Bridgestone BT-016

[discotex]

This should be interesting given how bad a rap Bridgestone get on KB....

After two trackdays and WAY too much nana commuting over winter I still managed to eek out almost 14,000km out of the OEM BT-015. Hardly what I'd consider a sticky tyre although it was pretty good for road riding it certainly wasn't up to track punishment.

So anyway I went down to Cycletreads yesterday to get myself a pair of PP 2CTs now that they've finally got the 180 rear in stock.

So imagine my surprise when everyone I spoke to at Cycletreads were raving about the BT-016 and how much better it is than the PP 2CT (and nothing like the 015).

Long story short they talked me into giving the BT-016 a go because they were so keen on it.

It's got 3 compounds on the rear and two on the front which sounds good. Should last ok. Less grooving than the 014/015 so it's basically slick out at the edge. Nice.

Have put 250km on them now and I'm impressed. Very impressed. Obviously being new they turn in much better but the most noticeable thing is how well they hold a line. Even over dodgy surface.

I tried my hardest to get them to spin up and failed (same couldn't be said of the 015).

Feel of the road is a million times better than the 015 was. Haven't ridden PP 2CT so can't compare. This tyre seems to live up to the hype though.

Haven't risked riding them to the edge (few mm left) as my steering head bearings are rooted. Waiting on parts for a warranty replacement before I really fang it.

Very interested to hear of anyone else's experience with the BT-016. Especially if you've taken them to the track.

Some reading:
http://www.battlax.co.uk/battlax-bt-016/
http://www.2wf.com/content/view/1566/45/
http://www.sportbikes.net/forums/fz6...st-report.html

[McJim]

I've just had one of them fitted at the front. Seems okay.

to be honest I don't think you can go far wrong with any of the following: Bridgestone, Avon, Metzeler, Michelin, Continental or Pirelli.

If you're running Cheng Shin I would seriously consider changing though...

Personally I fitted Bridgestones to my VTR, my wife's RG150 and my Ducati.

[Pussy]

I'll be interested to hear how the 016s perform.
I'm running M3 Metzelers at the moment, and I feel they don't hold a line like the stock 014s did.
I must be one of the few on KB that like Bridgestones

[Owl]

Perhaps you should check out the Speed Triple forum at TriumphRat.net. The guys that are using them love em. I've got a set in the shed and looking forward to trying them.

[SixPackBack]

What did cycletreads charge you for a set?

[Fatjim]

It is indeed unusual for Bridgestones not to have a bad rep. I might try these next time round on the "Celica" when the 208rr oems start giving me the shits.

[discotex]

Perhaps you should check out the Speed Triple forum at TriumphRat.net. The guys that are using them love em. I've got a set in the shed and looking forward to trying them.

I couldn't find a bad word said about them doing a quick search. Look forward to hearing what you think.

It is indeed unusual for Bridgestones not to have a bad rep. I might try these next time round on the "Celica" when the 208rr oems start giving me the shits.

I'm on a Honda with Bridgestones so imagine the jibes

[pritch]

I haven't tried the particular tyre mentioned. The Bridgestone 020s I had were fine in the dry but not at all good in the wet so I gave them the heave.
The Z6s are much better in this regard.

Previously when I had 020s the front tyre developed scallops(?) which limited the useful life.

When I used to read the Brit Hornet website, they rated the 014s with the proviso that they were lethal if you tried to ride in the wet on tyres that weren't scrubbed in.

There have been positive comments about Bridgestones in Brit magazines but that was when tested on a track and not what we use for roads in this country...

[Owl]

I couldn't find a bad word said about them doing a quick search. Look forward to hearing what you think.

Unfortunately mine won't be going on together. Front is due soon, but I have a new PR2 already on the rear.

[discotex]

Unfortunately mine won't be going on together. Front is due soon, but I have a new PR2 already on the rear.

Bummer! I've been thinking about the multi compound aspect and wonder how it'll affect the life of the set.

Normally people go through 3 rears for 2 fronts (or 2 rears/1 front) right.

Well if the front is a soft/medium compound and the rear is soft/medium/hard that means the front is medium in the middle and the rear is hard.

Wonder if that translates to them wearing down about the same rate?

[Paulus]

Weird - I had some OEM BT-015s on my R1 and they were shagged after 3000km - both front and rear - if anything the front went first. No track days just road use. They handled nicely and seemed pretty grippy on the road. I can usually get 6-7000km out of a front Pirelli Diablo and 4-5000km out of a rear. Got Pirellis back on it again.

[discotex]

Weird - I had some OEM BT-015s on my R1 and they were shagged after 3000km - both front and rear - if anything the front went first. No track days just road use. They handled nicely and seemed pretty grippy on the road. I can usually get 6-7000km out of a front Pirelli Diablo and 4-5000km out of a rear. Got Pirellis back on it again.

What pressure did you run?

I was pretty religious about running 36/42 unless I was going for a fang. Seemed to wear faster and handle like shit around town if I ran any lower.

At least half those km would be commuting.

I'm also suspicious that Bridgestone stuff around with the OEM tyres. The OEM 016 has less compounds than the non-OEM one. Stupid as they're basically two (if not more) different tyres with the same name.

[Paulus]

34/38. I almost always run that in the Pirellis and have no problems with premature wear. They chewed out on the edges not in the middle - they were right down to nothing after only 3000km - I've never seen anything like it.

[discotex]

34/38. I almost always run that in the Pirellis and have no problems with premature wear. They chewed out on the edges not in the middle - they were right down to nothing after only 3000km - I've never seen anything like it.

Wow... Totally the other end of what I experienced. That said they did chew up like mad on the track. Maybe I just don't get them hot enough on the road as I ride pace styles.

[discotex]

Just adding some more links for anyone thinking of trying them.

http://www.rossifiles.com/2008/motog...one-road-tyre/

Capirossi:

I now need to get some for my own Suzuki GSX-R1000 which I use on the road!

http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache...&gl=nz&strip=1

The pressure the Bridgestone technicians used was 2.3 Bars (about 34psi) front, and 2.2 bars (about 32psi) rear. This may of course change a little when riding on race circuits in Australia, but is a good starting point for riders at track days.