New CBR250RR Tyres, what are the best? Can you help?

[DarkDream]

Hi all,

In preparation for the Waikato rally ride I've decided to get a WOF and have the bike serviced, on top of this I'm looking for a fresh set of tyres. Don't want to be one of the bikes in the back of FireFights trailer.

But which are the best?

I've heard a lot of people talking about Dunlop GPR70's as the natural choice for the CBR250RR. I should be clear what I want to do with my bike. I'm keen to mainly use it for kiwibiker rides, so basically going hard and fast. Occasionally i use it for commuting but not a great deal. If I do it's rarely in the wet, but I would like a tyre that could do wet and dry well. :thud:

At present I've got Pirelli's on there but the rear is right down and felt absolutely terrible on last Saturday's ride. Dimensions Rear: 140/70/17, Front: 110/70/17

So if anyone can help with a good tyre suggestion and perhaps a price range then I'd really appreciate it.

Cheers
DarkDream

p.s. so annoyed that I can't ride this weekend as highway 22 is fantastic. :doobey:

[Devil]

What kind of pirellis do you have on there at the moment?
Im really enjoying my fairly new Sport Demons.

[andy1]

GPR70!

best tyre, awesome in the wet too! :msn-wink:

[DarkDream]

GPR70!

best tyre, awesome in the wet too! :msn-wink:

Price? I figure tyres are around the $200 mark.

[k14]

Umm, Ive got GPR70's and they are great tyres but made for sport and track use. You will pay about $250 for a rear and about $200 for a front fitted. Next set of tyres i get will be some metzeler sportechs. The GPR70's wear out too fast (only got 5000kms out of my last rear) and take forever to heat up. So they are useless for commuting.

Another choice is the GPR80's, they are slightly harder then the GPR70's, but last alot longer. Its really up to you though.

[sAsLEX]

170ish for the front when I got one from barry point road tyre place, GPR70 dont know about wear though

[DarkDream]

170ish for the front when I got one from barry point road tyre place, GPR70 dont know about wear though

Whats the name of the place? I'm heading out that way tomorrow to have a look around. Will probably end up at Mt Eden Motorcycles

Just did some research and Pirelli Diablo Corsa's did not get a good review. Still looking for a good tyre review site.

[toads]

my young fulla has bridgestone battleaxe on the rear of his and it seems to be lasting forever, we bought a new front tyre for it last wof and I don't think the quality is as good, it was reasonably expensive but had bugger all tread on it for a new tyre, I think it's a shinko or something like that

[sAsLEX]

its the new Cycletreads and leading edge tyres mixed toghether, anyways coming from town end of Barrys it on the right near the motorway end up a little drive inside a building, it situated on the 2nd floor inside.

[aff-man]

trys i had on the zxr250 were bloody brilliant. Had a grp80 on the back and a pirelli mtr01 on the front. But the only thing i had against the gpr80 was that it took a little longer than the pirelli to warm up.

the set cost me like $475 fitted. But if you want good tyres just go into your local bike shops and see what deals they can do for you. You'll want to balance performance and wear (to save cash) i found the combination i used quite effective.

[Cajun]

i say fit some bridgestones

[TwoSeven]

I have GPR70s on mine but to be honest I dont feel they are any good on the Cibby - they dont fit my preference and style of riding. I've always been nervous on dunlops anyhow.

I'm going back to the dragons (different rear profile). But thats just personal preference.

[Zapf]

do u have to spend that much on tires? when I got my 250 I was thinking on spending heaps and going for the best as well, but I got talked down to a set of Sport Demons. The best thing is that I haven't out ridden them yet... and I have been told they warm up rather quickly as well, which is good. And paided just under 300 for the set.

[k14]

do u have to spend that much on tires? when I got my 250 I was thinking on spending heaps and going for the best as well, but I got talked down to a set of Sport Demons. The best thing is that I haven't out ridden them yet... and I have been told they warm up rather quickly as well, which is good. And paided just under 300 for the set.

Yeah, thats another option, but im not too sure how well the cross ply's will handle the extra power of the CBR. Remember they put out about 40hp as opposed to around 25 for the VTR. They are also not as sports orientated as the GPR70's. Go and talk to some tyre guys, they will give you a good indication on what you need.

