Conti Race Attacks review

[Morcs]

I needed some new tyres for the TL, was going to buy a new pair - but to equal the impressive Pirella Corsa 3's cheaply was a bit difficult (a rear alone costing $450)...

So then I came across the best tyre deal (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=54510&highlight=conti+race)

I got some through Noel (the stranger). A 120/70/17 and instead of a 190/50/17, I got a 190/55/17 - to help the TL go round corners.

$250 for a set. Bloody good price. The condition of the tyres was decieving, the had melted rubber on the front, and the sides were a bit torn - what youd expect from an ex race tyre - but, they actually were in great condition and very little used - you can still still the 'conti race attack' writing on the front.

Off to cycletreads on wednesday, bumped into archerwc.

Boys at treads told me the tyres will be more slippery than a set of new ones. Bah. I gave them an aggresive scrub on the 30km trip to work - No faltering at all.

The first thing you notice on these tyres is how awesome they are once you through the bike into a corner, there is as much (if not more) rubber on the road when leant over, than when upright. It just feels so planted. At full lean I can go round a corner, one hand off the bars and it is stable as hell.

Then if you apply the front brake a little bit mid corner, it doesnt yearn to stand up right and potentially high side me.

The most impressive thing so far is the transition from one side to another.
Usually when you through a bike from one side to another aggresively its smooth, but you feel the flat spot in the centre of the tyre, and at the same time you can feel a bit of slip when it does so. Not these tyres, the transistion is ultra smooth, yet faster, literally from one side to the other seamlessly.

I havent ridden with them in the rain yet, but being a track tyre naturally you dont fang it.

So all in all im stoked with these tyres. Simply amazing. They are soo good I dont even care if they dont last long (apparently they last longer than youd expect too) and they have transformed the handling on my TL.

If buying new, expect to pay $600, and conti give a 500km guarantee - if you dont like em within 500km, they will refund your money.

But you aint gonna not like them. And why spend $600 when you can get a set thats done less than 100km for just $250?

PM Two smoker or the stranger if you want some farking good tyres.

Id also like to hear other people opinions on them too.

[The Stranger]

I havent ridden with them in the rain yet, but being a track tyre naturally you dont fang it.


Once again, I am sure you will be very surprised sir.
I am not quick in the wet, but these things inspire confidence in wet conditions. I ride quicker in the wet on these than any other tyre I have used.



So all in all im stoked with these tyres. Simply amazing.


I told you so!



Id also like to hear other people opinions on them too.


Well, you already know my opinion.

What pressures are you running?

[Cajun]

Id also like to hear other people opinions on them too.

Cheers morcs, i am getting a set hopeful next week and give them a go at suzuki track day end of month.

And see how i get on.

[Morcs]

What pressures are you running?

36 psi front and rear.

[The Stranger]

36 psi front and rear.

Yeah, that is generally what I was running on the mediums.
I would try going to 32 or 34 and see how they feel.
Just seems to me after 3 sets of medium that 36 or higher and the tread disappears real fast.

Softs are way different, don't use those figures in softs. Ask when you get them, as I don't feel like an argument.

[jrandom]

I second everything Morcs said.

Based on my own unscientific observations, I'd also be inclined to think that the Race Attacks warm up quicker and stay much stickier at roadriding pace than Super Corsas.

[enigma51]

I had a set when they just came out on the 600 and they are a good tire they also dont seem to do the pirelli thing when they get close to the wear marks. Dont realy know why i have not invested in another set to be honest when i got the 750 they where fit with bt014's and have stuck with them

[enigma51]

Yeah, that is generally what I was running on the mediums.
I would try going to 32 or 34 and see how they feel.
Just seems to me after 3 sets of medium that 36 or higher and the tread disappears real fast.

Softs are way different, don't use those figures in softs. Ask when you get them, as I don't feel like an argument.

I agree drop them to 32 you will get better wear and feedback

[Coyote]

I've got a Conti Road rear. Definitely keen to get something stickier. Rear brake makes the tyre squeal and give it to much gas in a corner and it starts to loose grip. It's not like my 400 is that powerful either. However, I'm impressed that it still has decent grip for most conditions and has lasted about 4000km and hasn't got a massive flat spot in the middle.

[Morcs]

I have to add to this review, decided to stomp on the back brake and lock the wheel up, ended up drifting with the rear stuck out, leaving a 20m back mark down the road, awesome thing is, the rear tyre was so predictable and controllable in a slide.

I need to clean my pants.

:wari:

[The Stranger]

Bloody awesome sir.
I try and tell people that these tyres are wicked but you got to experience them to get it.

[johan]

Does anyone have any experience of the Race Attacs VS Pirelli's supercorsa?

[NZsarge]

Just bought of lightly used Race Attacks for a young gentleman in Wanganui, medium compound, took them back to Palmy Nth and got them fitted to the FZ1 and rode home and so far so good, definitely more impressed with these than I was with the Sport Attacks (as you may expect) and I will be very interested stick and wear as time and some k's roll by.

