Feck! Arse! Tyres!

[wkid_one]

Originally posted by Yamahamaman
However to qualify - if there was diesel on the road (spilled from a passing (overfilled) bus or other stinking diesel powered vehicle - or even placed by the Boy Racer brigade) then it would not have mattered what the Suzi was shod with - the result would be the same more than likely. 

Amen to that - I was riding fucken hot M1's when I hit diesel - no chance

[750Y]

Originally posted by matthewt
Don't even consider commuting in the wet with diablo corsas, have you seen the sides of the front tyre ??

I commuted in the wet with Diablo Corsas 80k round trip many times. The only problem came from the odd diesel, but aside from that they're sweet as. I wouldn't recommend them for commuting because they won't last(unless you're rich) but I would consider a Diablo Corsa front & Diablo rear as a good combo on the road. my only negative comment about the diablo corsa is that they don't have the best feedback and maybe aren't the best wet tyre.
The Avon AV49/50s are a good tyre with surprising grip but again a little lacking in the wet. the front profile makes them feel a little weird too.
The Bridgestone BT010 are an excellent tyre and very good in the wet and last well too. I'd recommend these for sporty road riding.
Believe it or not Dunlop D207RR is a top tyre, lasts medium but grips always and awesome in the wet/cold along with wicked feedback. probably my favourites. and no they're nothing like standard 207 or 208s. I love those tyres best of all on road but they're not making them anymore 8-(
I have only heard good things about M1s except complaints about longevity.
I didn't mention race tyres here because I don't think they apply in a road environment so much, unless You are pretending to be a racer on the road. Race tyres for race track,road tyres for road. racing on the track not the road, keep it real.
anyways that's my .02.

[wkid_one]

I think some people are getting confused here - the DiabloSuperCorsa is basically a cut slick with NO and I mean NO water grooves within 1 - 1.5 inches to the edge of the tyre - and that which it does have are next to bloody useless is the wet anyway. The SuperCorsa is marked 'Race Track Only' - by Pirelli.   The Corsa is classed a Road Race Tyre by Pirelli



Standard Diablo



Diablo Corsa



Diablo SuperCorsa

 

[matthewt]

Actually the bottom photos are for the old Dragon Evo SuperCorsas, you can see the much different tread pattern. The MV came stock with Dragon Evos Corsas (not supercorsas). You can only get old stock in these now as the diablos replace the evo range.

[twistymover]

My MeZ4s that came with my bike have been excellent in wet and dry conditions. They are also steel belted so that punctures are less likely to happen. My vfr seems to handle ok, but I guess there is always a better tyre around. If you're happy, why change.
Is there anyone with a vfr 750 or 800 who could recommend a good tyre for the bike that is better than the MeZ4s?

[750Y]

Originally posted by matthewt
Actually the bottom photos are for the old Dragon Evo SuperCorsas, you can see the much different tread pattern. The MV came stock with Dragon Evos Corsas (not supercorsas). You can only get old stock in these now as the diablos replace the evo range.

Yeah those bottom ones are Pirelli Evo SC's.(same compound as rennsports). I don't think they make a "diablo Super Corsa" as such.

[wkid_one]

Yeah they do and the tread pattern is as shown

[merv]

Originally posted by twistymover

Is there anyone with a vfr 750 or 800 who could recommend a good tyre for the bike that is better than the MeZ4s?

If you saw my earlier posts on tyres you will see I said MEZ4 were crap compared to the MEZ2 they replaced so sadly you can't buy the MEZ2 any more. My complaint about MEZ4 is they are so hard in the carcass that they chatter round curves that are even vaguely corrugated and then the rubber in them was too soft for long life - only went 2/3 the distance the old MEZ2 did. So they didn't feel as good and didn't do the distance so they had neither quality of stickiness nor long life. They felt like a hard slippery tyre that you would think would last forever, but no thye are crap. Therefore for my VFR I changed to Michelin Macadam 100X which have a nice feel and hopefully will last the distance. Basically as a sport tourer rider (and a tight arse) I don't like buying tyres too often but I still want them to grip at a reasonable, if not race speed around corners.

[750Y]

Originally posted by wkid_one
Yeah they do and the tread pattern is as shown

well there you go then, i was wrong.

[Coldkiwi]

Originally posted by matthewt
Don't even consider commuting in the wet with diablo corsas, have you seen the sides of the front tyre ??
.

I appreciate the concerns guys but given that I've been commuting half teh winter on a dragon evo supercorsa on the Zx-6R (that looks precisely like that bottom photo incidentally) on the front, being on a diablo corsa front doesn't phase me at all. I don't fang in the wet anyway so i don't need that last inch of sea tread. horses for courses... or is that corsa's?

