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All I can say is... DAAAAAAAAAMN! 
I've had my Conti Sport Attacks for about 400 miles now, and they are absolutely AMAZING! I took my bike up in the canyons today for the first time since I got the new tires, and I could not believe the confidence these suckers instilled! I regularly ride with the same group of sportbike/supermoto guys, on the same canyon roads (Glendora Mountain Road - aka "GMR" for all of you SoCal locals), so I have a good familiarity of the areas where I'm slow/weak/nervous. But today, I felt like Mat Mladin! I was staying right with two of my friends that usually manage to put a gap between us during our canyon runs.
I'm coming off a set of Metzeler Z6's - Everything you'll read (the consensus, anyway) on these forums about the Z6's are true. They are very good tires - much better than the stock Dunlop D205's my '01 750 came with.
HOWEVER, I feel like these Sport Attacks have helped me take my riding to the next level. I scraped both footpegs in a few areas that I'm not typically confident in - for me, that says alot! I'm not usually able to consistently "stay in the pack" with the 2 friends I mentioned above when I was on my Z6's, so I definitely know there's a difference... I found it so much easier to hold my lines, lean into the turns, and even to adjust my lines in the middle of sweepers when I needed to avoid debris, oncoming bikers, etc.
Granted, these tires are TRUE sport tires, not sport-touring like the Metzelers, but I really didn't expect to feel such a big difference. An added bonus is that I actually paid almost $20 less for this set (about $238 delivered vs. $256) than the Z6's I bought last year! I may not be so chipper in a few months when I start seeing the effects that my canyon riding has on the tires' treadlife, but right now, I feel like this is the best money I've spent in a long time. Oh, in case you were wondering, I went with the 160/60 rear, 120/70 front.
Thanks to all of you who have posted something/anything in the "Tire Talk" section. I did ALOT of reading before making this decision.
Oh, and special thanks to Edbean. Edbean is the only strong proponent of these tires I've come across on these forums. His two cents in the tire threads definitely helped me make up my mind, even though he didn't always go into great detail. (I think a few of his posts just said "Sport Attacks. Trust me!" haha
A few other things worth noting:
- The ride on 60 series (lower profile) tires is noticeably rougher. It's the first thing I noticed.
- Steering on these Conti's becomes substantially lighter and sharper. This may unnerve some.
- I didn't feel any adverse effects from going with the 160 rear that some people talk about... The bike seems to fall into turns much quicker than before!
- Take it easy the first 100 miles, my rear got squirrely on the way home off some bumps with only medium throttle!
- I called Contintental for some advice on tire pressure, they were surprisingly helpful!
- I feel like I lost a little bit of grunt off the line (from a stop) - does that sound right with a lower profile rear?
- I'm guessing my speedo is off now, right?
- I'm not convinced yet that my straight-line braking has improved much/any. Then again, I could easily be wrong without having the benefit of testing.
As 60% of my riding is in the twisties, I think I made a solid choice. I probably would have stuck with the Z6's if I did more cruising, they really are great tires, and I would get them again, but if you're like me, and you do alot of carving, give these bad boys a try!
I've had my Conti Sport Attacks for about 400 miles now, and they are absolutely AMAZING! I took my bike up in the canyons today for the first time since I got the new tires, and I could not believe the confidence these suckers instilled! I regularly ride with the same group of sportbike/supermoto guys, on the same canyon roads (Glendora Mountain Road - aka "GMR" for all of you SoCal locals), so I have a good familiarity of the areas where I'm slow/weak/nervous. But today, I felt like Mat Mladin! I was staying right with two of my friends that usually manage to put a gap between us during our canyon runs.
I'm coming off a set of Metzeler Z6's - Everything you'll read (the consensus, anyway) on these forums about the Z6's are true. They are very good tires - much better than the stock Dunlop D205's my '01 750 came with.
HOWEVER, I feel like these Sport Attacks have helped me take my riding to the next level. I scraped both footpegs in a few areas that I'm not typically confident in - for me, that says alot! I'm not usually able to consistently "stay in the pack" with the 2 friends I mentioned above when I was on my Z6's, so I definitely know there's a difference... I found it so much easier to hold my lines, lean into the turns, and even to adjust my lines in the middle of sweepers when I needed to avoid debris, oncoming bikers, etc.
Granted, these tires are TRUE sport tires, not sport-touring like the Metzelers, but I really didn't expect to feel such a big difference. An added bonus is that I actually paid almost $20 less for this set (about $238 delivered vs. $256) than the Z6's I bought last year! I may not be so chipper in a few months when I start seeing the effects that my canyon riding has on the tires' treadlife, but right now, I feel like this is the best money I've spent in a long time. Oh, in case you were wondering, I went with the 160/60 rear, 120/70 front.
Thanks to all of you who have posted something/anything in the "Tire Talk" section. I did ALOT of reading before making this decision.
Oh, and special thanks to Edbean. Edbean is the only strong proponent of these tires I've come across on these forums. His two cents in the tire threads definitely helped me make up my mind, even though he didn't always go into great detail. (I think a few of his posts just said "Sport Attacks. Trust me!" haha
A few other things worth noting:
- The ride on 60 series (lower profile) tires is noticeably rougher. It's the first thing I noticed.
- Steering on these Conti's becomes substantially lighter and sharper. This may unnerve some.
- I didn't feel any adverse effects from going with the 160 rear that some people talk about... The bike seems to fall into turns much quicker than before!
- Take it easy the first 100 miles, my rear got squirrely on the way home off some bumps with only medium throttle!
- I called Contintental for some advice on tire pressure, they were surprisingly helpful!
- I feel like I lost a little bit of grunt off the line (from a stop) - does that sound right with a lower profile rear?
- I'm guessing my speedo is off now, right?
- I'm not convinced yet that my straight-line braking has improved much/any. Then again, I could easily be wrong without having the benefit of testing.
As 60% of my riding is in the twisties, I think I made a solid choice. I probably would have stuck with the Z6's if I did more cruising, they really are great tires, and I would get them again, but if you're like me, and you do alot of carving, give these bad boys a try!
the difference myself as the only tire I had on my kat when I was riding it was a Metz and I didnt ride enough to replace it...
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