Tyre Sizes

[Wattie]

hey,
I am looking around for a new near Tyre for the z, yes 6000kays old and time for new tyre.

i have a BT012 and i quite liked it, no moments, just a bit of powersliding here and there.

but its worn in the middle due to my work trips.

so i was thinking of a BT014, whats the difference?? harder? softer??

and i was also Told a BT020 would be ok, as i am heading to PI in march..
but its not available in my Tyre size.


mine is 190/50 ZR17 M/C

what does the m/c mean? looks as though a ZX10 has 190/50 ZR17
and mine has the M/C after it....
and the BT20 is available without the M/C.
Heeeeellllp!
and any suggestions in Western Syd of tyres and how much??

BTW i have a BT on the front

[Phil]

could m/c possibly be motorcycle.........

i have a few mates that ride pretty hard, a few of them use 020's on the rear (on a k3 gsx-r1K, vtrsp1, r1 - cough.....etc) unless your pushing REALLY hard i'm sure it will be ok.

would be better suited to the trip to the island.

i've been toying with the idea of one of those new metzler roadtech z6, more k's better value

[Stereo]

A lot of people swear by Pilot Power's.....

Personally I am running a BT020 on the back.... and since you cant get those it doesnt help you...

[Wattie]

A lot of people swear by Pilot Power's.....

Personally I am running a BT020 on the back.... and since you cant get those it doesnt help you...

i can if i get it without the M/C.... so am i right in thinkin it doesnt matter??

[Duane]

i'm putting a bt020 on the back today, going down to a 180 from a 190 too.

[Nanna10r]

M/C doesnt matter a rats bum Wattie, The 014 will give better grip then the 020 (dual compound) & all three should be available in a 190/55 0r 190/50.
If your bikes larger then 600cc i would pass on the Rear pilot power as they lack the structural integrity for larger wt/hp loading (cheeky bugger's removed a center belt to get it to flex more )
If your felling rich go for a Metzler Racetech or Pilot RACE they are both production Race tyres & are Awesome for grip levels for about 5oooks before ya need a new rear..
If your on a budget dont rule out the Shinko's I'm very impressed with my Ultra soft front & soft rear 003's which cost me less then $300 a pair fitted to my 9r 2 months ago..
hth.
cheers Brett

[Wattie]

a Certain member was kind enough to pm me a phone number and name, i'll have a new BT20 on monday hopefully
so thanks to that Certain member

and BTW the M/C is a load of crap silly me...

[FuTAnT]

A bit of misinformation here. The only tyres you can get in 190/55 at the moment will be the new Bridgestone BT015, the Dunlop Qualifier and race spec tyres. Currently no production bikes are specced with these tyres *EXCEPT* the brand new 2006 ZX10R, hence the above tyres being available in these sizes. 190/50 of course if available in just about everything.

BT020 ... yeah ... a good touring tyre, but that's about it. Otherwise, don't bother.

Also, RE: Comment on the Pilot Power not being suitable on a bike over 600cc, err .. that's a load of .. well .. yeah.

I've got ZX10R and went to the Pilot Powers at the 6000km mark. I'm on my 3rd rear now (I'm generally pretty soft on tyres) but they last very well the grip level that they offer. I'm currently at 25000km.

Very nice profile and feels super stable in the corner. It's kind of like tipping it in, then feeling as if you can grab a beer and ciggy and chat to your mates while in the corner. The stability and confidence is that good.

Important thing to remember with Pilot Powers is they love lower pressures, so start on 34psi front and 36psi rear then go down lower if you feel you need it.

Anyhoo, after using mutiple tyres previously, my current favourite of the crop, by a hige country mile is the Pilot Power. If you do track days and don't ride in the wet, go the Pilot Race, but otherwise, yeah, Pilot Power.

Oh yeah, for those that don't know, cheapest place to get Michelins in Australia right now is Motor Trade Machinists in Goodna, QLD. 190/50 for $230 delivered.

[Nanna10r]

FuTaNt mate .... who do you think gives me this Tyre Misimformation ?.

"Mick the Tyre Magician" who IS Motor Trade Machionists in Goodna. I've been there at least once a fortnight for the last 12 months. I dont even choose my tyres any more He can tell what type of rider i am & have been doing at a glance. I just rock up with my Lunch & a lantern & say Mick Whatyareckon mate ... between 2-7 hours later i know exactly what his opinion is & Why. Then i get to find out how they feel on the road.
He hasn't been wrong yet. I've had OEM pilot roads, Bridgestone 014/020 combo (both pre Mick). pair of 014, pair of 012SS(Snowie Trip to PI), second hand pair of Pirelli Corsers(thanks Strawbs), Front 012SS Rear pilot race(snowie Trip to PI) n currently have the Shinko Stealth 003's. Oh then theres my Workhack/track bike with a pilot power/ 014 combo & Janelle's zxr400. Also the Brissie locals such as Rusty(got a front power today from Mick), Barrabob, Greenmeanie, Yappa, Jonno, me best mates Blade & a coupla other blokes who dont use Ksrc to vouch for My Version of Micks opinions.
Mate i'm no expert but quite happy to share OUR Local EXPERTS opinion with others.
Cheers Brett

