Yardstick

I know my tires are mismatched now, but I'm not sure what they are. If I had something like this pair I could replace the front now and then wear out the rear and replace that later, right? How significant is the difference between wear front/rear on these bikes, especially two-up since I ride with my wife on the back most of the time.

superhawk22

I had the 014's and loved them for the limited time they were on the bike. I think I did 3 or 4 track days on them and some street miles as well and they performed flawlessly. After I abused them I sold them to cliffhangerstx with a good amount of tread left but not enough for the track so off they went. They lasted well for being on the track and still had plenty of street grip left so I'd say thumbs up to those.

Loco

I have run d208s on my hawk. Actually, thats what I'm running in the rear right now. They are solid tires, and I am probably gonna snag a pair of them from that link. under$180 for both is too good to pass up. They are adequate for the track use, but I would classify them more as a great road tire, twisties and such. They are no PilotPower, but then again, these are 4 yr old tires.

xxxrated

personally i wouldnt fit them to my wheelbarrow but thats my feeling on them. id rather pay a little extra for a different tyre but if you can get on with them then go for it.

Yardstick

Just got home and noted what tires I actually have on the bike. Battlax 020 rear, D208 front. The front has about 1/32" tread, maybe slightly more. Not much though. The rear only got loose on me once on a freeway onramp on a cold night. I was probably taking that corner a little too fast and got a little overly aggressive with the throttle. I don't really know what to say about the front. It hasn't done anything I don't like yet. Maybe I'll just pick up the set.

Yardstick

I'm getting some pretty heavy recommendations for Conti Road Attacks in another forum. Anybody tried those on a 'hawk?

JamieDaugherty

I've used D208's for several years and have found them to be the best tires I've ever ridden on. I had some Pirelli's for a short time before that but got rid of them because I was sure they would cause me to crash. The D208's have now logged 4 full days of track time and have not once let me down. The second best tire I've had one there was the orginal D204's!

I might try some Maxxis race compound tires this year, but I'll put those on a spare set of wheels so I can change back to the 208's at the track if necessary!

Jamie Daugherty
http://members.iquest.net/~daugherj

superhawk22

I had them but for a really short time. They got completly shredded at the track in 2 days and then I was using them on the road and found a crack in the sidewall! They worked well but I was disappointed in the crack and they didn't last long at all.

Yardstick

How long were they sitting in the sun in your back yard before you mounted them? That doesn't sound too good. The recommendation is coming from a track day junkie with an RC51 here in AZ. I like the idea of good grip for 7-8k miles. I don't like the idea of shredding/cracking tires. Hmm... What to do...

superhawk22

I bought these a few months after they first came out so age shouldn't have been an issue. I did about 1-200 street miles on them before I hit the track for my first 2 trackdays. I only say that because I was SLOW compared to now, only running in the 1:50's compared to 1:30's. I put about another 100 or so miles on them and saw the crack, I'm not sure when it happened but it was after the trackdays.

superhawk22

Now here are the Avon's with 2 much harder trackdays and a few more street miles. Not as pronounced ridge and much better shape.

Yardstick

Well I don't know what to get now... I need at least a front tire. I'd like to get max mileage, max grip and max value (min $$). What tire(s) do I need?

Current Rear: BTX 020 (in good shape)
Current Front: D208 (nearly bald)

Edit to add: Mostly highway, getting out of town mileage, mostly two-up, occasional 85-90% riding in twisties, occasional commuting. Probably never a track day, but might try one to improve my skills.

superhawk22

If you're not going to abuse them the Conti's will probably do fine but I won't endorse them because of the crack. That being said it's just one tire and it could've been faulty. If your rear's not bad why not just get the matching front, that way your just buying 1 tire?

Loco

Superhawk22, do you live right next to a Baby Powder factory? What is that crap all over your tires, and please don't tell me you rode so hard you scared the black out of your tires.

superhawk22

Yep went so fast it turned them into dust! I live on a 1/4 mile dirt road and have friends who live on longer ones. Makes it a real BITCH to keep Frankenhawk clean.

Yardstick

There must be some good twisties on that dirt road too... or maybe you need to check your tire pressure.

superhawk22

I like to dirt track it into the road and my driveway, I just need the steel sole. It's hard to get all of the dirt biker out of a person!

Yardstick

Man, that BT-020 front is not a cheap tire. Is there a reason to go with one of the other Battlax tires for the front? I hear the different numbers represent a different profile, but that's about all I've been able to figure out so far.

superhawk22

Different profile, different compounds, different tread pattern. I was told not to worry to much as long as they were close.....but, (there's always a but), I used 2 Avon's the rear one an av50sp pro and the front was an av39sp pro. Basically the same tire 1 year apart and the front end had a little wobble in it.

superhawk22

What do you call expensive or where are you looking? I found one for $76.95, go to www.chaparralmotorsports.com and that will be a $10.00 finders fee fill your check out to....

redsuperhawk

I have the 208s on my Superhawk right now, and frankly I think they're *****. Crap in the wet, not totally stable feeling in the dry, and I swear I've only gotten 3 or 4000 miles out of them, and they're shagged already. I got way more than that out of my 207s I had before them, and the 204s that came stock.

I've never ridden them on the track, mainly commute (although it's a fun commute). I'm very disappointed in them. I'm not sure what I'll replace them with.

Jeff
redsuperhawk

cb21983

I ran the 208s on my buddies cbr600rr (he moved and trusted me with his bike) they were awesome I put almost 1000 miles on his bike last year and had to replace the tires last winter. They lasted almost 6500 miles. WOW!! I just ordered a set of 208s for my bike off the site. To good of a deal to pass up!!!!! Quick delivery too!

redsuperhawk

I hope you have better luck that I did with the 208s. The more I think about it, I don't even think I got 3000 miles out of them. Beware of front tire cupping too.

The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards either the Metzeler Roadtec Z6 or the Pirelli Diablo Strada. I haven't decided though.

Jeff
redsuperhawk

superhawk22

Cupping is one of the reasons Dunlop changed their design for the Qualifier. I've heard real good things about the Strada, check and see if they're still giving away the front tire.

superhawk22

Sorry to get you excited, the deal is over.