Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Now we all know how everyone can choose a certain tyre to rave on about it, and trying to read an unbiased review on certain tyres is nigh on impossible!

I'm going to put new rubber on my 6R this weekend - the question is what? My budget is around $500. I mostly commute, but i do like the occasional spirted run and i'm also up for a double trackie at the end of april. ATM i use pilot powers, and i'm looking to get the same again because these have been bullet proof and improved my riding confidence a whole bundle (compared to the shinkos the bike came with when i bought it). The only other factor that would sway my mind is the good old $. I'm looking at the best value grippy tyre for the amount of mileage i can do (i got 10000k's out of my set of PP's). Bare in mind i'm not very quick, but as i'm always looking to go fast - and dont want plain rd tyres.

Options are:

Michein Pilot powers $500 or PP 2CT's - which are around $550 a set (i'll go this option as a fail safe becuase i know how long they last and how good they are)

Pirelli Supercorsa's - because the current deals on them make them a very attractive offer but i dont know how long they last and how good they are in all weather conditions.

Bridgestone BT016 - if i can find a good price on them. I can't find a decent review on em too - everyone whinges about OEM BT's be it 014 or whatever whenever the BT016 is mentioned but for pete's sake they arent the same tyre as an OEM and they are multi compound. has anyone ever given these a try? I'm not up for 003's because i'm simply not fast enough to need em nor will they give me great mileage.

Thanks!

you could get pilot powers for about 400 bucks from actions a while back. 500 is a bit of a rip.

pilot power 2's would be great but will only last as long as the normal powers. they are just softer on the sides.

the standard pilot powers are an excellent tyre.

BTO16 are brilliant & I couldnt faut the last set

robracer wrote:BTO16 are brilliant & I couldnt faut the last set

cheers rob - how much mileage did you get from them? and how much were they if you dont mind me asking?

Daunt1ess wrote:

robracer wrote:BTO16 are brilliant & I couldnt faut the last set

cheers rob - how much mileage did you get from them? and how much were they if you dont mind me asking?

umm on the Z750 I got about 7,000Km before the rear was shagged on the sides & I got a puncture which rendered the rear useless
They saw a pretty hard life with lost of jaunts up the old road & 1/2 a track day
Cant remember the price..... it was when they were launched late last year
Give Craig white a call on 0413 461 353..... tel him you are from KSRC

PP2 and Dunlop Roadsmarts (Please correct me if I'm wrong) are both duel compound. A fairly hard compound in the centre and soft on the edges. Good corner grip, excellent commuter lifespan. There are arguments on which is best, but have heard both are good.

robracer wrote:Cant remember the price..... it was when they were launched late last year
Give Craig white a call on 0413 461 353..... tel him you are from KSRC

i have already - he quoted $560, though i didn't say i was from KSRC..

another thing to have popped up is Pirelli Corsa 3's. I've been told that they can be found for $350 a set. which is a considerable saving. given my current ability I'm wondering if these are the best option, though i have no experience on pirelli's at all.

* I just found out that they were only for 190 rears, which i dont have.. back to the options

Daunt1ess wrote:another thing to have popped up is Pirelli Corsa 3's

I love, love, love my Corsa 3s. They are awesome! They give good feedback and feel very planted through the corners. They work so well with my setup that every time I think about trying something new, I just always end up going back to them
I'm on my third (I think) set. I've had some triangulation on the front - but it's gradual and with no sudden traction loss - just progressively crappier at turning in. And the triangulation hasn't started until around 8000k's anyway, so I was happy with that. They don't tear too much. The only downside to them - the profile on the front is pretty tall, so no matter how hard I try, I still end up with chickens on the front

Daunt1ess wrote:

robracer wrote:Cant remember the price..... it was when they were launched late last year
Give Craig white a call on 0413 461 353..... tel him you are from KSRC

i have already - he quoted $560, though i didn't say i was from KSRC..

another thing to have popped up is Pirelli Corsa 3's. I've been told that they can be found for $350 a set. which is a considerable saving. given my current ability I'm wondering if these are the best option, though i have no experience on pirelli's at all.

* I just found out that they were only for 190 rears, which i dont have.. back to the options

if they are the ones from MCA, make sure they are corsa 3's and not just corsa's. the cstandard corsa is a single compound tyre, and is reasonable, but its no Corsa3 or pilot power.


if you wanted to get 10000km+ out of tyres, get pilot Road2's. alot of fans of these out there.

and also chack out metzler M3's they are a dual compound also. i have a set of these on now, and i cant say they are my favourite tyre. but they are ok. others swear by them. i have about the same milage on mine as Blurr has on his BT016's. both on zx10r's and both with the same sorta pace, his is 016's are lasting better than my M3's

ive got M3s on now, flatter rear profile than the pilot powers i had on before despite being a 55 section... i will defer to wattie's knowledge of M3s, but im not so sure they are dual compound...

as an aside the M3 has the same rubber compound as the pirelli diablo rosso, just a different tread pattern...

im fairly easy on tyres like yourself and my pilot powers were wearing well after 5000kms, until they got a puncture, i however found them squirmy so i didnt feel as confident as i have on the metzelers... the pilot powers however were the shiz at EC, altho that may have been helped by tyre warmers...

in short ive got no idea what i'll put on next, i'll prolly try something new just cos i can, and maybe try the pirelli corsa 3s that cath raves about or maybe the 016s that blurr and dave3 use...

yeah, i would happily try the corsa 3's - though atm i can only find them thru MCA. They no longer have 180's in stock. I might give WRP another bell to see if he is holding onto some for around the same price. esp when on paper, i could have new tyres and get the front lines braided thru superbike supply.

man i am impressed that you can get 10000kms from a PP.

Like Wattie my opinions will be based on grip more than lasting wear. Also I couldnt comment on milage as i cant remember the last time I got over 6000kms out of a rear. However:

Corsa's. I know Cath is a fan but i cant say that I am. Found them to offer very little feel, spun up alot in the rear and absolutely terrible in the wet. But in saying that it may suit the style of the 6r.

BT016. dont listen to the OEM reviews as the BT016 that you buy off the shelf compared to the OEM is completely different. I only managed 2900kms from my front OEM 016 but double that on the standard tyre. Absolutley love these tyres and they cop a hard time without complaint. not bad for alot of slab riding either.

10000kms is from a pilot road2 dude...

Daunt1ess wrote:yeah, i would happily try the corsa 3's - though atm i can only find them thru MCA. They no longer have 180's in stock. I might give WRP another bell to see if he is holding onto some for around the same price. esp when on paper, i could have new tyres and get the front lines braided thru superbike supply.

Craig is selling Pilot Race treaded tyres for $360 a set... might only last for 4000km but would stick like shit to a blankie (Med soft compound)
I just put a set on the trackie so I will have some feedback after the weekend.

Daunt1ess wrote: (i got 10000k's out of my set of PP's)!

Wattie wrote:10000kms is from a pilot road2 dude...

huh