BT 016 Pros

[slofox]

Had a set of these fitted this morning. Didn't fall off on the way home so I guess they are OK...

Always nice to get that smooooooth transition from one side to the other.

Had all the dire warnings about "new tyres" - as usual. To be honest, I usually forget they are new after about ten minutes and just treat 'em as usual. So far so good.

[Latte]

You've had a few sets of 16's now. Have you had the oem or the standards prior to this?

On to the S20's next

[SVboy]

I trying some road 2s on the 750 after chopping out a set of 016s in short order. My first foray into sports touring tyres-I am a bit nervous but they seem to have a great rep....

[Latte]

shoulders 1st? My front tire still has plenty of meat in the ,middle, but the sides are completely bad. Got a trackday and 2500k out of it.

[SVboy]

Sadly no-centre first-I did a lot of road kms this season-spent a bit of time on track to try and maintain the profile-but alas the dreaded canterbury flat spot couldnt be stopped!

[LBD]

I loved the 016s on the monster, the feel was great....but yes, one track day and the sides of the front were shredded and the back was on the way...still plenty in the middle of the front tire despite a lot of hard braking.

[slofox]

You've had a few sets of 16's now. Have you had the oem or the standards prior to this?

On to the S20's next

shoulders 1st? My front tire still has plenty of meat in the ,middle, but the sides are completely bad. Got a trackday and 2500k out of it.

This is set No. 6 on this bike. I've put on five of those sets. They've all been standard - not OEM.

I find the front goes out on the shoulders and the back in the middle. Must be a hinge in the bike or something...

S20's next time. If I can afford to keep the bike going.

[SVboy]

Please keep it going at least until you can review the new s20s-then your work here is done!!!

[slofox]

Please keep it going at least until you can review the new s20s-then your work here is done!!!

The 016's usually gave me about 9000km although the last set only managed 8000 for some reason. Maybe because I pulled them off BEFORE the steel belt started poking out...

These Pro's are supposed to do better km's so it might be 10,000k before I swap to the 20's.

[300weatherby]

I trying some road 2s on the 750 after chopping out a set of 016s in short order. My first foray into sports touring tyres-I am a bit nervous but they seem to have a great rep....

Ran Road 2's on the Busa for a couple of years, very good allround tyre, not quite up to it on the track though, not on the Busa anyhow, lighter bike should be good- in the real world they up to fanging hard as you like and they are real good in the wet. They don't have the nice predictable slide up front like the BT016, when the limit is reached they will let go quick.
My two cents!

[SVboy]

Ran Road 2's on the Busa for a couple of years, very good allround tyre, not quite up to it on the track though, not on the Busa anyhow, lighter bike should be good- in the real world they up to fanging hard as you like and they are real good in the wet. They don't have the nice predictable slide up front like the BT016, when the limit is reached they will let go quick.
My two cents!

You saw the state of the 016s! Had to try something different! Hopefully wont be finding the limit!

[slofox]

So after two truncated rides on the new tyres, I thought they were ready for the road test. Rode Arapuni Road from Kihikihi (wide sweepy road) to Maungatautari Rd (tighter, narrower...and inclined to new loose chip seal metal without signage...or sweeping ) and back to The Tron via Leamington.

The pressures were same as I always did on the old 016's - 35psi front and 40psi rear. Pretty cold morning too (ca. 8C)

These are confidence inspiring tyres. Despite the cold start.

As with all new tyre sets, the roll from one side to the other is always so much better than with the old set. Initially, I thought this was just the unworn profile of the new tyre. But after getting to Pukeatua on an...errm..."dream run?"..., I realised that the Pro's seemed to keep rolling over more steadily as you leaned. It seemed more progressive than the old ones ever did. In the tighter bits of Maungatautari Road, the roll from side to side just seemed easier. Maybe the shape holds better under load or maybe I am imagining things. But I still like the tyre.

Now this might all disappear in a couple of weeks and turn out to be bullshit, but I did like riding on these. They felt really secure.

More later as wear takes place...(if I remember that is...)

[slofox]

I really do like these tyres. They feel more planted all round than did the standard 016's.

I'd love to try them out on Hampton Downs now.

[slofox]

Had a run on wet road this morning - not really soaked but more greasy - light rain/heavy mist on a road that has been dry for a week or more. Usually the worst case scenario.

Pretty good reallly. Lean angles were the same (not excessive in my case anyway), grip remained stable, no hint of sliding out or anything untoward due to lean.

Throttle was critical though. I managed to break traction a couple of times - overtaking the first time, in second with max throttle, lost the back briefly. No real drama - it didn't skitter off any and settled back down immediately with a little less stick. Second time was in a corner but gentle enough - nothing calamitous. Same remedy as above. Just a matter of taking the stick easy.

Still happy with the Pro's.