Black Round Things.. Dunplop Vs Mich?

[lardarse]

Done to death, I know, but I have been running roadsmarts now for the last couple of years on an FZS 600.

Since picking the thou up, I have been a little wary of the square death Metzeler fitted to the front and rear of the bike. Previous owner looked after the thing, but must've had stabilisers on it....

I am contemplating changing the Metz to either Roadsmarts, or pushing the boat out and going to say maybe a pair of Pilot 3's...

Anyone had the chance to do any direct comparisons on these tyres? I'm seing some bargain prices for front and rear sets on fleabay for PR1's, but is the extra £80 justifiable?

The bike will be taking me, the missus, and some luggage to Scotland in May, so mainly A/M road cruising for the first 1500 miles or so..

Any advice greatfully received, or is there a tyre out there that just suits the 1000 that I am missing? I am not a GP hero, but do have my moments!

Ta

Kev

[ghostbiker]

Just my opinion but with modern tyres pretty much anything will keep you upright, affter that its personal choice in what gives you confidence.

Not tried pr1 on anything but pr2 were more than able. I rate the pr 2 and the 023's
But the maxxis that seem to be fairly cheap have had some ok reviews and I think Luke uses them.
Not tried them myself and as I like the pr range and the 023 range then as they give me confidence I will try to stick with them for now.

One tip if you go 023 DON'T go for the heavyweight gt version it feels hard and unforgiving against the normal one. It's designed for pans and realy heavy tour bikes. I thought as I had the 023 last time I would get it again. But I did not say which one I wanted and by mistake ended up with the gt this time. It has a diff wall and I don't like it as much. Hasn't had any moments as such just dosent give any feel and is a harsh ride.

[lardarse]

Cheers for the reply..

I'm a bit of a tyre and brake snob unfortunately (either rightly or wrongly!  ), and unless I know the maker has a "pedigree" I would rather pay that bit extra, which sort of instills confidence in the product. If you get what I mean? Not decrying the Maxxis brand, and I know that they have been doing some big advertising, but I think that I would stick to a "known" brand for the mo, unless Luke has done amazingly well on them!

Thanks for the tip on the PR2's, I have had dunlops on the 6 for ages, and they have been pretty reliable, but I have read that the PR3's are real mileage monsters, so well worth paying the extra over the roadsmarts for.

[Tmation]

Got Roadsmarts on my Gen 1 and they are fantastic wet and dry, the Roadsmart 2 are out now and supposed to beven better.


Had PR1's before and they were great until about 3/4 worn then they were horrible.


Be careful about buying older tyres, not because of the tech, but because they have a shelf life and thats why they get sold off cheap. Okay for a high mileage rider but not so good if you keep your tyres for a few years.

[JKay]

  Another vote for the Roadsmarts 1 or 2

[lardarse]

Am guessing now that the roadsmart 1's will/should be a bit cheaper hopefully..... hmmm Better the  you know?

[1967fazer]

I've got Pirelli Angel STs front and rear on mine, they came with the bike and so far they haven't  caused me any problems. Admitedly I haven't been getting my pegs down (yet)but they do seem to be wearing reasonably well, though I have no previous experience of these bikes so can't really comment on wear rates. They do have a novelty factor built in, when they're new they have an angel pattern on the tread and after around 500 miles this wears off and creates a devil pattern . The downside is they are expensive!

[lardarse]

Gone with some PR3's... got a great price from my Local Bike Shop (Almaxx Motorcycles), dropping bike off tomorrow to have the tyres fitted.

Really appreciate all the help and advice.

Kev

[pitternator]

let us know how you get on with them, dont think too many people have tried them yet.
 
I still like roadsmarts, put a set on my 2009 speed triple and they really suit it well, complementing the steering and offer great grip and  a really nice feel. They suit that bike better than 023s tbh. I rate 023s for the gen1, and dek has tried a set on his gen2 and so far seems pleased with them.Superb wet grip, 5000 ish rear tyre life for me is fantastic after usually getting 3500miles on 021s, 020s etc.
My feeling is go for a modern type tyre, but buy the best deal you get, rather than insisting on a specific tyre which could be very expensive..I bet standard roadsmarts will be good value just now with the roadsmart 2 out ...

