PS - If anyone around Surrey/Hants/Berks border wants great prices and great service for tyres try Track Sense motorcycle track days, off road school, trail riding & tyres.. They were the cheapest anywhere for SportSmarts (even cheaper than FWR in London who claim to be the UK's cheapest). They gave excellent recommendations on tyre choice, were willing to even open up on a Sunday to fit them and seem to really know what they are talking about (which can be a rare thing!)... Here's an email they sent, this is not a generic email as it specifically answers my questions I emailed in regarding SportSmart's compared to Diablo Corsa Rosso (how many places do you know that will go to this level of detail in an email?!) Sportsmart is fab - I have them on one of my own bikes, and I've had a run or two out in the fast group on those tyres and they were great. Diablo Rosso Corsa is probably also fab, but I haven't ridden on them myself, and I don't know anyone else (that knows what they are talking about) who has either, so I can't say for sure. As far as fast road and commuting goes... The truth is that none of the major manufacturers make bad tyres any more (those days are long gone), and you can't ride fast enough on the road for the tyres you are on to make any real difference anyway - so as long as you stick to the major brands, and you pick the right type of tyre for what you are doing, you won't go far wrong with any of them. As far as trackdays are concerned... Tyre choice is a bit more important here, but again, you are splitting hairs a lot of the time - by that I mean that unless you are seriously quick (i.e. race pace), you won't be able to exploit any minor differences there may be between Dunlop and Pirelli for example... There are some important break-throughs that make a bit of difference from time to time (like Dunlop's low-pressure Ntec construction for example), and I would say that Bridgestone tyres don't generally work as well as the other brands on the track, but apart from that, you'll find that Michelin, Pirelli, Metzeler & Dunlop are all very good. So to sum up - Sportsmart & Diablo Rosso Corsa are very similar, and either one will work great... Neither will be as good as the GP Racer on the track, but both will make a better road tyre than the GP Racer, and that is simply because the GP Racer is a more track-focused tyre... So just decide which is the most important factor for you (i.e. road or track), and select a tyre to suit. And as far as the reveiws you've read are concerend, always remember the following... Journalists only exist to fill up the spaces between the adverts. A journalist can never (and will never) say anything negative about anyone that spends a lot of money advertising in their rag - and that includes most of the major tyre manufacturers. Someone always has to "win" the tyre tests of course, but if you look into it more deeply, you'll find that the "wins" are shared out fairly and evenly overall. For every test you show me where a Pirelli wins, I can show you one where a Dunlop (or Michelin, or Metzeler, etc.) wins. Lots of other "behind the scenes" stuff comes into play as well... Like who paid for the test (i.e. who rented the circuit or paid for the Journo's trip), how much beer did the journo get, how nice was his hotel room, how many freebies did he get, and so on... I could tell you all sorts for stories about what goes on, but suffice it to say that you shouldn't believe everything you read, and always take what you read with a pinch of salt... This month it's Pirelli's turn to win, but next month it will be Dunlop, or Michelin, or whoever - that's just how it works I'm afraid... It's the same with bikes - is there any real-world difference between a CBR600RR and an R6? No, of course there isn't - both are very good - but that's not the impression you might get if you read the magazines... It's not what you've got, it's what you can do with it that counts!
A quicky, Where do you guys buy your tyres from? i'm up to 1k on the bike and looking at changing at 2 k. the way I'm adding miles on of late that may not be to far away. So just looking at the best prices and recommendations now Been recommended the NTEC Gp211 and found this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....992392&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_1716wt_905
Hi Remal, This is the info on the D211 GP Racer I was given by a tyre dealer (who are also a track day organiser). We can supply Dunlop Sportsmart not problem - I have a front in stock, but I will need to order a rear... If you confirm by lunchtime on Monday, the rear will be here on Tuesday... Price for a pair of Sportsmart 120/70ZR17 & 190/50ZR17 including ride-in/ride-out service is £264 (£3 extra if you want a 190/55ZR17 rear). The other tyre you might want to consider is Dunlop GP Racer D211... We have all sizes in stock, and the price for a pair in 120 front & 190/55 rear is £289 including the ride-in/ride-out service... These are a bit more money I know, but they are the ulitmate trackday/fast road tyre - we've tested them thoroughly at Jerez and Almeria and they are a lot better on track than Supercorsa BSB... They are road legal, but to be honest, the performance they offer is a bit over-the-top for road riding. If you main priority is trackday performance, and you run front end of medium group or in fast group on a trackday, go for the GP Racer... But if your main priority is fast road, go for the Sportsmart... Sportsmart is good on the track (I've used them on my own bike in fast group), but GP Racer is better if you are quick enough to make use of the extra performance available... Sportsmart rear will obviously last longer than GP Racer on the road (front tyre wear is not an issue on either tyre - both fronts last for ages!)... So like I said... GP Racer = trackday priority, but good for fast road (only disadvantage for the road is a higher wear rate on the rear, and not quite as good in the wet)... Sportsmart = priority fast road, but good for trackdays (only advantages are longer rear tyre life than a GP Racer, and better in the wet).
you will be lucky to get 2500 miles out of the standerd qualifiers .. I only got 1600 out of them when i had my 600rr new. Iv heard of guys only getting 800 miles but they are thrashing the life out of them.. Im on 900 miles now and they are not flat spotting but the sides are getting well chewed
i used NTECS for past 2 years best track tyre ive ever used. p!ss all over pirelli and metzeler buy in bulk from holbeach tyres and get a little discount but the price of dunlops this year is scarey will probably move back to mich or pirelli. shame really
Just noticed that Focused Events are offering a pair of Dunlop D211 GP Racers NTEC fitted to the bike for £210....................Bargain!!!!
Did Brands today with the SportSmarts. Perfect tyre for my riding, nice profile, got kneedown for the first time on the blade as they were so confidence inspiring!
interesting.. I can only just kiss my knee on my blade with qualifiers and cant wear the last few mm of the edge of my tyres. Had a go of my mates RR-9 with 2CT's and i could lay it down far easyer.... Could this be purely down to the tyres?
Mine are the 190/55 profile as opposed to the OEM 190/50. Could be the reason - they turn in far easier and the tyre is a steeper profile. I got right to the very edge on the rear. Plenty left on the front though!
Yep if your mates has a 55 profile rear there is more rubber on the side, less in he middle so your 50 rear will get to it's edge easier but they tend to feel slow turning then 'fall off' a bit when right over. I didn't like the feeling of a 50. TBH I found it easy to get my knee down on the 50 on roundabouts but it wasn't confidence inspiriting. A 55 is more consistent in it's turn in feeling. You will always have a bit of new rubber on the edge of your front tyre as they don't turn the same as a rear
OK will a 55 rear profile fit on my 2011 repsol blade that has the NON ABS hugger fitted? I was told a 55 profile would not fit?
I have a 55 rear on my 08 with the larger style genuine Honda Hugger and no problems with clearance. As others say the handling is improved over a 50 profile and easier to carry more lean angle which I assume is due to more confidence and improved fee / grip. I found it easier to take a 55 right to the edge than a 50 profile which seems indifferent to other peoples findings, but not sure way, apart from guessing it just feels better so I m more confident.
This website can show the effect on your speed of gearing and tyre changes:- Gearing Commander: Motorcycle Speed, RPM, Chain & Sprockets Calculator
Heard a few people tell me that BATTLAX RACING R10 are getting good reviews Bridgestone UNITED KINGDOM Anyone know any more about them?
