Tires, what do you use?
06-04-2011, 10:06 PM
#1
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Tires, what do you use?
I have a set of worn out Dunlop Q2's on my bike that came with it when I bought it. What do you use? Just looking for input on what others use and why.
P.S. I am looking for something sticker than the Q2's.
P.S. I am looking for something sticker than the Q2's.
06-04-2011, 10:46 PM
#3
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I run Michelin Pilot Roads front and rear, but they were on it when I bought it. I ride everyday rain or shine, so I'm pretty happy with their all around performance. I don't ride at the track though and I'm sure they'd be lacking there. I'll probably move to the Pilot Road 2/3 when the time comes, unless I find something better.
I'm interested in what others run though.
I'm interested in what others run though.
06-05-2011, 01:56 AM
#4
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I LOVE my mich. Pilot Power 2CT's. There are amazing deals on them too. I bought them because a pair was like $218. Look to see if there is still a thread here for a discount code if you're thinking of going with them.
06-05-2011, 05:05 AM
#5
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I doubt you will find much that is genuinely stickier than the q2 tires. Those may have been used up when u got the bike but they are a great sport tire. Pilot lures are also good with lower weightier tirewhich should be a noticeable improvement for handling.
06-05-2011, 10:18 AM
#8
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running the d211gpa's on my main track ride...flipping fantastic tire but bloody expensive. i run the bridgestone bt003rs' otherwise, and bt016 for street.
my understanding is that those q2's are extremely good tires. very grippy, but lack only a few minor characteristics of race rubber (for better probably, no need for warmers). they're the best you can get as far as street tires go, from dunlop. 003rs' would be the equivalent from bridgestone. i havent ridden q2's yet but i may soon, as a lower cost alternative to the gpa's. from what i can tell, those that have tried both tend to like the q2 slightly more.
edit: "stickier" in what sense are you looking? the DOT race tires from dunlop are stickier than q2's, but they have to be run at a much much much higher operating temp. what kind of riding may i ask?
my understanding is that those q2's are extremely good tires. very grippy, but lack only a few minor characteristics of race rubber (for better probably, no need for warmers). they're the best you can get as far as street tires go, from dunlop. 003rs' would be the equivalent from bridgestone. i havent ridden q2's yet but i may soon, as a lower cost alternative to the gpa's. from what i can tell, those that have tried both tend to like the q2 slightly more.
edit: "stickier" in what sense are you looking? the DOT race tires from dunlop are stickier than q2's, but they have to be run at a much much much higher operating temp. what kind of riding may i ask?
06-05-2011, 11:56 AM
#10
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I've put about 250 miles on a new set of Q2's. ($200 set from Cycle Gear) I replaced Michelin Pilot Powers (not ct2's) I like the Dunlops better. The bike magazines love them and so do most forums. Hard to beat. I really like mine and think they have good feel but I'm a 1/2" (or more) chicken strip guy.
06-05-2011, 12:08 PM
#11
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Currently running Bridgestone BT-23 Dual compound sport touring tires. Why? Great commuteing tire that's great in the wet.
Have run Dunlop 205, original crap tire. Dunlop 207's. Avon's....SUCK in wet weather!! Were like rideing on slime! Dunlop 208's. Good all around tire for me ,at the time was doing more canyon runs in So Cal.
Fish
Have run Dunlop 205, original crap tire. Dunlop 207's. Avon's....SUCK in wet weather!! Were like rideing on slime! Dunlop 208's. Good all around tire for me ,at the time was doing more canyon runs in So Cal.
Fish
06-05-2011, 12:53 PM
#13
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I run Q2s and I do run them at a "brisk" pace and love them.
Though tires are like oil....everyone has a different opinion.
Actually it can be hard to give a good recommendation as it can also depend on your riding style and suspension set up, so what works for me might not work for you.
Keep trying different types till you find what works for you.
Though tires are like oil....everyone has a different opinion.
Actually it can be hard to give a good recommendation as it can also depend on your riding style and suspension set up, so what works for me might not work for you.
