Sportec M-1 or M-3 for my Kat?

[Lxpony]

I want a decent tire beyond the stock ones on my 04-600cc. Should I not waste the money on the M3 or is there a real difference and is it worth the extra $$?

[IndyGunner]

michelin pilot power or the z6 everyone on kr uses

http://www.tireexpress.com/category.cfm?Category=1252

[Mat0302]

Metzler Z6 or Conti Road Attacks

americanmototire.com will get you a good deal

[Jax]

Z6's are really popular here and Pirelli Diablo Strada's are a nice set of tires.

[Chuckwick357]

M-1 are nice but you will pay extra for them twice I ran them for 12k two fronts and three rears in that timeframe. You will get better life out of the z6's.

Save your $ buy the Z6's

[md86]

Or the Stradas ....

[waveman]

Had the OEM Dunlops, had the Perelli Strada and swapped the Stradas for the Metz M-3s and I am not lookin' back . Absolutly luv them. More Street than Touring. Not bad in the rain although I dont ride in the rain if I can help it. I put 4K on them this season w/ PLENTY left Thats my take

[Malloc]

i usaly get about 9-12k out of my z6 tires and decent grip

[FloridaKat]

I can't tell you much about other tires, but have nothing but praise for the Z6's. They hold up quite well when I'm in strong lean corners at 80-90 MPH with no problem.

[kwebbel]

M3 best tyre around if you don't want to compromise on grip, feedback, steering and brakingdistance, it will make a Z6 or Strada look like a trucktyre.
BUT it is more expensive to ride and probably a bit overkill on a Kat, so hold up with the Z6's (as some very experienced and reliable people say they are the best)

[The CyberPoet]

Skip the M1 -- it's out of production (replaced by the M3), so that would mean you are buying older tires.

M3 -- if you have the mad skillz to put your knee AND elbow to the ground, and do it regularly (trackdays for example), this is probably the right tire for you. It won't last very long (3k - 3500 miles use is typical for an aggressive rider, and the tire is totally wasted on an non-aggressive rider), meaning you'll get dinged heavily on tires+tire-changes, but for Mr. Knee&Elbow down there is no substitute. If you had a high-output motorcycle cranking out over 100 HP, such as a true sport bike, this would be an ideal tire choice. But at 60 - 70 HP, it just isn't called for...

Z6 is my preferred street tire for the 98+ Kat (and I have comparo'd various tires back-to-back new-vs-new). I can easily drag knee with the Z6's on both stock and modified Kats, plus it lasts typically 12k before I need replacements (14k if I were to push it past minimum groove depth all the way down to the tread). For 99% of Kat riders, this will probably be the best possible choice, because it comes up to temp fast, doesn't need to be ridden hyper-aggressively to stay in it's ideal temp range, and has all the handling prowess that a stock Kat (or even my Kat with Ohlins suspension all around) needs by a wide margin.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet