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bugjuice
22nd June 2005, 09:57
my front tyre is wearing thin, and the vagueness in the wet is starting to loose it's fun.. The tread is starting to become a faint memory on the carcass which isn't like me, but that's ridin the tits off it for ya..

The dilemma I have is, do I;

a) fork out $220 for another identical Battlaxe to replace the one I have, thus keeping the same level of trust in the tyres, and keeping them matched front to rear etc, since the back one was replaced with a Battlaxe a hard 2,000k's ago, and probably has another 6 or 7 left in it.. still a good tyre..

b) buy a part worn tyre that 'does the job' and just don't push as hard, but concentrate on the wheelies so that the back gets worn quicker, but who knows how predictably it'll hold under pressure..

c) bite the expensive bullet (which I can't really afford now), get a new front and rear of what I want to try (something like a Corsa pair etc), instead of waiting till they run down, and see if I can flog the back on TradeMe for a hundy or so

I just want to ride the bike to the best of my ability, but I don't want the front tyre to give up on me, especially with the weather being particulally crap at the moment..

Also, my tyre is 120/65/17.. I had a look in Cycletreads last night, and they had a Mezza (?) tyre for a hundy, which had heaps of meat left on it. But it was a 120/70/17. I also saw some 120/60/17s.. the middle number, I'm assuming is the centre diameter. How much can this vary without getting scary? :ride:

zadok
22nd June 2005, 10:03
:eek: Please get a new front tyre. I guess if second hand is all you can afford, get one, but change it whatever.
Insurance probably won't cover you for an accident either WHEN they check the bike. :ride:

Mr Skid
22nd June 2005, 10:07
d) Find some school kids to entertain with a burnout in your lunch break, then replace with a matched set.

Quasievil
22nd June 2005, 10:08
my front tyre is wearing thin, and the vagueness in the wet is starting to loose it's fun.. The tread is starting to become a faint memory on the carcass which isn't like me, but that's ridin the tits off it for ya..

The dilemma I have is, do I;

a) fork out $220 for another identical Battlaxe to replace the one I have, thus keeping the same level of trust in the tyres, and keeping them matched front to rear etc, since the back one was replaced with a Battlaxe a hard 2,000k's ago, and probably has another 6 or 7 left in it.. still a good tyre..

b) buy a part worn tyre that 'does the job' and just don't push as hard, but concentrate on the wheelies so that the back gets worn quicker, but who knows how predictably it'll hold under pressure..

c) bite the expensive bullet (which I can't really afford now), get a new front and rear of what I want to try (something like a Corsa pair etc), instead of waiting till they run down, and see if I can flog the back on TradeMe for a hundy or so

I just want to ride the bike to the best of my ability, but I don't want the front tyre to give up on me, especially with the weather being particulally crap at the moment..

Also, my tyre is 120/65/17.. I had a look in Cycletreads last night, and they had a Mezza (?) tyre for a hundy, which had heaps of meat left on it. But it was a 120/70/17. I also saw some 120/60/17s.. the middle number, I'm assuming is the centre diameter. How much can this vary without getting scary? :ride:

Well I say bite the bullet and fork out for a pair of Diablos, dont worry about the 65 profile, get a 70 series you may want to drop your forks yokes 3-5mm though, I didnt but it was suggested.
Stay with matched pairs whatever you do, you will find particulary with Pirelli that the fron works with the rear in the wet, ie the front clears the water for the rear tyre, they work together.
Other than that buy a second hand (good Pair) until you can afford a set of what you want. hamilton Motorcycles have matching Pirellis cheap, ex race testing 10 laps ish, this might be an option, if so let me know I can sought them out for you.
Most importantly if your front is shite replace it quickly.
PS its impossible to get the front and rear to wear out at the same time( normal riding) so bite the bullet buddy

Quasievil
22nd June 2005, 10:14
check these out

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbike-Parts/Wheels-tyres-brakes/auction-29369951.htm

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbike-Parts/Wheels-tyres-brakes/auction-29415821.htm

Just a thought

Quasievil
22nd June 2005, 10:20
Oh also the middle numer 60 or 65 or 70 isnt the width, its the height and represents a % of the width, ie a 120/70/17 is

120mm width
70% of the width is the height (profile)
17 is the Wheel rim (in Inches)

Get it

So if you have a 120/65 17 you now have a 65 % of 120mm in the height, therefore you have changed the ride height geometry of the front of the bike, and may therefore want to adjust your Yokes.

Get it ? sweet

vifferman
22nd June 2005, 10:20
What sort of Battlax have you got on, Buggy?
You could try getting a BT-014 on their if you want something that tips in nicely. It should last about the same as the rear, if the rear's still got life left in it.