Keep trying different types till you find what works for you.
06-05-2011, 01:19 PM
#14
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...to add, another way to analyze what you want out of a tire is to think about their characteristics, such as compound and carcass construction.
as a GENERAL rule, dunlop has the stiffest carcass construction, bridgestone next, then michelin, then pirellis are typically the very softest. carcass stiffness contributes alot to how a tire feels--and the dunlop d211gpa's for example are super stiff, and give TONS of feedback. at the same time though, some riders DONT like the amount of feedback, it can mess with a rider's head. other riders may not like how smooth and "quiet" a super soft carcass tire feels also.
...but then again, this is like doing 10/10 pace on a track, you'd never push a tire like this on the street. if thats what the OP is asking about.
another thing to consider is profile. some tires have a really pointy profile and that leads to the tire feeling really tippy, but the benefit is fast turn in (again, not *really* needed on the street) and side contact patch. its all about how you like or want a tire to feel.
lastly i might suggest size is a consideration, though minor, that you may want to account for. i run 190/55 exclusively on my cbr and rc51, so it limits me to certain tires. at one point i really wanted to try bt023s for a pretty wet track day a while back. only sizes available were 180/55 and 190/50--opted for pilot powers instead since i could get them in the size i wanted.
as a GENERAL rule, dunlop has the stiffest carcass construction, bridgestone next, then michelin, then pirellis are typically the very softest. carcass stiffness contributes alot to how a tire feels--and the dunlop d211gpa's for example are super stiff, and give TONS of feedback. at the same time though, some riders DONT like the amount of feedback, it can mess with a rider's head. other riders may not like how smooth and "quiet" a super soft carcass tire feels also.
...but then again, this is like doing 10/10 pace on a track, you'd never push a tire like this on the street. if thats what the OP is asking about.
another thing to consider is profile. some tires have a really pointy profile and that leads to the tire feeling really tippy, but the benefit is fast turn in (again, not *really* needed on the street) and side contact patch. its all about how you like or want a tire to feel.
lastly i might suggest size is a consideration, though minor, that you may want to account for. i run 190/55 exclusively on my cbr and rc51, so it limits me to certain tires. at one point i really wanted to try bt023s for a pretty wet track day a while back. only sizes available were 180/55 and 190/50--opted for pilot powers instead since i could get them in the size i wanted.
06-05-2011, 02:42 PM
#16
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I ran original (1st generation) Qualifiers for the first 5 rears after the crappy OEM tires wore out. I thought they worked well for me in the twisties, and I could stretch the front to last through 1 1/2 to 2 rears (although at a performance price).
Most of my riding is spirited canyon runs.
I'm now on my 2nd set of BT016's, and I love them. Rear profile is similar to a Q2 for quicker tip-in, and the front allows easy mid-corner adjustment. But the front wears quickly. For me, the front is worn past the limit of performance while the rear still has good life, so replacing as a set is a must. But a brand new set of BT016's makes it feel like I'm riding a different bike.
And as Mike said, oil and tires...everybody has an opinion.
Most of my riding is spirited canyon runs.
I'm now on my 2nd set of BT016's, and I love them. Rear profile is similar to a Q2 for quicker tip-in, and the front allows easy mid-corner adjustment. But the front wears quickly. For me, the front is worn past the limit of performance while the rear still has good life, so replacing as a set is a must. But a brand new set of BT016's makes it feel like I'm riding a different bike.
And as Mike said, oil and tires...everybody has an opinion.
06-05-2011, 05:23 PM
#19
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Have ran the Metzeler Z3s, super set of tires(rain or shine) got 4,500 miles on that set with abuse... Riding on a set of Bridgestone 016 (frt and rear) another fine set of tires.
Your Q2s are really good tires, only tires as comperable to the Q2 road grip is probably the Michelin Power Pure- Yet if you really, really ride your bike- likely want get as much mileage..
