? for v-twin sportbike riders.

[boris]

i have a shenko on the back of my sv650 it has done about 10000k so far but i dont think it will get another wof.I ride close to the speed limit and hardly ride on wet roads so i have no problems with it,will get another because they are cheaper than most other tyres.

[Kiwi]

I have Metzler M1 SportTec on my Ducati – awesome, good grip in the rain, the tyre warms very quickly up. Back not more then 3500 km for the back (depends on your riding style)

See ya
Kiwi

[vifferman]

given how hard the V twins seem to be on rear tyres--what about those Shenko tyres--as i understand it they are heaps cheaper and are like the old Yoki's for stick

Well, my VFR had Shinko (I take it that's what you mean, unless there's another tyre with a stupid name?) Podiums on when I got it, and I thought they were OK, but never felt comfortable. I thought, "Oh well, at least they're probebly cheap and will last well."
Nah. 12 months and they were toast.
Replaced with Azaros (AV35/AV36) and they were heaps better, and looked really funky with the wide asymmetrical stipes (rain grooves) on the rear. They lasted just over a year.
Then I tried the BT012F/BT020R combo, and went WOW! Great for grip and handling. Unfortunately I can't say what mileage is like, as I smacked the VFR up when they were barely scrubbed in.
I'd never try Stinkos again, unless they've radically improved. Compared with other modern rubber, they just didn't cut it for me. They would've been OK (maybe) if I'd at least got good mileage, but I didn't. So why ride on something that feels unsettled and gives average wear? I'd rather pay the extra for something good, given that my life depends on a few square cm of rubber on the road...

[wkid_one]

Hey Tiller. Have tryed all the tyres mentioned & all have their good & bad point's . Myself Mz1 front & Pirelli SuperCorsa rear . Work's for me .You could try some different setting's with your suspension in the backend may help Sensei NP

Personally - I would NEVER recommend running different tyres - you can run in to all sorts of problems......uneven grip qualities, inefficient clearing of water in the wet, uncomplimentary profiles, uneven wear patterns, uneven rolling diameters etc etc.

My opinion only....

[Jinx3d]

WHen I bought my bike it had a pirelli GTS on the front and an evo on the back! WHy put a sticky tyre on the back??

Front was getting pushed around (the back tyre was new, the front 3/4 worn)

Back tyre is 1/2 knackered at 2000km

Like you I cant afford to put sport tyres on my bike, I only put the corsa on because the back was new and I didnt want to repeat the mistake of a touring tyre on the front and a sport tyre on the back.

I want to put on a set of Metzeler Z6 next time. They get good reviews. Available from that place in henderson.

Have a Pirelli corsa on the front now. Very confidence inspiring - grips like epoxy.
I am also tempted by the shinko's - they are almost half the price for a set compared with other tyres.

All in all - I'm going to try the Z6's next time.

Mike. PS - TL's rule. *grin*

[Sensei]

Hey Wkid One . Have been doing this for over 25 year's . If I wasn't getting really cheap race tryes of Shop here in town . Might pay out for some new rubber Cheers Sensei

[wkid_one]

Mate I said it was my opinion. Quite frankly I hope no new riders on the board listen to yours - it is poor form to suggest running diff tyres front and rear. Like running diff front tyres on your car - just plain stupid. It only has to catch you out once - to be one time too many

I wouldn't be running race tyres on the road either for that matter! Been there done that with the RS2's - don't keep enough heat no matter how hard you ride em.

ALl I will say is good luck gambling with your life - it is yours to choose. Remember - tyres are designed, testing and sold in pairs for a reason!

[Sensei]

Hey Wkid what type of bike do you ride ? Sensei

[wkid_one]

Mate - getting defensive - I am entitled to an opinion other than yours....

