Mich, pirelli or suspension?

[JohnBoy]

currently i am running Mich pilot sports all round on my bike. a good mate of mine works at a shop in wellington and is trying hard to get me onto some diabilo's. the michs have done me well but, they seem not too confident on the track. they stick, but can let go when coming out of a corner with the power down hard they can skid a little more than i like. it just seems that they like coming into corner but not out.

is this a problem that can be fixed by switching to pirellies or is it better to just mess with the rear set up?? i am no susp/tyre guru so any help will be awsome!

[vifferman]

currently i am running Mich pilot sports all round on my bike. a good mate of mine works at a shop in wellington and is trying hard to get me onto some diabilo's. the michs have done me well but, they seem not too confident on the track. they stick, but can let go when coming out of a corner with the power down hard they can skid a little more than i like. it just seems that they like coming into corner but not out.

is this a problem that can be fixed by switching to pirellies or is it better to just mess with the rear set up?? i am no susp/tyre guru so any help will be awsome!

Have you tried altering the tyre pressures to see how that goes? See if a couple of PSI either way makes a difference, and if that doesn't work, then try some suspension adjustments. FWIW, see here for recommended suspension setup settings:
http://www.sportrider.com/bikes/146_...ings/#kawasaki

It's cheaper than trying some new tyres (plus you've always got that as a backup option).
You say the Michelins have done you well; how old are they? Even if they still have tread left on, they may have run out of heat cycles, especially if you've been running them at low pressure.

[F5 Dave]

I run Pilot sports on my YZF at 2.3 & 2.5 bar on the road & I dropped them a touch for the track & never really had any issues. The ZXR was renowned for having a really stiff rear spring though which might add to the rear spinning/stepping a bit.

[Hoon]

they stick, but can let go when coming out of a corner with the power down hard they can skid a little more than i like. it just seems that they like coming into corner but not out.

Sounds completely normal to me? You can get stickier tyres but there is always a trade off...they might wear faster or have a smaller temp range or just be expensive. I've run pilot slicks and now I run supercorsas and they are both excellent tyres.
Also don't be too quick to blame your tools...maybe you are just getting too greedy on the gas. Maybe you could be quicker if you carry more corner speed then you don't have to grab so much on the exit....rider improvements are the best because they are free and fit every bike!!!

You can mess with suspension, pressures and tyre choices but unless you are already riding at 95% you might be looking in the wrong place.

[aff-man]

hahaha stiff suspension try my bike. But i was having the same sorta problem on the road and it was due to the suspension not coming back fast enough. Really off putting, got it fixed though

[DEATH_INC.]

Never ridden on the track,but the pilot sports were up to putting down the ZX12's power ok,spun a bit on hard acceleration when cranked over exiting corners,but always nice and controllable.
If you go with the pirelli's,the standard diablo will spin more,you'll need the corsa.
Work on your suspension/pressures,they effect tracton heaps.
Remember though,even on slicks you'll get wheelspin if you push hard enough....

[JohnBoy]

thanks heaps guys, i have had about 6000k from a pilot rear and i must admit the pressures were a bit low. i wasnt too sure on how low they needed to be when on the track against the road. i suppose that i will just have to keep going to track days (damn!) and get the mix right.

[Sparky Bills]

All well and good trying different pressures, but DONT turn your rebound up for track days!
(i remember the track day when i rode your bike) There are better, less ways of drifting.
Take it easy brother!