Got these tyres on my FZ8, probably the original fitment since the bike has done less than 3k miles..
Rear is starting to square off a little, still plenty of tread left but are they generally as crap as I'm finding ??
I know it's cold and not really nice conditions but I was out on Sat early afternoon and the sun was up with plenty of miles ridden to warm things up but the rear tyre was just spinning up all over the place, even in a straight line acceleration. I've ridden bikes year round and in these conditions before but never really experienced anything like it and it's not like the FZ8 is some lightweight rocket ship with 150 bhp at the rear wheel..
I suppose they are more a 'touring' tyre than 'sports' but still they shouldnt be losing grip like that IMO..
Opinions, anyone else find BT021's the same or are my tyres just past their best due to age ? Don't know what the actual date stamps are but would imagine they are 09 or 10 since they are on a Sept 2010 reg'd bike..
thanks
sorry wrong section...
feel free to move into 'Tyres'..
BT021's are an old tyre now, there's been 023s and now T30's since them. I had T30's fitted to the Street 2 weeks ago and went out and did 80 odd miles on the Saturday and they seem really good how good time will tell.
Generally a bit naff and simply old tech, I moved on about 2 years back I went from a pair of 021 to the newer 023 and the difference is night and day.
Quote from: LewisBeGoog on November 25, 2013, 07:34:05 PM
Generally a bit naff and simply old tech
Im getting that feeling.. they are just not up to the job of a modern bike with a reasonable amount of power..
I put Pirelli Road 3's on my C1H and they were awsome, wet or dry warm or cold...
They were bearable when round, but as soon as they squared off I was sliding at the first whiff of throttle. I picked up a set of 023 for £220 fitted so weren't to bad on price either.
Bridgestone tyres are shit - the end.
Quote from: MOz on November 26, 2013, 07:58:40 AM
Bridgestone tyres are shit - the end.
In your not so humble opinion, many would disagree with you ;)
I really like the BT023, good grip and mileage
Exactly that Iain. Tyres are very personal things - you could recommend or pooh-pooh to your hearts content but as with everything, one man's meat is another man's poison.
Best tyre I've used in years on the road is the Dunlop SportSmart by a country mile; on track, Karl Harris's BSS spec Dunlop D208RRs.
I agree with Moz on the personal choice thing...with biking a lot is in the mind...if you think a tyre is shit then it's going to be shit...biggest majority if modern tyres are hugely capable...but you have to adapt to winter mode even on the best of them.
Quote from: Chris C on November 26, 2013, 10:29:48 AM
I really like the BT023, good grip and mileage
I really didnt enjoy those tyres on my FZ1 the pilot road 2 I thought was much better. Got pilot road 3s on my R1 and are by far and away the best all round tyre I've ever used. Would love super sticky tyres but cant afford 3+ tyres a year really
There are so many variables that this discussion is predominantly pointless .
Accept that some people prefer A and some B ....
Most of the tyres under discussion here are already years behind current developments.
I'd love to setup a pepsi challenge on tyres.
Oem tyres are always poor. I use BT023s on the 636 and they are great, I fitted S20s to my Z1000 and they feel wooden and lifeless. I've had BT010, 020, 014, 016, 021 and 023 over the years so it's a shame I've got to move to another company for my next change. I did have Dunlop Qualifier II RR on my ZX10R and they were brilliant for road use, grip and wear, so I'll probably go for Roadsmart or Sportsmart next.
Modern road sports/touring tyres are brilliant now. I don't think you'd find their limits on a road anywhere. Metzeler Z8's were good enough to keep up with the Fast group at Donington on my ZRX and they didn't show any wear after a day on track either.
Other thing is that I think anything will spin up on a reasonably powerful bike at this time of year?
Quote from: David w on December 03, 2013, 04:49:57 PM
Other thing is that I think anything will spin up on a reasonably powerful bike at this time of year?
your probably right, just need to ease of the throttle but that's a bit boring...
I put a set of Pirelli Road 3's on my ZX6r and they were excellent in all conditions..
The rear tyre is starting to square of a bit so that probably doesn't help either as the tyre doesn't have the right profile to 'bite' into the road..
Like already mentioned its a confidence thing as well..
I bet the new bike is putting out a fair bit more torque than the ZX6R though, and lower down too. That's probably what you're feeling?
Quote from: David w on December 04, 2013, 12:00:00 PM
I bet the new bike is putting out a fair bit more torque than the ZX6R though, and lower down too. That's probably what you're feeling?
zx6r 636 has 52 ft/lbs and the FZ8 has 60 ft/lbs so not a huge difference and the FZ8 is way heavier..
I dont know. I'll just ride it for now.. got to do a trip early tomorrow morning but will be taking it careful anyway as it's gonna be cold and damp..
maybe I'll treat myself to some new tyres next year if the sun ever comes back..