[Blakamin]

i had an arrowmax on my 40hp beast of a 2fiddy...worked well...not as well as the gpr80 on the back of my 400 tho

[Zapf]

Yeah, thats another option, but im not too sure how well the cross ply's will handle the extra power of the CBR. Remember they put out about 40hp as opposed to around 25 for the VTR. They are also not as sports orientated as the GPR70's. Go and talk to some tyre guys, they will give you a good indication on what you need.

the VTR's are not "that" bad :killingme they make 32hp :)

they are actually a hi reving V Twin, as the gap between peak torque / hp is only 500rpm's

Mind you... I am planning on taking over a SV650S closer to end of the year... :niceone:

How does cross ply thing affected by power? or weight? or speed? never had cross ply tires from my car days before.

Pirillie also have the "Dragon HR" that is for lighter bikes, so that might be one up on the sport demons.

Paparazzi's got a set of Arrowmax on his 250R, he seems to be happy with them.

[Mr Skid]

the VTR's are not "that" bad :killingme they make 32hp :)

they are actually a hi reving V Twin, as the gap between peak torque / hp is only 500rpm's

Mind you... I am planning on taking over a SV650S closer to end of the year... :niceone:

How does cross ply thing affected by power? or weight? or speed? never had cross ply tires from my car days before.

Pirillie also have the "Dragon HR" that is for lighter bikes, so that might be one up on the sport demons.

Paparazzi's got a set of Arrowmax on his 250R, he seems to be happy with them.

I've got them on what remains of my 250R. I've found they're not very good off road. :wacko:

Otherwise I can't complain too much about their performance, don't seem to wear too badly etc, though on the other hand sport demon sounds much cooler than arrowmax. I reckon you should get some of them instead.

[Two Smoker]

ok, one thing to say (well a few really) your not doing commuting so go the GPR70, the best tyre you can get for the bike. with 40 hp, weather it is crossply or not will matter.... as 40hp is basically fuck all.....

MAN 5000KM!!!!!!!!! i got 1500kms out of my tyre this time on my 150 :( consider yourself lucky with the style of tyre you got and the milage you got from it...

Otherwise got Bridgestone BT-090's or Sport Demons. They are all good tyres. go for the best deal...

[DarkDream]

ok, one thing to say (well a few really) your not doing commuting so go the GPR70, the best tyre you can get for the bike. with 40 hp, weather it is crossply or not will matter.... as 40hp is basically fuck all.....

MAN 5000KM!!!!!!!!! i got 1500kms out of my tyre this time on my 150 :( consider yourself lucky with the style of tyre you got and the milage you got from it...

Otherwise got Bridgestone BT-090's or Sport Demons. They are all good tyres. go for the best deal...

Cheers man,

Yeah I'm keen on the Dunlops, got a quote for $500 fitted and ready to go.

Also got a quote from Mt Eden Motorcycles for $450 for Pirelli Corsa's, but they don't do the 140/60/17 on the rear, instead its a 150/60/17......both typres said to be good. Will talk to the boys on barry's point road first...see if I can get it cheaper as I hate spending money!!! :gob:

[NC]

i say fit some bridgestones


I have to agree wif you, they are very good

[k14]

Cheers man,

Yeah I'm keen on the Dunlops, got a quote for $500 fitted and ready to go.

Also got a quote from Mt Eden Motorcycles for $450 for Pirelli Corsa's, but they don't do the 140/60/17 on the rear, instead its a 150/60/17......both typres said to be good. Will talk to the boys on barry's point road first...see if I can get it cheaper as I hate spending money!!! :gob:

Try not to change the stock tyre profiles, the factory profiles are definately the best, although $50 saving isnt to be sneezed at. I don't really know much about the Pirelli's but they can't be too bad.

[TwoSeven]

I have GRP70s on my 250 - they are 110/70 and 140/60 which gives 77mm height on the front and 84mm on the rear (1cm diff) which is pretty neutral steering but in my opinion less front end grip.

