| Author | Message | ||
     Dueller |
Need a little advice. I have a '98 S1W...factory race kit, aggressive set up, sticky tires, etc that was my favorite bike. It took the place of my first Buell, a '97 M2 which was relegated to the back of my garage where it has sat mostly unridden for 5-6 years. Now that's gotta change. Back in late March I had a stroke completely out of the blue with no warning. Hadn't had a medical problem that didn't involve and accident in 25 years. Hey...57 y.o. active guys don't have strokes...that's a geezer ailment. Right? WRONG! So the stroke initially left me almost completely paralyzed on my left side. Fortunately with the help of some great doctors and a sadistic group of physical therapists I'm on the mend. I vowed I would be back on my S1 by July 1st. Beat that goal by 10 days, BUT, at least at this point, the S1 is just too aggressive as far as riding position in my current medical state. Plus, my left foot/ankle is still affected from the stroke so I am having trouble shifting. Solution? Roll out trusty ol' M2 for something a little more comfortable. I've modified the shifter to have a toe clip to allow me to shift easier. I'm also doing some custom work to improve seating position and make the bike unique. Sorry I've rambled on, but I give you the background for a purpose. Right now I need to replace front and rear tires with something a little more durable for short distance touring and less geared for all out performance in the twisties. What do you guys recommend for a little less aggressive riding? My other reason for the lengthy soliloquey is to warn you guys about taking care of your health before you get hit out of the blue with an illness or a stroke. Like I said I felt indestructible until now. Unfortunately I ignored my blood pressure for several years and it caught up with me big time. Don't let this creep up on you guys. Trust me, you don't want to end up like me. Sorry to preach...now back to the tire question. (Message edited by dueller on October 23, 2013) | ||
| Reducati |
jim, pm sent. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I run (and LOVE) Michelin pilot road3 dual compound tires on everything but my Ulysses. Good stick, nice and hard down the middle for mileage, great profile for transitions and excellent wet behavior. pricey...but I have nearly 8k on the set on my s2 with plenty of life still. Good for you getting back to life. When I was in physical terrorism five years ago (both legs rebuilt after a bad wreck) I made it my focus to "get back" to where I had been. too many others in the program were busy being sad, or angry, or just finding excuses not to do what they needed to in order to get better. glad to hear you buckled down and did the work and that its paying off for you! | ||
| Haaken |
I second the pilot roads.m I had the pilot road 3's on my old r6 streetfighter and have e pilot road 2's on my X1. Great tires, excellent wet and dry grip, and long life. | ||
| Purpony |
I agree- I LOVE my Pilot Road 2's!!! Glad to hear you are feeling better!! | ||
| Dueller |
Hey, thanks for the quick replies. The 3's are a harder compound than the 2's, right? Also noticed the 3's only come in a 180 for rear but the 2's offer a 170. Just thinking about going back to the 170....has a 180 on it now. Thought it might make it a little more nimble back to the 170..... | ||
| Tll130 |
My grandfather lost his leg riding his solution was a air shifter(used mainly on drag bikes) maybe it's something that could help you until you get situated fully and both me and him run metzlers now the grip on the are probably the only brand he ranks above dunlops for both wet/dry conditions. He's rode through the snow in New Hampshire multiple times with em he swears by them and so do I.(he's 67 and he's been ridin since he was 18) | ||
| Reepicheep |
+1 on the PR2's or PR3's. Either one. I also liked the Metzler ME-Z6 tires way back when I had an M2. Don't know if those tires even stil exist. | ||
| Hughlysses |
The 3's are a harder compound than the 2's, right? Jim- I've seen it a couple of places that the rubber compound in these tires is identical; only difference is the tread pattern. The PR3 has lots of extra "sipes" which are supposed to help channel rain water away from the contact patch. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Correct, the difference is the siping. I have a 170 rear on both my S1W and my M2. | ||
| Pikeben08 |
I've got about 8000 miles on my PR2s and judging by the wear I probably have another 5000-8000 more to go. | ||
| Purpony |
