new tyres

[scooterboynz]

hey there every one , well time for new tyres on the mighty "zx10" my question is i am running a 190 on the rear this came as i bought it , i am thinking of changing to a 180 for quicker steering , anyone allready tried this?
also what type of tyres do you think i should get? i want performance not tyre life, currently dunlop d208 on there now
cheers

[MD]

You want quicker steering? Thought the zx10 was quick enough. I'm a Diablo Corsa fan myself but with tyres it seems to be each to their own. If you can't decide then let your wallet decide for you.

[DingDong]

I wouldnt change the tyre size myself, but if you do the pilot-power form mitch... is a well known good wearing tyre with better than exellent grip.
Its also not a good idea to change the rear radius without changing the front radius... you prob already know that:)

[Sensei]

M1 Front Z6 rear 180 . Have tryed every tyre out there over the last 20ys & have found the Metzys one of the best alround tyres out there . Diablo's are excellent but have found they aren't as Stable as the M1 or Z6 so they tend to feel like they move abit when pushed hard . At the end of the day it depends on you riding ability & $ so if your happy with what you have then do another set but try the 180 you'll be happy you did .

[Two Smoker]

Highly recommend Pilot Powers, havnt tried them, but have only heard great things... Loose Bruce has got 3000km's out of his set so far, and we all know how he rides on his gixxer...

[scooterboynz]

cheers , i am pretty much thetype of person who doesnt like to stuff with anything , i am a firm beleiver that people like kawasaki who spend millions on research and development know what sort of tyres a particular bike should have , but in saying that every one i have spoken to says run a 180 rear , hmmmmmmm not sure what to do ?

[Sensei]

every one i have spoken to says run a 180 rear , hmmmmmmm not sure what to do ?[/QUOTE]

Got 7200k out of my rear Z6 & on a 1000cc bike thats good . 190's are there for looks my bike felt like shit with the 190 on have never put another one back onto any of my bikes . Try & talk to someone that has one on their ZX10 then go from there .

[750Y]

I'm with You scooterboynz & MD, don't fuck with it, the 190 has a bigger contact patch which in the real world of messy backroads on a litrebike i'd take all the patch i could get. The zx10R is not known for it's slow steering. Then it's just a choice of compund & given it's getting damp, i'd opt for a bridgestone BT012SS or Diablo Corsa(neither of which will last long but they'll stick). Stay away from the standard diablos, on a multi cyl thou, they are too scary in the cold & damp but they are good in pelting rain.

[scooterboynz]

I'm with You scooterboynz & MD, don't fuck with it, the 190 has a bigger contact patch which in the real world of messy backroads on a litrebike i'd take all the patch i could get. The zx10R is not known for it's slow steering. Then it's just a choice of compund & given it's getting damp, i'd opt for a bridgestone BT012SS or Diablo Corsa(neither of which will last long but they'll stick). Stay away from the standard diablos, on a multi cyl thou, they are too scary in the cold & damp but they are good in pelting rain.

cheers mate , i really dont want to fork out for a 180 and find its crap , but thanks to every one for their input , oh i just forgot , rode a mates gixxer thou on sunday , he had a 180 on the rear , was amazing , but,,,, they were slicks!

[Sensei]

cheers mate , i really dont want to fork out for a 180 and find its crap , but thanks to every one for their input , oh i just forgot , rode a mates gixxer thou on sunday , he had a 180 on the rear , was amazing , but,,,, they were slicks!

Guy here has a 180 on his ZX10R . His changed the bike wish he had done it sooner . If you don't try then you will never know if what you have is the
Best .

[bugjuice]

what about sticking a 190 on there again, but having a deeper 'V' instead of a rounder tyre? That way it'll stick on the rim the same, but the bigger the V, the lighter the turn-in. Plus the extra sideage means slightly more grip on the lean.. Just a thought

[Sensei]

The zx10R is not known for it's slow steering.


Nothing wrong with the front its the back that is slow when you run a 190
the 180 makes the bike lean in evenly rather than the front first then the back follows slightly after giving you a lazy feel But if that what ya like Power to you

[shadow]

im running diablos that came with bike and have to say im impressed. 190s look the shit (lots of people rave about pilot powers though)

[Grumpy]

Have recently tried the new Bridgestone 014. Outstanding!