Incidentally - I've noticed this week that the BT-020s on my bike really don't like runnignat less than the recommended pressures. The front was wandering all over the place, especially on coarse-chip seal, and seemed to be tramlining a bit. So, I checked it the night before last, and it was down about 4-5 PSI when warm, so I pumped it up to 36-ish, and it was much better yesterday and today. Only thing is it makes the ride over crappy surfaces and coarse-chip less comfortable (vibrates a bit on coarse-chip).

V Twin Raver
22nd June 2005, 10:23
Other than that buy a second hand (good Pair) until you can afford a set of what you want. hamilton Motorcycles have matching Pirellis cheap, ex race testing 10 laps ish, this might be an option, if so let me know I can sought them out for you.


I need a new Diablo for the rear. The one on it does nothing to inspire confindence in the wet (thats combined with a little lacking of confidence in my head too at the mo). Do they do Diablos? What kinda money you reckon?

vifferman
22nd June 2005, 10:23
So if you have a 120/65 17 you now have a 65 % of 120mm in the height, therefore you have changed the ride height geometry of the front of the bike, and may therefore want to adjust your Yokes.

Get it ? sweet
Not just that, but the profile also affects the way it tips into corners, so you may find that the steering speeds up / slows down a bit as a result. Best to stick to the 'normal' profile if possible.

Quasievil
22nd June 2005, 10:23
Oh and the tolerances and actual mm and percentages vary slighty between manuafacturers also.

Oh and profiles are different to, for example the roundness on a bridgestone will be different to the roundess to a say AVON, so with mix matched tyers they will handle like shite as the front will want to tip into a corner differently to the rear and it feels all fucked up.

anything else ?

Quasievil
22nd June 2005, 10:24
Not just that, but the profile also affects the way it tips into corners, so you may find that the steering speeds up / slows down a bit as a result. Best to stick to the 'normal' profile if possible.

Yes Yes ya beat me by a milli second :rofl:

Quasievil
22nd June 2005, 10:25
I need a new Diablo for the rear. The one on it does nothing to inspire confindence in the wet (thats combined with a little lacking of confidence in my head too at the mo). Do they do Diablos? What kinda money you reckon?

I will go in today and find out what they got for you okay, send me you number by Pm dude, fuck you got a nice bike :Punk:

bugjuice
22nd June 2005, 10:25
check these out

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbike-Parts/Wheels-tyres-brakes/auction-29369951.htm

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbike-Parts/Wheels-tyres-brakes/auction-29415821.htm

Just a thought
Thanks for those links. The first link I already have on my watch list, the second I hadn't seen before. Could be an idea.

Don't worry, I don't plan on riding like this, and I'm probably over-exaggerating slightly, but the front does need replacing. And I am keen on keeping a pair if poss. That second link would be a good option, as I have an 012 on it at the moment, so an 011 would be the next best thing. Then in the summer, when I can really use the grip, I can save and get a set of Diablos or Corsas..

V Twin Raver
22nd June 2005, 10:27
I will go in today and find out what they got for you okay, send me you number by Pm dude, fuck you got a nice bike :Punk:

cheers mate - on two counts!!

bugjuice
22nd June 2005, 10:37
wow, you guys have been busy for me!!

At the moment, it's got Battlaxe 012 front and rear, and in my limited experiance with different road tyres on a 600, these have looked after me, and I'm sure I wasn't pushing them the most.
And I had figure out what the 60/65/70 bit meant, just didn't know how much of a difference it'd make. I know that it'd mean a different fall in.
That 011 looks like a good match for now, and I'll just treat it nice for now, which means I get both Battlaxe's at both ends, and with it being half worn now, it should be about the right sort of wear to replace both in the summer..

vifferman
22nd June 2005, 10:38
Yes Yes ya beat me by a milli second :rofl:
That's alright - you beat me with the profile thing (deleted it from my post).
I don't think mixing the profiles is that big a deal, but mixing brands and types can get a bit weird. The profile shape does make a big difference though - a triangular-ish profile means the bike tips in quick, but can feel a bit insecure when leaned over, depending on how rounded the shoulders are. I've had three lots of sport-touring rear with sports front profile, and it works well, because the tyres wear out evenly and you get the quicker turn-in and extra grip in the front, with good wear in the rear.

On my VF500 it never had anything other than mixed tyres. Started off with a Metzeler front and horrible oversized IRC rear, then went to a Avon rear, then Dunlop front (horrible triangular tyre, with bad headshake), then a Metzeler front again (quite round in profile). The Avon was very hard, and was on the bike for about 4 years, still on when I sold it.
I don't think the mix'n'match thing mattered that much though, as the wheels were too - 16" front, 18" rear.

White trash
22nd June 2005, 11:16
Get BT014s. They're easily as good, if not better than an Diablo.

Ixion
22nd June 2005, 12:26
Pedantic note, cos I'm a pedantic shit sometimes.

