tyre questions

Its time for some new tyres for the R6 and me being mechanically stupid
i thought someone here might be able to help...so any brain surgeons? ok
no, then ill take your advice

Any comments on Avon tyres?

Also what would the pirelli equivalent of the michellin pilot powers be?
Would it be the diablo corsa, dragon supercorsa or diablo?

Its also been suggested I go for a 70 rather than 60 profile front tyre.

What does that mean and how will that affect handling etc?

Happy to hear all opinions

thanks

Dave R6

 

Haven't ridden the Avons, but if you are going from a Pilot Power and expect
anything much better, then you'll only be dissapointed. Pilow Power would be
comparable to Diablos, the supercorsa would be the Pilot Race version etc.

The 70 section front tyre will slow down the steering a tad but feel more
stable and confident in the corners, personally I love the 70 section tyre
and would always put one on. Make sure you have enough clearance under the
front guard for it though too, but being an R6 which would see track duties
and hence a 70 section front tyre, you should be ok.

My two thumbs up goes to the Pilot Powers, or the Bridgestone BT014 which
I've heard is rather good too.

Cam
'04 ZX10R

 

rather subjective


ck

 

I should have mentioned. Got a pirelli draggin on the front and a avon
on the rear at the moment.

No track duties for me. just road use.

thanks for the feedback

Dave R6

 

Obviously not - Choice magazine would have tried both before offering a
judgement on which was better

ck

 

You mean choice magazine is a * new * brand of tyre .

Are you running these ?

 

Ok, so you know what the rear Avon is like already. The dragon is atleast 1
generation of tyre old, so upgrading to some nice rubber will make quite a
difference. Bridgestones are a little more neutral on the turn in etc, as
where the michelins will tip in a little more. The difference isn't huge
though. If you like going around corners whith the bike laying on it's side
and feeling that comfortable that you could light a ciggy and make a few
phone calls then the Michelin feels great! The slightly flatter side profile
provides a shite tin of grip in the corners. Good stuff. I've been using
Bridgestones for yonks, then I thought I'd go to the darkside and try the
Michelins and I've been pleasantly surprised. Each to their own though,
Diablos are still quite a good tyre too by all accounts, and I've seen them
in action in front of me plenty of times laying rubber through the corners.

Regardless, I'd say you'll enjoy the 70 section profile. I'm sure a few
others will chime in about how good they feel in the corners. they have a
wider contact patch on the sides from the slightly taller section. So, a bit
more grip, and a bit more comfort in the corners. All good.

 

Perhaps it would have been better worded as "IF you are using Pilot Powers
you will be hard pressed to find a better tyre in that category, in my
opinion"

..... having used Pilot Powers, Bridgestone BT012s, BT014s. Hey, not all of
us can sample the entire tyre market!

Cam
'04 ZX10R

 

totally agree - have the Avons but have never used Pilot Powers

ck

 

No track duties for me. just road use.

I wouldn't bother with a 70 profile then.

Bear in mind that if you stick a 70 on, you really do need to alter the
geometry (dropping the forks 10mm or so through the triple clamps) to
keep the steering sharp.

And stones and whatnot _will_ grind in the narrowed gap between tyre and
front guard. It can be disconcerting.

I used to own an R6 and tried both 65s and 70s.

 

cheers...ok, so based on your experience...care to comment on the
steering effects of the 60's compared to 70's from your personel
experience and which you would go with given your time over on a R6?

 

I don't have an R6, but I've used all of these.

Bridgestone 020 - Crap grip, Didn't wear well. Got unstable well before
running out of tread.
Pirelli Diablo Corsa - Great grip, but didn't last long and sidewall too
soft (for my heavy bike anyway)
Pirelli Diablo - Good Grip, but same as above
Michellelin Pilot Road - Great Grip, good lastability and wear.
Avon Azaro - Great grip, good stiff sidewall, excellent mileage and nice
triangulated profile. Good tread for Winter riding,

I personally don't like any tyre that has a groove running around the centre
of the tyre as I can feel it when going quickly from leaning one way to the
other.

I will always stick to the Avons now. The Pilots roads were just as good,
but I liked the profile of the Avon better.

Don't change your tyre profiles. Remember Yamaha spend millions on R&D and
didn't just choose that profile for the hell of it. Your suspension & frame
geometry is designed to match the tyre profile.

But if you do go for a higher profile it will want to run a little wider
unless you drop the forks 5mm. When punted hard the higher profile will
move around a bit more and your suspension will feel a bit softer. But you
may not ride the bike hard enough or have enough feel to notice.

 

Okay,

Avons - fantastic - choice of 3 compounds, super fast turn in and change of
direction, neutral steering and will live on their ear until u run out of
fuel.

Micheling Pilot Power - dunno, never used them.

Pretty difficult to have an opinion on something you have never used.

ck

 

or to make a comparison

ck

 

True,

and mine needs filtering as well as I'm using the Azaro AV49 Pro Extreme
front and the Azaro AV50 Pro Series rear, not the AV49/50 Sport.

Doesn't matter - they are being superseded late winter/early spring

ck

 

I recommend the Zzz compound.

Postman Pat

 

Yes! The 5.00 x 16 SM MKII's are the ducks guts on the front!

 

Better than my balls, Clem!

 

They love the wet weather.

Nev..
'03 ZX12R

 

Shithouse in the wet...

Johno

Beer?