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Tires for your street SM

407K views 764 replies 299 participants last post by  BlackPanther 
#1 ·
#342 ·
So here's my little review on the Shinko 003's now that they're done.

I really like them. For the price, you can't complain. They never got greasy when hot, handled 40 miles a day of highwayish commuting pretty well without flatspotting horribly. I was impressed with how well they handled hard braking, and they were VERY predictable in breaking loose. Drive out of corners I'd rate excellent. They are ok in hardpack and semi-loose dirt, they SUCK on gravel.

I was told to expect 1800-2000 miles out of a rear the way I ride, I got 2700 miles out of it.

With 1050 miles


2700 miles rear (also includes about 200 miles of gravel roads - we know gravel really tears up tires)


Front 2700 miles


Given that I got 2700 miles out of these, and they more or less generally suck off road (duh), I think I'm going to pay $30 per tire more for Pirelli MT-60's and stick with them year round. I got about the same miles out of them, and they were really good off road and awesome in the rain. They also stick to the road like glue no matter what kinda shit is on the pavement, unlike the 003's which were too sportybike-like. I liked the MT-60's ability to allow me to ignore trash on the road.



I considered giving the Avon Distanzias a try, but after seeing them in action in gravel I determined that the Pirelli's are superior for my purposes.
 
#345 ·
Tires are Toast

Just a thought regarding tire pressure and wear that I've noticed. Bought my '07sm used with the stock Dunlops (not sure if they were the originals) and was amazed at the mileage (6k) that I put on them....granted it was my only vehicle until 6 months ago....so I spent a ton of time on the hwy @60, but I found some twistys nearby and started riding the bike like I should....and realized what everybody meant about the stock tires sucking...they were sliding out all over the place.....So, did some research and found that I had too much air in them....Dropped it down to 25ish psi, and wow what a difference (though they still sucked) after about 300 miles they were toast. :lol: So, I ordered some Distanzias last night and I got to thinking, :headscrat why not just add 5 or so psi when commuting and let it out when carving....I'm sure this is done regularly but I haven't heard anyone talk about it.
 
#348 ·
okay guys im in a pickle. i need a new rear tire and im goin to order it in the morning. now im stuck between another continental contiforce sm(the only tires if had on myxr650 so far) or trying the bt 016. i do commute on my sumo and the contiforces havent been to bad wearing, but the hard triple compound of the bt 016 has mean very interested. what would you guys choise that have ran these tires?
 
#349 · (Edited)
Hard riders

I've never heard of people ripping through so many types of tire so quick on such low powered bikes! I ride fairly hard some of the time and used to probably 60% of the time and do track days, but have never got through tires in less than 3000 miles. (except on a ZX12R).

Michelin : I used to like Pilot Sports on my sport bikes as a good general tire. The newer powers seem pretty much the same but with maybe a little more grip in the dry. In the wet they don't inspire as much confidence as the old tire, they feel like they have less grip and let go with little warning.
Pilot Roads are a waste of time for any sort of hard riding especially on light bikes, they take ages to heat up and can overheat. They have to be just right temperature to grip, then they are similar to the powers only even worst in the wet. I cut sipes in the rear Road 2 with a Stanley knife which helped, but threw the front away after a 1000 miles. Rear has done 4000miles on my versys 650 so far, it is just about good enough on such a low powered bike I can't afford to throw it away.

Metzeler : I ran Sportecs on my KTM660, they had already done a couple of trackdays and 2000miles on my FZR600. I think they did another half a dozen trackdays and another 2000 miles on the supermoto before the rear was shot. Surprisingly good on the dirt section of a supermoto track, really good in all conditions. Lacked grip on the rear in cold weather and struggled for grip on some tracks out of hairpins.

Pirelli : Only used Scorpions that came with the 660. Good all round tire, very similar to the Metzelers only not as good generally. Changed them after 2000 miles, looked less than half worn after 2 track days. Very good on standing water.

Dunlop : RR versions of their tires are generally ace, the standard tyres generally lack grip, especially in the wet. I have yet to try Qualifiers but don't see why the RR's wouldn't be as good as the 207 and 208 RR's before. If the price of the Mutants ever come down I would like to try those too.

Bridgestone : I'm not a Bridgestone fan, I have tried many of them on many types of bike. Just when you thought it was safe and get confident.... Bridgestones idea of a warning is lifting you out of the seat or letting you run over your foot as you try to save the front. That said I do like the BT020's, not bad on the track either as long as you respect the fact that they are a sport touring tire. Did 3000 miles on second hand tires, they looked about half worn. I'd guess the newer versions should be as good or better. I'd have an 021 on the rear but I'd choose a grippy tire from someone else for the front.

