Advice pls - 140/80 or 150/70

[90s]

Hi,
According to the manual my bike should run 150/70s, but is fitted with 140/80 Battlax BT45s. A search of the site and elsewhere and many people are running 140/80s on the GSX600.

As I'm coming up for tyre change time any advice?

My riding is daily commuting, occaissional long tours and the odd fast blat.
Wear and wet weather handling are important as the bike is primarily a commuter.

Also I would fit wither another Battlax or a Sport Demon. I've run both and couldn't really tell between them with the riding I'm doing, but would appreciate any thoughts (there is an old short thread on this, but anything else is great).

Thanks

[Toast]

Going a size smaller than recommended on the same rim shouldn't matter too much...the old smaller turns quicker vs. bigger gives slightly more grip at full lean argument comes up.

As for BT45's vs Sport Demons...I'd go 45's. Sport Demons apparently work better on bigger, heavier bikes that work them harder and get more heat in to them (work very badly on the 250's). They may be ok on your GSX, but I'd still go 45's, great in the wet, good in the dry, good mileage :niceone:

[90s]

Going a size smaller than recommended on the same rim shouldn't matter too much...the old smaller turns quicker vs. bigger gives slightly more grip at full lean argument comes up.

As for BT45's vs Sport Demons...I'd go 45's. Sport Demons apparently work better on bigger, heavier bikes that work them harder and get more heat in to them (work very badly on the 250's). They may be ok on your GSX, but I'd still go 45's, great in the wet, good in the dry, good mileage :niceone:

Thanks for your reply.
You don't think I ride a 250 though do you from your comments? Can't think of many 'sport' bikes older or heavier than mine!

As I found in other threads, Cycletreads hate the sport demons. With a passion. But I've had them on this bike and the last and not really noticed that they are defficient agains the BT45s.
I'll go for another BT45 - and maybe I'll stick with the 140 rather than 150 size unless anyone else has a better idea?

[Toast]

Nah mate, from your profile I assumed it was a GSX600F you ride.

As I said in my reply, they should work ok on your GSX due to its greater weight compared to a 250. I've met someone who rides very quickly and loved them on his older FJR1200, which is a very contrasting experience to mine with them on a 250 (crap unless I was caning them for a prolonged period, and they lost heat as soon as I returned to regular speeds).

Your GSX would be pretty much in the middle of those two bikes for weight. I recommend them to you mainly because they're so good in the wet, like many modern Bridgestones, and the feel I got from them was amongst the best of any tyre I've used.