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Here4DaGangBang posted:It was on there when I got it. ^ The tire looks perfect... But if you want something more sport-ish you can never go wrong with the pirelli sport demons on small bikes. I'm quite a fan of the metzeler lasertechs too, especially if you're going to fight a lot of raining, but it seens they're not that praised on the internet  edit: according to the internet you need a 110/70 front and 140/70 back. The height ratios can be played with, but the width specs you're probably better sticking to the original... That puts you in all the bias-ply sport-touring spectre, lots of good tires to choose. Primo Itch fucked around with this message at 15:43 on May 24, 2010 |
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May 24, 2010 15:40
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Here4DaGangBang posted:Tyre guru, how does this rear look? Looks fine to me...how old is it, are you experiencing any negative feel from it?
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May 24, 2010 16:54
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Z3n posted:Looks fine to me...how old is it, are you experiencing any negative feel from it? Dunno how old, the PO put them on there AFAIK. The tread depth is still fine. In terms of kms traveled, I'm still very much a new rider despite having had the bike for about 8 months or so, and that's probably what the problem is here, but I am finding it hard to turn on the twisties. I think this is most likely psychological and I need to go practice somewhere safe to convince my brain that the bike will happily lean much further than I am pushing it. Anyway, sometimes it also feels like I wobble a bit when leaned over, and looking at the tyre it is more worn in the middle - I guess I was wondering if that could be causing the oscillation.
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May 25, 2010 02:04
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Here4DaGangBang posted:Dunno how old, the PO put them on there AFAIK. The tread depth is still fine. Don't lean so much a "flop" you gotta trust it to work (it does) and just let it happen. Any yes, if you're beginning to square your tires off, that can be anywhere from annoying to rather dangerous- depending on your machine and tire setup.
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May 25, 2010 03:30
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Just checked what the tyres are that are on my bike currently, and they're Bridgestone Exedra G01 and G02. There's nothing I can find on these tyres on the web (I guess they are no longer made and have been replaced with other G series model numbers), but according to Google:quote:Designed primarily for Japanese cruisers, the Exedra G series provides long mileage, good stability, crisp handling and riding comfort. Bridgestone's website posted:Designed primarily for American-type motorcycles, Exedra series provides long mileage, good straightway stability, easy handling and riding comfort. Assuming this has always been the case, then I would be much better off with something like the Sport Demons if I want a tyre which is a better fit for Sport/Touring riding on my bike, wouldn't I? The reviews I can see online for them are more or less glowing.
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May 25, 2010 04:34
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What's the date code on the tires? But yeah, it sounds like the tires are in less than ideal shape...also, try relaxing your outside arm and using nothing but countersteering by pushing forward on the inside bar. You should be able to push on the bar and lean the bike a given amount. You'll have to relax and let the bike turn though, it's possible to mess things up by being stiff on the bars or tense. Just relax and push on the inside bar, the bike should lean smoothly.
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May 25, 2010 04:44
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Z3n posted:What's the date code on the tires? Can't see the date code as it's under a cover at the moment, will take a better look shortly as I have to duck out to run an errand. I did however just realise that my brain removed a number from the model number before I quoted it here, actually I should have said G601 and G602. Bridgestone's website tells me that these are the OE tyres, which could make them 4 years old if they are the originals (dunno how likely this is with 12,000kms on the clock). Some of the mentions of the OE tyres I saw this morning referred to them as "rim protectors", so it appears they are not well-liked when compared to Sport Demons or BT45s. I was countersteering, and trying to stay relaxed on the bars at all times. I just feel like I can't lean as far to the right as I can to the left. When you hear "weight the inside peg", what does this mean exactly? Just slightly bias your weight to the inside foot, or put as much of your weight as possible through it? I also struggle a bit with looking forward to where I'm going while still being confident that my placement within my lane is good and I'm not going to put a wheel on the shoulder or cross the centre line. This is stuff for another thread I guess. I probably just need to ride more!