I am still deciding between a rear diabo or Diablo corsa. After my little spin (literally) last week I think the added confidence the corsa would give the rear end would be well appreciated at the expense of a quicker replacement. The standard diablo would definitely be the sensible choice if i didn't feel quite so nervous about the back of my bike.

 

[Coldkiwi]

Originally posted by Yamahamaman
I do not believe that Dunlop is the fault as I have always used D207/D206/D208 depending on which was availbable at the time. Probably choose D220 for the next set. Remember the saying; "A bad mechanic always blames his tools". 

yeah. you make a good point. I appreciate that not all dunlops are as crusty as the ones the GSXR came with (I'm sure a few are phenomonal )but it really comes down to what I'm going to feel the most confident on. Pirelli's for me have been quite forgiving and provided good feedback and reasonable wear. My few experiences on Dunlops have ended up with my ass on the ground.

As i posted elsewhere, the tyres weren't the only reason I hit the deck (i'm not that much of a bad mechanic) but once I'd screwed up by putting too much power down they didn't give me enough information to do anything useful about it. Hwne i had my scare at puke in similar circumstances but in the wet, I felt it early enough to back off the gas and not get thrown and I was on the dragons so I can only assume things would've been different last week if the GSXR was similarlly shod... maybe not but its my theory!

 

[madandy]

And I thought the mez4's on my bike were alright!but now I think about it they DO skip around in corrugated bends and the front tyre gives no feedback at all under brakes.I saw these tyres advertised for $500/pair(probably a rip-off) in last weeks Motorcycle trader...is there a better set for that price?I commute(open raod 20mins.) mostly with some tentative hooning after work, on the way home...only had the bike a week, now.

[merv]

Originally posted by madandy
And I thought the mez4's on my bike were alright!but now I think about it they DO skip around in corrugated bends and the front tyre gives no feedback at all under brakes.

Problem for me was I had MEZ2 before the MEZ4. At the time I got the MEZ2 they replaced the OEM Dunlops (can never remember the model seeing that was way back when I bought the bike) and Carl from Sawyers (now at Motorad which now has Sawyers next door) recommended the change to Metzeler for the kind of riding I do which isn't 11/10 like Wkid. The minute I rode out the door I could feel the difference, the MEZ2 made the VFR run like it was on rails and they gripped like crazy. Surprise was they outlasted the Dunlops and by then I was getting more used to the bike and probably on average rode faster than I had when I first bought the bike.

Then I got the MEZ4 because they were the replacement model for the MEZ2 - but as I keep saying the MEZ4 feel far to hard and skittery and don't give the same confidence with grip. I moaned at Forbes and Davies the importers and got told they had a harder carcass with softer rubber - so what the hell is the use of that so I told them I would not be buying their tyres again. I would only like a hard tyre for being soft on my wallet but this wasn't the case - they felt crap and only did 2/3 the kms riding the same bike under the same conditions.

The Michelins I have now feel a much softer construction and grip well but the bike does seem to move around a bit more so I countered that by winding my rear shock damping up about a 1/4 turn. I guess with the Metzelers being a bit firmer I had run the suspension a bit softer and now I'm doing the opposite.

The VFR to me anyway is a well balanced and easy bike to ride with no strange handling tendencies and I don't want tyres making a difference to that.

[LB]

I've got a Pirelli GTS on the rear, and a Diablo on the front of the Duc. Only had the Diablo on for 1500kms but some of that was on cold wet road and it seemed fine. Mind you, I don't corner hard, I always have a chicken strip between half and one centimetre. Got the GTS fitted halfway through a South Island tour when the original Evo wore through after 4200kms.

On my Beemer I run Michelin Pilot Roads (prior to that ran Macadams but I understand they don't make them any more, and the Pilot Road is the replacment). They last for ages, yet have not let go on me once. Bear in mind though that I don't ride as hard as some of you guys.

MERV: nice to catch up with you at lunchtime.

Lynda

[jrandom]

Well, thanks for all the responses guys. I guess I should have called Leading Edge first before worrying - just spoke to the nice chappie there and I'll be getting a pair of Pirelli MT75s fitted this arvo for $240, which is quite a result IMO. But yes, for those of little faith among ye, there *is* a range of supersport tyres available to fit the RGV/FXR 150s

"The Pirelli MT75 was developed for small and medium sport and sport touring bikes. It has a modern, aggressive tread pattern that ensures a high level of both dry and wet weather performance. The MT75 provides excellent handling, superior grip and traction in corners and good mileage."

Sounds like just the ticket. Super-stickies were a bit of a pipe dream anyway.