sticky black hoops. . .

[BRAAAP !]

Hello all.. .

It's time to give the baggy new boots, I've been running bridgestone BT020's for the past 12months. OK for mileage but don't give much confidence at extreme lean angles.



I'm thinking of buying either Contiforce SM, BT090's or Maxxis Street Sport

Anyone got any advice on the above tyres (tires )

or best place to buy in the UK ?

Cheers

Ed.

[Garf]

I fitted the Maxxis Goldspeed street sport and have been very happy with them so far both when wet or dry. They have excellent grip and give good feedback, making them very predictable.

I bought them on the back of a big tyre test in Supermoto magazine from a while back and I think they were in the top 3 from each of the two reviewers, from memory they came top for one of the guys. Out of a test of 10-12 pairs of tyres I was pretty impressed ......ultimately because I am a tight wad it was the price that swung it ....about £160 a pair.

[simon duval smith]

My 2005 Baghira SM came with Contiforce SMs fitted and they were not very good, poor grip wet and dry and the front was distorted internally - it wore off one side prematurely. They needed changing at 7000 kilometres!
I have Pirelli Super Corsas now and they are much better, no slithering even at silly angles in wet or dry and they warm much faster too. Seem to be wearing well also.
I have tried another bike with Avon Pro-Extreme wets on it and they were even better - stick like snot to a truncheon...

[CM]

[BRAAAP !]

Blimey, only 3,000 kilometres !!!!

I'm even more of a tight wad then. .

I had a set of BT92's (h rated for 400cc pocket rockets) and I got 4,500 miles out of that set, they had a wide profile and inspired confidence, Bridgestone have now stopped making these but I believe the BT090 is the replacement ?

I've tried super corsa's but they seem to wear to a peak on the front tyre and make it feel like your falling off the side of the world when tipping it in, or am i riding like a big jessie ?

Whats the groups most favourite set of stickies and their best mileage ?

[roge-a-billy]

Maxxis

[DAVID THOMPSON]

now i know why i like my rt125 the OEM rubber lasted 13,000 miles
and seemed to work well wet or dry
now using KENDA 671's in ori size


ps i am not a speedy hot shoe rider so some one else can say
how good they stick wet or dry

[Wonky]

To be honest it's really all down to how you ride your bike and what kind of feel you require from your tyres. When leaning the baggy to extreme angles you will lose the front end regardless of what tyre you ride, it's just that some tyres will be a softer compound and will hold a tighter line than others, to be honest i ride my bike pretty hard and i use 014 Rear and 010 Front, but i like sliding the front into line sometimes, just have to be real careful not to over tweak the front or i'll go down hard for sure, that's what the legs and a tough pair of Moto boots are for though! If your just wanting tyres for fun then splash out on a soft compound set that won't last too long, if it's commuting and a tad leisure time then stick with what you know works. We can all rave about what tyres best and isn't and we will all have different opinions about the same tyres, at the end of the day if it ain't broke, then don't fix it!

[whysub01]

I have Bridgestone 014's on my Baggi, and they grip well-although wear is faster than I'd like it to be- much more so that the 020's i had on my Sport, which were still very good. But grip is a trade off for wear after all.

This is the rear after 4 laps at Rowrah in Cumbria-ignore the chicken strips, was my first few laps on a circuit for years. Well worn after 50 odd laps I can promise you!

[Wonky]

Yep! I agree buddy a new set of 014's are currently waiting patiently to be fitted to my bike, excellent tyres and i have used them on my past 4 bikes!

[keithcross]

I have tried a few different tyres on my baggi including

Pirelli MT60's - I found them really good to start with, but after trying oterh tyres, maybe they went so good.
Koncorde re manufactured (remolds) For teh price (job lot at £10-15 each) Not to bad really, but wore out quick and lost a lot of grip before they got to 3mm of rubber left.
Avon Pro Extreme Rain. OH yes these were teh dogs gonads on teh street, just bring on teh rain. They also gripped well in teh dry untill they really warmed up after 30-35 miles. Front lasted 7000 miles, teh rear 958 miles (yep less than 1000 miles)
Avon Distanza. Not to bad, but the front didnt inspire confidence.

I currently run Avons. A Pro extreme rain front and Disatanza rear. This seems to be a good combination for grip and wear. The front lasting 7000 miles, the rear 3-3500 miles.
Please bear in mind this is including a lot of commuting milage (200 miles/week) so wear is quite an important consideration for me.

Keith

[BRAAAP !]

Do you folks always go to a tyre specialist to get them fitted or have a go yourselves ?, never had a go myself. . . .

[whysub01]

Fitted mine a few times myself-not too difficult now, but it was a real bast**d first time. Find yourself a spade that has the same curve as the wheel rim (most do)-you place the spade as close to the rim as you can-hence one with the right curve is best-and stand on the spade to break the tyre to rim seal when removing the tyres (a bit easier if you are a little on the heavy side). And if you go to an Motocross dealer, thet will sell you proper tyre levers. Sportsbike riders rarely change their own tyres., And don't forget some rim protectors unless you like scratched/chipped rims. If you can, watch someone else do it first-it is as easy as it looks.

However, I once bought a pair of Tomahawk tyres (again, remoulds, but I really liked the grip and feedback they gave), which i had a dealer fit as I had no time. The bak went on as usual, but ittook him nearly anhour to fit he front, and needed 100 psi to get the bead squarely on the rim. Funny, as when it wore out, it popped off easily enough.

Still, my dealer only charges me £5 to change a pair of tyres, and I get a cup of tea and a chat for that too.

[keithcross]

As with the above post I have fitted my own tyres in the past, using a cheap bead breaker.
However I now use a local tyre fitted who does tyes at a cheap enough price, especially when he comes to my house to change them If you live in the Reading Area (I think he will travel up to 25 -30 miles) give him a try. His name is Gary and his number is 07702391071

Keith

[Wonky]

Good skills Keith....