FORGIVING FAZER & TYRES THAT TALK

[SEPTIKANGEL]

Out of the house, turn left at lights, one and a half miles up dual carriageway (how I love my Full Monty) and flip flop thru small Roundabout.
Or so I thought, it was about 6 degrees today, bloody cold North wind too, but dry.  As I chucked it into the Roundabout, flip left was no problem, then front end went  as I began the flop right, but now I was on opposite lock with the front clearly sliding, maybe the back too.  I recall my right boot, still on peg, sliding on road and thinking 'here we go'  -  must have been holding back a little 'cos my Guardian Angel was still with me, I was somehow able to correct (or was it me?) for the 'flip' left back onto the dual carriageway straight ahead and carried on with a big grin.  Oooohhh, adrenalin  eh?     Just another 'moment' I know and we all have 'em, ('specially with cold tyres) but one that made me think once more, just how good and forgiving my Fazer Thou' is and how I love my Bridgestones that talk to me without just bin bagging me straight off.  (Old BT020's too - 23's next Spring)

[jeffco]

Thank the gods for Pampers! best protective gear you can buy

[unfazed]

What we call an Oops! moment. Needed every now and then to wake us up.

[manuel32]

Slow down young man,haha

[mike.sg]

excellent description. made me feel like I was there.

[pitternator]

I had a sudden rear slide on my fazer a couple of months ago, dry warm conditions , doing about  , 80 mph ish , had to move onto on white paint  hatchings to pass a car which had pulled out of a side road ( the usual  cage tosser move ). Seemed dry , then back end just slid out a foot , thought that was it, shi*, this was gonna be bad ...massive highside ??,... luckily cos I didnt shut off she regripped and with a rear wiggle kept going. Frightening stuff.But that was 023 s! No wonder so many racers crash on white paint...the grip difference is massive.Probably happened cos I was at a slight lean angle with 100 + bhp goin through the rear wheel...
 
My other bike has traction control, and all you feel is the throttle bogging down....who says modern rider aids are  fanciful !

[JZS 600]

I have a corner (actually 2nd roundabout on the way to work in the mornings) that used to catch me out from time to time, near a garage, roundabout well used and slightly shiny surface and deadly in the damp! Front used to push out as I started to tip in occasionally.


Not noticed the same after having a 023 fitted on the front, used to have an 021 on.


Still, it hasn't been gritted yet!

[Phil TK]

Not noticed the same after having a 023 fitted on the front, used to have an 021 on.

I've just completed my first week on Metzeler Z8s and I like them a lot. For once the advertising blurb is fairly accurate and yes they have much less bump steer and roll over white lines and mastic banding as if it isn't there, utterly perfect for filtering between lanes on the commute. Rain performance and especially 'damp' performance is outstanding, I found myself riding at 'dry' pace in the wet more than once before calming meself down a bit and going slower, but I'm not surprised these tyres were a massive 3 seconds quicker per lap than other ST tyres in the MCN test. The feel of these tyres is really really good, like you can feel every bit of gravel and undulation of the tarmac but they give a 'comfy' ride, nice and stable with neutral steering and what I'd call medium roll in to corners (about the same as PR2s, certainly not as rapier like as the Road Attack2 front). The blurb says the construction of the tyres is a new technology using different tensions in the belts to distribute heat, I don't know how that works but the tyres feel very different to any other I've used.
It's easy to favour and prefer a new tyre coming off a worn pair of some other make but on balance I do like the Z8s over my PR2s -for a winter tyre at least.
 I'm doing 400 miles a week on these, I'll report back on wear rate at a later date.
 
 

[JZS 600]

Good call, I've got an 021 on the back that I have put 11,000 miles on and it's still got a mill to go to the wear marks...


(most of my riding is commuting)


So can't wait to try a 023 on the back over winter.

[tiggr2]

Not noticed the same after having a 023 fitted on the front, used to have an 021 on.

