kenmoore

In the members rides thread, and particularly James bike I posted a comment about tires.

I posted that statement in relation to the fact that James was going to brace his frame and after consultation with Roger he came to the conclusion that it wasn't worth bracing the frame as there would be no perceived gain in relation to handling due to a number of factors, not the least his power output.

I passed a comment that when Honda did the initial press release on the bike they commented that a tyre had been developed to compliment the inbuilt flex in the frame.

Having stuck mainly to Michelin tyres since 1992 when I got the Storm in 2011 I had Michelin fitted and wasn't happy.

Over a period of time I played with the suspension on my bike via fork mods , braced swinger, reworked shock(and before any of you say it can't be done it can) shock shim and fork brace to name a few and was reasonably happy however the bike always felt lacking in refinement and at best very budget compared to my other bikes.

I posted on here a long time ago about how I fitted a set of cheap Dunlop D209 Sportmax Qualifiers as I was doing a long 2600 Klm transport ride to get my Storm back home and didn't want to waste $$$$ on a set of the latest and greatest.

Imagine my surprise when the bike actually felt good.

So I wore that set out in approx 8000K's And fitted another set.

I like them so much that I have 2 sets in store now and when I get the $$$ I will buy some more so that the Storm always has a set of tyres on it that are complimentary to the way that it is set up, and the way that I use it.

Personal preference I suppose, however part of me says that the sidewalls on the latest tyres do not suit the frames on our bikes .

Regardless of what the Gurus say I know what feels best for me, and never having been one to follow the herd I choose to stick with the "old" Dunlops because they work for me.

Tyres are a personal choice I know.

I take this forum and many others that I am a member of seriously and believe that a big part of forums is passing on your personal experiences to other members so that they too may benefit from your own experiences.

Am I a qualified Tyre technician No!

Is my butt qualified after many years on many bikes both on and off road qualified? hell I don't know but I would like to think so.

At almost 58 years of age and 45 odd bikes I'd like to think that I know what I like.

I haven't posted this to offend anyone, rather to explain my comments in relation to the Storm.

Hope this clears up any misconceptions about my original post.

thedeatons

I think jamie speaks highly of dunlops also, and doesn't recommend michelin or metzeler.

I personally was planning to go with Bridgestones next time, the 023 rear and 016 front, in hopes of getting some mileage out of them. I really cannot afford to change tires often, so the 023 sport touring rear seemed like a nice long ramge tire with good side grip because of the multiple compounds. I think it was a post from jamie that turned me onto the bridgestones, he said they were a good dunlop alternative.

James

CrankenFine

Thanks Kenmoore but those might be unobtanium to some parts of the world.

Has anyone seen a Dunlop D209 advertised for sale in the U.S.?

I have not. But the Sportmax Qualifier looks like its tread pattern is very similar to the D209 tire I see advertised on UK sites.

smokinjoe73

Pretty sure d209s are racing tires. Now they are up to d211s. I have always raced on dunlops mainly due to their stiffness and feedback. I run the roadsmart on the steet and like them but only can compare them to bridgestone on this bike.

Michelins are too much cash for me on the street. I just want good grip wet & dry and mileage.

Just my 2 cents. BIKE magazine says putting on Michelin pilot 3s are like getting Ohlins suspension. (or some michelin) due to soft sidewall and carcass. I agreee but only ran them on a bumpy racetrack.

E.Marquez

Dunlop 209 GPA (2009 AMA spec tire) is a race tire
Dunlop 209 Sportmax Qualifier is not

E.Marquez

For a street tire, If you have not tried Pilot Road 3 or 4's on your VTR, please do.

smokinjoe73

Oh yeah on those 209s. And yeah Erik, those Michelins are on my list, I am just too cheap and have 3 racebikes that I don't skimp on so somethings gotta give.

kenmoore

Yeah,

The money I save on tires for the Storm help me to keep it going and be able to afford to tinker with it.

E.Marquez

PR3 is a bit more $ than a bargain basement catch at cycle gear or a NOS tire at your local dealer. BUT.. they wear long and have traction for miles.


Scrubbed all the way to the edge no issue. That tire has 4236 miles as of today.. with a lot to go.. Last one went 9k plus and was only replaced because the front was gone as well..So I did a set.

Admittedly..Im a tire snob and change them often because I get them at cost and have a rim clamp tire machine and balancer at my disposal.. so tire changes are not costly.

thedeatons

What are your thoughts on the stiffness of the sidewalls on those Michelins?

James

E.Marquez

What can I say.. Im not an expert.. so I only know what I know.

I've ridden on a dozen or so tires brands/models for this bike.

I like the PR3s the best. I have found no tire traction limitation based on how I ride (spirited... and yes I ride my tires to the edge...)
They are hands down the best wet weather tire i have used. I don't try and ride in rain, but it happens and several times I've ridden in rain with so much water coming down I could not see 10 feet in front of me,,, and streets were flooded.. the PR stuck to the road and tracked perfectly, no hydroplaning.

Same for hitting those water puddles in low spots in the road at speed.. just cuts right though.

Long lasting center section which is good as where I ride I have lots of unending slab to cover.

So it corners as good or better then I am.. is good when i get stuck in wet weather. Seems to not loose significant traction in cold weather and last a long time.

What traits of a "too stiff" side wall should I look for? I'll think about that next few rides and see if I can feel symptoms of a "too stiff" side wall.

thedeatons

Ask Jamie...

He is the one who mentions the sidewall stiffness a lot. I'd like to hear more of his thoughts also.

James

smokinjoe73

Its really easy. All things being equal, softer sidewalls squirm more and absorb more bumps. So smoother ride but moves around a bit more during cornering. All reports say the Michelins smooth out bumpy roads.

Hard sidewalls transmit small bumps like a bicycle with really pumped up tires. Harsher ride, feel all the bumps. Exacerbates flexy chassis since the tire doesn't absorb impacts.

E.Marquez

Then Id have to say these are NOT stiff sidewall tires (the PR3)

I have felt what Joe refers to on a set of Pirelli tires...

Wolverine

Ladies and gentlemen please fasten your seat belts, we are about to enter a know area of high turbulence. LOL!!

thedeatons

Lol

E.Marquez

WTF... you calling me a blowhard

kenmoore

Surely not!

What I think he is alluding to is that tires are a very personal thing and ones opinion can be regarded as strong in relation to what they perceive to be the best tire for them and their bike.

That's why I started this post!

My favourites so far are the Dunlops.

Everyone has their favourites and swear by them because of the good times they have had while riding on them.

smokinjoe73

Oh no. Not the "relative truth" philosophy. My truth is different from your truth?

Opinions of course differ. Some like a stiffer harsher ride, some don't. None of that changes the actual truth though. You may like wearing blue shirts, just don't try to tell me its orange.

"Truth is truth, even if no one believes it. A lie is a lie, even if everyone believes it."
.....G.K. Chesterton

E.Marquez

Your spot on....it's a personal observation. And then you have the... you only know what you know.... if you have only ridden a well set up stock suspension SH.. well that is what you know as the "best" and you judge others by that bar.
Same with tires... I cant say I've tried every brand, type, model so I can not denounce all others but the PR3 or 4. I can only say, for me, it's the best tire I have used on the SH