RVF at the mo......when it is assembled. Rode R1 for 6 months and VTR for 2 years

[Sensei]

Wkid no worrys > Don't tell anyone to try this . Just said that's what I have that's all . Suggested to try adjusting rear shock to control the back wheel better Sensei

[phil_elvey]

Personally - I would NEVER recommend running different tyres - you can run in to all sorts of problems......uneven grip qualities, inefficient clearing of water in the wet, uncomplimentary profiles, uneven wear patterns, uneven rolling diameters etc etc.

But matching tyres wear unevenly anyway? Everyone knows a front of a matching pair lasts heaps longer than a back. Wouldn't you call that uneven wear? And as for uneven rolling diameters, my wheels, and many others I'm sure wear different profile tyres (i.e low at the front and a bit taller at the rear).

[vifferman]

But matching tyres wear unevenly anyway? Everyone knows a front of a matching pair lasts heaps longer than a back. Wouldn't you call that uneven wear? And as for uneven rolling diameters, my wheels, and many others I'm sure wear different profile tyres (i.e low at the front and a bit taller at the rear).

That's quite true.
I don't think paranoia over different tyres is necessary (for instance, I never had matched tyres on my VF500 the 7 years I had it, and it was no problem. In any case, it had mismatched wheels - a 16" front and 18" back!

If you are going to mix'n'match, it's best to have most stick at the the front, for steering and braking. It's actually VERY common to have different tyres of the same make, and they invariably have different profiles, even if they're the same model. F'rinstance, the VTR wears an Avon 49-SP 120-70/17 on the front, and an AV46-ST 180-55/17 on the rear (IIRC).
Another good reason to mix'n'match is that matching front tyres often do weird things, like scallop badly. On the VFR, I had a BT012 on the front, because the BT020 wears badly. The common thing to do is fit a BT010F/020R, but the BT010 can wear badly too, wheareas the BT012 has a similar tread pattern to the BT020, but the softer compound of the BT010, so it gives the stick AND good wear properties.

I reckon it's a good idea to pick a softer tyre for the front than the back, so they are spent at about the same mileage. I don't think I'd really want a new tyre on the back when the front is getting a bit dodgy.

[wkid_one]

But matching tyres wear unevenly anyway? Everyone knows a front of a matching pair lasts heaps longer than a back. Wouldn't you call that uneven wear? And as for uneven rolling diameters, my wheels, and many others I'm sure wear different profile tyres (i.e low at the front and a bit taller at the rear).

Yes - but matched pairs are typically tested together to ensure a reasonably constant performance over the life of the tyre.

Diff tyres have diff compounds, therefore they will potentially wear differently across the profile of the tyre.

As for profiles of tyres - this is a completely different thing all together. We then get in to manu recommendation, effect of geometry of the bike blah blah blah

[MacD]

I don't think paranoia over different tyres is necessary (for instance, I never had matched tyres on my VF500 the 7 years I had it, and it was no problem. In any case, it had mismatched wheels - a 16" front and 18" back!

I've just realised that after owning half-a-dozen or so bikes over a longer period than I care to remember, my current bike is the first one I've owned that's had matching front and rear tyres! Of course the old bias tyres were made of such hard compounds that they used to perish before they wore out. Anyhow, I think I'll keep it matching in the future, although I suspect that a lot of those recommendations you read on fitment guides to do with matching front and rear tyres have more to do with lawyers than engineers!

[dangerous]

Maybe, just maybe W1 is trying to say this, Although you may have two different branded tyres which are the same size/profile, for eg: 170/70/17 in Metzler and Dunlop........... now this is the size tyre on the rear of my Guzzi and even though they have the same profile which is only the side wall size (70% of 170) the Metzler would run off the edge were as the Dunlop never did as the dome (roundie part) was a different curve or profile.
So if I was to put the Dunlop on the rear and a Metzler on the frount then I would efectavly run of the frount tyre first and this would be BAD shit cos if you look at the avarage set of tyres the rear usualy roles off before the frount as this is still controlably.
This make any sence??