[750Y]

Probably worth mentioning that I had also raised the rear ride height a little to compensate & that my personal preference is for a rounder profile on the road so transitions are smooth. I found the rennsports nice in this respect & at $475 a pair for road compound 190/120 I was happy.

[Warr]

Not intending on sabotarging your thread here Scooterboynz but...
could you outline the rule of thumb.
Increase rear or reduce front will slow the steering.
Decrease the rear or increase the front will make it quicker.

Is that correct ?
My aged stead is running 100 front and 120 rear.
When cornering I have to keep reverse pressure on the bars to get around without the bike standing up again.
So corner left push on left bar/pull on right bar.
So my bike is therefore a slow steerer ???

Tis just that if I could change something I'd like to be able to reduce the pressure required on arms... Any thoughts ?

[White trash]

Talk of "190s" having a bigger contact patch is true, in a straight line. I've been using 180 section Metzeler Racetecs for the past 8 months and have never had an issue with straightline grip.

Edit: The 180 actually has a bigger "leant over" contact patch

The only tyre that I believe will out perform it any dry situation is the Michelin race tyre. (Not sure of the name)

Difference being, Metzeler race tyres are the same price as their road tyres. The others aren't. Rear Racetec will cost ya $300, front $230. You'll never want more grip.

[MSTRS]

My aged stead is running 100 front and 120 rear.
When cornering I have to keep reverse pressure on the bars to get around without the bike standing up again.
So corner left push on left bar/pull on right bar.
So my bike is therefore a slow steerer ???

That's just normal countersteer. In saying tho, your XJ is not exactly a modern sprotsbike so steering geometry will be utterly different

[Lou Girardin]

Not intending on sabotarging your thread here Scooterboynz but...
could you outline the rule of thumb.
Increase rear or reduce front will slow the steering.
Decrease the rear or increase the front will make it quicker.

Is that correct ?
My aged stead is running 100 front and 120 rear.
When cornering I have to keep reverse pressure on the bars to get around without the bike standing up again.
So corner left push on left bar/pull on right bar.
So my bike is therefore a slow steerer ???

Tis just that if I could change something I'd like to be able to reduce the pressure required on arms... Any thoughts ?

Try raising the forks in the triple clamps by 5 mm, it might help.

[Gixxer 4 ever]

spoken to says run a 180 rear , hmmmmmmm not sure what to do ?
I only run 190 on the Gixxer. It came out with it so I recommend you stick to it. The 190 is a very different tyre to the 180. Pilot Sport for me.

[murhf3]

:drinkup: I had a zx12r ran dunlop sportmax and have them on my bike now[dif specs] bloody brillant, actually best I hav ever had .Good milage max grip, like glue

[DEATH_INC.]

Hmmmm,the old 180 vs 190 thing again.....
This will always fuel arguments,but here goes.....Your bike will turn FASTER with the 190,but it will lay over quicker and easier with the 180.
You will also have less tyre on the road at full lean with the 180(unless you run a race tyre,different profile),but more at a medium lean.....
Try the new Dunlop 218's I'm stoked with mine.

[pritch]

I just bought tyres, did a lotta reading and asking people who know. The best two bits of advice I came across were as follows:

It doesn't matter so much what bike you ride, what's imoprtant is how you ride it. The more honest you are with yourself about how you ride, the better service you will get from your tyres.

It's not so important what brand you use so long as you have faith in them.

You pays your money and you makes your choice.
Having said that I'm amazed at some of the shite you guys are using :-)

[Toast]

Check out the tyre test on www.superbike.co.uk for the model of tyre.

Pretty comprehensive, for the tyres that they cover at least.

I can't beleive how much quicker the fast guy was on the racetecs, wow! Actually I kinda can, just touching those things after my mate's been riding hard on them...if you keep your finger on them too long it'll probably sink in. Not sure about the mileage, but if you really don't care...

[SPman]

Just replaced the excellent Z6's with Michelin Pilot Powers.
Fuckin Great!

[kawa10]

a popular choice is running a 190/55/17 pirelli sc1 tyre. just need to heat and bend the rear hugger to allow for the bigger tyre. run pressure at 36 psi. alot of zx10r around here run that and like it.