Yes I'm living the dream. After two previous attempts I'm about to wear out a set of Conti Road Attack 2s.
With 10,000km achieved, you will note from the attached photos that they're not looking too shabby. The rear is squaring off but still has a reassuring amount of tread left where it's needed. The front is hardly worn at all. Indeed it took about 6,000km to wear off the maker's embossed name.
Almost all of those 10,000km have been completed on dry summer roads. Three weekends ago it was quite wet coming from Dannevirke to Eketahuna via a backroad or two. Saturday just gone was also wet, so I've done my wet evaluations at the twilight of these tyres' career. One of those stints involved a two-up burst with my Most Favourite Pillion astern.
So how have they gone? I generally assess sports touring tyres using two criteria: rideability/handling and wear. For the purposes of this evaluation I'll also throw price into the mix, as that was the clincher when I was tossing up which make to fit.
Handling? Hard to fault. They stuck like a Canadian's tongue to a car door lock in the middle of winter right out of the box. They've never looked like letting go in any generally accepted riding condition. Somebody who has been riding them has unashamedly obliterated any rear chicken strips. When I meet him he'll be getting a stern talking to. These Contis are quiet, sharp, nimble, and predictable under all conditions, including hard braking through a corner. Vastly better than the Dunlop Sportmax Dualpros they replaced. Standard fitment on the Z1000 is 190/50 rear and 120/70 front. They've been happiest at 36psi at the front and 40psi at the rear. I'll score them 9 out of 10.
Wear? I reckon there's about another 2,000km left on the rear. 12,000km out of a rear tyre is pretty good, particularly on a Z1000 (ZR1000B) that hasn't exactly been nursed over a summer's riding. I'll score them 8.5 out of 10.
Price? Without giving away too many trade secrets, these were fitted for $30 a set less than the next lowest priced option. I'll score them 9.5 out of 10.
So on balance, I'll score these 9 out of 10.
That should set the bar at a good point of comparison for my next set. Those will be free, thanks Eurotreads, as I recently won a Kiwi Biker competition to test ride and evaluate Mr Bridgestone's latest sports touring offering. I can hardly wait!
So, you're asking, what was the story with the first two sets of Conti Road Attack 2s I've had? Set one went west when a brain haemorrhage interrupted a ride on my Aprilia Shiver on a northern Wairarapa back road (Road Attack 2 190/50 rear, 120/70 front). The second set adorned my GSX1250FA that was unceremoniously squished under the drive wheels of a Kenworth in the main street of Pahiatua (Road Attack 2 GTs, 180/55 rear, 120/70 front). Such is life.
In the market for a set of sports touring tyres? You won't go wrong with a set of Conti Road Attack 2s.
Photos: Front, rear and rear
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Originally Posted by mulletman
since winding our clocks back my days' commute begins pre dawn and ends after sundown, so I havent made the effort to check the tyre with a torch or in daylight 
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