This BTO-16 I bought was 160 includ shipp, so it's in the same price range. I was looking at April's Sport Rider magazine at Mikster's behest. They tested sport tires includ the dun Qualifier. They rated the Dunlop similar to the Bridgestone. The thing I was surprised to see though was that it weighs 1-3lbs more than the others tested. Maybe that why the phenonemal mileage, huh? But to concur with your experiences, it was rated at the top along with the Michelin for traction. The M3 didn't do as well traction wise and overall. That said, they're not gods at SR, but their tire eval is a better oppotunity in terms of testing than most of us will ever have.

Scraping pegs: I took mine loose and rotated them back 1" and up 1 1/2", then cut little metal strips to hold them there; and jacked the *** end 6mm.

 

I just started riding street. Bought my SH about 2 weeks ago. I never put much thought into psi/weight ratio. So I'll ask you guys I weight around 225 (6'4"). What psi would you recommend for the front and rear tire. Thanks

 

This is a subject that no one will likely be willing or able to answer definitively. Most just err on the side of caution and say run what it tells you is the max pressure for the bike/tire.

I would tell you my way. Find a favorite most curvy road(s) and practice riding it with full pressure. when you get good on that road and feel comfortable leaning to the edge of the tires, then drop the pressure 5-8lbs and make some runs on a couple different days. See if you can feel traction differences.

Notes:
Look at your tire sidewall and you'll find the weight load rating(58W= 520 load carrying capacity per tire--Sport Rider,april 09).

know that heat raises tire pressure, so in hot weather/road surface, the pressure will increase. know also that aggressive riding increases temperature further. The reverse occurs for cold weather/surfaces.

warmer tires grip better, cold tires slide easily!

if you favor most mileage over most traction, run max pressure.

when you load bike with rider/cargo, and when you're going to travel primarily straight roads, use max pressure, because it's a waste of your tire middle tread to run lowered pressures in these instances where stopping, leaning and accelerating hard are minimized.

Most important: If you're new to the streets get yourself into a MSF course, do track days, and get an experienced rider to teach you how many ways that street riding is the most lethal form of the sport bar none.

 

Well said Nathan. The only part that I would take exception to is your comments about trade-offs between pressure and traction. On the street, a tire at the rated pressure will still provide great traction - that's not an issue at all. It's more about heat in the tire and wear. The bottom line, if it says 42psi on the side of the tire then you should run 42psi. The only exceptions are track days or extremely hard street riding.

 

thank you/

I thought this was interesting:

CW mag evaled michelin's new power one racing tires and put a write-up in the June issue. You can go on the website below and put in your bike info and they'll tell you the best choice and recommended air pressures in bars(you need to convert to psi). This won't include diff size rear wheels/tires, so you may have to change bike selection that has same size rubber as yours. Their pressure recommendations will surprise many in terms of how low they are(28 to 30psi).

Of course, there is the typical disclaimer advisory to follow the bike manufacturers air pressure recommendations so that there can be no legal repercussions based on their recommendations. And, these are race tires made to different specs, but the implications are that lower pressures for track or track like riding provide better performance. I've been running lower pressures for several years now and for the kind of riding I do, it works well(most twisty-few straight-one up-100-150mi-aggressive lean). The 2500 miles wear I got on the BTO-14 rear is an anomaly for me(usually 4-5 thous)and is not uncommon for these Bridgestones according to others who have reported similar experiences with them(the rears).

www.michelinpowerone.com

 

It says pretty clearly on there "For track use". Track pressures are always in the 30-32psi range. For the street you should be running 40-42psi or whatever it says on the side of your tire.

 

[QUOTE=JamieDaugherty;214517]It says pretty clearly on there "For track use". Track pressures are always in the 30-32psi range. For the street you should be running 40-42psi or whatever it says on the side of your tire.

AH OH! I guess I don't follow directions very well. "Street use" is a broad category with a multiplicity of variables, many of which don't apply to some of us, other than they happen to be on the street. I have found that lower pressure with my weight and type of riding has benefits similar to those who run lower pressure on the track, and I would think that many experienced street riders that regularly run the twisties do the same.

 

[QUOTE=nath981;214545]
If you run higher pressures you don't really lose much traction (on the street, mind you). The rear spins a little easier when cold, but after a few miles of heat I challenge anyone to tell the difference. The treadwear is much, much better when running the suggested pressure.

If I rode some knee dragging canyon road every day to work I'd run the lower pressures, but since I live in Indiana that just doesn't apply!

 

[QUOTE=JamieDaugherty;214576]that's my point exactly. i do prefer what i call bending turns and low tire pressure is an important part of this equation. I would accept that challenge because I've been riding the same curvy roads(within 100 miles of my house) for longer than i care to recount(40+, shhh, don't tell anyone) and i would not do it the way i do with max aired tires. No way, the differences in feedback/feel/traction/compliance/absorbtion are obvious and apparent. It's like you said, "if i rode some knee dragging canyon....................lower pressures"

If i lived in an area without close access to serpentine roads, i probably wouldn't even own a street-only bike. I'd be happy thrashing a dual sport ride around to get to some dirt trails.

 

If you are at max load. If not...less pressure. Tires are designed to flex and conform to a certain degree. Running max pressure at less than max load doesn't allow this so traction and the contact patch are reduced. Who cares what psi or how good your tires are if you slide your bike into a ditch? Granted it probably doesn't make that big a difference, but I want every advantage possible when it comes to control and safety.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, isn't that the "MAX PSI" for the tire on the side wall?

For car tires, I wouldn't run a Load Range E 16" tire at full pressure on my 3200 pound Cherokee, even though that's what the sidewall says. It would be like riding in a Sherman tank.

What does the owners manual call for? That's where your tires should be. Those test track riders get paid good money, and the engineers get paid good money, to try to figure this out before we get our bikes.

 

To answer my own question, the Service manual calls out 36 front and 42 rear, both are COLD tire pressures.

 

I run 38 front 42 rear cold tire pressure and i have never had any problems at this temp, on the track i tend to lower to about 36/36 or 36/38. Again I have never had a problem riding with these pressures.

 

hmm, With everyones good reviews, Im starting to wonder about the Conti Attacks.

My buddie put a set on his Ducati 750 monster, and the rear was showing cord after 1800 miles. He was not riding hard.

 

That's because you are running the pressures that you are supposed to be running!

 

No slips at all? That's very high for the track. Last year I was running 30 in the rear of the RC and it was slipping. Hot it was 36-38psi. Lowered it a little more to 35 hot and it was sticking great. Everyone I've ever talked to runs around 30psi front and rear at the track.

 

+1 for Michelin Pilot Road 2CT front and back. Excellent ride, traction, and wearability