Big Ol' Hornet gets his 2nd pair of dancing shoes!

[gijoe1313]

Well thanks to the good man at Drury tyres ... my Big Ol'Hornet has new front and back Metzers! :yes: The rear was looking a little bare and since I was there, might as well have a new front to stop the stupidity of stopping my riding again to have it done! :sweatdrop

Excellent service, great conversation and the assurance of a job well done. And best of all, the Hunuas to scrub the tyres in! Actually the gorge is a bit of a bastich to ride at the moment with the new seal ... the heat is melting the bitumen and causing stones to flick up ... ring a ding a ding into the pipes and radiator guard! :oi-grr:

Well, what can I say, I'm a soufsider biker and I guess ya gotta use what you have in your own backyard.

Right, 10 000 more reasons to go off on a pootles again! :innocent:

[naphazoline]

i just got my second back tyre for the blade today.

it had a metzler z6 190/50/17 that i felt was not that good in the corners.IE:reluctant to turn in past a certain lean angle.

after plenty of questions,and research,i decided to get another z6 metzler,(as i got over 9000kms out of the 190),but in a 180/55/17 profile.

i haven't had much of a ride other then riding home from the shop,as i've got the bloody flu' for the first time in ten years,but i can't wait to see what sort of a difference it will make :)

[mouldy]

Metzler has an L in it .

[howdamnhard]

[QUOTE=gijoe1313;1827674]
Excellent service, great conversation and the assurance of a job well done. And best of all, the Hunuas to scrub the tyres in! Actually the gorge is a bit of a bastich to ride at the moment with the new seal ... the heat is melting the bitumen and causing stones to flick up ... ring a ding a ding into the pipes and radiator guard! :oi-grr:

Lucky you got that radiator guard then.:clap:

[naphazoline]

Metzler has an L in it .

is that a bad thing??? i'll be checking mine,and if it's got anything in it,ill be asking for my money back:killingme

[vifferman]

It also has three (3!) E's: Metzeler :yes:

[Trudes]

You must let us know again next time you're in Welly Justin (as long as it's not like 1am or something!) Would love to catch up and get the big ol' Hornets together!

[naphazoline]

It also has three (3!) E's: Metzeler :yes:

my tyre's spinning to fast for me to get my spelling right :o

[James Deuce]

Z6's are horrible. Sportec M1s can be got for $435 a pair.

[naphazoline]

Z6's are horrible. Sportec M1s can be got for $435 a pair.

z6's can't be that bad. it's the most popular tyre sold at the local honda shop.

M1's don't last as long,do they?
what are they like in the wet?

[TerminalAddict]

I'm running a M1 / Z6 combo . .seems to do the job mkay

got 9800 kms from it

Takes much longer to get to temperature than say an M3 .. but seems to be just as reliable once warm

[naphazoline]

I'm running a M1 / Z6 combo . .seems to do the job mkay

got 9800 kms from it

Takes much longer to get to temperature than say an M3 .. but seems to be just as reliable once warm


i got a m3 on the front as part of a pair when i got the 190.
done over 9000kms,and the m3 has got heaps of life left :)

[James Deuce]

z6's can't be that bad. it's the most popular tyre sold at the local honda shop.

M1's don't last as long,do they?
what are they like in the wet?

I just got 7000kms out of a set. I'm pretty gentle on tyres though. They cost me $400 inc GST for a pair and there's probably at least another 3000kms left in the front, but at that price (now $439) I'll just change both at the same time with all the benefits that go with that. They're great in the wet and no dramas in wet and very cold conditions. Best of all, on a sunny weekend day, you won't be blaming tyres if anything goes pear shaped.

Z6s feel vague to me, and make a heap of road noise. I don't like turning in and then having the tyre catch up a few milliseconds later. They do last a lot longer then M1s, though I don't reckon economy should be the main driver for buying a tyre. Even if I am going on about getting M1s cheap.

Having said that, getting a third more distance out of a set of tyres for 50% more of the price seems to be enough to convince people who will only use the latest and greatest sports tyre technology. The M1s are better than the slicks I used in the early 90s, by a big margin. I found them so confidence inspiring that I was smacking footpeg feelers into the ground really hard without even trying to do it. I don't know how the tyre magicians do it, but I hope they keep doing it for some time to come.

[naphazoline]

good info there bro.i'll be looking to try some different tyres when i have to change my front,so i'll keep them in mind

[Hitcher]

Metzler has an L in it .

Metzelers has three Es...

And I found the Z6 the best tyre choice for my ZRX1200R.

[ritchtheitch]

Hey James Deuce, curious as to why you went M1's not M3's - what's your reasoning on that? (I have no experience with either) And you had previously had Avon Vipers? - how do your M1's compare..?
The guy that sold me my z750 was pretty keen to tell that Bridgestones were the only profile that worked for him and his bike. (I have 021's) Rich

[AllanB]

I have not tried the Z6, however I was in a workshop a few months ago and they were servicing a set of hire bikes fitted with new rear pilot roads (the old ones) - I asked re tyres and the service man stated they used to use to use Z6's but will not any more as they wore in an uneven manner (shredded the outsides) - possibly due to the course southern chip.
Anyone had this happen in the Lower South Island?

I'm running Pilot Road2's on my Hornet 900. I am very happy with these hoops. :banana:

[James Deuce]

Hey James Deuce, curious as to why you went M1's not M3's - what's your reasoning on that? (I have no experience with either) And you had previously had Avon Vipers? - how do your M1's compare..?

The guy that sold me my z750 was pretty keen to tell that Bridgestones were the only profile that worked for him and his bike. (I have 021's) Rich


I went for the M1s on price and having tried them on a mate's Guzzi. I'd love to stick with the Vipers, but it's been a bit tight this year ;) .

The OEM fitment Bridgestones (BT012R, BT019F) for the Zed are awesome, but a weird mix and are really expensive. The 021s would suit it really well I would imagine.

The M1s have been brilliant though, and are really stable under hard braking, change direction quickly, and feel really secure when you're on your ear. The Viper's feel "taller" somehow, but are still superb on the Zed and are probably better in the wet than the M1s.

I've had 4 sets of tyres on the Zed in 29,000kms, so the M1s are only about 250kms under average tyre life for the Zed and how I ride it. I reckon the M3s would probably wear quicker than the M1s.

[AllanB]

All the company blurbs and Internet warble claim the M3's outlast the older M1's. This stands to reason as the M3's are newer technology - in theory stickier, quicker warm-up, better in the wet and longer lasting - amazing what the chemists do!

Mind you tyre talk is a bit like internet dating .."of course dear, I am 6 foot 2 and look like Hugh Jackmans twin...."

[James Deuce]

I can buy 4.5 sets of M1s for the price 2.75 sets of M3s. The M3s would have to do 12-15,000kms to make it worth my while. I don't see it happening.

[AllanB]

I can buy 4.5 sets of M1s for the price 2.75 sets of M3s. The M3s would have to do 12-15,000kms to make it worth my while. I don't see it happening.


And there's the truth of it - there is nothing wrong with a set of M1's, and chances are they are more of a tyre than most of us can use on the road.
I went from 'sport' tyres to the PR2's (sport touring) and frankly they stick just as well and will last twice as long, plus I prefer the way they allow me to turn the bike in - not the tyre flopping the bike over as many sport profiles do. If you are not pushing very hard on the road then IMO pure sport tyres are a overkill.