Edit: I got them to put 33psi (Front) and 36psi and by general opinion it seems that's not far out.

[R6_kid]

I f00ken love them!

Sticky as, confidence inspiring.

I remember riding The Strangers old GSXR1000K3 with 'normal' road tyres, when I wound on the gas i would squirm a little before shooting, kind of like grip-then-go... with the raceAttacks on my gixxer it was more gripped and gone.

Had absolutely no trouble at all at the last trackday, was interesting to see what a few PSI either way will do to the visibly tyre wear.

[enigma51]

Does anyone have any experience of the Race Attacs VS Pirelli's supercorsa?

Race attack is a much better tire when it starts wearing on the thin side

[Biggles08]

I'm on my 3rd set of sport attacks and I can't say enough good things about them...there are 'o' for awesome! I was tempted to go the race attacks this last time, but was told by Chris at Mt Eden that they are not as good in the wet as the sport attacks ...so coming into winter I thought I would stick to the sports.

Had them on my late ZX9R (RIP) on the last track day I did on her and without a word of exageration had a two wheel drift while lent way over to the right under brakes on turn 4 setting up for the infield right hairpin turn 5. After I finished shitting myself I grinned soooooo wide in my helmet because I realized that had I still been wearing Diablo's I would've highsided for sure. The Sport attacks once warmed give such good feeback and as I found out dont 'just let go' rather progressively slip....giddyup!

[UK_GSXR]

I'm about to get a set of Race Attacks for my ZX-6R. I'll be generally be riding on dry sunny days (please) and a few track days.

What pressures work best for these on the track (I'm guessing 31F/28R) and road??

Cheers

[NZsarge]

I'm about to get a set of Race Attacks for my ZX-6R. I'll be generally be riding on dry sunny days (please) and a few track days.

What pressures work best for these on the track (I'm guessing 31F/28R) and road??

Cheers
Dunno 'bout the track dude but general consensus seems to be F 32 and R 34 psi as Stranger pointed out in a earlier post, that's a good place to start I reckon.

[Shaun]

I'm about to get a set of Race Attacks for my ZX-6R. I'll be generally be riding on dry sunny days (please) and a few track days.

What pressures work best for these on the track (I'm guessing 31F/28R) and road??

Cheers


RACE ATTACKS

front 29psi COLD

Rear 23 PSI Cold

That is what Jay Lawrence and I and others are using fior the Conti Race attack:beer:

The set I used at Taupo last Friday, are totally perfect, a lot to do with tire wear, is suspension set up as well though, but I guess you are aware of that, it takes suspension and tires working together to get the best results.

[AllanB]

Very nice tyres.
I would not bother with the race attacks for street riding - if you are 90% street and a few track days get the SPORT Attacks - stick like a smelly thing on a sheet and last well on the road. Plus they work in the winter on wet roads.
If you are a bit gentler and do street only get the Road Attack rear/Sport front. Or even 2x road.

One thing I noticed on the 1200 was the front tyres profile (sport) does give the bike a quicker turn-in. This was good on the GS, but not what I desired on the Hornet (thus the PR2's).

I was told this quicker handling is the main reason the 500km guarantee - it takes a few K's to get used to.

[roogazza]

RACE ATTACKS
front 29psi COLD
Rear 23 PSI Cold
That is what Jay Lawrence and I and others are using fior the Conti Race attack:beer:

Shaun, why is that such low pressures are used at the rear as opposed to the front , I can never get the head round that one ?
Is it because the rear temps increase more than the front , so you start with a lesser figure?
I've always gone one or two more in the rear than in the front.
(but then, I'm a bit older and probably haven't caught up with modern thinking and tyres.) Gaz.

[UK_GSXR]

RACE ATTACKS

front 29psi COLD

Rear 23 PSI Cold

That is what Jay Lawrence and I and others are using fior the Conti Race attack:beer:

The set I used at Taupo last Friday, are totally perfect, a lot to do with tire wear, is suspension set up as well though, but I guess you are aware of that, it takes suspension and tires working together to get the best results.


Thanks Shaun, just to be clear I'm getting the Race Attack Streets - rather than the full on Comps.

PS Talking about suspension are you still doing your suspension setup sessions - I know a while ago you ran these from time to time in Auckland too??

[UK_GSXR]

Dunno 'bout the track dude but general consensus seems to be F 32 and R 34 psi as Stranger pointed out in a earlier post, that's a good place to start I reckon.

Thanks NZsarge - I'll go with those pressures on the road.

[UK_GSXR]

Very nice tyres.
I would not bother with the race attacks for street riding - if you are 90% street and a few track days get the SPORT Attacks - stick like a smelly thing on a sheet and last well on the road. Plus they work in the winter on wet roads.
If you are a bit gentler and do street only get the Road Attack rear/Sport front. Or even 2x road.

