need new tires

[Daniel78362]

Good morning to all, I'm planning a rabbit run............no, don't like the John Updike reference...... I'm planning a "gumball" run to the West Coast in the next few weeks. Just waiting for the IRS to stop F-ing around with the "Tea Party " and get me my refund. Plan on doing about 5,000 miles in 10-14 days. My problem is Tires. Spent 2 hours last night detailing "Baby Girl" just to find that I picked up a wire on the front. Anyway its time to replace front and rear. Spent a few hours researching tires and talking to local dealers and have come to the following choices, but would like some member input. I'm looking for cornering grip as well as mileage, I do like the turns.........but I'm on a strict (wife determined) budget. I'm considering one of the following:

..Bridgestone Battlax BT023 GT

..Dunlap Sportmax Q2

..Michelin Pilot Road 3

..Metzler road Tech Z8

..Conti Sport Attack 2

I check pressure every day, but I do like to ride hard. I'm looking for a tire that will get me there and back plus. I'm riding solo, plan on riding hard and eating light. My fat ass told me to OR ELSE.

Will give more details as the day gets closer and post in "Rides" section. Would enjoy any company on such an endeavor.

Thanks to all, Be Good Be Safe.

 

[Mihalis fjr]

You'll get many different opinions i guess..

I have installed the BT023 GT the last years and i am really satisfied from these tires.They have great grip and absorb the bumps of some rough roads very good!

 

[0Face]

Total opinion thing. The 023's will do the trick. PR3's while great in the wet have not been high milers for me.

 

[LAF]

The z 8's are a great tire............Until the cords and steel show with no warning. Not the tire to take a trip on as when they go they go fast and with very little visual warning. I would say PR 2 as I got good mileage out of them. I am not sure any tire on a varied ride such as you are taking is going to make 15,000 on both front and rear.

 

[RossKean]

Of the tires you have listed, I think the PR3 or the BT023GT might be the better choice for mileage. Some have had good luck with the Z8; I tried a front (with a CT rear) and wasn't overly impressed. My experience has shown better life out of the Michelin PR2 than the PR3.

You might want to consider the new Pirelli Angel GT - better life than the old ST's. If marketing hype means anything, they should yield decent mileage. Haven't seen any real world longevity reports yet but I think I will try them once the current PR2's are gone.

 

[Burnspot]

As a point for comparison, I recently changed out my rear PR3 after 9269 miles that included a mix of hard riding, twisties, and slab. The front's going to get about 11k miles it looks like. The PR2's I had on before that got 12.5k miles (rear) and 14k miles (front). The PR3's seems to wear much better than the PR2's, with not as much squaring. Very happy with both versions and would choose either for such a trip.

 

[Fred W]

I am currently running a BT023GT front with a PR2 rear and I like this combination very much. I did not like the BT023 rear as much as the PR2 rear. Both the PR2 and PR3 tires have a lot of siping in the front tires, which makes them great in the rain, but makes them noisy when they get to about 1/2 worn out, so I prefer the GT up front over those. I'm going to stick with this combo for my next few changes.

If you insist on same tire brand front and rear any of those three choices would be fine (023GT, PR2 or PR3). All are high mileage tires easily able to go 5k miles of mixed riding. The Bridgestones will be the least expensive and the PR3's the most.

Jake Wilson or Rocky Mountain ATV are usually the cheapest sources lately.

 

[AlleyCat]

As mentionned by RossKean, the Pirelli Angel GT look like a great choice. I am running the Angel ST (replaced by the GT) and I love them. They grip really well and wear nice. I have about 11000 kms on them and they probably still have a good 1500 kms left in them (rear - the front still has alot of life left). They were run hard. I will be picking up another set of Pirelli's.

 

[jmgrif]

I very much like the PR 3's! Just replaced the rear at 15,500kms (not miles) and the front at 17,385kms! A couple of years ago I did a cross Canada and back through the states on PR 2's. Changed both at 17,000kms in Kansas with I think maybe another 1500miles still left in them? Many of those miles were on varied roads, Cabot trail, PEI, Newfoundland circumference, Skyline drive, the Blue Ridge (with no police presence?), the Dragon a few times, and the Cherohola (spelling?). Before slabing to Kansas! I was loaded for a long trip which included camping gear, I weigh over 200lbs. On such a long trip I wasn't inclined to push but there were a few when I just had to.

 

[Geezer]

I recently tried the Metzeler Z8 and do not recommend them. They are not good in cool weather until they warm up a few miles, and they squared off very quickly.

I have also used a couple of sets of PR3s for cross country rides and they are very nice, though the plethora of sipes on them makes them a little squirrely on roads that have parallel lines, like rain grooves and such. They are great in the wet. They lasted a long time for me, but not as long as PR2's.

I recommend the PR2, and I just switched back to using them. I have used these many times in the past. They have a good balance between stickiness and longevity for long distance riding. They hold up well in the heat and do not seem to wear faster on very hot road surfaces. They are predictable and have never done anything to surprised me in a curve or on gravel.

 

[kamal]

I recommend the PR2, and I just switched back to using them. I have used thses many times in the past. They have a good balance between stickiness and longevity for long distance riding. They hold up well in the heat and do not seem to wear faster on very hot road surfaces. They are predictable and have never done anything to surprised me in a curve or on gravel.

+1 on the Michelin Pilot Road 2. I had all winter to decide on replacements. At the time, RP2s gave the 'best bang for the buck' - guess I shouldn't say that about tires!

I also like what I'm hearing about the Pirelli Angel GT.

Maybe I can look like this???

 

[flagstaff]

My bike came to me with almost new BT023s. They have been fine, but will be replaced with PR3s. I've gotten great mileage out of PR3s, and the handling has been top notch. They are even mounted on my Ducati which I'm in the middle of prepping for a track day on Sunday in Pahrump.

 

[Fred W]

Note to all:

There are BT023's and there are BT023GT's. They are different enough to not want to confuse them.

 

[0Face]

Note to all:
There are BT023's and there are BT023GT's. They are different enough to not want to confuse them.

+1. Same with the PR3. There are two specs for the rear PR3.

 

[urvman]

so what works best BT023 or BT023GT? the only difference i can find is that the GT is for a heavier motocycle. How heavy?

 

[escapefjrtist]

so what works best BT023 or BT023GT? the only difference i can find is that the GT is for a heavier motocycle. How heavy?

Most definitely the GT. The FJR is considered one of the heavy sport tourers the tire was designed for.

--G