Dropping/raising the forks in the yokes won't completely compensate for a change in tyre diameter. It will restore the head rake angle, but the fork trail and effective rolling diameter will still be different. Whether you'd notice a difference between 65 and 70 is another matter.

Also you can't compare two different brands on a sizing basis. One manufacturer's 120/70 might actually have a lower effective rolling diameter than another manufacturers 120/65. You need to check the manufacturers specs and get the actual rolling diameter.

Pedantic mode off. And I'm probably totally wrong and talking shite anyway. I got really into this stuff decades ago and learned heaps about it, and now I've forgotten it all, cos I figured it was easier just to learn to ride better than mess about with the bike geometry

bugjuice
22nd June 2005, 12:37
nah, you make sense Ixion, don't worry..
Just talking to a racing buddy now, he was saying that the 65 to 70 won't be a huge jump (like 60 to 70) so I should be ok and not notice much, so I can deal with it until the summer and I get a decent pair matched. This '70' tyre is the same brand as what I have now, I have an 012 and this is an 011. He said that cos of the extra rotation, it might get a little more twitchy at speed (at which point, I'd be doubling the speed limit and then some, so won't be a problem), but the turn in would be a touch more grippy..

thanx for the concern tho ;)

bugjuice
22nd June 2005, 15:57
sorted for now:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-M...on-29415821.htm

That should have enough left on it to last the same as the back tyre, then they can get done together..

thanks guys :niceone:

Lou Girardin
22nd June 2005, 16:13
A few people have gone from 60 series to 70 on R6's to calm down the steering. I'm not sure that the effect will be the same with Kwakas, but I suspect it will.

bugjuice
22nd June 2005, 16:19
A few people have gone from 60 series to 70 on R6's to calm down the steering. I'm not sure that the effect will be the same with Kwakas, but I suspect it will.
huh.. interesting.. I thought it'd be the other way, cos the 60 has/should have a softer curve over 70s..

Brian d marge
22nd June 2005, 16:23
Michelin make good tyres:devil2:....

Sorry couldnt resist

Stephen

sAsLEX
22nd June 2005, 16:36
I pretty much only have mismatched tyres as well. The mo i have a diablo corsa i think on the front and a 014(which I got for a bargin, visit CYCLETREADS!) on the back. I find my fronts always wear real triangly and they start to tip in real fast once all the tread on the sides has worn away!

Marmoot
22nd June 2005, 16:44
my front tyre is wearing thin,

the proof of wheelieinability? :rofl:

sorry...sorry....couldn't help it.

This thread reminds me that my front has no more thread and I need that new 014 too.....pronto
(or 012SS? :love: )

bugjuice
22nd June 2005, 16:55
the proof of wheelieinability? :rofl:

sorry...sorry....couldn't help it.

This thread reminds me that my front has no more thread and I need that new 014 too.....pronto
(or 012SS? :love: )
surely it'd be lack of, wouldn't it...?? keepin the front wheel up..??
it could be for stoppies, but I can't really get much higher than an inch or two, but I'm not trying for those just yet
and don't say sorry!!!

Marmoot
22nd June 2005, 17:42
it could be for stoppies

LOL, nice comeback.

sAsLEX
22nd June 2005, 18:53
surely it'd be lack of, wouldn't it...?? keepin the front wheel up..??


ever seen a jumbo land with a big cloud of rubber? Deaths front does similar if the front has been up a while and slowed down a bit, poof of blue smoke when it lands

DingDong
22nd June 2005, 20:13
Pilot Power... for ya set tho :devil2:

Two Smoker
23rd June 2005, 19:30
If you want the real cheap option, wait till after this weekend, and ill sell ya my Supercorsa Pro SC1 120/70 REAL CHEAP!!! Im not joking... i will...

crazyxr250rider
23rd June 2005, 19:40
ever seen a jumbo land with a big cloud of rubber? Deaths front does similar if the front has been up a while and slowed down a bit, poof of blue smoke when it lands
Wah? like to see it

Two Smoker
23rd June 2005, 19:47
Wah? like to see it

Yep, when death does a wheelie for a good 2km's his front wheel pretty much stops... and going from 0kmh-200kmh in a split second, creates smoke... i can smell the tyre smoke when im behind him...

bugjuice
23rd June 2005, 21:11
yeah, I've seen the smoke from planes, and from wheelies.
Thing is, it'll wear a tyre, but only in one long spot, causing a 'flat spot', not a continuous, both sides of the tyre tread spot.. that's wear..

Thanks TS, but I got that half chewed tyre for $50 which suits me nicely. By the time the rear is out, the front should be almost gone so I won't have a problem about replacing the pair, and I know the 012 and 011 are 'wet/winter' tyres, so it works out well for me at the moment..