One thing I noticed on the 1200 was the front tyres profile (sport) does give the bike a quicker turn-in. This was good on the GS, but not what I desired on the Hornet (thus the PR2's).

I was told this quicker handling is the main reason the 500km guarantee - it takes a few K's to get used to.

Thanks for the advice, but because I'm primarily looking for track day performance I'll give the Race Attacks a go for the summer and then switch to the Sport Attacks for winter.

To be honest on the road I don't have any problem with my stock BT-15s anyway but perhaps that's because I ride too slow...

[Ivan]

Thanks NZsarge - I'll go with those pressures on the road.

Ok go with the pressures Shaun stated I am a Conti user and race on them,

The tires are designed to work at those low rear presssures I think it is to do with the carcass design you will tear the tire to pieces running higher pressures.

I have been told Jay has run as low as 18PSI in the rear.

and I ran 28PSI all weekend to get the front end working a bit better after some advice from hamish (conti guy)

[BIGBOSSMAN]

They're fantastic tyres - I had both Race and Sport Attacks on my '05 ZX10R and they were both superb, especially the Race Attacks on the track.
I'll chuck 'em on the new bike once I've shredded the std equip Diablos!

[UK_GSXR]

Thanks for the comments guys - I'm sold!

[JayRacer37]

Glad to hear all the positive feedback on these tyres! I can assure you that a helluva lot of work, effort and passion was put into making the RaceAttack what it is, with development from both Europe and here (our summer is their winter, so my team and I have been Continental's winter development team for the past two years.)

I just wanted to expand on the tyre pressure debate. Most everyone here is right, (other than Ivan, sorry mate, 18 PSI is a bit...out there) or very close. Shaun is dead right with the pressures he recommends, but that is for track use with tyre warmers only. On the road or even track without warmers running this low will cause bad handling characteristics and increased wear. I actually have a full listing of pressures recommended by Continental that I will publish here. This is even down to pressure for specific compounds in race attack, and the application the tyre is to be used for. All pressure is initially in BAR, so I have rounded to the nearest PSI. (BARx14.5=PSI)

This is word for word extract from Continental’s pressure advice:

“Air pressure is dependent on various factors. Engine performance, chassis set-up, choice of suspension springs [rates], riding style, lap times – the list is endless. Therefore, information on tyre pressures can only be recommendations to be used as a basis for further experiments.
There are two ways to check air pressure in race tyres, cold or warm. Here are the cold air pressures (ambient temperatures):

RaceAttack Comp Front: 1.9 bar/28PSI
RaceAttack Comp Rear: 1.6 bar/23PSI
RaceAttack Street Front: 2.1 bar/30PSI
RaceAttack Street Rear: 1.9 bar/28PSI
RaceAttack Rain Front AND Rear: 2.3 bar/33PSI

Here are pressure figures warm (heated to 80 degrees centigrade and run for 2 laps):

RaceAttack Comp Front: 2.1 bar/30PSI
RaceAttack Comp Rear: 1.9 bar/28PSI
RaceAttack Street Front: 2.3 bar/33PSI
RaceAttack Street Rear: 2.1 bar/30PSI
RaceAttack Rain Front AND Rear: 2.3 bar/33PSI

Two Points:

- For use on the road, the air pressures given by the manufacturer shall be used as a basis.
- These Figures are valid for all sizes, regardless of the tyre of motorcycle.”

So, basically if you are on a track and/or using tyre warmers, the pressure chart above applies to you. If you are using these tyres on the road, or on the track WITHOUT tyre warmers, pressures you ran with your bike stock, ie the pressures recommended by Yamaha, Honda, etc are a valid starting point. We genrally recommend the hot pressures (second list above) as a starting point for cold pressures for use without warmers ON TRACK, and advice and recommendations from people like The Stranger/Noel who have run these tyres on the road are very valid for non tyre warmer use/road application. Needless to say, tyre construction has moved on in the past few years making these pressures, particularly the rear, seem very low, so I understand if you are a bit sceptical. As a quick explanation the tyre sidewall can now do more work holding the tyre up so the pressure can be lower giving a greater contact patch without the excessive overheating that would have and does occur with older technology tyres.

Also, if you are riding on the road, RaceAttack street is a very attractive choice. This tyre has a much lower temperature operation corridor, meaning it works well from cold. It is also capable of lapping at a close pace to RaceAttack Comp. Here is a general breakdown of average fastest laps for a single day testing on my 2005 ZX6-RR at manfeild.

RaceAttack Comp: average 1.10.00 or so (compound specific to temperature, this is a basis of med comp)
RaceAttack Street: average 1.10.50
SportAttack: average 1.11.20, but beginning to overheat after approx. Ten laps at this pace

This shows that the SportAttack is also a very valid option for fast riding, whilst less compromise on milage and cold performance.

