Let's talk tyres!
 

I love rubber.

I like the smell. I have stacked r-compound tyres in my house during the winter. I clean my tyres... for some reason, I have typically been addicted to them... researching, racing and trying new brands, compounds and treads.... my favourite tire of all time is the Bridgestone RE070.... perfect blend of street and track performance....

The problem is I know NOTHING about bike tyres..... my bike currently has Dunlop Qualifiers front/rear.... they are VERY close to the end of their life. I can't really rate their performance as I have not been comfortable enough to push this bike hard yet and because I am weary about the life left in them....

What I need/want is the following and I'm hoping the amazing people here can lend some advice :

-shops : suggestions for local shops that provide web-based prices and terrific service. I do NOT take my cars to be serviced by hacks... if I can't do it myself, I will pay somebody that is capable of treating my stuff like I would.... I have already heard some serious horror stories from certain shops but because I didn't personally experience it I won't mention them.... I prefer to buy local if shops can come close to web prices....

-brand/model : almost everything I have read suggests that the current tyre on the bike is a very good model..... that said, I won't be changing models every week so if I have an opportunity to go in a different direction based on your feedback I would like to.

-this bike has never seen rain and nor do I ever intend to take it in rain...


Would love to hear your suggestions for a) shops/service and b) tyres for performance/daily-riding....

Thanks team!

Mark

bayside performance and pilot power 3 hands down.

I dropped by Bayside's local shop... pretty underwhelmed by the presentation but I know it's largely a web-based operation... do they do fittings or just sell the equipment?

they sell and install.

bayside has really grown since....they use to just have a office and install bay at their old location. Now they got a actual show room at their new location.

they sell used bike parts as well, and old lcd monitors too lol

I only use pirelli now nothing else.

Started with bridgestone and moved onto diablo rosso corsa, those street tyres are probably one of the best out there. That being said, pilot power 3 is probably as par to the pirelli DRC.

I've also tried the Supercorsa V2 from pirelli. Amazing tyres but won't last as long. It really depends what you are looking for.

If you are looking for something that will last more than one season with overall good grip go for pilot powers. (or Power pure but not sure how long they last)

If you are looking for pure performance and faster tyre heat up go for pirellis DRC or SC (but less life).

Just ordered a set of Pirelli Superbike slicks for my race bike. I'll give some feedback later compared to the DOT SC's

As for your local shop - I also recommend bayside because my tyres were mounted by them and they do a pretty good job.

get some 360 tires!

http://customsportbikes.nl/files/201...Sportbikes.jpg
http://www.hayabusa.org/forum/attach...a20ee8ed_o.jpg
http://roaringtoyz.com/gallery-kaw-z...ome_wheels.jpg

Dunlop Q2 - cheapest, amazing grip, stiff carcass, good tread life, takes a little longer to heat up, ok in the rain. you need to push a little harder to get the extra grip out of these tires, whereas the rosso corsa will heat up and grip a little faster.

Pirelli Rosso Corsa - most expensive, arguably slightly down on grip from the Q2(but much more than we can possibly ever use on the street), soft carcass, mediocre tread life, heats up quick, ok in the rain. I'd probably pick these ones for my next street tire just because the handling characteristics of pirellis suit my riding style a little better. and i'm not a fan of the stiff carcass on the dunlop.

Michelin Pilot Power 3 - price is in between Q2 and PRC, not too sure about the grip characteristics but i know they have really good tread life and are the best out of the 3 in the wet.



dunno if this is relevant but ive run DOT race tires from both dunlop and pirelli and i really like the pirelli. shitty thing is the dunlop rear tire lasted me about 9 track days, and it looks like this pirelli rear tire is only gonna last me 3 lol.

I bought the Michelin Pilot Power 3 purchased from and installed by Bayside, put about 500kms on them and I'm happy with them. Bayside has good service but the location is kind of hard to find if you've never been.

Hello Sunfighter,

I here really good reviews from the Michelin Pilot Road 3 have great reviews and judging by your first bike thread. You cruise around quite a bit, so I heard these tires have great tire life and tread pattern for more Vancouver like weather we got here (Raincouver ?) If you are interested we should do a group by. :D

:nyan:

Ya ,once you've been there no problem. There is no sign so if you've never been and you're looking for a sign you could be riding around the block a few times like yours truly. :)

i've only had experience with the pilot power's but haven't tried the pilot power 3's yet. will consider the 3's or the diablo rosso's for my next set. so far though, the pilot power's have treated me pretty well. grips quite well in cold weather and is awesome when it's warmed up. the life and tread are still pretty good so these would definately last more than a season. i'd most likely get my tires done at bayside since i pass by there daily from work

Had a set of Bridgestone BT-45 tires on my cafe racer. I quite liked them. Lots of grip and are supposedly long lasting. I bought them partly because a lot of the guys on BC Sport Bikes rode on them for several seasons and reported great results. And at the time, the tires were on sale and significantly cheaper than the Michelin Pilot Power equivalent. Can't speak for wet roads because I never took my bike out in the rain but again, they seemed to have been favoured by the guys who toured on their Honda VFRs, BMW K-series and Suzuki V-Stroms.

My first choice would have been the Michelin Pilot Power 3 but what it boiled down to was cost and the Bridgestone's fit the bill (almost half in savings!) I believe Bridgestone may have changed the rubber compound since I bought them in 2010. (?) (Maybe somebody else can confirm.)

As for shops, I'd most likely point you to Bayside or M Speed Performance. I've been helped by a Revscene member who worked (works?) at Bayside and was well taken care of. Marbod at M Speed was also great (despite his haunting reputation/history.)

:lol

^
haha yeah

I'm indifferent about that. Some people get VERY upset and are hyper sensitive about the issue. :p

...but now I'm curious.

PS ~ thanks for all the feedback guys. :)

i'm not entirely sure what happened but didn't it have something to do with the guy stealing customers' bikes or something?

Best you ask fT-z33wor. :D

I went with the Michelin Power 3 Dual Compound set. Basically at this point mountain bike tires would have been an upgrade on the well worn Dunlops ... :)

Good call, best tire for a crotch rocket hands down.