Rear rubber for me Hornet, track days?

[SPP]

Its got a 1 high, 1 block low thing going on with both tyres. They are a great wet and to and from work tyre. But on a hot day they feel to squirm. Not saying Im a Rossi though, just would prefer a different feel to em.

What, from new?... weird or did it wear that way?

Sounds very like rebound, stop playing with your clickers and get someone to help you set the bike up. Bike "squirms"? Unless you are on wets, tread pattern, compound and construction are unlikely to be at first fault- look at set up and pressures first.

Yeah, I saw a Dave Moss show where he pulled out a tyre that had that wear patten as an example of too loose rebound (pogo).

[nzspokes]

What, from new?... weird or did it wear that way?



Yeah, I saw a Dave Moss show where he pulled out a tyre that had that wear patten as an example of too loose rebound (pogo).

Not from new. have worn that way.

Will try rebound.

Pic is the rear after my track day. I was slow. Pressures on the day were 36r and 32f. I was told to leave it at that as I was in group 1.

[Ocean1]

Not from new. have worn that way.

Will try rebound.

Pic is the rear after my track day. I was slow. Pressures on the day were 36r and 32f. I was told to leave it at that as I was in group 1.

That's normal wear for a PR3. At least it's what I see on several bikes I ride with often, including mine, and there's not much wrong with my damping setup.

And I'd say the squirm you feel is pretty standard too. I don't dislike it, it represents a lot more feedback on what's going on down there than most alternatives, and weird as it might feel to start with I can't help but feel it's a good thing.

If you don't like it I can only suggest you stick with a sport/touring option, rather than fuck around with straight sports tyres that tend to perform better only in a narrow, (hot) range.

[SPP]

Will try rebound.

Pic is the rear after my track day. I was slow. Pressures on the day were 36r and 32f. I was told to leave it at that as I was in group 1.

Have someone bounce your bike and get it near. If it's AMCC ART day on the 12th then I think Nick Turner will be at that one. He usually does the suspension fiddling if you want him to.
or watch this

TBH funny tyre wear can sometimes be fixed with the throttle.

... and 32/36 sounds the wrong way 'round. Is that what you use on the street? and you like it?

[Crasherfromwayback]

... and 32/36 sounds the wrong way 'round. Is that what you use on the street? and you like it?

Whilst for my personal preference they're too high...I think the rear would always be very slightly higher than the front.

[Gremlin]

Suspension plays a large part of this mix, and you haven't mentioned if you're running standard or not.

Sticky tyres will simply put more pressure on the suspension... and as I know you commute on it, I'd probably go with sport touring, PR2 or Z8.

[nzspokes]

Suspension plays a large part of this mix, and you haven't mentioned if you're running standard or not.

Sticky tyres will simply put more pressure on the suspension... and as I know you commute on it, I'd probably go with sport touring, PR2 or Z8.

Stock rear shock with 1000lb spring (its a non-linkage bike), would like to try 1200lb. Front has Progressive brand springs with 10w oil lifted 25mm in height.

Ive set my rebound to just catch on the way up, it doesn't pogo for normal riding. The squirm is a sideways movement not up and down. But im open to ideas if ive got it wrong.

[nzspokes]

Have someone bounce your bike and get it near. If it's AMCC ART day on the 12th then I think Nick Turner will be at that one. He usually does the suspension fiddling if you want him to.
or watch this

TBH funny tyre wear can sometimes be fixed with the throttle.

... and 32/36 sounds the wrong way 'round. Is that what you use on the street? and you like it?

My throttle control is shit and is one of the reasons for going to track days. So good point.

Where do you think I should head for pressure?

[nzspokes]

Whilst for my personal preference they're too high...I think the rear would always be very slightly higher than the front.

What do you think I should start out with then?

Which brings up a point, what tyre pressure gauge should I run? Robert Taylor at one of his nights showed us a $300 one, but are there cheaper options?

[SPP]

Whilst for my personal preference they're too high...I think the rear would always be very slightly higher than the front.

me too but does 32 on the front seems low for a plodding and but ok for a fanger? ... and 36 rear seem ok for plodding and but high for a fanger?

I'd probably go with sport touring, PR2 or Z8.

Fair call, I watched one guy roll around pretty quick on PR2s too. At the last ART a fella on a Bandit 1250 with PR2s had it way over on turn 6, mind you I did think holy fuck I hope he doesn't fall over in front of me though.

My throttle control is shit and is one of the reasons for going to track days. So good point. Where do you think I should head for pressure?

The throttle comment wasn't supposed to come across all smart arse know all either.

I'm average paced as well, it's just a couple of years back I had a confidence knock and couldn't get comfortable. My tyres wore ugly; ramped sipe edge, debris then smooth patches, light banding etc so I went looking for the 'problem'. I fiddled with rebound, tyre pressure, compression and even body position but it turned out to be throttle. Once I'd decided fuck it and started rolling into it the tyre cleaned up, especially noticeable on the right side from of Turn 1 and Turn 6.

Pressure, dunno what ever floats your boat. I think starting out you'd probably want stability over outright grip and I'm guessing is the reason why ART told you to leave pressure alone for G1. They want you on a stable bike (and one you're familiar with) leaving you to concentrate on other things.

In saying that if you like the front at 32 then drop the rear to 32 and give it a burl. Just take it easy and feel out the difference. The lower you go on street and road tyres the less stable they become and I wouldn't go below 30 to start out with.

If you don't like it I can only suggest you stick with a sport/touring option, rather than fuck around with straight sports tyres that tend to perform better only in a narrow, (hot) range.

