Bridgestone Battlax T30 on a Kawasaki Z1000 (ZR1000B)

[JayRacer37]

11,500km and off they come. Many thanks to Eurotreads for these.

On Friday a new set of T30s replace them. With a $83 price difference on a set between those and my "other" choice of tyre, it's no contest.

Let it be known that this is the FIRST EVER time I have spent cash money on a set of Bridgestones, despite having ridden many thousands of kilometres atop them. Mr Bridgestone now knows how to make a sports touring tyre that I am happy to ride, which is more than can be said for the absolutely egregious 020s, 021s and 022s that preceded them.

That's really brilliant Hitcher, I'm chuffed. Thanks very much for your reports over this period.

[kiwi cowboy]

That's really brilliant Hitcher, I'm chuffed. Thanks very much for your reports over this period.

They appear to pretty good at touring but I think jay racer should chuck a rear at a racer with a fzr and see how they go on trackpmsl

[haydes55]

This thread is perfect. My PR3s on my Z1000 have worn pretty quickly, I often ride long rides on warmer days where the tire gets quite warm, the PR3 has been chewed up so looking at sportier tires but still want some wet weather grip and longevity. T30s or conti road attacks are on the short list.

My PR3s have been on for about 6000km and the front won't pass a warrant and the rear is borderline.

I think a lot of that tire wear has to do with my suspension in serious need of some Dr. Taylor loving.

[insomnia01]

I've got similar miles out of my set & have a new set going on 24th Feb before heading down south isld & doing a week in northland I found a $45 difference between my "Other " tyre & these

[haydes55]

Just slapped a pair of T30's on my Z1000.... Great day for scrubbing in a new set of tyres.... Nooot.

Noted my milage and will see how I compare.

Also, before I read through the thread again. Tyre pressures, did you do some trial and error and find what you liked best? I'm thinking of starting at 36/38psi.

[Owl]

Just slapped a pair of T30's on my Z1000....

Interested to see how you get on.

While I've never had PR3's, my last PR2's lasted 13,000km front & rear. The T30 rear I've just replaced lasted 8600km and front is still going strong.

[Hitcher]

Tyre pressures, did you do some trial and error and find what you liked best? I'm thinking of starting at 36/38psi.

Call me misguided, but I reckon that tyre manufacturers probably spend a bit of time and probably money working out what pressures work best when their tyres are fitted to different makes and models of motorcycle. That has always been my starting point for every type of tyre I've ever fitted. Some times I end up running them a couple of psi harder at the rear. Other than when I owned an ST1300, I've never run a front tyre harder than 36psi.

Anyhoo, back to haydes' premise: 36/38 will be an OK place to start with a Z1000. I reckon you'll find that rear feels a bit more linear in most conditions when it's pumped to somewhere between 40 and 42. Any harder than that and you'll probably observe a multiplication effect with the already harsh stock rear suspension.

I know what the front feels like at 40 and 42, thanks to my workshop team misreading the pressure gauge. Too quick and skitterish, is the answer. 36psi is just perfect unless you want your Z to oversteer like fuck and be really jittery under braking.

[GrayWolf]

Well I have had a discusson with J at TSS (Andrew's son) and contrary to what you would expect, I have now got a T30 on the rear of the MT-01.
Counter intuitive? We have tried harder compound tyres, the last of which was a massive fail (see my review/note on the Shinko Verge 016 apex2)

Rational for this is, to see if the softer compound will absorb the 'pulsing' of a big V twin with a lot of torque that seems to be causing the harder rubber compounds to 'break up'.

Diablo's were destroyed by the MT, BT023's have given reasonable service, but I have never gotten close to the mileages Hitcher has achieved with the T30's on his kwaka. Seems NZ's 'spray n chip' road surfaces and big twins 'tires' dont mix too well.

I've been using a T30 on the front with reasonable success, and thats been lasting on a ratio of 2+rear to 1 front.

[george formby]

Seems NZ's 'spray n chip' road surfaces and big twins 'tires' dont mix too well.

My thought's, too.

I posted up in a recent T30 GT review thread that my rear (tire) chatters in bumpy corners. Checked the pressures & they are 36 / 38. I have had a twiddle with my shock settings, easy on my bike, soft or hard. So soft we are today. Off for a tootle shortly to see what difference it makes.
The tires are wearing well, not as much damage from the granite chip as previous BT's. No apparent damage from wheel spinning in gravel either.

[haydes55]

4500km update. T30's are wearing very evenly, about 10mm at the sides and 12mm in the center. Very obvious line where the compounds change soft to hard. Still loving them, way more grip than PR3's, wearing much better and just as good in the wet (for my speed wet riding anyway).

The images take ages to load, so cbf loading the image of the front tire. But looks more worn on the edges than the center, managed to get some rubber rolling off through coromandel yesterday into whangamata, even with the traffic.

I'll be replacing these with another set of the same, reckon I have another 3000km in them yet though.

[mossy1200]

Well I have had a discusson with J at TSS (Andrew's son) and contrary to what you would expect, I have now got a T30 on the rear of the MT-01.
Counter intuitive? We have tried harder compound tyres, the last of which was a massive fail (see my review/note on the Shinko Verge 016 apex2)

Rational for this is, to see if the softer compound will absorb the 'pulsing' of a big V twin with a lot of torque that seems to be causing the harder rubber compounds to 'break up'.

Diablo's were destroyed by the MT, BT023's have given reasonable service, but I have never gotten close to the mileages Hitcher has achieved with the T30's on his kwaka. Seems NZ's 'spray n chip' road surfaces and big twins 'tires' dont mix too well.

I've been using a T30 on the front with reasonable success, and thats been lasting on a ratio of 2+rear to 1 front.

Had conti road attackIIs on mine. Real nice to ride on. 4tho km only though.

[george formby]

. Very obvious line where the compounds change soft to hard.

Concur. Big difference in compound, too. Me edges are scalloping but the middle looks like new. Thinking of playing with lower pressure in the rear to mitigate the stiff caracass & give my old, tired shock a breather.

[haydes55]

Concur. Big difference in compound, too. Me edges are scalloping but the middle looks like new. Thinking of playing with lower pressure in the rear to mitigate the stiff caracass & give my old, tired shock a breather.

I've been running the rear at 40 psi. I would go lower, but it's never lacked grip, and I adjusted the crap out of my rebound on the rear shock (rebound was way too fast/hard), so no issue with the shock lacking comfort.

If the sides wear out faster than the center, that's no worry. At least the center didn't wear out before the sides. The center has never lacked grip, wet or spirited dry riding, so for my riding, I don't need a sport tire, nor could I sacrifice a couple thousand K's of tire life.

[BlackSheepLogic]

I've been running the rear at 40 psi. I would go lower, but it's never lacked grip, and I adjusted the crap out of my rebound on the rear shock (rebound was way too fast/hard), so no issue with the shock lacking comfort.

I'm running 42 psi at the moment and very happy with the T30's. Done a little over 3,000K.

[mossy1200]

Every ones gunna be mossy hating now.

I ordered a s20evo rear.

I don't do that many kms per year so I rather they were worn out and replaced than got old.