It's a hard road finding the perfect tyre and it's a place I haven't been for a while.
A new chapter has started, with the recent fitment of a set of Conti Road Attack 2 GTs. http://bit.ly/A4vLxr
Basically these are Road Attack 2s that have been enhanced for heavier bikes. There's not a lot of review material published on these yet, although contributors to BMW and FJR forums who've fitted these seem to like them.
I'm learning that apart from Bridgestone sports tourers (universally bad tyres on any bike), it's hard to compare tyre models between bike models. I have just learned that with my last set of rubber: a set of Dunlop Sportmax Roadsmarts. The GSX1250FA was largely done with the rear after 4,500km. That's well short of the 10,000km I believe any credible sports touring tyre should offer as a minimum, and disappointing after how well they performed on an FJR1300T. It's also disappointing after the promise they offered in terms of handling and rideability on the Suzuki, which was quite outstanding.
So why the choice of Contis, Hitcher?
This is my fifth flirtation with Continental motorcycle tyres.
My first two encounters were sets of Road Attacks on an ST1300 and an FJR1300. I never recorded the mileage travelled on either occasion, but the ST and FJR ate the sides off the rear. They luffed the tread up magnificently and then buffed it off. Yuck. Big torquey bikes can be quite unforgiving of tyre construction that may work well on lighter Newton-metre-deprived machinery.
My third set was a set of Conti Motions on an Aprilia ST750 Shiver. Absolute and utter crap. Ambiguous handling at best in the dry and La La Land, Looney Tunes handling in the wet. I rode these in a wet and windy 2009 Grand Challenge which was edifying, and the ride home afterwards in torrentially wet weather was positively terrifying. Any hint whatsoever of moisture anywhere near the road surface induced epilepsy in the tyres. The Motions were cheap and highlighted to me the dangers of buying on price.
After a cooling off period, and a bit of online research, I was persuaded to fit a set of Road Attack 2s to the Shiver. A 120/70 on the front and a 190/50 on the rear. Absolute magic. I wrote these up back in the day http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...st-impressions. They were good enough to let me forgive a tyre manufacturer I had largely written off. I never rode these tyres to a normal conclusion, as they were part of the 16 October 2010 package deal.
The Road Attack 2s were just outstanding on the Shiver in wet, dry, scrunchy, and smooth conditions. Now with the promise of a construction that suits a heavier steed, I am giving Mr Continental a fifth opportunity to positively rock my world.
300km ridden so far and they are heading in the right direction. Dry road handling only, with a bit of two-up included. Mrs H says as a pillion they feel "really planted".
They steer well. That's a big plus for the GSX1250FA that needs all the help it can get in that department. Very predictable, sharp but not super quick, and with a nice smooth transition around their radius of curvature. In the dry they feel no sign of letting go. That trait makes me very happy, unlike Nicky Minaj. Braking is good. They're quiet and quite plush bouncing over cats-eyes and other similar road impediments.
I'd score them well: At least a 9 on the Hitcher scale (no wet road assessment yet in that score). But as is always the case, the final Hitcher Assessment Score is based on both performance and longevity. Watch this thread for updates as the Conti Road Attack 2 GT saga unfolds.
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Originally Posted by KoroJ
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