Maxxis : The Goldspeeds were supposed to be the ultimate street legal supermoto tires. To be fair I never had any problems with them on the road, but I was on my arse within a couple of laps on the track. When the front goes there is no warning what so ever. It either grips like a full on race tire or it is gone, the rear would also overheat causing lots of wheelspin from the 660 which became frustrating.
I chucked the front after my off, so only did 500 miles, did about 1500 on the rear it look about half worn then I binned it. They were the hard intermediate compound.

For British weather if I had to select a pair of all round tires I would probably go for a Bridgestone 021 rear with Metzeler Sportec or Qualifier RR front. I would love to try a pair Dunlop Mutants.
My bikes all have 2 sets of wheels so I can swap about if I have to.
 
#354 ·
Well, my 003 R's are just about done, and as promised here's my final verdict on them....


AWESOME!! :clap:

I just ordered another set as a matter of fact. I've been through 10 or 12 brands / types of tires, and these are by far my favorite yet. I have just over 1,000 miles on them, and they probably have a ride left in them. Phenomenal grip at the edge, sticky as flypaper, almost no scrub in time, excellent feedback, great composure over bumps / ripples in the pavement, and very predictable when they let loose. What more could you ask for? This is my permanent tire for the dizzer.

Big thanks to the Socal Supermoto crew for the setup tips on air pressure. I set mine at their recommended PSI and have never looked back.
 
#357 ·
I'm running them at 22F / 24R cold, as recommended by Brian and the guys over at Socal Supermoto.
 
#359 ·
until I can get pilot pure's in a 150 I'll always run pilot powers. warm's up super quick, works great on the track for me (on RR's) have yet to test them on the SM, and they are EVEN better on the street! Just mounted a brand new set on my WR450. :thumbup:
 
#363 ·
Michelin pre cut slicks for me or Dunlop slicks.

I hate street tires on sm's after I found out on kart track that I was only sliding and could not open gas hard enough with stock pilot powers on my berg. On road race track pilots worked somehow, but feel & grip at full lean angles still left a lot to desire.

Oh, and 16.5" front wheel limits my tire choices pretty much only to slicks. :Funny:
 
#366 ·
Yeah, I'm interested in trying those ContiAttacks next summer; I just picked up another set of Distanzias for the winter slop. Something tells me the tread pattern on the ContiAttacks isn't going to be so nice on pissing rain, wet leaves, mud, gravel, sand, slush and snow that I'll be enjoying soon, but next spring might be a different story.
 
#367 ·
I recently converted my wr250r to a motard with 17" SMPro wheels from Wheeling Cycle Supply. I ordered tires from my local shop, I went with the OE wrx tires, 110/70 up front and 140/70 rear. I've put a few hundred miles on it so far, and the only issue is the bike wants to fall into turns once it's leaned past a certain point.

The wrx uses a 3.0" front rim and a 4.0" rear, the wheels I bought are 3.5" in front and 4.25" in back. What size tires should I use with these rims? Which tires are reasonably grippy but not too heavy? The 250 needs every bit of help it can get.:lol:
 
#369 · (Edited)
Anybody every ran Michelin Pilot Road 3's? The original Pilot Road came on my wheels when I bought them a few months ago (they had been sitting for about 2 years:rolleyes:). I really like the tread pattern and they seemed to do pretty decent in the woods for what they are.

The new PR 3's look pretty good too and a set may be in my near future:hmmm:
 
#376 ·
Just got a set put on last week had the 2's before. Rains pretty good in my area for the next 6 months or so. 3's handel the wet better then the 2's.

Only have a 100 or so miles but they feel grippy. Atleast better then the 2's with no life left. Rolling restance seems a bit slower also.

Some def don't like them above the 2's. Will see in the next 500-1000 or so.
 
#370 ·
Pirelli Dragon Supercorsa 160/60/17 Fitted

I've just had fitted a track scrubbed Pirelli Dragon Supercorsa to my 4.25" rear Husky rim and am pleasantly surprised by the profile.

It has a very consistent radius and doesn't look at all "pinched" unlike the Diablo Rosso that I've just replaced.

Pirelli's own rim width recommendation for this size of tyre is a 4.50" and so that is why the slightly narrower rim doesn't make a lot of difference.

And for those who are concerned about clearance, this tyre is 156mm wide on the Husky rim!
 
#373 ·
I'm not sure about on a Supermoto bike but I have these tires on my SV650S. The tires have a good amount of grip (very sticky) and it does well in the rain. The only problem with them is that when it starts to slide it does it without any real warning. This could be because of the weight of the bike and myself (220lbs without gear).
 
#374 ·
One set for hooliganism in lot
1 set for everything else

When "everything else" tires get into wear bars, they go into hooliganism pile

I have a set of the stoner 003r's ready and it's just about that time. Thanks for the pressure info on the 003's.
 
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