Tires

[gregjet]

When the PR2's came out, it made real sense to go the Michie Pilot Powers because they were way better , in my opinion. The PR2's were a bit disappointing. They made a light weight one as well that was good in the smaller sizes for racing but had some nasty reports in mid and bigger bikes. I considered them but never used them so I can comment directly.
The PR$ were a revelation to me. I still regard them as the best road tyre I have used so far on the actual road and in ALL conditions.
Talking of ups and downs. My 07 came with s23's. Bridge used to make a BT23. When I saw that the yammy came with 23's I nearly had a heart attack. The original BT23's were possibly the worst tyre I had ever ridden on . Appears to grip then would just fail to grip catastrophically. Unfortunately that was what was fitted to my first race race bike...an nsr250...Luckily the "s" was a much different tyre.
 

[rick]

Think the 1st radial Battlaxs i used came OE on my '96, K1100RS. iirc, those were BT50s. That land yacht, at 630 lbs wet, ate up tires - especially in front (and btw, for those who feel a need to go bigger, that very large bike wore a 160 back tire!) . The combination of big weight and a front suspension that allowed a lot of chirping on the brakes ( or flat out, scary ABS activation on washboard ripples) was hard on rubber. Wore out a Dunlop sport tour tire in a bit over 2k miles and the front brake pads were gone at 6k!
 
Biggest complaint I've heard of the T30s was that they were hard to mount. Well, i did mine w/o an extra set of hands, so imo, that's not an issue.
 
And yeah, the Pilot Powers were the sh-t back then. Not heard anyone unhappy with the PR4s or the Pirelli Angels for that matter - those 2 tires are basically cousins.

[Guest 2wheeler]

So has anybody run the Pirelli Angel GTs on their FZ-07, and if so, what's your thoughts?
 
I haven't read about anyone on the forum that uses them yet, so I thought I would ask.
 
For that matter has anyone run them on any bike?
 
As I am new to modern street bikes, I've been researching my replacement for the BT023s when the time comes, which will likely be by the end of the summer. The one that a lot of people seem to speak really highly about online is the Angel GT. Supposedly an all around great tire that you can even take on the track if you want to (to some degree).
 
Thoughts?
 
 
 

[rick]

well, you could be the 1st to review them.
 
The Futura forum is filled with guys who pile up miles in all manner of weather and change tires more often than their tooth brushes. The PR4s are favorites, but the Angels also get their share of happy customers for general sport touring. And keep in mind, with the bags, that Aprilia weighs near 130 lbs more and easily makes 50% more power
 
Give 'em a try.
 
 

[gregjet]

The Aussie facebook page has a lot of Pirelli for MT07( fz) converts.

[thomascrown]

Been through 1 set of pr3s, 2 sets of pr4s, and currently on s21s. Pr4s are my least favorite. Front cups, and rear only lasted 9k miles. Wonky turn in from too aggressive a profile, and not the most confidence inspiring at full lean, especially the front.

[rick]

If i ever wear out the 023s (and I suspect I'll get tired of them before i wear them out) the S21(or their replacement) will be near the top of my list http://www.cyclenews.com/2016/03/article/tire-test-bridgestone-s21/
 
9k miles out of any tire these days for me would be a lot. I'm happy to see 5 or 6k.

[gregjet]

Thomascrown. That is almost the opposite of what my experience on my other bikes. Grips everywhere, in any conditions. Did a 7000km round trip in extreme conditions including, 1degC and rain, thunderstorm with bucketting rain, 44deg C dry heat. It is still in excellent condition. NEVER a slip and total confidence is corners. Even wear. Cupping fronts is usually a suspension damping, inflation or steering head bearings problem though.
I certainly wouldn't call the profile aggressive? Pretty standard round oval.
I had the S21's on a DRZ400SM and I liked them though. They have a bit too much slick area for Aussie rain for me to consider in the bigger sizes like the 180/55. They don't make a 170/60 , which is what I want to put on next.
 

[booboobusfz07]

Been through 1 set of pr3s, 2 sets of pr4s, and currently on s21s. Pr4s are my least favorite. Front cups, and rear only lasted 9k miles. Wonky turn in from too aggressive a profile, and not the most confidence inspiring at full lean, especially the front.

 
 
How you liking those s21's? Looking to replace my pr3s with a more aggressive tire bu5 don't want to lose too much life.

[thomascrown]

Well, I paid 206 for the pair from bikebandit, and Bridgestone has a 50 dollar rebate. So all in around 160ish. You can't get one rear pr4 for that much. If i can squeeze 6k miles out of it, it will end up being comparable if not cheaper than pr4s in the long run. As for performance, they are worlds better in the dry than the pr4. Don't know about wet weather yet.

