Not loving my tires.

[slimwilly]

Why is there all the negative stuff for Bridgsteones?

I had them for years on my VFR,, a big company,,Moto gp tyre supplier

[Nath]

My current bike had BT23's and it was fine and I could chuck about and feel good about it. I changed to PR4's and it changed to not feeling 100% confident and only when they were fully warmed up and even then then felt pointed - if that makes sense? Not tried them in the wet. I'm running 36 front and 42 rear as I like to think the tyre manufacturer knows better than me    Set up on the bike felt fine before. I might drop the pressures down and see what it's like then as at the moment I'm not sure if they are good tyres or it was good marketing that changed my mind to get them and move from Bridgestone.

[Hedgetrimmer]

My current bike had BT23's and it was fine and I could chuck about and feel good about it. I changed to PR4's and it changed to not feeling 100% confident and only when they were fully warmed up and even then then felt pointed - if that makes sense? Not tried them in the wet. I'm running 36 front and 42 rear as I like to think the tyre manufacturer knows better than me    Set up on the bike felt fine before. I might drop the pressures down and see what it's like then as at the moment I'm not sure if they are good tyres or it was good marketing that changed my mind to get them and move from Bridgestone.

Could try dropping back to 40 on the rear - that's what I run on PR2s and seems fine.

[slimwilly]

Why is it on track riding they lower the pressures?

[NorthWestern]

It's because the tires get so hot. You typically set the pressures when they are 80 degrees under warmers

[Flak]

Why is there all the negative stuff for Bridgsteones?

I had them for years on my VFR,, a big company,,Moto gp tyre supplier

I've never liked Bridgestones, they spin up too easily in the wet. There are much better choices out there.

(Moto GP teams don't use road tyres).

[PieEater]

Why is there all the negative stuff for Bridgsteones?

I don't think there's anything that negative just people saying that they prefer other tyres. I think Bridgestone concentrate on providing a good all round tyre aiming to suit all riders from learners to sports riders in all conditions ending up with something that's fairly good but a bit bland and not particularly excelling in any one area. I've found them stable and predictable especially when upright but also uninspiring and slow to react to sudden direction changes, in contrast the Avon's seem happy at any lean angle, change direction immediately and inspire confidence. Having said that I expect my revised suspension setup and steering geometry, riding style, weight and the roads I ride on all contribute to how my tyres behave and the feedback they give so I suspect that like most things there is no one-size-fits-all tyre and you just need to try the different options until you find one that you're happy with.

[b1k3rdude]

On the tyre front, I just got a set of new Conti RA 1s fitted and balanced on my bandit 1200 over at Raceways in Stevenage for £170 all in!

http://www.racewaysmotorcycles.com/

[AyJay]

Why is there all the negative stuff for Bridgsteones?

I had them for years on my VFR,, a big company,,Moto gp tyre supplier

I've never liked Bridgestones, they spin up too easily in the wet. There are much better choices out there.

(Moto GP teams don't use road tyres).

Interesting comments.


I've been using Bridgestones on my Fazer for the last 140,000 miles, starting with the BT016s, BT021s (not great) and latterly the 023s. I've tried single sets of Avon Storms, Pirellis and maybe even a Michelin in that time but none of these offer the stability and grip of the BT023s. And as for spinning up in the wet, really? When was the last time you used a set? I can take the Fazer to 11k full throttle in the wet and the rear doesn't budge an inch on 023s. This could be because of the Ohlins shock I run though.


I also use them on my ZZR1400 (50k miles) and they have way more grip than the Avon Storms it came on. Jeez, on Avons it couldn't even go over a white line on the tiniest of throttle openings in the wet without spinning up. BT023s no problem, although they will let go eventually in the wet because it's got immense torque, but you really have to provoke it. I've also used T30s and they seem to have a stiffer carcass than 023s and more stability still but they're an incremental improvement on the BT023s and given the price difference, I've gone back to 023s on both bikes. They're good though.


On both bikes, when used for commuting, they last around 9000 miles, when thrashing, around 5-6. On track they will eventually overheat and lose grip, but only on very hot days at the end of a session. That could just be me pushing too hard though.


Certain tyres suit certain people. Feel is everything. I am baffled as to why there are so many negative comments about them though. Having chewed through 29 sets of tyres in the last 10 years, I think BT023s are excellent. Just my opinion, but it's based on a lot of experience.