A 150/60 would give you 90m on the rear - but I doubt you'd notice 6mm difference (not with that front). But like everything its personal preference really. Seems to me dunlop riders like the higher profiles and larger ride height :)

Just in case the numbers sound funny, the first number is the tire width, the second number is the aspect ratio of the tire (its shape). You calculate the height of the tire in mm by multiplying the width by the aspect ratio as a percentage eg. 160 x 0.60 = 96mm.

The difference between the front and the rear tire heights gives part of the rear ride height - higher means the bike will lean faster but at the expense of straight line speed - also means you have more weight carried forwards so means less intensive braking (you brake earlier) - as I understand it after two glasses of wine :)

Someone might want to add to/correct this if I am out :)

[andy1]

i had a 150 rear, it was primo....

GPR70s :not:

Ask That wanker at motomail if he got any deals...

[Kwaka-Kid]

/edit *YOINK* (soz andy, didnt mean to type that long)

/me loves bridgestones :D:D:D but they is all good tyres!

[andy1]

ok, you the man kk... :rolleyes:

[DarkDream]

Opps seems I was talking shite, the tyres for $450 fitted are the Pirelli Diablo's, apparently the dunlops are a race tyre and will take a lot longer to warm up....not the best for wet weather as you have to have your witts about you incase you forget they are not warm yet.

Diablo's are cheaper and will probably wear longer, not as sticky but warm quicker.

So thinking they could be a good option also...

Anyone used Pirelli Diablo's before?

Oh and just to note this does not mean i think the Diablo's are better than the Dunlops, as I understand it the Dunlops are the best but may just be a second set of tyres for me once I get used to riding a bit more.....

Don't want to blow $500 on then square the tyre from commuting to work occasionally or riding on the damn motorway, (wish they'd build a bike motorway *sigh*)

[Zapf]

My only question will be if you need to spend 450 big ones for tires on a 250. Cause I am not even close to out riding my tires, and I just think that you might be wasting money on tires that you won't be needing yet.

[DarkDream]

My only question will be if you need to spend 450 big ones for tires on a 250. Cause I am not even close to out riding my tires, and I just think that you might be wasting money on tires that you won't be needing yet.

Know what you mean Felix, but I asked the guy about your tyres and he suggested that for my bike they really wouldn't cut the mustard.

Top end CBR is about 185 or 190....so just a bit more than VTR

[Blakamin]

someone said "extrta power of a cbr"
was that a 250 thing?
coz my 400 runs a pirelli sport demon
and a gpr80 on teh back

[k14]

Just get the tyres that suit your needs the best. If you do mainly commuting then go for the Pirelli Sport Demon's. If you do more weekend fast rides then go for the GPR70's or Diablos. The bridgestone BT090's are dual compound, hard in the centre and soft on the outside, so you get the best of both worlds, but maybe not the best for your purposes.

Just go with the tyre that suits your needs the best.

[Mr Skid]

Know what you mean Felix, but I asked the guy about your tyres and he suggested that for my bike they really wouldn't cut the mustard.

Top end CBR is about 185 or 190....so just a bit more than VTR

I'm with Zapf on this one, don't need to spend big $ on supa stickies for a cbr250.

The top speed of a bike is one consideration with buying a tire, but (and I hope someone will correct me if I'm mistaken) any tire you could get for your bike will be able to handle 190 km/h. And I doubt you'll see 190 km/h too often.

I can see the benefit of stickies on a bike that has a lot of power, as it'll let you get more of the power down without the tyre slipping, however IMHO a cbr250 doesn't have enough power to spin up the back in normal conditions on the open road.

As for leanability of sport-tourning tires, MR was able to get his knee down and pull a stoppie on luke warm arrowmax tires on my bike. Check out Zapf's toe sliders as well if you want testament to the potential of his sport demons.

[Devil]

As for leanability of sport-tourning tires, MR was able to get his knee down and pull a stoppie on luke warm arrowmax tires on my bike. Check out Zapf's toe sliders as well if you want testament to the potential of his sport demons.
Yeh, had my toes down the other day (oops!), have a set of Sport demons right here.

[Kwaka-Kid]

blakamin you are ONTO it mate! :) my NC24 also ran sport demons and i thought htey rocked. whats this high powered 250 stuff? hell i get shit for only being on a 400 but its my turn to give it! ive got another 10hp on you and the demons were wcked tyres.

