Best tires for...

[JasonChen]

Track riding? Sport touring?

I'm in the market for a new set of tires and was on here doing a bit digging. perhaps we should make a sticky for the best tire suggestions?

my riding style leans more toward sport touring and I'm looking at Bridgestone Battlax BT21, Micheline Pilot Power 2CT, Metzeler Z6 and Continental Road Attack. your thoughts?

[Shipster]

Just put on the BT21s a few weeks ago. So far I'm pretty happy with them. I agree about the sticky though, I did a lot of looking on here and elsewhere before I made my decision.

[j_wal]

I have the conti road attacks. I havent had them long. I was suggested to buy them. Bit cheaper than the Z6, not sure about the others tho. But I like them so far

[JokerZwild]

I love the Avons. They have great grip & They just seem to last forever.

[JasonChen]

I love the Avons. They have great grip & They just seem to last forever.

interesting! my friend who ran Avon on his car said the same thing about them last'n forever...

[allblackkat]

Good thing you're liking the Avons, I just read that they are offering a one time per purchase free road hazard (read nail in the tire) replacement now.... A sweet deal considering these harder economic times....

I might make the switch in about 5k miles....

[BW014519]

Tires

I have BT021 front and rear for about the last 2k miles. They show no wear at all and i have been very pleased with the way they stick ..

[mcmahonm]

I love the Avons. They have great grip & They just seem to last forever.

Which Avons are you running?

[Kreylyn]

I'm really happy with the Conti force tires... they still grip very well.

Krey

[SGTJimbo_Kat600]

I have the Conti Sport Attacks on mine and love them. At about 2k miles they are wearing pretty well a bit of a flat spot from the highway, but they are sticky! And awesome in the rain.

[diverdwn8]

I personally love my Dunlop Qualifier tires. I have had several other brands but I like these the best.

[caligonetx]

The BT021's stepped out on me at the track(see thread) since I had to be hard on rear tire to keep the front from compressing during hard corners, tight shicanes.

At 28 psi they also heated up and began bubblegumming even in the center; so they have their limits but for street use they are a great touring tire.

Although pricey, when I ride the busa/636/zx7r I recommend the Pirelli Corsa III's. Its a multicompound tire in the rear and single race front. That will be the next choice for the katana. On the busa it was 9k front, 3-4k rear(remember the rear will melt on a 1kcc up bike.)

Otherwise, the BT016 offers a dual compound rear tire and we use that on the zx7r and triumph 675 for track/street.

Security in your tires is the best investment you can make for rides/track days. Thankfully the smaller sizes of tires on these bikes offer cheaper prices. Get your money and safety worth. Goodluck on the decision. Hopes this info helps.

[CenCalKat]

Well, if you are looking for a tire that will stick at the track, under track conditions, I would go with the Pilot 2CT's. They were designed as a street/track tire. They have a higher lean angle than the regular Pilot Power (almost 52* vs. 50* for the PP). They stick like glue, but will definitely wear faster than the other tires you are looking at. A good compromise might be the regular PP tire. When I had the Kat, I had PP's on it and got over 8k miles out of the rear (front was still good for anothe 2k at least). They handled well and I never felt them slip out on the street.

If you can wait, I just got my BT-021's in for the trip out to the Rally. i can let you know how they lasted, but that wont be for a couple months.

[JasonChen]

If you can wait, I just got my BT-021's in for the trip out to the Rally. i can let you know how they lasted, but that wont be for a couple months.

lol, in a couple month I'll be running a front tire that may appears to be slick (but not...)

[allblackkat]

Almost time for a new front for me.... and when that happens I'll probably be due for a rear as well.... At the moment I've had Pilot Powers on for the last 3 changes I believe... I definitely would like to try a different set.... I've heard Dunlop Roadsmarts are good for grip on the sides and durability down the centers...

We've got 2CT's on the Triumph, and they worked pretty well at the track, but since they were so expensive, I aint commuting on those tires to flatten them out in the centers...