[lardarse]

I was hoping they ( Roadsmarts)  would be, but until the end of march, Michelin have a great offer where they are paying the fitting on PR3's

Total price paid for the two tyres fitted, £245, valve and balance included!

Bikes just gone in so I will be sure to let you know when I get her back and give them a try.

[pitternator]

thats a reasonable price.
I get a discount from my local tyre depot cos I give them so much business, and I usually pay about £225 for a pair fitted to loose wheels.Thats 023/ roadsmart etc. Michelins always seem to be dearer than everything else...about £20 extra a pair.
I do fancy trying the PR3 as they have had some very good reviews,especially in the wet.... and for touring in europe...wet roads are always a possibility !

[ghostbiker]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bridgestone-Battlax-BT023-Tyre-Pair-YAMAHA-FZS1000-FAZER-2001-2005-/251016818973?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item3a71c4b11d

First time i have seen a set for under £200 so thought i would post it BT023's

just make sure you dont order the 023's for the heavyer i think it GT version. they dont suit the fazer well at all
i did 750 mile on them over the weekend and although they seem to grip fine there is no feeling from the tyre and the ride is harsh and unforgiving.
oddly (or maybe not when you think about it) it felt better 2 up but still odd feeling
i am glad i did a back to back comparison with the normal 023 and the heavy version. as if i had tried the heavy version to begin with i wouldnt have ever used them again thats for sure lol.

[lardarse]

PR3's fitted... scrubbed in (ish) and wow!!!

Straight away my bike felt much more stable, it actually didn't dance over white lines and pot holes, nor did it feel like it was going to fall off the side of a 40 storey building when tipping in to a corner...

Braking seems much more controlled, It's now a case of being able to feel the tyre gripping the road rather than praying it'll stop.

Progressiveness feels good, seems to roll over evenly rather than 10 degrees at a time then fall on its side.

Enough blether, needless to say that Metzelers will join Conti's on my "never to touch my rims again" list.

First impressions are very good, even compared to Roadsmarts.

[flesh]

I was going to ask the same thing about any feedback on the PR3's.
I have BT021's on my Gen2 and they have been "ok", although noisy. Loads of tread left on them but now on 2nd puncture to the rear and have a puncture on the front aswell...bugger.
I tried the PR1's on my old FZS600 and I have to say I did not like them. Took me ages to scrub in and did not feel secure on the front.
I was looking at BT023, Roadsmarts/2 or PR3s as my next tyre for the Gen2. Normally a big Bridgstone fan but the 021's have put me off a bit 

[lardarse]

Decent ride out yesterday, missus on the back, luggage on, and wet.

The PR3's really do inspire confidence in the wet, no sign of slips, trips or falls....

[jeffco]

I see you live in Aintree,just for your interest I had 023s fitted last year and suprisingly the cheapest price I got was National tyres in Ormskirk.
I live in Skem by the way.

[taksi]

I had Mich PR3's fitted to my '58 plate FZ1 before going to Ireland 2 up for the Ulster GP last year. It rained cats and dogs for three of the days and the tyres were excellent. TST tyres are near you and they charged me £245 for the pair ride in, ride out. Also they're dual compound so perfect for my daily commute as well.
 
 
Taksi

[lardarse]

Hi Jeff and Taksi..

I got a price from TST, spoke to Alex at Almaxx and he matched it.
The guy who works for Almaxx on the spanners is awesome, i wouldn't like anyone else working on my bike after using him.

Cheers for the heads up on National Tyres though.

Kev

[PaulSmith]

...
I have BT021's on my Gen2 and they have been "ok", ...
... but the 021's have put me off a bit 

The 021's have not been made for quite a few years now so your tyres were probably well past their best even before they went on your bike. My own experience with 023's is that they are considerably better then 021's were in all areas (grip, wet and wear) and since I was delighted with 021's to start with, I now find it very hard to take the chance and try anything else.