[Blakamin]

blakamin you are ONTO it mate! :) my NC24 also ran sport demons and i thought htey rocked. whats this high powered 250 stuff? hell i get shit for only being on a 400 but its my turn to give it! ive got another 10hp on you and the demons were wcked tyres.
Thats the one :niceone:
10hp min... maybe even 20hp on the 250

[TwoSeven]

I get 40bhp out of my two nifty (stock with roo pipe). Its really easy to spin up the tires (dunlop 70s). Just requires a bit of lean thats all.

I'd go for the harder compound ones that are more suited to the rain. The dunlops dont like commuting at all.

[Kwaka-Kid]

eh lighting up the rear of a 250 on GPR70's ? go buy what shaede has, those Diablo's or whatever, he throws his cbr right over and hasnt mentioned to be about any sliding, i only get it on the racebike, and when it happend fully for a bit heading into a corner i was down on my arse.

[TwoSeven]

just give it a bit of wellie. Front wheel picks up if you havnt got it over far enough - get it wrong and you go splat of course - big time. Better to practice on a dirt bike til you get the nack.

But of course the normal saftey disclaimer goes here. Practice on an old dunger bike somewhere safe with the appropriate protective stuff and all that.. Dont try it on public roads or an expensive bike.

[Menial]

I got a diablo on the front and a dragon on the back, seems pretty tight apart from when I lost the back :crybaby:

[TwoSeven]

I liked the dragons. They didnt go cold when they got a bit damp like the dunlops do.

[MrMelon]

I got a cheap set of IRC tyres for my tzr before I sold it. They were only $210 for the set and they were pretty sticky! I didn't have any problems with them for the thousand km's or so that I had them on there.

[Two Smoker]

just give it a bit of wellie. Front wheel picks up if you havnt got it over far enough - get it wrong and you go splat of course - big time. Better to practice on a dirt bike til you get the nack.

But of course the normal saftey disclaimer goes here. Practice on an old dunger bike somewhere safe with the appropriate protective stuff and all that.. Dont try it on public roads or an expensive bike.
hehehe telling KK how to slide :lol: you should have seen him with oil on his back tyre going round Puke, still doing 1:13's :eek5:

[TwoSeven]

he he .. sliding the tire is fun. Its when it suddenly grips its a bugger :)

Funny thing is - on anything other than a road bike - i have absolutely no balance. Cant even ride a dirt bike or a skate-board.

[R00T]

Remember folks that wet roads will watercool your tyres very nicely, and you really will not be able to get any heat into them, thats why you are supposed to increase your tyre pressures when riding in the wet.

BT96 are my preferred choice for the CBR250, though I have never tried a lot of others listed here, and will prolly try the GPR70's next.

[warren35]

What kind of pirellis do you have on there at the moment?
Im really enjoying my fairly new Sport Demons.
Mate where do you get your sport demons from as i have tried for my brother and no one in Hamilton will supply them yet the bros harley came with them so they are out there.

[Kwaka-Kid]

Remember folks that wet roads will watercool your tyres very nicely, and you really will not be able to get any heat into them, thats why you are supposed to increase your tyre pressures when riding in the wet.
Really?!

K ill be honest and risk showing my ignorence here but firstly: my tyres to get moderatley warm in the wet, and i let them down say 2 pounds as with the extra flexing rubber they heat up more (and obviously water cooling is working against this) and in the dry where they heat up alot i pump them up like.

is that not standard practise ?

[Racey Rider]

I agree with KK. It heats the tire up more to reduce the pressure.

[Coyote]

I've notice on my CBRs tyres that the rubber seems to be splitting(they rubber has all these cracks). This a problem? Am I gonna have to make a clearer explanation of my problem?

[Kwaka-Kid]

how old are your tyres?
typically that just means they are old and so perishing. Other then that i dont have an explaination - been getting weird liquids on them i.e petrol to speed this process up?

[Coyote]

Supposedly, the tyres were brand new when I got the bike (got it in November last year).

