Grooved slicks: Road legal or not?

**nsrpaul** · 17th February 2007, 16:45

please stop , the red letters and tales of your own greatness are scaring me and making me feel like I have a small willy(compared to yours)

**Two Smoker** · 17th February 2007, 17:15

Originally Posted by idleidolidyll

Again, don't presume. If anyone can find a chicken strip on my rear tyre after the first ride I'll give em $20. By the time replacement comes around the tread near the edge is always twisted and stressed and often the bloke in the tyre shop says "shit mate, you ride fucken hard don't ya"

No, I'm not blowing my own trumpet, just pointing out that assumption is silly.
I only ever raced on slicks once; mainly I raced proddy bikes. I'm interested in finding out whether the facts in a real road test support or negate the general feedback I got when I asked the question.
Yes, I understand they are technically illegal on the road; no, I don't care much.

Chicken strips on there rear??? I can get rid of those on my way commuting to work... Getting rid of the front ones sorts the men from the boys...

hehehe

Anyway... Alot of my mates (that being racers and hooligans on the road) dont like using slicks on the road as they dont get upto temperature and slide too much/unstable (ever watched Ray Clee sometimes on a set of dunlops down the front straight of manfield... WOOOOOHOOOOOO slapper central)... Used to ride with a few quick guys on the road... They all used racetechs or supercorsas... Bruce came along and wasted them on a set of Pilot Powers... PP's are the best tyre to use fast on the road, as they handle the wet well, get good milage (2000kms hard riding on a 1000 with WP or Ohlins) and only cost about $500 for a set if you shop around and fit them yourself... Cant ever brag about your riding till someone else can vouch for it on KB... And when they do, people dont blab on about it...

**gav** · 17th February 2007, 17:21

Originally Posted by idleidolidyll

Again, don't presume. If anyone can find a chicken strip on my rear tyre after the first ride I'll give em $20. By the time replacement comes around the tread near the edge is always twisted and stressed and often the bloke in the tyre shop says "shit mate, you ride fucken hard don't ya"

No, I'm not blowing my own trumpet, just pointing out that assumption is silly.
I only ever raced on slicks once; mainly I raced proddy bikes. I'm interested in finding out whether the facts in a real road test support or negate the general feedback I got when I asked the question.
Yes, I understand they are technically illegal on the road; no, I don't care much.

So is it true that a South Islander who had never seen the road you were on proceeded to ride away from you on a 1/4 tonne 83hp sports tourer?

So are you going to test them back to back? ie one run on slicks, and one run on proddy tyres? I think modern tyres are so good, theres no real advantage in running slicks, is there? Especially if you can source racer take offs.

**idleidolidyll** · 17th February 2007, 18:50

Originally Posted by gav

So is it true that a South Islander who had never seen the road you were on proceeded to ride away from you on a 1/4 tonne 83hp sports tourer?

rotflmfao! well, that might be his perception of it, go back and read my response to him. BTW: dangerous is a good kiwi bloke, he doesn't seem to live a lie
doesn't mean we won't take the piss outta each other though, i wouldn't get too upset if we have a snipe from time to time; dangerous is quite witty too

So are you going to test them back to back? ie one run on slicks, and one run on proddy tyres? I think modern tyres are so good, theres no real advantage in running slicks, is there? Especially if you can source racer take offs.

well hell, i reckon i've ridden so many different road tyres i don't need a scientific test.
i think a good subjective test; there are just too many variable for an objective one

a few of the bike shops will sell you ex race slicks. if you tell them their for the road though, they'll probably refuse to sell em

that's just smart business sense

**idleidolidyll** · 17th February 2007, 19:15

Originally Posted by Two Smoker

Chicken strips on there rear??? I can get rid of those on my way commuting to work... Getting rid of the front ones sorts the men from the boys...

hehehe

now there's a smart rider. on the supermotos you don't (I don't?) seem to get near the edge of the front tyre on the road. partly because of rear wheel steering i suppose
lots of riders go into corners hotter than me but i usually get better drive out. i drag the rear wheel down with the gearlever going in and try not to touch the front brake as i tap the rear to drag it around.
for me that may be a little slower in but gives me better passing options around and out of the corner since i'm a more level platform.
on the road i'd rather give myself time to look for oncoming traffic going into a corner, and as soon as the way is clear; gas it up

BUT: sometimes, when a rider comes past you on the road, you just gasp at the size of their cojones

Anyway... Alot of my mates (that being racers and hooligans on the road) dont like using slicks on the road as they dont get upto temperature and slide too much/unstable (ever watched Ray Clee sometimes on a set of dunlops down the front straight of manfield... WOOOOOHOOOOOO slapper central)... Used to ride with a few quick guys on the road... They all used racetechs or supercorsas... Bruce came along and wasted them on a set of Pilot Powers... PP's are the best tyre to use fast on the road, as they handle the wet well, get good milage (2000kms hard riding on a 1000 with WP or Ohlins) and only cost about $500 for a set if you shop around and fit them yourself...

there's lots of good riders about; NZ IS special
ya see i love experimenting, i test the quality and limits of lots of the things i do. my favourite competitor is myself
i reckon a supercorse front and a regular corsa rear was the best for my last KTM but the 950 is different.