Also, Conti Stockists at the moment should have some great specials on, so if your looking, approach your dealer and see what they can do for you!

Cheers,
Jay #37.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Glad to hear all the positive feedback on these tyres! I can assure you that a helluva lot of work, effort and passion was put into making the RaceAttack what it is, with development from both Europe and here (our summer is their winter, so my team and I have been Continental's winter development team for the past two years.)

I just wanted to expand on the tyre pressure debate. Most everyone here is right, (other than Ivan, sorry mate, 18 PSI is a bit...out there) or very close. Shaun is dead right with the pressures he recommends, but that is for track use with tyre warmers only. On the road or even track without warmers running this low will cause bad handling characteristics and increased wear. I actually have a full listing of pressures recommended by Continental that I will publish here. This is even down to pressure for specific compounds in race attack, and the application the tyre is to be used for. All pressure is initially in BAR, so I have rounded to the nearest PSI. (BARx14.5=PSI)

This is word for word extract from Continental’s pressure advice:

“Air pressure is dependent on various factors. Engine performance, chassis set-up, choice of suspension springs [rates], riding style, lap times – the list is endless. Therefore, information on tyre pressures can only be recommendations to be used as a basis for further experiments.
There are two ways to check air pressure in race tyres, cold or warm. Here are the cold air pressures (ambient temperatures):

RaceAttack Comp Front: 1.9 bar/28PSI
RaceAttack Comp Rear: 1.6 bar/23PSI
RaceAttack Street Front: 2.1 bar/30PSI
RaceAttack Street Rear: 1.9 bar/28PSI
RaceAttack Rain Front AND Rear: 2.3 bar/33PSI

Here are pressure figures warm (heated to 80 degrees centigrade and run for 2 laps):

RaceAttack Comp Front: 2.1 bar/30PSI
RaceAttack Comp Rear: 1.9 bar/28PSI
RaceAttack Street Front: 2.3 bar/33PSI
RaceAttack Street Rear: 2.1 bar/30PSI
RaceAttack Rain Front AND Rear: 2.3 bar/33PSI

Two Points:

- For use on the road, the air pressures given by the manufacturer shall be used as a basis.
- These Figures are valid for all sizes, regardless of the tyre of motorcycle.”

So, basically if you are on a track and/or using tyre warmers, the pressure chart above applies to you. If you are using these tyres on the road, or on the track WITHOUT tyre warmers, pressures you ran with your bike stock, ie the pressures recommended by Yamaha, Honda, etc are a valid starting point. We genrally recommend the hot pressures (second list above) as a starting point for cold pressures for use without warmers ON TRACK, and advice and recommendations from people like The Stranger/Noel who have run these tyres on the road are very valid for non tyre warmer use/road application. Needless to say, tyre construction has moved on in the past few years making these pressures, particularly the rear, seem very low, so I understand if you are a bit sceptical. As a quick explanation the tyre sidewall can now do more work holding the tyre up so the pressure can be lower giving a greater contact patch without the excessive overheating that would have and does occur with older technology tyres.

Also, if you are riding on the road, RaceAttack street is a very attractive choice. This tyre has a much lower temperature operation corridor, meaning it works well from cold. It is also capable of lapping at a close pace to RaceAttack Comp. Here is a general breakdown of average fastest laps for a single day testing on my 2005 ZX6-RR at manfeild.

RaceAttack Comp: average 1.10.00 or so (compound specific to temperature, this is a basis of med comp)
RaceAttack Street: average 1.10.50
SportAttack: average 1.11.20, but beginning to overheat after approx. Ten laps at this pace

This shows that the SportAttack is also a very valid option for fast riding, whilst less compromise on milage and cold performance.

Also, Conti Stockists at the moment should have some great specials on, so if your looking, approach your dealer and see what they can do for you!

Cheers,
Jay #37.

This is one of the best posts I have ever read on KB. Seriously. Informed, lucid and BLOODY USEFUL. Thank you very much.

I am pondering the "what tyre" thing presently because the Diablo Corsa on the back of black sunshine has worn square. (note to self re touring on soft tyres....). I will go have a yarn to Don.

I am a big fan of Continental tyres from back in the day (TK11/TK22) and use them almost exclusively on my mountain bikes.

Thanks again.

[HenryDorsetCase]

? 10 characters

[HenryDorsetCase]

??????????????????????? I only posted one time but got three iterations.

[MD]

....
Also, if you are riding on the road, RaceAttack street is a very attractive choice. This tyre has a much lower temperature operation corridor, meaning it works well from cold. It is also capable of lapping at a close pace to RaceAttack Comp. Here is a general breakdown of average fastest laps for a single day testing on my 2005 ZX6-RR at manfeild.

RaceAttack Comp: average 1.10.00 or so (compound specific to temperature, this is a basis of med comp)
RaceAttack Street: average 1.10.50
SportAttack: average 1.11.20, but beginning to overheat after approx. Ten laps at this pace

This shows that the SportAttack is also a very valid option for fast riding, whilst less compromise on milage and cold performance.
...
Jay #37.