[Zapf]

I've notice on my CBRs tyres that the rubber seems to be splitting(they rubber has all these cracks). This a problem? Am I gonna have to make a clearer explanation of my problem?

are the cracks on the top of the blocks? / bottom of the blocks? (where it joins the rest of the tire) / or on the sidewall?

I found some wrinkles / cracks on the base of my blocks on the Dunlop D220's as well. And my bike is new (Nov last year). But then again how long has it been sitting there for..

[John]

also noticing these crack/s on the inner tred walls etc - But the trend is I bought it recently from a dealer who had it sitting in the sun for half a year, so that would explain it - oh well.

Also I vote Arrowmax, they seem to heat up real real quick in my opinion, I do real short rides now, and I can get my knee down 1 min of slow riding later, so they seem ok, but then again I'm not heavy nor is the bike. But they are utter complete arse in rain god, you havto have balls to ride them in the rain, or maybe its just because I ride them to hard, dont know myself.

[Mr Skid]

Also I vote Arrowmax, they seem to heat up real real quick in my opinion, I do real short rides now, and I can get my knee down 1 min of slow riding later, so they seem ok, but then again I'm not heavy nor is the bike. But they are utter complete arse in rain god, you havto have balls to ride them in the rain, or maybe its just because I ride them to hard, dont know myself.

Thank God, it's not just me that find Arrowmax tyres useless in the wet. They seem to let go for no good reason in the rain eh?

I think a set of sport demons will be next on the cards..

[Kwaka-Kid]

[QUOTE=paparazzi]They seem to let go for no good reason in the rain eh?QUOTE]

Maybe its the rain?

Thats good enough reason for me! cant speak from experience on those tyres but when it comes to wet riding they are all bloody slippery in my mind! With the only fond memories of road riding in the riad being on Michellin Macadams, though i have to say it was some years ago and i like to kid myself my riding has improved from there and so that throws a shadow of doubt over the idea of them performing well in the wet... Racing wise ive raced on Bridgestone BT090's and Dunlop D207GP's in the wet, and i still change opinions on them too often to make a firm judgement, its like, either way when exiting corners if i whack tha gas on they slide nearly causing me to crash and i find it hard to rule which one does it first, as its always a different day, different amount of wetness and differing temperatures aswell as differing pressures in tyres. Now im just rambling in my tiredness

ill let you guys sleep.

[R00T]

Really?!

K ill be honest and risk showing my ignorence here but firstly: my tyres to get moderatley warm in the wet, and i let them down say 2 pounds as with the extra flexing rubber they heat up more (and obviously water cooling is working against this) and in the dry where they heat up alot i pump them up like.

is that not standard practise ?

Your tyres are designed to operate at a certain pressure, as the tyre temperature increases so does the pressure, thats why we are supposed to check tyre pressures when cold.
So as the tyre heats up and the pressure increases the tyre then becomes the correct shape for normal operation, the tread on under-inflated tyres will not open up correctly and thus will not disperse water as effectively, under-inflation will also increase the stress on the sidewall and allow the tyre carcass to become concave in the centre of the contact patch with the road, effectively providing you with less grip.

Given that you will still get some heat into the tyre in the wet it will be nothing near the temprature and pressure obtained in the dry, so if this is also worsened by under-inflation you are putting yourself at quite a lot of risk.

Any professional race outfit will tell you how much difference 1 psi makes to the handling of a machine.

[Devil]

Mate where do you get your sport demons from as i have tried for my brother and no one in Hamilton will supply them yet the bros harley came with them so they are out there.
Cycletreads in Takapuna (akl) is where I got mine.

[FlyingDutchMan]

Just get the tyres that suit your needs the best. If you do mainly commuting then go for the Pirelli Sport Demon's. If you do more weekend fast rides then go for the GPR70's or Diablos. The bridgestone BT090's are dual compound, hard in the centre and soft on the outside, so you get the best of both worlds, but maybe not the best for your purposes.

Just go with the tyre that suits your needs the best.

I'm pretty sure the BT90 is a single compound. The BT45 is definitely a dual compund tyre.

[Roadrash]

i ran battleaxes on my cbr250rr on that bike i thought they were perfect,
plenty of feel and feedback
:rockon: