Tires - Sport Touring Radials

[Jedz123]

I ran Continental Road Attacks on the Bandit from 2005 until 2012. They are exceptional for tracking and adhesion in rain or dry. I averaged 6500 miles on a set and the front and rear wore at exactly the same rate on the B12. In 2012, I heard good things about the Michelin PR2 and bought a set for the Bandit. The front PR2 was worn out at 5500 miles. The rear PR2 now has 11000 miles on it and still has about 20% tread left. (the PR3 is softer and I would not expect the mileage of the PR2)

The PR2 handles well, but it is not in the same class for traction and ability in the rain as the Road Attack. My next tire purchase, which will be soon, will likely be a Road Attack front (better mileage and better handling than the PR2) and a PR2 rear, (decent handling and double the mileage of the Road Attack. I have locked up and slid the front PR2 on dry pavement. I can't make a Road Attack slide before doing a stoppie.

I considered Shinko 009's, but even at half the price of the PR2 they cost more per mile than the PR2. (I figure I would have to buy 2 1/2 sets of shinkos to get the miles of one set of PR2) On top of that, The Shinko is a hard tire, traction is not going to be the same, particularly compared to a Road Attack on the front where I want good bite and great tracking.

I have scraped the center stand coming around a curve on Road Attacks. I would not attempt it on PR2's.

How are you getting 11,000 miles to a rear tire!?!?! Please tell us your secret... I've never gotten that on any tire ever... Luckiy if I get half that mileage...

I'll be switching back to PR2's after I burn off these Shniko's. They are too hard and the ride isn't the best. I took a day of 600 miles straight to come to this conclusion. There just ok but not awesome.... BUT I have 3k miles on the rear now and it looks just like it did at 2k miles... I see this tire lasting longer then my PR2 did which is good and bad for I won't be buying a tire anytime soon but I want to swap it out LOL

[earlfor]

How are you getting 11,000 miles to a rear tire!?!?! Please tell us your secret... I've never gotten that on any tire ever... Luckiy if I get half that mileage...

I'll be switching back to PR2's after I burn off these Shniko's. They are too hard and the ride isn't the best. I took a day of 600 miles straight to come to this conclusion. There just ok but not awesome.... BUT I have 3k miles on the rear now and it looks just like it did at 2k miles... I see this tire lasting longer then my PR2 did which is good and bad for I won't be buying a tire anytime soon but I want to swap it out LOL

The PR2 is the only rear tire I have had on any bike that has exceeded 7K miles before being worn out. I have nudged 7k miles with Road attacks a couple of times.

I don't know exactly why I got 11K miles on the PR2 and expect to get another 1500 before it's worn down to change it time.

A few guesses why.
My Bandit weighs 455 lbs and I ride solo, no baggage. I weigh 165 lbs.
The tires are relatively lightly loaded.

If you're riding a GS750, it weighs 540 lbs. If you carry baggage or a passenger or you weigh more than I do, the load will be higher and the tires will wear faster for the same speed.

Contrary to popular belief that Florida is flat everywhere, I live in the middle of rolling hills and abundant curves. Not Tail of the Dragon curves, but still, I spend a lot my riding time with the bike leaned, so a good bit of my tire wear is on the sides rather than all being down the middle.

I'm progressive with the throttle and rarely abrupt with it. I normally use two fingers on the front brake lever for everyday breaking, so neither my throttle nor braking habits are heavy handed and increase tire wear.

Tires wear faster if they are under inflated or over inflated. I run 35 psi front and rear. Optimum tire pressure varies from bike to bike, load to load, but 35psi is a good starting point

EDIT
I just noted you're in Vermont. I don't guess then you're riding all day long, straight up and down across flatlands never seeing a hill or curve. LOL

[Jedz123]

LOL uhh no, I generally avoid the interstate. But I'm not a knee dagger... the "chicken strip" is about a 3/8 of an inch. I ride with saddle bags, Spare helemt, tools, rain gear, chain lube, Stabil. The whole nine. Not uncommon for me to have +500 miles days so I need to be prepared at all times... Those plus my weight of 185lbs. Guessing why I only see 5-6k miles a rear but not any more then that...

I think I have 36 psi in my rear and 38 psi in my front.

And I'm abrupt with the throttle... Hard acceleration at least a few times a day... It's an Fz1 so not uncommon to power wheelie in the first 3 gears under hard acceleration during gear shifts.... Guess that's hard on a rear tire too.

Ugh I guess my ridding style just isn't conducive to tire life.

thanks for the pointers!

[GS ace]

The 3,000 mile lifespan of a Conti on a B12 is most likely attributed to factors other than the tire itself. Tire wear involves more than transfering horsepower to the ground. Adding hard braking and primary reliance on the rear pads make a big difference.

I've had two sets of PR2s on my RT. The last set got me through a little over 10k miles. I'm estimating that there are about 6k more (already have 2900) on the Conti Motions, which isn't bad.

Does anyone remember the Sport Elte R compound tires? I went through a lot of them on the 1100E.

Jedz, if someone gets a a gazillion miles out of a tire, they can't be enjoying their bike!

[earlfor]

The 3,000 mile lifespan of a Conti on a B12 is most likely attributed to factors other than the tire itself. Tire wear involves more than transfering horsepower to the ground. Adding hard braking and primary reliance on the rear pads make a big difference.

