Metz Z6 tires

[hardlydangerous]

well I figured Id give Metzeler one more chance.

I installed my z6 Ive had for two years now sitting in my attic. I originally installed it and hated it after 1000 km it was slick and annoyed me in corners.
With my dragon super corsa and Michelin PP2ct worn out I put the z6 on for my recent road trip.

This tire SUCKS. I honestly can see how guys wipe out easily running these super hard compound tires.
dangerously low grip in the wet.
hard riding tire.
low grip on dry pavement
small stones and gravel and sand make this tire unstable
zero feedback, you cant feel what the tire is doing.

After 1000 more km and a slight light rain and damp roads I came into a tight off ramp ripped down three gears and set up into my turn the bike locked up the rear wheel. REALLY? it pissed me off. when I made my left turn I hammered the first three gears and the tires refused to hook up.
I got back tonight after 2500 km the tire is coming off. Even at 32 psi I can spin out the tire without lifting the wheel.
Ive dragged the mid pipe with Michelin PP 2cts and Pirellis, tear thru gravel patches in corners with no hint of slipping, BUT this tire I was drifting and slip sliding on on-ramps at far slower speeds and no where near the lean angle.
I gave it a serious run riding solo and two up, I still managed to run it down to NO chicken strips and destroy the dumb elephants on the tires but seriously people.... there is SOOO much better tires out there. This is one of the worst ive run. I would put it in a class with a BT45 or pilot Active

This tire is designed for the guy that rides superslabs and had 1" chicken strips that rides like an old one eyed man

If you NEED a sport touring tire Pilot Road2 or 3 BLOW these things out of the water.
if anyone wants a Metz z6 with 3500k km on it let me know. id be happy to get rid of this useless tractor tire.

[Stumpy]

I've never had good luck with Metzeler tyres, tried a set on my Diversion and went back to Dunlop.

Having said that - the GF has Metzeler Feel Frees on her 250. The prior Dunlops were absolute crap - but these things actually work really well!

I'm currently very happy with the Conti Motions on my Kat - think I'll stick with them.

Tyres are confusing beasts

[ZukiFred]

I never had a problem out of the Z6's myself, always worked great for me.
Not sure how much I would trust a test with tires that are god knows how old and left in an attic for two year before reuse.
But that is just my .2 cents on the matter.

[steves]

The z6 (if that's the orginial tire) came out in ~2005 as I recall.

At the time it was a definite improvement over a lot of other sport/touring related tires.

Michelin really upped the game with the Pilot Road 2, and that's only been out a few years.

[hardlydangerous]

if you think the Z6 tires are good you will be blown away with a set of Pilot power 2cts or pirelli Rosso corsas.
OR you have never run an actual quality tire and actually PUSHED the bike or tires to its limits.

I want a tire I can hook up in the wet, that I can rail on sharp turns dragging my pipe and not drift off my line. Softer tires like the pilot road eat up stones and gravel and give you all kinds of grip not slips and dance all over the road, I want a tire that I can feel what its doing and not skid with light brake pressure.

I just bought the tire new 2 years ago, the tire is stamped 0411

I could make the tire work for me as well but its FAR from a good tire with amazing grip.
Even from new Ive hated the tire and Ive run a TON of tires. I use up 3 sets a year+
with over 130k km that's 20+ sets of tires ive run.
Bt014, bt45, bt16, BT003, Shinko Apex, shinko raven, pilot active, power pure, pilot road2, pilot power, pilot power 2ct, Conti Sport , conti road, comti motion. supercorsa dragon pro , supercorsa sp, rosso corsa, diablo , Q2
Just to name a few.
These Z6 are most comparable to the BT45 and Pilot Active. and they are bias ply

[professa_riddler]

OR you have never run an actual quality tire and actually PUSHED the bike or tires to its limits.

[Wild-Bill]

...Not sure how much I would trust a test with tires that are god knows how old and left in an attic for two year before reuse...

Spotted that too, huh?
I liked the z6s I had on my 750. I like the Pilot 2cts I have on my 1100 even better. One big difference was that the z6s needed a good scrub-in. The 2cts didn't. They grabbed right from the start.

[Jcates888]

I liked my z6s and I still love my z8s that I have now, except that I'm doing too much highway commuting for them... they're getting the flat spot in the middle.

Are the Michelin PP2ct, Pilot power 2cts, or pirelli Rosso corsas going to be better for straight highway miles too, or just better for hard leans and/or track use? How are they in the rain?

[rider65]

I installed my z6 Ive had for two years now sitting in my attic. I originally installed it and hated it after 1000 km it was slick and annoyed me in corners.

Not sure that it's good for tire to stay 2 years in an attic.

And for cornering. Even Metzeler said that this tire doesn't have good grip :

http://www.metzeler.com/site/com/products/tyres-catalogue/Roadtecz6.html?version=708917

[hardlydangerous]

it was still a shit tire before I put it away, its still a shit tire, hard as a rock with no grip.
It lasts for ever...
A few of my friends were riding with me the other day. One of the girls in the group said she could smell burnt rubber... I explained it was just my tire spinning. I have a trip thru Algonquin part to Ottawa this weekend, ill be putting the worn out PP2ct on for the 6-700km trip. With the cooler road temps this thing is scary and unpredictable.

[Ronny]

Am I right in thinking Metzelers are budget Pirellis? If so I'll give them a miss. The best things Pirelli make are calendars.

[Jcates888]

I don't think so. I've actually never rode anything other than metzeler roadtec z6 and z8, but I think they are a great tire.

[BareKat]

I just replaced my worn Michelin PR2 with Metz. z8 and noticed I could easily drift the bike accelerating on polished pavement. The ride is more harsh too.

I'll return to Michelins when my z8's are used up.