2013 Owners Tires

[jim oneill]

Whats the general consensus on the new Bridgestones installed on the 2013 model? Good/Bad/Indifferent ?

 

[jayke]

They're round and black.......

They were just ok tires.... didn't seem to have a lot of grip in the wet and completely shot at 6K miles.

I wouldn't buy another set of them. Went with PR3's

 

[MCRIDER007]

I don't think you are going to get a general consensus, just a few dyno butt personal opinions, and mine is that the OEM BT023's are a spec tire built to a low budget and the result is a mediocre ride and handling tire that probably will not last nearly as long as its replacement. I think the standard BT023GT you can buy off the shelf is a much better tire than the OEM version.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Bridgestone tires blow...At least the OEM ones that came on my bike and the set I replaced them with. Sounds like the OEM BT023 tires are keeping my opinion intact....but at the end of the day it is only my opinion.

Given the choice, I will never put another Bridgestone tire on any motorcycle I own. Not when there are so many good alternatives available. Currently have Pirelli Angels on and have really enjoyed them.

 

[Bungie]

I've got 10Km (6000 miles) on mine at the end of this season on my 13. A good chunk of that two up. I was really expecting them to be done at about 3-4K when I bought the bike.

I wouldn't give them high marks in any area, they're starting to flat spot and cup, I expect to get at least another couple of thou out of them before I'm good and sick of them. I usually leave my bike in Touring mode and it really does seem to greatly extend tire life. The only time my bike gets put into sport mode is when I feel the need to get my ya-ya's on.

It's going to be very interesting to see how a premium tire like the 023GT's or PR2-PR3's last in touring mode.

 

[Silent]

They are called rim protectors for a reason. Not the optimum tire for the FJR

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Wow. It's almost like you did do a search and then selected the best possible candidate for NEPRT. And you are getting good at doing it. You're what 3 for 3 now?

Why couldn't this have happened on a Friday?

Edit: 4 for 4. That's right. 4 out of 4 threads in NEPRT. I wonder what the record is.

 

[08FJR4ME]

Wow. It's almost like you did do a search and then selected the best possible candidate for NEPRT. And you are getting good at doing it. You're what 3 for 3 now?
Why couldn't this have happened on a Friday?

Edit: 4 for 4. That's right. 4 out of 4 threads in NEPRT. I wonder what the record is.

Good catch RFH

 

[gumba]

There always has to be a naysayer to consensus. The 013 comes with the standard BT-023 non GT. I have been using this tire for 50k with good results. They are easy to mount and balance up with little or no weight. I get 10k without any hassle. They cup and block off just like any other tire. But - I don't get that dreaded 45 mph h.s. if I pay attention to front end alignment. The non GT is usually the same price as the GT. They are working better on my 013 then they did on my Gen2's. In my opinion the Gen3 has better chassis balance.

 

[GeorgiaRoller]

But - I don't get that dreaded 45 mph h.s.

I actually had this happen to me for the first time ever owning the FJR with a set of PR3's recently. Those horizontal tread pattern marks were creating small ridges at the compound change line and at 45mph my handlebars were really shaking. Put a new set of BT-023-GT's on and I don't have that problem anymore.

Is this a common occurance? I've put 25k miles on my bike and this was the first time it ever did it.

 

[gumba]

The dreaded 45 mph h.s. has been a common subject on all ST forums.

 

[GeorgiaRoller]

The dreaded 45 mph h.s. has been a common subject on all ST forums.

I honestly didn't know that.

 

[MCRIDER007]

There always has to be a naysayer to consensus. The 013 comes with the standard BT-023 non GT. I have been using this tire for 50k with good results. They are easy to mount and balance up with little or no weight. I get 10k without any hassle. They cup and block off just like any other tire. But - I don't get that dreaded 45 mph h.s. if I pay attention to front end alignment. The non GT is usually the same price as the GT. They are working better on my 013 then they did on my Gen2's. In my opinion the Gen3 has better chassis balance.

The '13 does not come with the standard BT-023 (non GT), it comes with the BT023 F, and I doubt you have been using the BT023F for 50K miles because it is a new tire.....but since you were using the BT023 in your previous FJR, you can give a good comparison of how the "F" version performs relative to the standard BT-023 in that bike. Have you also worn out the original BT-023F tires and been able to compare them to a standard BT-023 on the '13?

 

[Old Guy]

Whats the general consensus on the new Bridgestones installed on the 2013 model? Good/Bad/Indifferent ?

This is my first FJR, so I had nothing to compare to. The originals felt OK to me, though sort of heavy steering. But they were gone at about 3400 miles.

Bear in mind that the replacement BT023GTs are not the same tire. I replaced the OEMs with BT023GTs at a friend's suggestion, and they felt much better and lasted way longer. With mostly touring riding, the rear BT023GT went 8500 miles. I'm happy with them and have a second new set on the bike now.

 

[gumba]

My 013 came with: front - F

rear - R (f)

Set not mounted front - F

rear - R

Let's not pick **** with the sparrows here. My message is: the 013 tire is not a cheap ass tire. I have been using them and like um. I have 6k on the OEM tire and have every reason to repeat. That subscript f may indicate a new tire but it looks like the same.

 

[MCRIDER007]

My 013 came with: front - F

rear - R (f)

Set not mounted front - F

rear - R

Let's not pick **** with the sparrows here. My message is: the 013 tire is not a cheap ass tire. I have been using them and like um. I have 6k on the OEM tire and have every reason to repeat. That subscript f may indicate a new tire but it looks like the same.

If you look at your mounted front tire I think you will find it is a BT023 F (F). The tread pattern on the '013 tires may be exactly the same as the standard BT023 but they are not the same tire. The question is: How good of tire are they? And it doesn't sound like you are actually going to repeat....you are going to continue to use the standard BT023.

 

[eg23232]

The OEM Bridgestones, um I mean Slidestones, are absolute ****.

 

[SkooterG]

I don't think you are going to get a general consensus, just a few dyno butt personal opinions, and mine is that the OEM BT023's are a spec tire built to a low budget and the result is a mediocre ride and handling tire that probably will not last nearly as long as its replacement. I think the standard BT023GT you can buy off the shelf is a much better tire than the OEM version.

This ^^^^^ is spot on by one fart smeller.