mnrider
Member
I know others have provided feedback on this tire; however I thought I would add my thoughts on the forum for consideration.
First, I was fortunate enough to attend my first CFO gathering last year and meet a lot of great people. I also participated in my first Rally Rallye, which was a blast, even though it started with some very interesting weather. (Nothing like the crack of thunder for a shotgun start!) During the Saturday evening banquet, I was shocked to find that I had won the Grand Prize for the Rally, a set of Bridgestone BT-023GT tires!! Here is a picture of me posing with my new treads. I sure hope the tires look better on the bike than they do on me!
As anxious as I was to try out the new tread, the frugal side of me kept me from mounting them until late summer when my old tires were ready for replacement. Therefore, to date, I only have about 2,000 miles on these tires. As a basis for comparison, I mounted the tires on my 2007 model after replacing the BT-020 original equipment tires. My biggest concern with the BT-020 tires was the mileage/wear rate. I was hoping the new tires would provide more longetivity.
Again, I only have 2,000 miles on the tires, so honestly I can't speak completely on the how long the BT-023GT's will last. After this season I will have a better idea on mileage. The pictures below reflect 2,000 miles of wear. I realize it is difficult to see from the pictures, however there is no noticeable wear on either tire.
After mounting the new tires late last summer, I noticed an immediate improvement from the old BT-020's. This may have been partially due to the cupped front tire that I had been putting up with for several thousand miles; however I noticed a immediate increased confidence to enter corners at greater speed. Once I got used to the tires, I was very comfortable in corners and was also able to navigate small defects in the road with ease. The tires felt much more solid and planted as I negotiated various roadway curves and conditions.
Prior to mounting the tires, I read up on some other reviews on this tire. Bridgestone was aiming to improve wet weather performance with this tire. I can't honestly comment on this aspect of the tire since I have not had the opportunity to run them in any significant rain. If history repeats itself, I should have a good report on the wet weather performance after this year's Rally!
In summary, I would recommend the Bridgestone BT-023GT for consideration to anyone looking at new tires for their FJR. I have seen great improvement from the BT-020 to the BT-023GT in corner stability and it appears longetivity will be greatly improved. I would say that this tire can compete with the other top players in the tire market. By my early accounts, it appears that I will have many more happy miles on these tires this summer before needing to consider replacement.
A final thought on Bridgestone. As mentioned previously, I was fortunate to acquire these tires by winning the grand prize at the 2010 CFO gathering. This was only possible because of the generosity of Bridgestone to sponsor this event and willingness to provide these tires as the grand prize. This generousity does not go unnoticed. It is companies like Bridgestone that make it possible to have such great motorcycle events and gatherings. Thank you Bridgestone!
First, I was fortunate enough to attend my first CFO gathering last year and meet a lot of great people. I also participated in my first Rally Rallye, which was a blast, even though it started with some very interesting weather. (Nothing like the crack of thunder for a shotgun start!) During the Saturday evening banquet, I was shocked to find that I had won the Grand Prize for the Rally, a set of Bridgestone BT-023GT tires!! Here is a picture of me posing with my new treads. I sure hope the tires look better on the bike than they do on me!
As anxious as I was to try out the new tread, the frugal side of me kept me from mounting them until late summer when my old tires were ready for replacement. Therefore, to date, I only have about 2,000 miles on these tires. As a basis for comparison, I mounted the tires on my 2007 model after replacing the BT-020 original equipment tires. My biggest concern with the BT-020 tires was the mileage/wear rate. I was hoping the new tires would provide more longetivity.
Again, I only have 2,000 miles on the tires, so honestly I can't speak completely on the how long the BT-023GT's will last. After this season I will have a better idea on mileage. The pictures below reflect 2,000 miles of wear. I realize it is difficult to see from the pictures, however there is no noticeable wear on either tire.
After mounting the new tires late last summer, I noticed an immediate improvement from the old BT-020's. This may have been partially due to the cupped front tire that I had been putting up with for several thousand miles; however I noticed a immediate increased confidence to enter corners at greater speed. Once I got used to the tires, I was very comfortable in corners and was also able to navigate small defects in the road with ease. The tires felt much more solid and planted as I negotiated various roadway curves and conditions.
Prior to mounting the tires, I read up on some other reviews on this tire. Bridgestone was aiming to improve wet weather performance with this tire. I can't honestly comment on this aspect of the tire since I have not had the opportunity to run them in any significant rain. If history repeats itself, I should have a good report on the wet weather performance after this year's Rally!
In summary, I would recommend the Bridgestone BT-023GT for consideration to anyone looking at new tires for their FJR. I have seen great improvement from the BT-020 to the BT-023GT in corner stability and it appears longetivity will be greatly improved. I would say that this tire can compete with the other top players in the tire market. By my early accounts, it appears that I will have many more happy miles on these tires this summer before needing to consider replacement.
A final thought on Bridgestone. As mentioned previously, I was fortunate to acquire these tires by winning the grand prize at the 2010 CFO gathering. This was only possible because of the generosity of Bridgestone to sponsor this event and willingness to provide these tires as the grand prize. This generousity does not go unnoticed. It is companies like Bridgestone that make it possible to have such great motorcycle events and gatherings. Thank you Bridgestone!