I've not heard of Race Attack Street ?

I'm totally sold on the Sport Attacks for my 98% weekend road riding and 2% track days. Fantastic tyres. Wouldn't go back to the Pirelli OEMs on the 675
I especially like how they give better control/feel as you roll into a lean.

I hear what you're saying Jay about the Conti Sports losing it after 10 laps though. Although your times on them are still close enough (to your race times) for us just out for some fast fun on a track. My last track day I found I was becoming Mr Sensible, and pulling in with a couple of laps still to go because the tyres were starting to squirm in protest and self preservation won out over immitating your crazy sideways antics.

Now I'm coming out of winter hibernation I might get a few track days in. Maybe I should try RaceAttack Streets? Or are they intended for mainly track day use with only a small bit of road riding? Would they prove too short a life for general road duties compared to the Sport. I guess that may be hard for you to answer without having road tested them all.

And thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Mark

[sosman]

Well I'm on a k6 gsxr7friddy & on my second set of RaceAttack streets.On the first set i got just over 5k with riding to work everyday,weekend thrases,Eastcape trip! & three trackdays at Taupo....Even got a compliment from Mr harris himself too..yeahboi.
Anyway got headache now from getting a fat head,So... I'm really pleased with the performance & they work awesome from cold,they wear really good too! & I've seen other people's tyre's looked all chewed up right across the tyre[cold tearing i think its called] where mine r only feathered at the edges!.
When I'm not having issues with my fuggin useless suzuki brakes,I'm generally giving a few [Tyre warming, slick running,shed using thou riders] a good run for there money.
So get some man! ya wont be dissapointed.. just me cause i cant spell for shite! 2thumbsup

ps Still on second set & going sweet
Cya at the track!

[roogazza]

Shaun, why is that such low pressures are used at the rear as opposed to the front , I can never get the head round that one ?
Is it because the rear temps increase more than the front , so you start with a lesser figure?
I've always gone one or two more in the rear than in the front.
(but then, I'm a bit older and probably haven't caught up with modern thinking and tyres.) Gaz.

Still no answer on my query, can anyone help or explain this ? Gaz.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Still no answer on my query, can anyone help or explain this ? Gaz.


it was explained to me that on track a rear tyre heats up more than a front because of it having to drive the motorcycle forward in addition to the cornering loads. So you use lower temps to start with to compensate. From memory on my VFR400 using 29 F and 28R cold, both hot temps were 33 and 34.

and thats on a 60hp bike ridden by someone of very average ability, not racing just trackdays. So someone faster with more power will work the tyres more, causing more heat build up.

[Mishy]

Still no answer on my query, can anyone help or explain this ? Gaz.

The extra pressure in the front is for several reasons. The first one is just as someone else mentioned earlier - the rear gets a whole lot more heat from the extra weight it carries, as well as the extra shearing forces it has to deal with from a million horsepower trying to break traction :) . That leads to more heat, which increases the pressure, so you have to start lower on a race bike to take that into account. You also want a spread out contact patch on the rear so that you get maximum grip, and - up to a point - that won't mess with the handling of the bike
On the front it's different. There is nowhere near the load most of the time, and nowhere near the heat build up, so you don't have to allow for a large pressure increase. Also, a deformed and spread out contact patch on the front tyre will give serious handling issues, like heavy steering, and "falling in" , and bars which want to cross up on you mid turn,so you have to use air pressure to stop any deformation and keep that contact patch a suitable shape.

Any good to you ?
Mishy.

[roogazza]

Cheers, that makes sense ! But this lower pressure stuff in the rear didn't happen years ago , thats all. Tyres have moved on a bit from then.
I was amongst the first to use nitrogen in tyres for 6 hour races early seventies.

So for some people the rear doesn't get hot enough on the road, thats where say 32 F 34 R comes in ? okay. Gaz

[Mishy]

Cheers, that makes sense ! But this lower pressure stuff in the rear didn't happen years ago , thats all. Tyres have moved on a bit from then.
I was amongst the first to use nitrogen in tyres for 6 hour races early seventies.
So for some the rear doesn't get hot enough on the road so thats where say 32 F 34 R comes in . okay. Gaz

Sounds interesting man ! And I agree with you, tyre tech has moved a lot in the last few years - some of Conti's latest stuff is quite advanced - like continuos compound ( linear change all the way from centre to outside) and the multi filament steel belt they use.What you said about road tyres makes perfect sense on a lot of levels. Heat causes wear, which is why we have 0 degree steel belt tyres to spread the temperature and reduce wear. Most road tyres want a high pressure to get good mileage - it's that simple - and dropping a couple of psi can increase the rate of wear by around 5% due to the extra heat build up. That's worth considering if you are messing with tyre pressures . . . . . . . . . . .