I run the PR2 in a 180 on my X1, but I have a 5.5" rear wheel... if you have the standard 5" wheel i would stick to the 170. | ||
| Buellish |
I just mounted a Pilot Road 3 in a 170,on my S2T. | ||
| Gusm2 |
Try Continental road attack 2, popular choice here in the UK | ||
| Reepicheep |
Thats what I thought also, but I have no facts. I was getting some smoking good deals on PR2's after the PR3's came out, that's what I am running. | ||
| Coxster |
Love the PR3s, and had great luck with Conti's back in my KZ1000 days too | ||
| Steveford |
If the Conti is a lot cheaper, go that route BUT the Pilot Roads zip around corners like crazy. I've used both but I prefer the Michelins. I get around 12,000 rear, 15,000 miles front on the Michelins, figure 9,000/12,000 on the Contis although your mileage may vary. I always wanted to use that line in a tire thread. | ||
| Lakes |
I had a Mich pilot front & back replaced with Bridgstone Battle Ax i have ridden 12k with the Bridgstone i like them & will get a new set when these wear out. they are duel compound. | ||
| Airbozo |
I third the PR's, but I wish I could get 8000 miles. My front tire is usually gone before 5k (and yes I am meticulous about the pressure). They are great tires otherwise. I am on my 4th set in just over a year (15k miles), but I have had 2 mails, one in the front and one in the back. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
On my '99 M2 I'm running a PR3 on the front & PR2 on the rear. I'm very pleased with them, had em on the XB too before it got written off. No hesitation in recommending either, I ride in the mountains here mostly & often the road goes from dry to wet mid hairpin, due to shadows & runoff. The PR3 doesn't budge don't even notice the transition. | ||
| Hughlysses |
One caution on "trying" the PRs. In my case, I found that they wear at the rate of 2 front tires to 3 rear tires whereas most tires seem to wear 1 front to 2 rear (IIRC- Etennuly found the same thing). This is only a problem if (a) you find that you don't like these tires and (b) you don't like mixing different styles/brands of front and rear tires, in which case you'll be stuck with them for a lot of miles. | ||
| Greg_cifu |
I consider the Pilot Road 2 to be magical tires. The PR3 appears to be identical except with additional small rain sipes in the tread. I switched from whatever the current Bridgestone dual compound was about 6 years ago (BT-020? -023?). I picked the I put the first set on my ZX11 about 5 years ago. They transformed the handling from vague and uninspiring to solid and telepathic. I've put them on the S2, S3 and S1W. I like them so much that I pulled a brand new Dunlop off the S3 when I bought it because the handling was so bad. The PR2s straightened that right out. More here: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37 1794 | ||
| Dueller |
Thanks for all the input....consensus seems to be the PR3's. TII130...thought about an airshifter, but I hope my dead left foot is gonna be temporary. Also hope use with my makeshift shifter setup is a form of physical therapy to ultimately get me back to "normal." BS (Before Stroke) I had vague plans of setting up my M2 as a track day bike. Gotta scrap that for the immediate future. Was gonna do rearsets and clubman bars or clip-ons. Just not in the cards in my current shape. I have the old style narrow M2 tank/body work and seat that I'm gonna reupholster for a little more comfort. Plus I have later M2 tank, tail, factory soft tank/side/tail bags I can switch out for longer trips. Finally, I'm made a custom seat out of an old X1 seat when I want to go more "naked"/cafe with the narrow tank. I switched handlebars to a set that is lower but wider that feel good and offer better control. So the trusty old M2 is gonna be a versatile bike helping fuell my recovery. I'll post a few pics when I get my "Muell" put together. Thanks again, all, for your advice. (Message edited by dueller on October 28, 2013) | ||
| Steveford |
Best of luck with your recovery and I'd say you picked a fine way of rehabbing! | ||
| Jefc73 |
Try American Motorcycle tire online. Found a set of micheline pilots for $225 shipped to my house. | ||
| Robertb1958 |
Been enjoying Dunlops (made in USA!) on my S1 and X1. Am running Q2's. They have the harder compound in the middle for longevity. Q3 is supposed to be better, but no 170 sizes. Have Mich Pilot Powers One or Pure 2CT dual compound (cant remember which) on the 1125, they are OK, also. Good post, good luck on recovery. I am 55 and in "good" health, but I hear you! |
