Thank you , Just had another spin through thr thread and i have settled on Sportsmarts which is strange for me as i have never liked Dunlops ,Abv not had the S20 but Bridgestones in general are quite poor even with Rossi promoting them.
Another slight change of mind after taking advice off my local tyre retailer who has over 30 years in the game and doe's the Fast bikes / Superbike test ect also goes out to the TT with a team. Anyhow he quite prefers the Pirelli Diablo Corsa although he also has the Sportsmarts in stock for similar money in his opinion the 190/55 profile may be overkill for fast road riding as you would not tell to much differance but more to the point for me is that the 55 profile of which i wanted may expand with heat and along with the higher shape foul the Honda Hugger (11 ABS) and cause damage and whatever else. Its a tough call because it would be hard for him to recommend this if there was a safety issue (however small) and yet the 55 may fit and be ok all getting very boring now .
I found the 55 did change the feel of the bike, it was noticeable and inspires a lot more confidence, also my Honda main dealer do list the 190/55 as a tire suitable for the blade (although I do have a non ABS model) If your happy with a 50 I doubt you will be disappointed
Yup thats the one ,Dont know why i am even in this state of unease as its seems to be easyer to make a quick 50 k decision on a project must be information overload !!
I was the same there are so many options it becomes information overload, go sportsmarts 50 rear Job done !
Swivel again ,Bought in the end Michelin 2CTs i have had them before and looking at the profile next to the Corsa Rosso it looked very good but what sealed the deal was this. All ride in ride out prices .(1) Sportsmart £292.00 (2) B/Stone S20 £291.00 (3) Pirrelli Rosso Corsa £271.00 and the Michelin 2CT £221.00 so although i could have chipped in another 70 notes for the latest greatest i thought i have a top tyre and now have some change which would nearly get me three tanks of juice or = three evening blast down my favorite run so job done ,Just a note on the 55 profile both tyre places i spoke to and Hunts Honda wern't that keen on the idea stating that the 190 /50 was for the fireblade and sort of did not seem over keen on the 55 so i have the 50 which looks The Bird in the pie shop (Nice and Fat)
I always put 55 profile on in the summer, after usually bike having 50 on it! tranforms it, it really does! Handles like crap with a 50 turn in sooo slow etc! More side grip/contact patch at lean aswell which helps way more than more straight up grip/contact patch Dunno why they would have issues about a 50... some people live in the world where... it came with that must be the best! I had a dealer say ooo dont change the endcan, honda made it for bike will f up power etc etc, what a load of balls.... dont see british superbikes etc with standard endcans
Good cal Vic not normaly to fussed but there are some issues with the Hugger and ABS to as i have chanced the Hugger and got away with it i thought there would be a good chance of it going tits up with the 55 .I did think about binning the Hugger and getting a smaller one but it looks good and keeps all the cow shit off the backend so thats the reasoning .
I was going to fit a set of Bridgstone BT016's to my 04 Blade this weekend but after reading this I'm thinking about a set of Michelin pilot power 2CT's with a 190/50 rear profile, it seems to be a tried and tested tyre and I can get a pair fitted for £225 locally. I've not had the blade long and need to get the Metzler M3's off as I don't like them at all, so I'm sticking with the standard profile but might change to a 190/55 after i've worn it out and am used to the bike. Sound like a reasonable plan?
I have yet again changed my mind on my tyre and have ordered a pair of Michelin Power Pure with the standard 190/55 rear profile. I've chosen these as they are the new Michelin tyres that claim to be as I can get them fitted to loose wheels for £255 and Michelin are doing £25 refund special on every new pair at the moment. MICHELIN Power Pure http://www.michelinpowerpure.com/download/en/leaflet-powerpure.pdf If you believe the sales pitch: A WEIGHT SAVING OF 2LBS over rival tyres* 10% LESS INERTIA compared with rival tyres** NIMBLER HANDLING and GREATER FUN to ride * The average weight of a set of 120/70 ZR 17 front and 190/50 ZR 17 rear MICHELIN Power Pure tyres compared with the average weight of the following rival products (same size, listed in alphabetical order): Bridgestone BT-016, Dunlop Qualifier 2, Metzeler Sportec M3, Pirelli Diablo Rosso. ** The average inertia difference between of a set of 120/70 ZR 17 front and 190/50 ZR 17 rear MICHELIN Power Pure tyres compared with the following rival products (same size, listed in alphabetical order): Bridgestone BT-016, Dunlop Qualifier 2, Metzeler Sportec M3, Pirelli Diablo Rosso.
I have never been a massive fan of michelins but a couple of guys had had these and they really like them
It will be the first time I've used Michelins, I used to really like my BT014's on my GSXR600K4 but used to burn through 2 rears and a front every year. They are on offer at busters for £135 a pair but I doubt the rear would last 3 months on the blade and since they've been phasing them out for a few years now the tyres are probably near the end of they're shelf life!. Before them I had pirelli Dragon something or others on my zxr400 about a decade ago, didn't really like them but never had to change them as they lasted forever on the 400cc bike with a newbe rider.
Just got those bt016's off and my pilot powers on - what a difference they make wouldnt use anything else now
One good run out on the 2CT Power Pure's of over 100miles to bed them in. It still amazes me how much difference a good set of tyres makes. Only one little scare due to me being over exuberant whilst braking for a roundabout and causing me to back it in but i quite enjoyed it apart from that I really like to new tyres and my confidence on the bike has rocketed.
my michelin pure powers have come to the end of their lives and i am looking to replace them. i enjoyed my time with them but would not buy another set, you can feel a difference tipping into a corner with the lightness of the tyre. the problem i found with them was they do not inspire confidence on anything other than smooth roads. overbanding on roundabouts is a scary experience, the tyres seem to track along any road imperfections. not sure what i will buy next.
I think the tyre thing has been hammered to death so there will be loads and loads of info either just in or on the stickie.
I think there are other bits and pieces (still good ) but on other threads .Good luck with your choice dude.
Lowering the TP sorted this out straight away. I started with the recommended pressures and have dropped down to 33 fr, 38 rr and they are great tyres.
