Tyres for VFR 800?

[Paddi Irishman]

Personally I put nothing else on my bikes but bridgestone's...
I find the BT014 a good all round tyre...
better gripping (in the wet) and longer lasting than the 016's..
I ran a set of BT014 front and BT020 rear on a CBR600 i had and found it a great combination ......
i have tryed both Corsa's and super corsa's on the mille and hated both ,,,,
Felt they lacked feedback compared to the bridgestones...
And they seemed to lost grip on the wet after a few hundred miles of been new.. (not that the wet would be a major issue over with you's)....

[vifferman]

Personally I put nothing else on my bikes but bridgestone's...

You don't have a VFR800 listed as one of your bikes - do you have one?
The Bridgestones are a common fitment for the VFR, and they're OK, but they tend to 'scallop' the front tyre badly, making it handle a bit weird. This may contribute to the not uncommon trait of getting bar wobbles at ~70km/h, especially downhill with no hands on the 'bars.
I've had no such problems with the Storms, and haven't heard of it happening with the PR2s.

[Paddi Irishman]

What is "scallop"........

[Sidewinder]

What is "scallop"........

last i herd it was a type of sea food

[vifferman]

What is "scallop"........

It's what the Mrkns call the way the tread blocks wear unevenly and in an odd way, so that they're kinda dished, rather than flat (with respect to the tyre's circumference).
Apparently, it's something that happens with some tyres on bikes that tend to push the front a bit in corners. It's partly due to the suspension geometry of the bike, and partly due to tyre profile and construction (the way the belts run, flexibility, shape, running temperature, etc.)

[Paddi Irishman]

Yea got ya now viffer........

[Swoop]

Was over at Cycletreads a while back and they were running a special on PR2's.
Dunno if it is still on though.

[cowboyz]

making it handle a bit weird. This may contribute to the not uncommon trait of getting bar wobbles at ~70km/h, especially downhill with no hands on the 'bars.
I've had no such problems with the Storms, and haven't heard of it happening with the PR2s.

thats odd you say that about the storms as I have seen a heap of reports saying that the storms get a wobble as a matter of course.

Meanie run some on the concours14 and reported great tyre but didnt last and created a wobble.....

PR2 for the win.. cant fault them. (except the hiked price since ppl have found out how good they are.)

[vifferman]

thats odd you say that about the storms as I have seen a heap of reports saying that the storms get a wobble as a matter of course.

They've got something else happening - it's not the out-of-balance wobble that occurs with the Bridgestones and some other tyres - it's a tread-steer thing, where at low speeds (like walking speed) it wanders. I think it's due to the tread pattern, and it's not noticeable at higher speeds.
I'm on my second front Storm now, and still like them, but I'm interested in giving the PR2's a shot next time, or maybe those Angels.

It's always a bit of a gamble changing tyre brands or models, because people ride differently, and their experiences may vary depending on how the tyres were fitted, what pressures they tend to prefer, etc. The Avons generally don't like running at low pressures, particularly the front, possibly because they've got soft carcases?

[RavenR44]

Was over at Cycletreads a while back and they were running a special on PR2's.
Dunno if it is still on though.

Nope. Looks like retail is back at Cycletreads. I guess one could haggle, but if they're around at a better price elsewhere, might as well haggle there.

But thanks for the heads-up Swoop. I appreciate your input dude.

Cheers,
Andy.

[RavenR44]

They've got something else happening - it's not the out-of-balance wobble that occurs with the Bridgestones and some other tyres - it's a tread-steer thing, where at low speeds (like walking speed) it wanders. I think it's due to the tread pattern, and it's not noticeable at higher speeds.
I'm on my second front Storm now, and still like them, but I'm interested in giving the PR2's a shot next time, or maybe those Angels.

It's always a bit of a gamble changing tyre brands or models, because people ride differently, and their experiences may vary depending on how the tyres were fitted, what pressures they tend to prefer, etc. The Avons generally don't like running at low pressures, particularly the front, possibly because they've got soft carcases?

Whoa... you folks talk some seriously tech stuff. Maybe I should be hangin' out at "Motorcycles for Dummies dot co dot enzed" instead of round these here parts. Not that I don't appreciate the knowledge guys. I really do, but I may be seriously out of my depth.

[Rushes off to swot up on "mo'bikes in the early 21st century"]

[cowboyz]

They've got something else happening - it's not the out-of-balance wobble that occurs with the Bridgestones and some other tyres - it's a tread-steer thing, where at low speeds (like walking speed) it wanders. I think it's due to the tread pattern, and it's not noticeable at higher speeds.
I'm on my second front Storm now, and still like them, but I'm interested in giving the PR2's a shot next time, or maybe those Angels.

It's always a bit of a gamble changing tyre brands or models, because people ride differently, and their experiences may vary depending on how the tyres were fitted, what pressures they tend to prefer, etc. The Avons generally don't like running at low pressures, particularly the front, possibly because they've got soft carcases?

oh.. ok... Ive never run them myself. Like I say.. meanie (my neighbour even if he doesnt want to admit it) has had a couple and he likes them but the wobble was off putting.

I am a huge fan of PR2 PP2CT and Diablos. Even though all the reports say dont mix brands my bike handles like its on rails with a PR2 rear and a diablo front.

[Blackbird]

I've just finished testing the Avon VP2 Sport for the importer over their full life. To say that I'm impressed would be an understatement. I think that the test is going to appear in a national mag but will see if I can get permission to post it on KB. In the meantime, this is the link to the tech spec: http://www.avon-tyres.co.uk/motorcycle/vp2-sport.

They are a true sport tyre, not sport/touring but even so, they lasted longer than I thought they would have done given the weight of the 'bird and the fact that I was on a mission

[vifferman]

They are a true sport tyre, not sport/touring but even so, they lasted longer than I thought they would have done given the weight of the 'bird and the fact that I was on a mission

Interestering.
When my front Storm wore out, I asked the TyreFittingDude at Cycletreads if a Viper would be better, as it would be softer and so it would wear out faster (and hopefully at around the same time as the part-worn rear.
He said that the Viper would have trouble getting up to temperature (and stickiness) so wasn't ideal as a mostly communtering tyre.
In the past I've run sport front and sport-touring rear (done it three or four times now) and it's a good combo. Was offered the opportunity to have a Viper/Storm combo, and didn't take it, and don't regret it.

[kiwifruit]

I'd fit M3s or Avon vipers to my VFR800, if i had one.