[Randy G]

Hey guys, so ive put about 8k on my bike since ive got it. im now thinking my front tire is done and its time to be replaced.

currently i have some bridgestone battlex tires on the front and rear.

i obviously want to change to what seems to be almost unanimous and get the metzler M6 tires.

my question is however can i just change the front tire? should i change both at the same time?

thanks guys

I wish I could get 8k on a set of tires! 2500-3000 max is it for me, when I still had the Kat I ran Conti Road Attack tires, they were sticky enough & tire life was pretty good.

Running B-Stone 002's on the ZX10R

[grebstev]

i should also mention i am currently have bridgestone battleaxe BT21R, i dont know how good those are but i think there kinda garbage

[The CyberPoet]

If you haven't read these two web pages, please do:
1. http://www.motorcycleanchor.com/moto.../mc_tires.html
2. http://www.motorcycleanchor.com/Katana/kat_tires.html

That will help make sure we're all on the same page in terms of terminology, the why and wherefores...

i define performance on straight line acceleration, (i know the 600 kat with just about any tire will be fine with this), Braking , and knee down turning. i almost never drive my bike in the rain and i have 0 concern with wet weather performance.

Braking - If the tire is operating in it's intended temp range, IMHO, any metzeler, any pirelli will customarily outbrake or match braking distance on any other offerings, and various magazine tire-comparo's match this statement.

Knee-down turning - This one is hyper-dependent on several factors (I'm only going to bother listing the first two), the first one of which will be the single most critical factor in your choice:

1. The Operating Temp. Tires are designed to operate in specific operating temp ranges, and the amount of input required to get a tire into it's temp range and keep it there basically dictates the type of tire you need (DOT-legal track tires vs. pure-sports tires vs. sports-touring tires). The grippiest tire on the market won't grab for crud if your riding doesn't provide the amount of heat-generation that it needs to get to & stay in it's operating temp range. An over-heated tire will also not grip the way it's supposed to, although it should provide better grip than an under-heated tire would.
A true sports tire requires the carcass to be heated up to a much higher temp (and kept there), and to do that, it needs constant delta-V (changes in rotational speed & direction) as input. The problem for the Kat is that the low (relatively speaking) power doesn't tend put a lot of delta-V into the tires from smaller throttle changes most riders of the Kat tend to use, and the terrain & subsequent lines most Kat riders pick doesn't tend to do it from braking/turning either.
If you live at the base of the dragon or the Cherahala, up in the alps, or constantly ride in some sort of terrain that is similar, then you may be in a position that will actually bring a true sports tire all the way up to temp and keep it there. But if you need to cover 30+ miles of interstate (or other fairly straight road) to get there, then your tires won't be up to temp until you reach it and start using it, which means your braking is crud when you need it most (in heavy traffic).
A sports-touring tire, by comparison, is designed to build heat internally a bit faster and hit it's operational temp at a lower temp point, so you get great traction far faster and don't have to constantly add delta-V in to stay there. The way to tell that your riding style is running too hot for your current sports-touring tires (or any MC tires in general) is discoloration -- if the carcass starts to turn blue or purple, the carcass has been overheated in that section, and a tire with a hotter operating range is called for. Have you discolored your Battleaxes at any point? If not, then you should almost assuredly stick to a sports-touring tire as a general rule of thumb.

2. The arc-profile. A triple-arc tire design will let you flip the bike down and back up a lot faster/smoother/easier than a dual- or single-arc design. I believe the BattleAxes are a twin-arc design (they are definitely not a tri-arc design). The horrid, horrid macadams are a single-arc design.

i want a tire that will inspire a huge amount of confidence and make me feel comfortable on higher speed corners.

i would not consider myself a "hotdog" lol but i definatly enjoy the twisties and enjoying the bikes abilities. And Cp you are also right i do probably have the wrong bike for the kind of riding i do, and enjoy doing but for this year it will have to do. i plan on purchasing a new bike over the winter. i love my kat but the second i was on my buddies gsxr750 i realized that it is more inline with what i want.

If you're heavy on knee-down, you'd probably be served even better by a VTwin (or parallel twin) configuration than by a four-cylinder in the same displacement -- the grunt of acceleration is much greater in the mid-range, and the bikes are generally much narrower & somewhat lighter (easier to flick around).

i have 2 questions with this info in mind, and i know im kinda beating a dead horse here but i want to make sure i make the right tire choice and i have been unable to find specific and what and creditable information using search.

question 1.
Tire sizing.
stock
120/70/17 F
150/70/17 R

Yes, those are the right sizes, although you forgot some very critical aspects of the sizing chart (speed rating, radial vs bias, and the weight rating).
120/70ZR17 58W
150/70ZR17 69W

would it make a + difference if i put 160/65/17 on the rear? (i believe i only have this choice when you go to the M series tire as well)

It would make some differences.
The 60 or 65 profile won't track bad pavement as well (because it doesn't have quite the same amount of bump-absorption in the sidewall construction);
The arc will tend to be flatter (bike won't fall to the side quite as well);
The tire itself will tend to run a bit hotter (because it is distorted some by being squeezed into a 4.5 inch mounting on the 98+ Kat's rims).

would the Z series still fit into the kind of driving i do on a reg basis, or would with the kind of driving be a better fit for the M series.

And again thank you all for your help. i just really want to make sure i make the right decision, and do not regret my tire purchase.

My advice remains the same -- try to Z6 or Pirelli Diablo Stradas in the OEM size, and then switch to one of the pure-sports tires ONLY if your riding style starts causing the carcass rubber to discolor (indicating you really are hot-dogging enough to push beyond the tire's design temp range).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

__________________________________________________ ________
CyberPoet's Katana Maintence and Upgrade Parts Offerings
The Best Metal Steel Aluminum Motorcycle Tire Valves in the World, plus lots of motorcycle & Katana (GSX600F / GSX750F) specific help files.

[grebstev]

WOW, that absolutely clarifies everything. i honestly cannot express how thankful i am about you taking the time to reply in that kind of detail. that brings me back to the Z6 that you have suggested before but know im am 100% confident that i am getting the right product.

i think this may post may also help people in future in similar situations to me.


Thanks again

thank you so much CP.