Seems solid. The only thing I'd add would be that when talking to people about tyres most of their comments focus around on grip and how they steer. I personally value stability and feel over outright grip (since they all grip like shit) and my favorite sport tyres excel in these two areas. That's not to say PR2 or Z8 don't and are probably more what he's looking for over a PR3 that squirms around.

[Ocean1]

me too but does 32 on the front seems low for a plodding and but ok for a fanger? ... and 36 rear seem ok for plodding and but high for a fanger?

Recommended pressures for PR3s on my machine is 34/38, and from messing around with them when first fitted that's a good start. For normal, unloaded road riding I use 32/36, much less than that on the front and you start to feel the sidewalls collapsing under peak load.

Seems solid. The only thing I'd add would be that when talking to people about tyres most people comments focus around on grip and how they steer. I personally value stability and feel over outright grip (since they all grip like shit) and my favorite sport tyres excel in these two areas. That's not to say PR2 or Z8 aren't and are probably more what he's looking for over a PR3 that squirms around.

PR3s are quite a bit different from their predecessors, in particular they're a lot lighter, which is why you can feel them move around a bit, it's not the tyre progressively "letting go", it's just flex in the carcase. Think you're right about grip and steer, but as you say any modern sports tyre has prodigious ultimate grip anyway, and how it steers is down to profile. At least new profile, it's not unusual to see pure sports tyres squared off so much as to be bloody horrible to ride.

So much of tyre preference is down to sub-conscious rationale that sometimes all you can say is "I don't like it", change to something else and move on.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Whilst for my personal preference they're too high...I think the rear would always be very slightly higher than the front.

I can't find my notes from when I had the Hornet but from memory at Levels on a warmish day I started at 32F 30R cold and then after the first session they were something like 36F and 34R.... something like that. rear was less than the front anyway by a couple because it got hotter due to my using the throttle instead of talent. and we know how that worked out. I did read somewhere about looking for around a 10% difference cold to hot.

[HenryDorsetCase]

What do you think I should start out with then?

Which brings up a point, what tyre pressure gauge should I run? Robert Taylor at one of his nights showed us a $300 one, but are there cheaper options?

http://www.ghmeiser.com/

I've used these for years. No complaints. From memory around $50

[SPP]

Recommended pressures for PR3s on my machine is 34/38, and from messing around with them when first fitted that's a good start. For normal, unloaded road riding I use 32/36, much less than that on the front and you start to feel the sidewalls collapsing under peak load.

PR3s are quite a bit different from their predecessors, in particular they're a lot lighter, which is why you can feel them move around a bit, it's not the tyre progressively "letting go", it's just flex in the carcase. Think you're right about grip and steer, but as you say any modern sports tyre has prodigious ultimate grip anyway, and how it steers is down to profile.

It's official then, I have no idea what pressure PR3s perform best at. 32/36 is quite a bit different from tyres I use.

I can't find my notes from when I had the Hornet but from memory at Levels on a warmish day I started at 32F 30R cold and then after the first session they were something like 36F and 34R.... something like that. rear was less than the front anyway by a couple because it got hotter due to my using the throttle instead of talent. and we know how that worked out. I did read somewhere about looking for around a 10% difference cold to hot.

Those are the pressures I would have expected for a trackday but hey, sounds like could be either-or. I heard the rule of thumb was ~5 psi gain from cold to straight off the track (or 3 psi from cold to hot off the warmers + another 2 psi from warmers to hot off the track) which is around 10%.

At least new profile, it's not unusual to see pure sports tyres squared off so much as to be bloody horrible to ride.

Commuting on a torquey bike certainly chops the centre out of a sport tyre pretty quick if you're heavy with the throttle. Some do better than others but they all seem to go that way eventually.

So much of tyre preference is down to sub-conscious rationale that sometimes all you can say is "I don't like it", change to something else and move on.

I reckon too. Oftentimes the 'best' tyre is the one you're most relaxed on.

[Gremlin]

Stock rear shock with 1000lb spring (its a non-linkage bike), would like to try 1200lb. Front has Progressive brand springs with 10w oil lifted 25mm in height.

Ive set my rebound to just catch on the way up, it doesn't pogo for normal riding. The squirm is a sideways movement not up and down. But im open to ideas if ive got it wrong.

Oooh no, I won't give anyone suspension setting advice, as I don't know enough. I do know that the whole setup, plus tyres plus tyre pressure have to be in harmony otherwise it's not going to work. In your position, I'd be finding a professional to look at your suspension setup to make sure you're on the right track, or if you have something way out of whack. Either way, it's going to be excellent for your mind to know it's right.

Fair call, I watched one guy roll around pretty quick on PR2s too. At the last ART a fella on a Bandit 1250 with PR2s had it way over on turn 6, mind you I did think holy fuck I hope he doesn't fall over in front of me though.

The current crop of sport touring tyres are actually excellent performers in a wide range of conditions. Obviously they have limits, but I think a 100HP Hornet that isn't racing, is well within the sport touring envelope. The Hornet's budget suspension is the biggest issue, as it's going to make the tyres work harder (although spokes has changed this).

Road factory recommended pressures for the Hornet is 36/42, tyre manufacturers advise you to follow motorcycle manufacturer recommendations. Track work changes this obviously, and the recommended pressure will vary from tyre to tyre.

I reckon too. Oftentimes the 'best' tyre is the one you're most relaxed on.

Absolutely agree there. The mind is a powerful thing, and if it has doubts, you're pushing shit up hill. Remove those doubts and you're already better off.