[2_SL0]

I have a query, I am running the Conti Sport Attack, when I researched these tyres I read somewhere on the net that these tyres like to be run at the factory recommended pressures, 42 rear 36 front. (It was stated as something to do with the carcass) I have run them at this pressure however I found the rear to slip occasionally when cranked over in a corner. I know its the obvious thing to lower the pressures but I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for the Sport Attack, not the Race attack or Race Attack Street. I'm think of moving pressures down to 32 front and 36 rear?

[Mishy]

Yeah, try a little lower pressure if you want. Generally you make a trade off between side grip and durability in the centre of the the tyre with this. It's not uncommon for people to get good results from running 38-40 in the rear with a Road Attack or Sport Attack, as our roads have lots of bumps that the Germans don't . Funny bunch they are . . . . . :) My thoughts ? don't make a big big change, try a couple of psi and see if you like it. That may take away some of the sting from abrubt bumps, and help a little with side grip.Much more than that and you'll just buy into a heap of tyre wear on the road.

[JayRacer37]

I've not heard of Race Attack Street ?

I'm totally sold on the Sport Attacks for my 98% weekend road riding and 2% track days. Fantastic tyres. Wouldn't go back to the Pirelli OEMs on the 675
I especially like how they give better control/feel as you roll into a lean.

I hear what you're saying Jay about the Conti Sports losing it after 10 laps though. Although your times on them are still close enough (to your race times) for us just out for some fast fun on a track. My last track day I found I was becoming Mr Sensible, and pulling in with a couple of laps still to go because the tyres were starting to squirm in protest and self preservation won out over immitating your crazy sideways antics.

Now I'm coming out of winter hibernation I might get a few track days in. Maybe I should try RaceAttack Streets? Or are they intended for mainly track day use with only a small bit of road riding? Would they prove too short a life for general road duties compared to the Sport. I guess that may be hard for you to answer without having road tested them all.

And thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Mark

Definitly worth a shot MD! I've seen the way you ride, and your the kind of guy there were aiming the RaceAttack Street for exactly :)

They have a definite increase in grip over the SportAttack, and perhaps a slightly more defined limit to adhesion...though when they start to spin they still seem to drive good. I can feel the difference of the Street (we mistakenly put a couople in on test days, I picked it within a few laps (yep, tread patern is identical)) but at the same time, you can run race pace on them. And from what I have seen of sosmans returned tyres, if hes getting that much mileage out of them they must be OK for durability! Maybe worth a shot for this summer? If you want to chat about them PM me, i'll give you my Phone Number :)

[MD]

Cheers Jay. You have convinced me!

As I've said before, I can't fault Conti Sports for road use. So Streets must be awesome.

I will switch to Streets at next replacement. I have both fairly new Sports on at the mo ..but it is summer as you say. Time to clock up some miles and get to a track day.

[roogazza]

Cheers Jay. You have convinced me!
As I've said before, I can't fault Conti Sports for road use. So Streets must be awesome.
I will switch to Streets at next replacement. I have both fairly new Sports on at the mo ..but it is summer as you say. Time to clock up some miles and get to a track day.

Cheers MD, must catch up soon huh ? Where are you going for these track days, Taupo ? Manfeild ones are few and far between !

ps Kerry dropped off a couple of tyres for me last night, said you are riding with him Sundays, lately. Think I'm still too early for you guys ? Gaz.

[hayd3n]

just finished my 2nd hand ex race race attack!!!!
i got 6000 ks and managed to find canvas this morning:doh:
a bit of commuting and lots of out of town riding.
Great tyre just had to be a tad cautious in the wet coz theres heaps of rubber but not many grooves.

[NZsarge]

I've not heard of Race Attack Street ?


I have a set of the street compound Race Attacks in the shed waiting to go on. Will be interesting to see how they stick and wear.
Will run probably 31 psi (cold) in the front and 32-33 psi in the rear and see how that goes.

[sinfull]

Got talked into going for the road attack on the rear at the last change to get a few more k's out of the tyre, seeing i do a lot of two up stuff ! Scrubbed it in on the track and being the nanna i am it seemed fine !
Wondering though if i should drop to the same pressures as the race attack when on the track ! Still running the michellin pilot i got it with on the front though ! Would that change things ?

[Mishy]

Got talked into going for the road attack on the rear at the last change to get a few more k's out of the tyre, seeing i do a lot of two up stuff ! Scrubbed it in on the track and being the nanna i am it seemed fine !
Wondering though if i should drop to the same pressures as the race attack when on the track ! Still running the michellin pilot i got it with on the front though ! Would that change things ?