Cant ever brag about your riding till someone else can vouch for it on KB... And when they do, people dont blab on about it...

well some say that but i say fuck it, i know what i can and have done, and i don't give a damn if that upsets people.
sure sean, simon, chris and tony, andrew and paul are all better riders than me, they had more commitment and worked hard at it.
when i was riding well though, i'd usually be near the front somewhere and i've given some of those guys a hard go or a beating on occassion.

i mentioned speaking to shaun years ago at taupo when he was a stroppy youth. he had the right attitude and he had that commitment.
like a few other kiwis he never quite made it to the top but to be up there with the best kiwi riders ever is no mean achievement

i reckon we've consistently had superbly talented riders in NZ, it's usually been money and distance that screwed them

**idleidolidyll** · 17th February 2007, 19:25

Originally Posted by gav

So is it true that a South Islander who had never seen the road you were on proceeded to ride away from you on a 1/4 tonne 83hp sports tourer?

So are you going to test them back to back? ie one run on slicks, and one run on proddy tyres? I think modern tyres are so good, theres no real advantage in running slicks, is there? Especially if you can source racer take offs.

sigh

I'M a south islander too, makarewa, southland, irish labourers and farmers...........and revolutionaries too. my bro's more in the know abt that stuff. there's a guy called danny breen who was a real shit stirrer in the early 1900's; the english hated him.
he made the news by killing some english policemen because he didn't like their politics

maybe that's the belligerent gene we all seem have

if i'd stayed in southland i'd probably still be driving a kingswood and drinking scooners

as for the dago whale, guzzis are nice bikes, i've owned a few
it aint about hp, it's about torque and chassis on the road.

i don't need to do 200 to have fun, i don't need to do 150

**Two Smoker** · 17th February 2007, 19:47

Originally Posted by idleidolidyll

"Words"

Fair enough

Not saying dont try them, but have seen alot of guys go down at the track recently on slicks with hardly any braking/lean go down due to cold slicks and no warmers... Havent heard anything great about slicks on the road at all... But as Gav says... 600 proddie tyres... nice and cheap, generally lots of life left...

**DEATH_INC.** · 17th February 2007, 19:49

I don't think you'd keep 'em warm enough.....I have trouble with the 209gp's when I'm not going hard......they get too cold too fast.....
One of my mates ran slicks on the road for a bit (he was too slack to change 'em) and reckoned they were bloody dangerous, and he's no slouch.....no grooves though....I guess if ya groove 'em enough you could get 'em to stay warm....

**idleidolidyll** · 17th February 2007, 19:50

Originally Posted by DEATH_INC.

I guess if ya groove 'em enough you could get 'em to stay warm....

now there's a good thought
more grooves will make em move a lot more and heat up

**Two Smoker** · 17th February 2007, 19:57

Originally Posted by DEATH_INC.

One of my mates ran slicks on the road for a bit (he was too slack to change 'em) and reckoned they were bloody dangerous, and he's no slouch.....no grooves though....

hehehe old sam... I told him about you thrashing your poor SRAD too...

**NordieBoy** · 17th February 2007, 20:30

Originally Posted by MrPeanut

Have you seen the Shinko 003? It's a Yokohama clone, fairly sticky, cheap ($300 for a set), but the profiles a bit flat.

Shinko bought Yokohama.

**sizzlingbadger** · 17th February 2007, 20:40

Chicken Strips ! how quaint

when you understand bike handling, tyre profiles and riding properly you may finally realize that they don't mean shit on a road bike.

ride on the road like you do on the track and only one person will win.... he wears a long black cloak and holds an old farm implement in his hands.

**Madmax** · 17th February 2007, 20:51

remember to sand off the not for hiway use otherwise they will fail you
on a WOF! ran some cut slicks for a while they were bloody dangerouse
when cold and used to pick up all sorts of stuff off the road (bits of glass ETC) and lots of the front wound up plasterd on the radiator as well