I've had two sets of PR2s on my RT. The last set got me through a little over 10k miles. I'm estimating that there are about 6k more (already have 2900) on the Conti Motions, which isn't bad.

Does anyone remember the Sport Elte R compound tires? I went through a lot of them on the 1100E.

Jedz, if someone gets a a gazillion miles out of a tire, they can't be enjoying their bike!

I'll be interested to hear how much mileage you get from the Conti Motion. In specs I have read from Continental, they have less tread depth than the Road Attacks, but they may be a harder compound, so it's a ?. The most often given mileage I have seen on other forums has been in the 5000-5500 mile range.
Even if the only last for 5k miles, they're about half the cost of Road Attacks which last 6500 miles.

[GS ace]

So far, there are 3300 miles on them and I don't see any appreciable wear. I should have checked the tread depth with the depth gauge I have laying around somewhere right after I had them mounted. I could be monitoring the wear. No real matter, however, for I like the performance and feel over the Michelins, particularly in directional changes. The amount of miles per buck should be more than acceptable.

[earlfor]

So far, there are 3300 miles on them and I don't see any appreciable wear. I should have checked the tread depth with the depth gauge I have laying around somewhere right after I had them mounted. I could be monitoring the wear. No real matter, however, for I like the performance and feel over the Michelins, particularly in directional changes. The amount of miles per buck should be more than acceptable.

So far, of the various brands of tires I have tried on the front, the Road Attack stands out as giving the best feedback with the smoothest handling.
The things track so well, you can comfortably ride hands off across a grated bridge. I'm serious. . I would expect the Motion to mirror those qualities.

[GS ace]

Attacks were put on my 929RR right after I stole it from some kid that couldn't afford to keep it. They were sure-footed as all get out but I never had a chance to see how they wore being that I had the thing for only a few months.

800+ miles were put on the Motions in Arkansas a few weeks ago. I was impressed with how they managed those roads..... better than the PR2s which seemed to get a little squirrely when pushed.

[earlfor]

Attacks were put on my 929RR right after I stole it from some kid that couldn't afford to keep it. They were sure-footed as all get out but I never had a chance to see how they wore being that I had the thing for only a few months.

800+ miles were put on the Motions in Arkansas a few weeks ago. I was impressed with how they managed those roads..... better than the PR2s which seemed to get a little squirrely when pushed.

I really liked the Road Attacks because the handling didn't change with tire wear and they went through a curve like a monorail. The limit of lean angle was the foot pegs folding up, not the tire. I had a CBR929 and the B12 for about a year and a half with RA's on both of them. I really enjoyed the 929 for what it was, but as a distance street machine, I thought it really sucked. heh I kept the B12. Besides that, in low end and mid range performance, (where the majority of my riding is) the B12 would absolutely eat my 929 for breakfast. Still though, I managed to put 24k miles on the 929 in that time while also riding the Bandit.

[GS ace]

After the RAs were put on the Honda, I began reverting to things that I had done 30+ years ago....and then some. The leap into stellar handling and power almost got me. After realizing wtf I was doing, I put it on the market and made a few bucks as well as acting in self-preservation. Besides, I could only stay on it for an hour or two.

When the luggage is off, the RT does all I want to do on two wheels.

[earlfor]

After the RAs were put on the Honda, I began reverting to things that I had done 30+ years ago....and then some. The leap into stellar handling and power almost got me. After realizing wtf I was doing, I put it on the market and made a few bucks as well as acting in self-preservation. Besides, I could only stay on it for an hour or two.

When the luggage is off, the RT does all I want to do on two wheels.

Those are pretty much the same reasons I sold mine. It was way too easy to go way too fast and it was difficult to resist. LOL Besides that, I think I was on it about four hours the first day I had it and then spent the next three days in severe pain with difficulty standing up and walking. heheh Eventually, I was able to stay on it longer, but the process nearly killed me. In comparison, I have sat on the Bandit for 18 hours and nothing hurts.

[recycled64]

How about tires for 650e's and g's, what are you guys using? The few web sites I've visited have decent choices for the front (100/90-19), not so much for the rears (120/90-17). (Sort of a hijack, not really interested in radials)

[bluewool]

Yes it's a hijack. We are talking about Radials for new bikes because if you use the search feature you'll find 50 threads on "What tires for my gs" Or just search "Road rider"

I even put it it the "Other Bikes" section just to avoid the GS questions. There's a lot of well explained opinion about the options but I still haven't decided if I am going to switch to the PR3's or not.

[John Kat]

After the RAs were put on the Honda, I began reverting to things that I had done 30+ years ago....and then some. The leap into stellar handling and power almost got me. After realizing wtf I was doing, I put it on the market and made a few bucks as well as acting in self-preservation. Besides, I could only stay on it for an hour or two.

I kept my CBR 900 RR just as a caliber to judge other bikes
You definitely can't ride it for too long but what a grin when you do
Not to derail the thread, it's equipped with Bridgestone BT 016s that I never totally trusted or maybe it's the 16" front wheel?

[Jethro]

How are you getting 11,000 miles to a rear tire!?!?! Please tell us your secret... I've never gotten that on any tire ever... Luckiy if I get half that mileage...

You've never met Earl, have you?