Sport-touring tire suggestions, please.

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spiritusnoctem · Sat Apr 16, 2005 5:03 am

Hi, fellow Road Pilots!

I am about to swap out old rubber for my Kawasaki ZX11D Ninja. I am torn over all the sport-touring choices out there.

Here's what I want: a. good "cold stick" factor for Alberta weather and roads.
b. progressive feel, so I know when the front or rear tire is about to break loose.
c. a good compromise of stickiness and longevity for sport-touring. (I hope to get 5000-6000km out of a rear tire)

My riding details:
a. style of riding is "vigorous" commuting and short-distance touring (under 2000km at a time)
b. bike is 540lbs wet, 150bhp.
c. I do ride two-up about one-third of the time.

Any suggestions for a good sport-touring tire?

gsJack · #2 Unread post by **gsJack** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 7:52 am

Nothing wrong with the MEZ6, or Pilot Roads, or BT020 tires, but I like the Avon AV45/46 sport touring radials I've run for the past year. All of these are good sport touring tires.

Here's a few others that like the AV45/46 tires:

http://www.sport-touring.net/cgi-bin/ms ... =4;t=30146

poppygene · #3 Unread post by **poppygene** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 8:09 am

Ditto on the Avons. I think they're the best compromise. Some folks say they may not warm up as quick as you'd like, but I don't think there's a better all-purpose street tire on the market, especially in the wet. I checked once over at the ZRX forum when I was looking for tire recommendations - they seem to agree.

Gadjet · #4 Unread post by **Gadjet** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 5:59 am

Well, I'm not a very agressive rider, so I don't know how well my tires would behave under 'stressful' conditions, nor have I really pushed the traction envelope, but I like my Bridgestone Spitfire II tires. Harder compound in the center for longevity and slightly softer on the sides for cornering traction.

I get ~10000km+ on a rear tire.

Owen

honda599 · #5 Unread post by **honda599** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 7:27 pm

I'm on stock Michelin Pilot Roads, great handling and pretty good life.

Just turned 23,000km ....figure I will be replacing set at about 25-26,000km.

mswarrior · #6 Unread post by **mswarrior** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 3:46 am

Cost wise I've always bought the Battlax tires and have ridden in all types of weather here in southern Alberta without incedent.

suckingair · Mon Jun 20, 2005 2:24 pm

I'm a bit of a fan of the BT020's for the VFR.. bit of a compromise of the stickiness vs. life.. different riders prefer different brands for different reason's.. (crystal ?) though I would like to toss some sport rubber on the bike and see how that lasts.