Sportbike tire recomendations?

[FJRMGM]

I have an '02 Honda CBR 954RR and its about time to replace the tires on it. I has Michelin Pilot Powers on it now.

I'm looking for something appropriately sticky for a sportbike but not a tire that wears out like a pencil eraser.

What recommendations do you have for a good tire for this bike that might actually get a few miles before wearing out?

thanks,

 

[Bugnatr]

Michelin PR2!!! I have done 3 track days with new ones on three different bikes. FZ6, very well tuned FZ1 and my 990 supermoto, they stick well and I can get 4.5-5K out of a set on the street. On my 3rd set for the Katoom.

Buncho FJR miles too.

Man am I going to be bummed when they are gone. Best tire for the money IMHO

 

[creg-ny-baa]

See that's the crapshoot: How much are you willing to sacrifice in terms of grip for longevity? Are you going to track the bike? How many times? How far apart? Even though the miles of use is pitiful, I never planned to get more than four trackdays out of a set. If I was going to use them on the road after that, no prob. But if your skills let you use the grip, go for grip, and take the street performance that you get. Having said that, the last set I bought (and this'll probably indicate how long ago it was) were the Michelin Power Pures. Rode rough as a beeotch if you were vertical, but heated up fast on the street and track, and didn't shred itself on the track. Compliance was much better when cornering.

That's my 1.5 cents.

 

[jbretthorton]

I have had very good luck with Q3's on my R1 both on the street and track days. Very good life as well.

Also run the Q3 on the rear of my VMax. VERY sticky tire and great tread life on that bike as well.... ANd it EATS rears for lunch

 

[Twigg]

Super-sticky tires on a sportsbike, are simply what those bikes need to get anywhere close to their design performance.

Back when I was riding sportsbikes, 4000 miles from a rear tire was what I expected, and tires were just a consumable. That 4000 miles could be quite a bit less if a track was involved.

There is something quite satisfying about braking hard from three-figure speeds and seeing the tire leave a black line of rubber on the road, without ANY slipping or locking of the wheel .... it's just what they do, but they don't last long.

Now I am sedentary, and I would like my sports-tourer to do a bit better than that, but I don't expect it to grip like a Yamaha R1, so we are good

 

[900gc]

Depends on how 'sporty' you ride I guess. The newest crop of Sport Touring tire are very good at providing both longevity with good traction (Bridgestone T30 for one sticks really well).

I have Dunlop Q3's on my track bike and find them to be most exellent, great ride quality (bump compliance) and awesome traction (GP 211 shoulder compound) but do not know how long they last as a street tire since I only use them on the track.

 

[creg-ny-baa]

I don't have a full-on sportbike at the moment, but oddly enough I just put T30s on a BMW F800R that might see track duty next spring. Good to know that they'll stick reasonably well.

 

[gotfz1]

I had great performance with a Power front Road rear combo.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Just about anything but Metzlers. Sheesh!!

 

[UHOH]

For a while I had a sport bike tire on front (BT-016) and ST tire on rear (Avon Storm 2, dual compound) and

I could ride that rear to the edge. That said; bike felt better when went to pure sport tire rear, so just sharing experiences

- not to persuade. This is on a GSXR1000.

 

[eastern5]

Pilot Road II's because thats whats on the gsxr. because its perfect for 80% of the time for what its ridden.

 

[creg-ny-baa]

Yeah, but if you're only looking for 80% performance, why even ask about "sportbike" tires?

 

[HotRodZilla]

I've seen a LOT of sport bikes with PR3s on them.

 

[FJRMGM]

ordered up a set of these - Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S-20 after reading good reviews on them and finding a deal at Motorcycle Superstore.

Gotta get 'em mounted and balanced now and some warmer weather so I can test them out!

thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[Fred W]

As others have said, it really depends on what you want to do with them.

Yeah, the PR2s are good grippers on the sides, but pretty darned hard in the middle. So, on a lightweight high HP sport bike ridden in sport mode, you are going to leave a lot of rubber (rubber = money) in the middle when the sides are totally shagged out. Plus all the while you won't have as much traction during acceleration on the rear, or braking from the front, when going in a straight line.

Going with a soft single compound tire may make a lot more sense on a lightweight sporty bike like yours. If the side compounds are similar durometer rating to the PR2 (what you're shooting for) they will grip corners the same and wear at the same exact rate. But, because the center is not hard, you'll get better acceleration grip and braking grip and the tires will last exact y the same in the end.

Plus, not always but often, single compound tires will not cost quite as much as the dual or triple compound wundertahrs. That said, PR2s are a good bargain lately, as they seem to be losing favor (due to number envy I suspect), so the economics may not be so bad to go with the 2's.

Good luck. I'll be watching, 'cause my viffer (not quite a sport bike) needs some new sneakers in the spring. I don't ride that far, but I like to ride it hard.

 

[rushes]

*snip*I'm looking for something appropriately sticky for a sportbike but not a tire that wears out like a pencil eraser.

Good luck.

You live in Arkansas. Get over it....

 

[FJRMGM]

Why yes, I do live in Arkansas. Is this a great country or whut?!!

God bless America!! Wait, can I say that without offending anybody??

 

[Dagwood]

Put Pilot Powers back on, wear em out, rinse and repeat as long as you have the bike. Hard to be offended by someone asking God to bless America. Those that take the position that there may or may not be a God shouldn't be pissed off at you for asking; it cant hurt. Those that take the position that there is no God and are hostile towards you for asking need to reflect on all of the lives lost defending liberties and just agree to disagree without hostility.

 

[Uncle Hud]

The comment came from someone who live in Arkansas (rushes is from Dean Springs) and was written in response to: "I'm looking for something appropriately sticky for a sportbike but not a tire that wears out like a pencil eraser."

I suspect he meant: "You live in Arkansas where there are a lot of great twisty roads. You will leave rubber all over the place no matter what, so get over it."

As for being offended: if you took offense at that, you ain't gonna last long here.