Your Q2s are really good tires, only tires as comperable to the Q2 road grip is probably the Michelin Power Pure- Yet if you really, really ride your bike- likely want get as much mileage..
06-05-2011, 09:11 PM
#20
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Have been through 2 Conti road attack on the rear. I have plenty of traction wet or dry, And have gotten great mileage from them. In the next week or so will be putting on front and rear road attack 2's. Will have to see if they are as good.
06-05-2011, 09:29 PM
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...to add, another way to analyze what you want out of a tire is to think about their characteristics, such as compound and carcass construction.
as a GENERAL rule, dunlop has the stiffest carcass construction, bridgestone next, then michelin, then pirellis are typically the very softest. carcass stiffness contributes alot to how a tire feels--and the dunlop d211gpa's for example are super stiff, and give TONS of feedback. at the same time though, some riders DONT like the amount of feedback, it can mess with a rider's head. other riders may not like how smooth and "quiet" a super soft carcass tire feels also.
...but then again, this is like doing 10/10 pace on a track, you'd never push a tire like this on the street. if thats what the OP is asking about.
another thing to consider is profile. some tires have a really pointy profile and that leads to the tire feeling really tippy, but the benefit is fast turn in (again, not *really* needed on the street) and side contact patch. its all about how you like or want a tire to feel.
lastly i might suggest size is a consideration, though minor, that you may want to account for. i run 190/55 exclusively on my cbr and rc51, so it limits me to certain tires. at one point i really wanted to try bt023s for a pretty wet track day a while back. only sizes available were 180/55 and 190/50--opted for pilot powers instead since i could get them in the size i wanted.
as a GENERAL rule, dunlop has the stiffest carcass construction, bridgestone next, then michelin, then pirellis are typically the very softest. carcass stiffness contributes alot to how a tire feels--and the dunlop d211gpa's for example are super stiff, and give TONS of feedback. at the same time though, some riders DONT like the amount of feedback, it can mess with a rider's head. other riders may not like how smooth and "quiet" a super soft carcass tire feels also.
...but then again, this is like doing 10/10 pace on a track, you'd never push a tire like this on the street. if thats what the OP is asking about.
another thing to consider is profile. some tires have a really pointy profile and that leads to the tire feeling really tippy, but the benefit is fast turn in (again, not *really* needed on the street) and side contact patch. its all about how you like or want a tire to feel.
lastly i might suggest size is a consideration, though minor, that you may want to account for. i run 190/55 exclusively on my cbr and rc51, so it limits me to certain tires. at one point i really wanted to try bt023s for a pretty wet track day a while back. only sizes available were 180/55 and 190/50--opted for pilot powers instead since i could get them in the size i wanted.
This was the kind of reply I was looking for. I have run many Dunlops, and couldn't figure out why I didn't like them. On my F4i, I used to run take off SuperCorsa's, and now I know why I liked them so much compared to the Dunlops. Basically, the bike is a toy. So I want the most bang for the buck, since toy funds are limited. I just don't trust the Dunlops, I never have. I even had a set of 208 GP A's on my F4i, that I had on there for about 400 miles before I ditched them and went back to the Pirellis. Problem is, tires have become so damn expensive, that I simply don't have the money to simply try tires. So I was looking for some good input. And now that you mention it, the Dunlops transmit everything from the road. I don't like that because it spooks me.
So maybe I'll try the 003's. They seem to be a sold as a track day tire. I want good grip, milage isn't much of a concern, since it's a weekends/Saturday toy that maybe see's 5-6k miles a year.
As for suspension, the rear is a stock shock that has been worked by Racetech with a resivor and re-valved. The front has been re-sprung for a 170lb rider (previous owner was my height and weight, go me) and has also been re-valved (Race-Tech parts again). For a SuperHawk, it's STIFF. It reminds me of my F4i, only stiffer(probably because of the Dunlops vs Pirelli).
