Big Ol' Hornet gets his 2nd pair of dancing shoes!

[ritchtheitch]

Hey James Deuce, curious as to why you went M1's not M3's - what's your reasoning on that? (I have no experience with either) And you had previously had Avon Vipers? - how do your M1's compare..?
The guy that sold me my z750 was pretty keen to tell that Bridgestones were the only profile that worked for him and his bike. (I have 021's) Rich

[AllanB]

I have not tried the Z6, however I was in a workshop a few months ago and they were servicing a set of hire bikes fitted with new rear pilot roads (the old ones) - I asked re tyres and the service man stated they used to use to use Z6's but will not any more as they wore in an uneven manner (shredded the outsides) - possibly due to the course southern chip.
Anyone had this happen in the Lower South Island?

I'm running Pilot Road2's on my Hornet 900. I am very happy with these hoops.

[James Deuce]

Hey James Deuce, curious as to why you went M1's not M3's - what's your reasoning on that? (I have no experience with either) And you had previously had Avon Vipers? - how do your M1's compare..?

The guy that sold me my z750 was pretty keen to tell that Bridgestones were the only profile that worked for him and his bike. (I have 021's) Rich

I went for the M1s on price and having tried them on a mate's Guzzi. I'd love to stick with the Vipers, but it's been a bit tight this year .

The OEM fitment Bridgestones (BT012R, BT019F) for the Zed are awesome, but a weird mix and are really expensive. The 021s would suit it really well I would imagine.

The M1s have been brilliant though, and are really stable under hard braking, change direction quickly, and feel really secure when you're on your ear. The Viper's feel "taller" somehow, but are still superb on the Zed and are probably better in the wet than the M1s.

I've had 4 sets of tyres on the Zed in 29,000kms, so the M1s are only about 250kms under average tyre life for the Zed and how I ride it. I reckon the M3s would probably wear quicker than the M1s.

[AllanB]

All the company blurbs and Internet warble claim the M3's outlast the older M1's. This stands to reason as the M3's are newer technology - in theory stickier, quicker warm-up, better in the wet and longer lasting - amazing what the chemists do!

Mind you tyre talk is a bit like internet dating .."of course dear, I am 6 foot 2 and look like Hugh Jackmans twin...."

[James Deuce]

I can buy 4.5 sets of M1s for the price 2.75 sets of M3s. The M3s would have to do 12-15,000kms to make it worth my while. I don't see it happening.

[AllanB]

I can buy 4.5 sets of M1s for the price 2.75 sets of M3s. The M3s would have to do 12-15,000kms to make it worth my while. I don't see it happening.

And there's the truth of it - there is nothing wrong with a set of M1's, and chances are they are more of a tyre than most of us can use on the road.
I went from 'sport' tyres to the PR2's (sport touring) and frankly they stick just as well and will last twice as long, plus I prefer the way they allow me to turn the bike in - not the tyre flopping the bike over as many sport profiles do. If you are not pushing very hard on the road then IMO pure sport tyres are a overkill.