I'm looking to get a new set of rubber myself, for the 599. I'm not out to get my knees/pegs scraping, but am more of a cruising type who just wants to enjoy the sun and the breeze. Which tires would you recommend?
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Metz Z8
BT-016
PR2
Shinko 009
Other (post reply)
I'm looking to get a new set of rubber myself, for the 599. I'm not out to get my knees/pegs scraping, but am more of a cruising type who just wants to enjoy the sun and the breeze. Which tires would you recommend?
Jen,
I ran Metzler's ME 880 marathon's on my cruiser for years. They are a harder compound tire and do last a long time but found they don't handle well in the rain past the first year and towards the end of their life found they didn't hold the road well on dry pavement either. This year I put a set of Bridgestone EXedra's on my bike. I'm very happy with them they hold the road very well even when you want to get a little aggressive and found they grip very well in the rain. Had my bike up to 100-110 in the rain and felt very confident they weren't going to let go on my. With the tread pattern on them they handled the rain like i was running on dry pavement even when stopping.
I got about 12,000kms on my rear BT016 on my 599.
Not wearing gear while riding is like unprotected sex. Sooner or later you're going to get a rash!
27000km on pilot road 2s
I voted other as I was/am a big fan of the BT016 other then wear. However I took the advice of a few other fellow riders and have switched to the BT023's which seem to be wearing better then the BT016. I would highly suggest taking a look at them as I really have no complaints so far.
I voted for Shinko because of the amazing price/performance ratio, but for your style of riding and bike I'd recommend an ever harder compound tire. More touring-cruising than sport-touring, if you know what I mean. I've had good experience with PR2, but the difference in price is much bigger than the difference in performance/feel/longevity/wear. Metz Z8 was a disappointment - considerably faster and more uneven wear than others. Haven't had any experience with BT016, but was quite happy with BT45 on my Zephyr 550 in all conditions.
NOTE: I don't visit this board frequently and do not accept private messages. You can reach me at GTAmotorcycle[At]aca{dot.}cc
My country is the world and my religion is to do good. - Thomas Paine
i didn't vote as i've never used a front Z8...very impressed so far with the rear Z8 "C" i'm using right now though...
we'll see how it works when the roads get colder...then i'll know how good it is
Last edited by Carmen; 10-05-2011 at 02:26 PM.
Aurora
I was just about to ask the same question . That tire hasn't seen much acceleration (or braking) for one reason or the other...
You, however, are the other extreme. How many burnouts did you do?
I'm far from gentle and we have the same bike, although I'm probably loading mine more and more often (two-up, full luggage touring) but I still get at least 18,000Km out of a rear Shinko. It would be far more than that if there were more twisties (middle gets flat and worn while sides are good for another 18,000). The worst I ever got from a rear on my B12 (80fp, 110Hp on the wheel) was about 12,000Km, Metzeller Z6 (if I recall well, it was years ago).
NOTE: I don't visit this board frequently and do not accept private messages. You can reach me at GTAmotorcycle[At]aca{dot.}cc
My country is the world and my religion is to do good. - Thomas Paine
Not wearing gear while riding is like unprotected sex. Sooner or later you're going to get a rash!
I voted PR2's as I've worn down two sets now and have been very happy with them. First set was replaced at around 21k km and was at the wear bars, second set is at 24k km I think and the tread has disappeared from the middle. That's on a FZ6 with a lot of touring but also a lot of stop and go commuting with hard acceleration. Will go for PR3's as soon as I find a set in stock for cheap, probably from motorcycle-superstore shipped to Niagara Falls. The back was super sketchy commuting to work yesterday morning, around 10C and a greasy wet road equaled tire spin accelerating from a stop and shifting into second for the first ten minutes.
I ran a set of Pirelli Diablo Strada's (same as a Metzler Z6 for what it's worth) before the two sets of Michelins and they were good too, survived over 20k km, but the Michelin's inspire much more confidence, especially in wet weather. I do miss the lightning quick turn in from the Pirelli's though
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