I've just completed my first week on Metzeler Z8s and I like them a lot. For once the advertising blurb is fairly accurate and yes they have much less bump steer and roll over white lines and mastic banding as if it isn't there, utterly perfect for filtering between lanes on the commute. Rain performance and especially 'damp' performance is outstanding, I found myself riding at 'dry' pace in the wet more than once before calming meself down a bit and going slower, but I'm not surprised these tyres were a massive 3 seconds quicker per lap than other ST tyres in the MCN test. The feel of these tyres is really really good, like you can feel every bit of gravel and undulation of the tarmac but they give a 'comfy' ride, nice and stable with neutral steering and what I'd call medium roll in to corners (about the same as PR2s, certainly not as rapier like as the Road Attack2 front). The blurb says the construction of the tyres is a new technology using different tensions in the belts to distribute heat, I don't know how that works but the tyres feel very different to any other I've used.
It's easy to favour and prefer a new tyre coming off a worn pair of some other make but on balance I do like the Z8s over my PR2s -for a winter tyre at least.
 I'm doing 400 miles a week on these, I'll report back on wear rate at a later date.

Watch em close mate I had Z5's ace tyres then one day they wernt, no degredation and plenty of tread left just went right off no grip. On 023's now but only git 200miles on em so cant wax lyrical about them yet..

[mike.sg]

So I was talking to a mech, and he was singing praises about the gen 1, in that the suspension was better than the later models. The frame is soft(er) and flexy(-ier), so the bike is not as precise, but that also means that there are greater margins for error; setting up a wrong line will tend not to kill you, you can always allow the bike to flex a bit and get you back into a safer line, well sort of.

Anybody else with experience comparing between generations would like to chime in? I'm curious to hear more discussion about the gen 1 handling and suspension characteristics.

[dazza]

I can definately vouch for that. Igot a bit over-enthusiastic at Brands recently and came tearing out of the pit lane, hit paddock hill bend totally wrong and the camber as it drops away sent me straight towards the gravel. I braked a little too hard with the rear and locked up   I had the distinct impression that the bike was zig-zagging in a gentle wallowy sort of way  as if to say " Don't be a c*nt". Harry Hornby was right behind me so probably got a better view of what  it really looked like. It certainly forgave me that day.

[Dave48]

It isnt just the tyres that "talk" to the rider -its the complete machine-but like learning any new language you have to" listen to learn & learn to listen".remember when Japanese engines outstripped the rolling chassis in terms of performance?
The frame geometry affects the handling as does the frame design(eg legth of swingarm) & material used. For me the "give" in the Gen 1 tubular steel frame is preferable to the inherent "stiffness" of the pressure die cast Gen 2 beam frame. When frames become very stiff its often necessary to fit steering damper to control shake. To my thinking the Gen 2 was designed as more of a "sports bike". The Gen 1 gives plenty of notice that things are getting "busy" in the rolling chassis-tyres,suspension,frame. Dont even try & imagine all the forces at work when youre riding-youll need a degree in Physics to work it out-just ride,enjoy but always LISTEN to what shes trying to tell you!

[lingy]

Heres a one for you and I bet I am not the only one who does it. Many years ago, and not sure how it came about, I started spinning the rear wheel in the wet. Started by simply over accelerating in a straightline, in no time at all you become a bit more confident and find yourself doing it coming out of slight bends. It looks good and I have being doing it, when in the mood, for years without incident.
But being serious my main point is when it matters and your tyres do let go you automatically react with the appropriate throttle responce, and panic a whole lot less if at all , this is as I believe down to messing about in the wet and you instinctivley react due to previous practice. have experianced this a few times and never even felt as though i was going to come off.       

[tiggr2]

Heres a one for you and I bet I am not the only one who does it. Many years ago, and not sure how it came about, I started spinning the rear wheel in the wet. Started by simply over accelerating in a straightline, in no time at all you become a bit more confident and find yourself doing it coming out of slight bends. It looks good and I have being doing it, when in the mood, for years without incident.
But being serious my main point is when it matters and your tyres do let go you automatically react with the appropriate throttle responce, and panic a whole lot less if at all , this is as I believe down to messing about in the wet and you instinctivley react due to previous practice. have experianced this a few times and never even felt as though i was going to come off.       

Lingy with you there I did years and years of enduros, I never purposly slide the fazer but when it does I just let it without a lack of alarm - so those of you not willing to try sliding get on an off road day, huge fun and helpful real world too.