Cool tyre huh ? Don't drop the pressure though. The Race Attack is a rayon carcase, which is much stiffer than the Road Attack's nylon one. What bike do you ride ? if it's a jap sportsbike you should look at around 42psi for the rear on the road, and only drop it a couple of psi if it seems harsh over abrupt bumps. On the track is a bit more tricky. Jay lawrence has used Road Attack, but we tried pressures that were too low, and they didn't feel right. You could try about 36psi rear and adjust from there to your own taste :)

The Road Attack rear is designed to work fine with any other brand front tyre, so no worries there :)

[sinfull]

Cool tyre huh ? Don't drop the pressure though. The Race Attack is a rayon carcase, which is much stiffer than the Road Attack's nylon one. What bike do you ride ? if it's a jap sportsbike you should look at around 42psi for the rear on the road, and only drop it a couple of psi if it seems harsh over abrupt bumps. On the track is a bit more tricky. Jay lawrence has used Road Attack, but we tried pressures that were too low, and they didn't feel right. You could try about 36psi rear and adjust from there to your own taste :)

The Road Attack rear is designed to work fine with any other brand front tyre, so no worries there :)

Beauty mate side wall issue was the thing that had me wondering in Jays post !
Running the tyres on the Speed 3 and do have an issue with it being a bit of a kidney thumper on the harsh bumps, (even with the rear dampening wound soft, which is somit i havnt quite sussed the science of lol) run them at 36 /42 generally on the road as probly 60% of the time i'm 2 up, so might bring the back down a bit ! On the track i drop em to 30/32 34/36

Think i'll stop being a tightwad to get the extra few thousand k and go with the race attack on the next change, as i had a couple of wee slides tonight whilst on a "pootle" over peakok (one on a white line the other on the black) haha loved every second (wern't much longer n that) but think i'll go for max grip in future !
Cheers again !

[Mishy]

Beauty mate side wall issue was the thing that had me wondering in Jays post !
Running the tyres on the Speed 3 and do have an issue with it being a bit of a kidney thumper on the harsh bumps, (even with the rear dampening wound soft, which is somit i havnt quite sussed the science of lol) run them at 36 /42 generally on the road as probly 60% of the time i'm 2 up, so might bring the back down a bit ! On the track i drop em to 30/32 34/36

Think i'll stop being a tightwad to get the extra few thousand k and go with the race attack on the next change, as i had a couple of wee slides tonight whilst on a "pootle" over peakok (one on a white line the other on the black) haha loved every second (wern't much longer n that) but think i'll go for max grip in future !
Cheers again !

Sweet ! I have a few thoughts on what you posted (bad habit of mine) The harshness over bumps is something you can't really adjust with clickers. It's more in the high speed side of things, so valving matters most. You might find that the clisker makes very little difference with that, so if you want to improve it you should speak to God himself - Tory Taylor at CKT.
If a slightly lower pressure helps with the holes that infest the Paekak hill, then try winding a little clicker back in - it may help with low speed control and stop pitching and pumping etc. race attack sreet would be great over summer if you are a hard charger, but do consider the wet/cold behaviour before going that way. Conti Sport Attack is stupid sticky, and may be you. Only you can be tha judge of that :)

[sinfull]

Sweet ! I have a few thoughts on what you posted (bad habit of mine) The harshness over bumps is something you can't really adjust with clickers. It's more in the high speed side of things, so valving matters most. You might find that the clisker makes very little difference with that, so if you want to improve it you should speak to God himself - Tory Taylor at CKT.
If a slightly lower pressure helps with the holes that infest the Paekak hill, then try winding a little clicker back in - it may help with low speed control and stop pitching and pumping etc. race attack sreet would be great over summer if you are a hard charger, but do consider the wet/cold behaviour before going that way. Conti Sport Attack is stupid sticky, and may be you. Only you can be tha judge of that :)

Love your bad habits ! Mine's leeching
Saw a movie once and a wise man said "Stupid is as stupid does" so stupid sticky works for me, as the next trick this old dog needs to learn on the track is wieght distribution ! Came from a cruiser background so still learnin to corner lol. Chicken strips dissapeared after the second track day on the 955 and now they dont exist on the 1050 even on the road, so yeah learn i must and learn it fast before push it to the point i run out of rubber lol !
Have heard that some ride the Speed 3 in a motard style due to the uprightness which could be fun to try out with warm tyres !

Came to the realisation that the 675 is the only bike tiumph put any effort into the suspention valving (almost had me going that way, till the 1050 came up cheapish) even more dissapointed with the one sided valving on the 1050's front end !

Doing the motott day morra so will start cranking things back up in the clicker dept, Before i head up today (2 up) as you are correct, it made SFA difference apart from probly worstening both low speed and the charging side of it (wound the fronts out too)

But i digress ! Back to leeching lol. Till i can afford to see God about a suspension rebuild (heard the stock rears tend to shit themselves anyway) i need to find a happy medium with comp/rebound !
Know that with the dodgy valving, the clickers make diddly difference till they're either full in or full out so was thinkin (Bad habit of mine also, but seein i'm still not the smoothest and brake hard then grab a fistfull) i might try setting the front "hard comp and soft rebound" to keep it tracking and on the rear, soft comp so the weight goes down to the tyre and and hard rebound so it dont toss me forward when i grab the brake !
Am i getting this science or have i got it all wrong ?

