles on my BT021's (bridgstones longest lasting sport touring tires) | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
I've had bad luck with D208 tires in cold weather. I would prefer a sport-touring tire like the D220. They aren't as thermally-reactive. They don't grip as well as 208 when warmed up but they don't need to be warmed up. Both times I dropped my X1, it had D208 on it. So I am a bit racist against them. | ||
| Skntpig |
Nate1000 you are right. The 208s and most GPs are very temp-reactive. You have to heat them up gradually before pushing them unless you have tire warmers. Really not a street tire, and I would never ride them in the cold weather. I am in FLA. They should only be used when warm. There are many other tires (I haven't tried) that are a good compromise between a sport tire and a full race compound. I hear the newer dual compounds have come along way. | ||
| Texastechx1 |
I have ran the Dunlop D208's on mine, with almost 7000 miles I am about out of tread on my rear one with a little bit left on the front (which by the way is the original tire). They grip great when it’s nice and warm, almost able to ride track style on the street! But like Natexlh1000 I have wrecked on them before (loss of front tire traction, I went down hard!)  My roommate here at Texas Tech has an '03 GSX-R 1000 that he had new Pilot Powers put on. He now has 3000 miles on them and they have a lot of tread left... and with that much power (158 rwhp) you can imagine that he rides his bike a lot harder than I ride mine! Hahaha. I plan to put on those same Michelins before the summer.  | ||
| Texastechx1 |
My bad guys... those are the old D207's I'm running.  | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Rellim51, maybe you got the race attacks? Also tire pressure can affect life, the Conti's run higher recommended pressure than other tires, rep recommended 42psi front and rear for the track and they felt great. running too low will make the tire build more heat, maybe you were running low and tires got soft due to heat? Read an article about the new Pilot Road 2, supposed to be pretty good in the rain, also said to stick pretty good. (Canyon Chasers.net like the road attack better than the pilot road, better stick and wear) The Power CT is labeled the same here, a coworker uses them on his CBR1000r and says they are pretty good tires. He gets going stupid fast in the canyons. -Mike | ||
| Paint_shaker |
On the 98 S1W... Dunslop 208s: Set #1, 2,500 miles. Set # 2 3,000 miles, Dunslop 220s: 4,000 at the most, Bridgestone 020: Set#1, 8,000. Still on the 2nd set, roughly 7,000 On the 2008 XB12R... Pirelli Corsa III: 3,800 cords showing on the rear. I am gonna try the Conti Road Attacks next on both bikes... The crappy thing about living in Florida is the center of the tire wears out, but there is still good tread on the side... Pains me to "waste" tires but having to swap them out with some much life left on the sides... | ||
| Torquemonster |
+1 on Florida roads... Ive got a 1 1/2 inch strip of superb sidewall on either side of my rear tire, but a dang landing strip down the middle. Only about 5k miles on these D205's as well. Im going to start heading a lil' north into Alabama for rides after I get a new set of shoes. Its down to Pilot roads or Conti road attacks... |