[rick]

Well, that was a deal you couldn't say no to.
I'm also a little surprised that you had cupping issues w the PR4s or pretty much any modern tire for that matter. Gotta be a suspension thing or yer running too little pressure - a prime cause for the dreaded cupping.
Had a BT020 cup so badly it howled at moderate speeds and lean angles. I could hear it with ear plugs in!

[trav]

Does anyone know of when to replace tires on a motorcycle? Mine are at about 8k and they still seem to have plenty of tread life left.

[rick]

Does anyone know of when to replace tires on a motorcycle? Mine are at about 8k and they still seem to have plenty of tread life left.

Technically speaking, there are wear bar indicators throughout the tread of the tire. If you look into the cuts of the tread, you will see little raised areas. This is where the tire is no longer "legal"  
That said, if the tire is not worn funny due to road camber or any cupping, there's no sign of ozone damage (rubber turning blue or worse, cracks), the handling has not been affected by those 8 k miles, and if you have enough tread that allows water to sipe away, I'd say, unless yer tired of them and maybe looking for better, keep 'em a while longer.  
 
And, with that said, I'll bet you that if you were to put new tires on, you would be shocked just how bad those tires have become. The bike will steer smoother, the ride quality will be better, they might even be quieter rolling along.

[Beemer]

These are my original Bridgestone, Battlax BT023 Sport Touring's at 10,872 mls. Not bad. As most can tell, I don't race with them, do burn outs and only lean as much as I have to so they last. I avoid riding in the rain so I still have some miles left on them. (granted, not much)
 
 
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[pattybags]

I got a nail in my tire at around 500 miles. There was no way I was going to buy a brand new tire when this one had such little wear on it.
 
With that being said, I bought some Slime ($20); pulled the nail out, filled up the tire with the Slime and 3000 miles later I'm still good. The instructions on the Slime say it's good for 3k. So it's about time to replace to tire, but at least I got some good use out of it.

[sorkyah]

I got a nail in my tire at around 500 miles. There was no way I was going to buy a brand new tire when this one had such little wear on it.  
With that being said, I bought some Slime ($20); pulled the nail out, filled up the tire with the Slime and 3000 miles later I'm still good. The instructions on the Slime say it's good for 3k. So it's about time to replace to tire, but at least I got some good use out of it.

remember to tell the person changing your tire that there is slime in there
it makes a huge mess when the tire is dismounted

[Guest ChicagoAJ]

I got a nail in my tire at around 500 miles. There was no way I was going to buy a brand new tire when this one had such little wear on it.  
With that being said, I bought some Slime ($20); pulled the nail out, filled up the tire with the Slime and 3000 miles later I'm still good. The instructions on the Slime say it's good for 3k. So it's about time to replace to tire, but at least I got some good use out of it.

Might as well do a nice burnout to use the rest of that tread!

[mjh937]

I would say you have used those up @Beemer. It looks like time for some new rubber. Are you planning on another set of Bridgestones or are you going with something else next?

[Guest ChicagoAJ]

I would say you have used those up @beemer . It looks like time for some new rubber. Are you planning on another set of Bridgestones or are you going with something else next?

I vote for PR4's, @beemer. That's what I'm getting after I use my PR3's!

[mjh937]

I would say you have used those up @beemer . It looks like time for some new rubber. Are you planning on another set of Bridgestones or are you going with something else next?

I vote for PR4's, @beemer . That's what I'm getting after I use my PR3's!

I am planning on PR5's. Almost 7,000 miles on my Bridgestones and they still look almost new. I guess I am not riding as hard as I think I am.  

[Guest ChicagoAJ]

I vote for PR4's, @beemer . That's what I'm getting after I use my PR3's!

I am planning on PR5's. Almost 7,000 miles on my Bridgestones and they still look almost new. I guess I am not riding as hard as I think I am.  

What's a PR5? The 4's just came out not too long ago. 

[sorkyah]

I am planning on PR5's. Almost 7,000 miles on my Bridgestones and they still look almost new. I guess I am not riding as hard as I think I am.  

What's a PR5? The 4's just came out not too long ago. 

Thats a question for @wickedtwister
 
When are.the PR5's gonna release?

[mjh937]

I have no knowledge of when the PR5's might come out. I am just wearing my Bridgestones so slowly I expect they will be out by the time I am shoping for new tires.

[Beemer]

I haven't compared tires yet. I keep seeing the talk about PR3's and 4's so maybe they're good. I do like the tires I have a lot, they wear well and perform well enough for my style of riding so if they cost less than other tires I'll more than likely go with them. Thanks for the input and concern guys! After I get new tires, which will be shortly, I'll let everyone know and maybe say a little about them.

[gregjet]

PR3's are not a patch on pR4's for the street. Huge difference. Pr3's are good useable tyre, PR4's are exemplary in ALL conditions I have found. Brilliant in the wet.
They aren't new though. Put mine on my Husky TR650 for the big Phillip Island trip in September 2014 and almost all of the people we rode down with had them as well ( independantly interestingly). We found we had all bought the same tyres.