Tyres

[Winston Smith]

Rode a Blackbird with Azzaros (Sp?) for work in torrential conditions - must say they were superb.

Using ST Angels which are superb on the GTR

[routemaster]

Hi

I have recently had fitted a set of Pilot Road 3's

I have done 500 miles on the PR3's where the road conditions have varied from dry, damp to wet.

The handling, grip and performance is very good  :) Handling is always difficult to describe but the PR3's do seem to turn in quicker than the BT021's and giving the bike a bit more of a sportier feel to its handling which is nice  ;)  It is always difficult to make comparison with tyres on other bikes but they do seem to have improved the PR3's by giving them a more sportier feel then the PR2's - I had two sets of PR2's on the CBF1000.

An interesting observations

The tyre pressure seems to vary more than with the BT021. The tyre pressure started at 42 psi and the air temperature varied between 4-6 deg C. Under normal riding conditions the tyre pressure was showing 44 psi but it would drop by 1-2 psi when I had to slow down and take it easy through towns and villages etc or when the tyres weren't been worked as hard although it didn't change the level of grip or the handling.

It will be interesting to see what happens in warmer weather :-\

Steve

[Rusty]

Steve.. as you can see from previous entries about tyres the PR2' s get a good write up. I would imagine in the warmer weather you will simply get a firmer, better feeling of grip and confidence ... I shall go back to PR2's or try the 3's when my tyres are up for changing.

[2kwacks]

tyres have allways been well talk about. but am finding it confusing! because both the gtr1400 and the zzr1400 come standard with bridgestones, zzr1400 bt14 and the gtr140 bt21. now both theses tyres get some bad press form the owners of theses 2 excellent bikes! but have got no complaints from the bt14 tyres on my zzr1400, have just put the 3 rd rear on and am half way through my 2nd front on the zzr1400. the rear seems to last around 3,000 miles and the front 6,000 miles, dont see any other tyre lasting any longer with the b.h.p my zzr1400 throws out at the rear wheel, unless you want to ride around like a sunday rover driver! I went to the french alps last year on the zzr1400 and had the bt1400 on the rear, me and my mate on his hayabusa give the mountain roads some stick, and the bt14 tyre was exceptional, the grip was spot on as normal, yet zzr1400 riders seem to change there tyres as soon as they can. am I missing out on some thing here! as far as the gtr1400 is concearned, well I am not in a position to comment just yet. with me only getting the bike late september and the weather being shit, have not had time to really test the tyres, have noticed the gtr1400 bt21 tyres also get some stick, but I have a feeling they will be as good as the bt14 tyre, suppose its also reasonable to asume, kawasaki boffins would only fit tyres that would compliment the gtr1400 and ensure there the best allrounder for the bike! now am not saying all you guys are wrong, I very may need to eat my words when have had chance to test the tyres fully! but remmember the bt14 tyre was also voted as a bad tyre, yet I find it to be excellent choice for the zzr1400. as far as am concerned kawasaki made the right choice fitting the zzr1400 with the bt14. surely its fair to asume kawasaki have done the same with the gtr1400 and picked  the best allrounder, best for the job.

[Rusty]

it's a funny world isn't it ? Kawasaki spend shed loads of money on R and D and clearly in their view the BT's are the best tyres to supply and compliment their bikes and yet most of us can't wait to get rid of them ! i think it's in the mind when it comes to individuals perception... we all want a different tyre for the different riding we do ... 2Kwacks gives it large in the mountains but I need a longer lasting tyre for commuting so i think that whatever tyre you have on the bike it's still going to get you from A to B, round the bends and through the rain .. it's just a matter of choice !

[2kwacks]

qoute from lordrusty- "2Kwacks gives it large in the mountains"


yea! but the zzr1400 was the better ride ;D

[routemaster]

Steve.. as you can see from previous entries about tyres the PR2' s get a good write up. I would imagine in the warmer weather you will simply get a firmer, better feeling of grip and confidence ... I shall go back to PR2's or try the 3's when my tyres are up for changing.

I think the PR3's are an improvement on the PR2's,  and after having been out on the GTR the last couple of days in a wide variety of weather conditions including torrential rain and hail then I have total confidence in the tyres.

It will be interesting to see what mileage I can get out of them - anything above 8,000 miles would be nice but I don't expect to get the 11-12,000 miles I managed with PR2's (twice) on the CBF1000.

Steve

[Kwikasfuki]

I'll be putting Z8's on my bike shortly. The Conti Road Attack 2s are almost gone.  A few thousand more and that's it. I may try the PR3's after

[routemaster]

I would be interested in how you get on with the Z8's. They were on my short list and I think it was a toss of a coin/previous experience of PR2's that made me select the PR3's

Steve

[pembsgtr]

Got mine booked in Saturday for 4k service and having a set of Avon Storm Ultra 2 fitted at the same time, replacing the oem BT021 that i found ok on the bike. I'll update as they become scrubbed in.

[Rusty]

Get scrubbing pembsgtr ... we want to hear what you think !

[Sahagun]

I had exactly similar problems with my bike "dropping" into the corners when I had 021's on. Scary.

I followed the tyre advice here on the Forum and fitted Michelin Road Pilot 2's. They are fantastic and really inspire so much confidence while cornering. It is like a totally different bike. I now take the same corners faster, and still legally, and just hang on and enjoy the ride !!

Please note though I live in the south of Spain - so my tyres are usually warm and dry.