[FuTAnT]

I'll stick to my 190/50 and 190/55 comment, unless of course you meant 180/55 and 190/50 of which yes, those tyres are available. Show me where you can get a 190/55 in a BT014 or BT020 and I'll give you a slab. It's not a stock fitment for any current production bike. (sans '06 ZX10R)

I've bought tyres from Mick too and he didn't try and tell me that a 190/50 in a Pilot Power was going to be no good for the ZX10R. For a heavier bike, ie a ZX10, or something else along those lines then yeah, for sure, whole different kettle of fish. A mate of mine had them on his Guzzi and complained that they chewed out too quickly, most likely from the much heavier weight than what they were primarily designed for, ie 600 - 1000cc current model(ish) sports bikes.

When the weight difference between a current 600 and a 1000 is in the vicinity of no more than 5 - 10kg (max), I can't quite see how suddenly a certain tyre is unsuitable for a 1000cc bike, given that rider weight is far more variable than the bike weight. Figure a 120kg guy riding as compared to a 70kg guy. I can understand the power difference, but as I said, there's lots of people using them with very very favourable results. Not that if lots of people use something it automatically means it's good or anything, but def a lot of people really enjoy the grip, feel and control of them.

I'm not trying to start some kind of slagging match or anything like that, but I'd be interested in the specifics of the comments on why powers are not reccomended for certain bikes.

Cheers

Cam

[Nanna10r]

Sorry for the Hi jack guys ...
Fair enuff Cam, As i said i'm no expert & the sizing you discussed is probably right. It's not that the Powers isn't a good tyre, but having a center belt removed they are prone to Puncture & charging Less then $10 to repair a tyre it's not like Mick is going to make a living fixing punctures. The important thing is there's still old school blokes like Mick who can & has saved some of us a lot of time & Trouble.

Now lookie out I'm taking the Shinko Stealths out to the ""Up n Down" Racetrack for their First Real Floggin', Pity Hammer ain't coming
Cheers Brett

[Barrabob]

Ya its not the weight diference its the available tourque and its ability to tear great chucks out of the center of the tires, the ones i have seen on rides didnt punture as such they just ripped a hole about 2 1/2cm long out of the middle of the tyre so call a recovery vehicle.

Better on a six because of the lack of tourque so a bit gentler on the tyre although i have seen plenty of blokes fit powers to 12rs and recon its all good too.

Would be fitting something solid to the rear of the bike if i was going a long way from home although i fitted a 020 to my sixr for a bris/pi trip and thought it a waste but mayb i could have pumped it up harder as i was used to using powers at the time that like to be run softer on the air presure.

Have been using dunlop slicks of late and found them real good with a stiffer sidewall and miles of grip.


Dont know how i am going to go back to road tyres ever again.

[Rusty]

My opinions:

I rate the Pilot Road on the back better than the 020. On my bike (ZZR600) it wears slower and has better grip and feel.

I will NEVER use Dunlop D220s after my previous experience with 'em. YMMV.

I got ~5000km out of a slightly second hand Pilot Sport on the front. When it came off, it looked like it had at least 3000km left on it. On closer inspection it was cracking. It offered good grip and feel when new, and progressively got worse. It ended up all lumpy - it wore really unevenly in the centre. Most ks on it were commuting.

Pilot Power front - I likey. Very much. Even before scrubbing in it felt good. Probably a result of a fresh tyre, but the steering is MUCH lighter.

I'll be trying Shinkos as soon as Mick gets 'em in my size. He reckons every report he gets on 'em is good, and some even say they wear better than Powers.

[hammer]

Pity Hammer ain't coming
Cheers Brett

Ya got that one right and powers are crap

[Jonno]

Ya got that one right and powers are crap

I can vouch for Powers being crap, I might as well put in my too many cents worth

They are no good on big capacity/heavy bikes, ran them on a ZZR1200 and a ZX12R (should have learned first time)and ripped the crap out of them within a day and almost shagged in a week not to mention all the punctures, new rear tyre every 3-4 weeks? no thanks.

If I could afford to run Racetech's I would. So atm I run BT014seJ front and BT020 rear, would run an 014 rear but I was doing mega Km straight runs getting to ride days with the members in Brisbane..(and to annoy MrFab "Mis-Matched" Tyres person but are the recommended size )

ya ya ya another tyre thread..