The one thing I am having to get used to with this bike is it's weight. It's heavy. It makes it hard to pull it down with confidence into a turn. Some of it may be the Qualifiers that I have on the bike right now. Some of it is also I am having a hard time figuring out my positioning on the bike. Here is a picture of me on "The Snake." You can see my positioning is horrible because the bike is big, and I am having a hard time adapting to it.
06-05-2011, 11:14 PM
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No. It's something I am looking into for sure. I want to put USD forks on the bike, but money is tight right now, and I don't know if I want to sell it, and get a bike with USD's, or put the time and effort into this and make it what I want. If I keep this bike, next winter will be a full rebuild of the engine with some higher compression pistons, Moriwaki cams, USD forks, and a new set of plastics. Or, I'll try to find an F4i/600RR to replace it with. The Hawk is just such a heavy bike to start with. I'd love to put it on a diet, but there isn't much that can be taken off. I know I can swap parts out, but at the end of the day, it's still a Superhawk. The engine is great, but tha chassis is lacking it seems.
06-06-2011, 10:10 AM
#24
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This was the kind of reply I was looking for. I have run many Dunlops, and couldn't figure out why I didn't like them. On my F4i, I used to run take off SuperCorsa's, and now I know why I liked them so much compared to the Dunlops. Basically, the bike is a toy. So I want the most bang for the buck, since toy funds are limited. I just don't trust the Dunlops, I never have. I even had a set of 208 GP A's on my F4i, that I had on there for about 400 miles before I ditched them and went back to the Pirellis. Problem is, tires have become so damn expensive, that I simply don't have the money to simply try tires. So I was looking for some good input. And now that you mention it, the Dunlops transmit everything from the road. I don't like that because it spooks me.
So maybe I'll try the 003's. They seem to be a sold as a track day tire. I want good grip, milage isn't much of a concern, since it's a weekends/Saturday toy that maybe see's 5-6k miles a year.
As for suspension, the rear is a stock shock that has been worked by Racetech with a resivor and re-valved. The front has been re-sprung for a 170lb rider (previous owner was my height and weight, go me) and has also been re-valved (Race-Tech parts again). For a SuperHawk, it's STIFF. It reminds me of my F4i, only stiffer(probably because of the Dunlops vs Pirelli).
The one thing I am having to get used to with this bike is it's weight. It's heavy. It makes it hard to pull it down with confidence into a turn. Some of it may be the Qualifiers that I have on the bike right now. Some of it is also I am having a hard time figuring out my positioning on the bike. Here is a picture of me on "The Snake." You can see my positioning is horrible because the bike is big, and I am having a hard time adapting to it.
So maybe I'll try the 003's. They seem to be a sold as a track day tire. I want good grip, milage isn't much of a concern, since it's a weekends/Saturday toy that maybe see's 5-6k miles a year.
As for suspension, the rear is a stock shock that has been worked by Racetech with a resivor and re-valved. The front has been re-sprung for a 170lb rider (previous owner was my height and weight, go me) and has also been re-valved (Race-Tech parts again). For a SuperHawk, it's STIFF. It reminds me of my F4i, only stiffer(probably because of the Dunlops vs Pirelli).
The one thing I am having to get used to with this bike is it's weight. It's heavy. It makes it hard to pull it down with confidence into a turn. Some of it may be the Qualifiers that I have on the bike right now. Some of it is also I am having a hard time figuring out my positioning on the bike. Here is a picture of me on "The Snake." You can see my positioning is horrible because the bike is big, and I am having a hard time adapting to it.
also, in the interest of keeping things clear, the 003RS is the street/track day tire. the 003R is the DOT race compound (like d208, 209, 211 etc). the RS is a hair over 200 and the R is like just under 400/set.
also notice you're in socal too! not sure if this is too far south for you, but the best prices (where ive bought my few sets of 003RS and the 002RS before it) were at either JC Motors in Irvine, or Cycle City Motorsports in Lake Forest (for CCM hop onto ocmoto to find their pricing and lead contact info--its the local forum for orange county). jcm lets you pickup in person to save the shipping cost. ccm offers deals for bringing in your rims and they'll change the tires as part of the price. last i checked they were like $230 a set or something for the 190/55 rear. its probably barely over $200 for a 180/55 set.
hope this helps!
edit: nice pic! and i forgot to mention, the profile on the 003RS is pretty neutral, so it's not all that tippy. however, they arent flat like sport touring tires can be, where you have to really concentrate on turn in. the q2s iirc are a pretty pointy tire...31f/29r cold pressures are a good starting place for the bridgestones--they work fantastically on warmers too.