Cheers Forest

[Mishy]

Know that with the dodgy valving, the clickers make diddly difference till they're either full in or full out so was thinkin (Bad habit of mine also, but seein i'm still not the smoothest and brake hard then grab a fistfull) i might try setting the front "hard comp and soft rebound" to keep it tracking and on the rear, soft comp so the weight goes down to the tyre and and hard rebound so it dont toss me forward when i grab the brake !
Am i getting this science or have i got it all wrong ?

Cheers Forest

Um, i would avoid running into too much rebound. In general terms, rebound damping has a large influece on traction, as well as ride height control, so don't be overkeen. Mostly I would think that you can only do so much with what you have, and winding too much of anything in will most likely create as many issues as it solves. That's as long as it's not set anywhere silly at the moment.
But then i'm not a suspension expert . . . . . .

[sinfull]

Mostly I would think that you can only do so much with what you have.
Yeah hey ya not wrong with that quote, reset all the clickers to factory settings and had a bloody great day at the track today !
only so much ya can do with the bike and it's rider alike lol
If i'd got this addiction 30 yr ago it might be a race bike i'd be looking at, but for now this old fart's having a ball and still plenty of sharpening up left in the riders side of things, before the challenge loses it's edge due to the bikes shortcomings !

[Mishy]

had a bloody great day at the track today !
!

:) those are the days we all live for ! Cool for you :)
I hear it was pretty cold up there . . . . . . . .

[sinfull]

:) those are the days we all live for ! Cool for you :)
I hear it was pretty cold up there . . . . . . . .
With the possibility of sounding far too deep for Kb,(could be the bourbon) but i've seen a number of friends go down in a screaming heap and some even die chasing a fix all their life !
Here i am at 12.30 am the day following 5 runs on the track and a 3 hr ride home and can i sleep ? haha crack is for the weak !
Yeah i've prebooked the next two track days and if i had more money, would set the bike up for clubmans (who needs food electricity and a roof anyway)
Kudos to the guys who can crank it to the point of interesting sponsors to back em !
What a life to live !!!
And cold ? Nah, nice breeze to bare the sweaty arse to now and then is all lol

[UK_GSXR]

Thanks for all the advice on this thread everyone. I'm another happy customer as my Race Attack Streets did their job at the track yesterday. I ran 30F/28R as recommended and they were confidence inspiring once I got used to the way the sidewalls felt softer (than my old BT15s) and by the 4th session I was riding with more confidence than I can remember!

Shaun Harris checked my bike ZX6R to see how they were wearing and gave the suspension setup his thumbs up - thanks Shaun! At the end of the day there was no tearing or balling up (but perhaps I just ain't fast enough...).

Riding home I took the pressures back up to street levels 36F/40R and they did the job once again. If I can get decent mileage out of them (i.e. 4000ks or more), I'll be definately running these again.

[Mishy]

l ...).
Riding home I took the pressures back up to street levels 36F/40R and they did the job once again. If I can get decent mileage out of them (i.e. 4000ks or more), I'll be definately running these again.

I would be very interested to hear how you get on. The Race Attack is very very sticky, so 4000km for the rear could be a stretch. Would you post an update at a later stage ?
That'd be grand :)

[NZsarge]

I have a set of the street compound Race Attacks in the shed waiting to go on. Will be interesting to see how they stick and wear.
Will run probably 31 psi (cold) in the front and 32-33 psi in the rear and see how that goes.

First couple of hundred k done, taking it easy coz they are still green but so far so good.

[Shaun]

Thanks for all the advice on this thread everyone. I'm another happy customer as my Race Attack Streets did their job at the track yesterday. I ran 30F/28R as recommended and they were confidence inspiring once I got used to the way the sidewalls felt softer (than my old BT15s) and by the 4th session I was riding with more confidence than I can remember!

Shaun Harris checked my bike ZX6R to see how they were wearing and gave the suspension setup his thumbs up - thanks Shaun! At the end of the day there was no tearing or balling up (but perhaps I just ain't fast enough...).

Riding home I took the pressures back up to street levels 36F/40R and they did the job once again. If I can get decent mileage out of them (i.e. 4000ks or more), I'll be definately running these again.



You looked like you were enjoying your self out there as well mate, those Conti's do work eh

[UK_GSXR]

Yes Shaun, after the first session I was loving every lap and started really getting into the groove by the end of the day.

Having you give my bike a quick check also helped my trust in the tyres and the bike's suspension - cheers!

[UK_GSXR]

I would be very interested to hear how you get on. The Race Attack is very very sticky, so 4000km for the rear could be a stretch. Would you post an update at a later stage ?
That'd be grand :)

Sure thing Mishy, I'll post an update later this summer with how long I get on them.