Last edited by thefauxnarchist; 06-06-2011 at 10:15 AM.
06-06-2011, 10:27 PM
#27
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On my second set of Pirelli Rosso Corsa tires front and rear. Just changed the rear today and certainly agree they are quite soft construction wise compared to the Q2's. Ride pretty agressively on New England back roads with lots of powering out of tight turns. The Pirellis work great but are a bit on the expensive side and wear pretty quick. Will try Pilot Pures next.... any opinions on what kind of difference to expect? Having used Powers once I might expect turn in to be a bit slower but with the lighter weight of the Pures maybe not?
06-08-2011, 03:44 AM
#28
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! had the BT-016, and they worked well, but just replaced them with the new continental raod attack 2 (sport touring), HAve not got to ride on them yet to tell youy how they are but i have read up on them and everything has been possitive, which is why i got them! They are rated up tp 165MPH and the middle are reconstructed for my long rides with less tire wear.
06-08-2011, 04:04 PM
#29
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hey man, glad you found the info helpful
also, in the interest of keeping things clear, the 003RS is the street/track day tire. the 003R is the DOT race compound (like d208, 209, 211 etc). the RS is a hair over 200 and the R is like just under 400/set.
also notice you're in socal too! not sure if this is too far south for you, but the best prices (where ive bought my few sets of 003RS and the 002RS before it) were at either JC Motors in Irvine, or Cycle City Motorsports in Lake Forest (for CCM hop onto ocmoto to find their pricing and lead contact info--its the local forum for orange county). jcm lets you pickup in person to save the shipping cost. ccm offers deals for bringing in your rims and they'll change the tires as part of the price. last i checked they were like $230 a set or something for the 190/55 rear. its probably barely over $200 for a 180/55 set.
hope this helps!
edit: nice pic! and i forgot to mention, the profile on the 003RS is pretty neutral, so it's not all that tippy. however, they arent flat like sport touring tires can be, where you have to really concentrate on turn in. the q2s iirc are a pretty pointy tire...31f/29r cold pressures are a good starting place for the bridgestones--they work fantastically on warmers too.
also, in the interest of keeping things clear, the 003RS is the street/track day tire. the 003R is the DOT race compound (like d208, 209, 211 etc). the RS is a hair over 200 and the R is like just under 400/set.
also notice you're in socal too! not sure if this is too far south for you, but the best prices (where ive bought my few sets of 003RS and the 002RS before it) were at either JC Motors in Irvine, or Cycle City Motorsports in Lake Forest (for CCM hop onto ocmoto to find their pricing and lead contact info--its the local forum for orange county). jcm lets you pickup in person to save the shipping cost. ccm offers deals for bringing in your rims and they'll change the tires as part of the price. last i checked they were like $230 a set or something for the 190/55 rear. its probably barely over $200 for a 180/55 set.
hope this helps!
edit: nice pic! and i forgot to mention, the profile on the 003RS is pretty neutral, so it's not all that tippy. however, they arent flat like sport touring tires can be, where you have to really concentrate on turn in. the q2s iirc are a pretty pointy tire...31f/29r cold pressures are a good starting place for the bridgestones--they work fantastically on warmers too.
How much of a difference is there between the 003 RS ond R. I want something that is sticky. But spending $400 on a set of tires right now might be out of the budget. If it is that much of a difference, I may just wait a little longer to get the R.
Edit to add: Now if I could just get the guy to respond so I can buy it and get rid of the logo.
Last edited by msethhunter; 06-08-2011 at 05:41 PM.
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