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May 25, 2010 05:43
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Here4DaGangBang posted:I was countersteering, and trying to stay relaxed on the bars at all times. I just feel like I can't lean as far to the right as I can to the left. When you hear "weight the inside peg", what does this mean exactly? Just slightly bias your weight to the inside foot, or put as much of your weight as possible through it? I also struggle a bit with looking forward to where I'm going while still being confident that my placement within my lane is good and I'm not going to put a wheel on the shoulder or cross the centre line. This is stuff for another thread I guess. I probably just need to ride more! It's likely all mental. My first season, I felt much more confident in left turns. My first ride of the next spring I had forgotten all about it, and instantly felt fine leaning the bike either way.
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May 25, 2010 06:03
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Here4DaGangBang posted:
Weight on the inside peg means you want your body weight inside the turn. You could in theory actually hang on the inside peg(don't do this on the street, you'll look silly) and due to physics or some poo poo that lets you turn in tighter without leaning the bike over as far- I'm sure some of the other guys can explain why this poo poo works, but be assured that getting your body weight inside the turn is a good thing. So if you are turning left, you want to have more weight on the left peg. As far as looking forward, in general you just want to look where you are going. If you're scanning for trouble (always be scanning for trouble) you're not "looking" so much as "glancing" I believe the most important thing is where you actually point your face, you can look around with your eyes all you want but whatever direction your head is pointed tends to be where you'll end up going, unless you consciously decide not to. The exercise I was subjected to to illustrate how that helps your riding was: We had to do a big circle, while looking forward/wherever and try and make it smooth/consistent/blah- the short version is we were all over the place, not consistent or smooth at all. They then had us do the same big circle looking dead into the center, WAY WAY WAY more consistent/smooth/stable riding. I'm sure some other guys can explain exactly why all this works- but like I said, it does... I just have no idea why. ..magic? Anyhoo, if you're generally looking forward, then grabbing quick glances in the mirrors, or over your shoulder, or wherever won't mess ya up, don't worry about that. It's when you get a good dead stare going at a direction not in front of you that you'll find yourself turning. The short, don't try to read what the cager next to you has on his newspaper, otherwise you might find yourself performing a really dramatic recreation of Sparticus.
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May 25, 2010 06:31
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Thanks for the replies. The basics behind turning I get, I just wondered exactly what "weight the inside peg" means, in detail. How much weight? Anyway, I suspect I'm overthinking it and the cure for all that ails me will be to ride more, so I'll get to doing that. I imagine that will go a long way to making me more comfortable with looking through turns and not freaking out too much about hitting the shoulder etc.  Re: the tyres, to get the thread back on track, I spoke to the PO and the tyres are the originals, which makes them 4 years old now. Based on their age, the fact the rear already has a plug or two in it, and the fact that these tyres have copped a bagging online when compared to the aforementioned Pirellis or Bridgestones, I think I'll get some new tyres anyway. $330 for a pair of Sport Demons or $360 for BT45s including fitting and balancing sounds pretty good to me.
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May 25, 2010 07:04
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My buddy and I both have 1993 Honda CB 400 SuperFours. We've both got BT45s on there. I had them put on at the recommendation of the garage when the bike went in for the MOT. My buddy then replaced his cheapo chinese tyres with BT45s due to my input when his old ones started getting squirelly on wet corners and tight roundabouts. nm, anyway, his rear BT45 is worn out and he's not happy with how quickly it went through. Six months of mostly daily commuting, 20 miles each way. According to the internet (I dinnae have the bike near me atm) we need a 160/60 (160/60-ZR17 69W ?) rear tyre. I've been told it's a tricky size to find tyres in and that's why most people settle for the BT45, as it's a decent dual-compound tyre for a good price in the right size. He pretty much wants the holy grail, cheapish, hard wearing, but with nice grip in any weather (lol British weather). Mainly something a little harder wearing. Anyone have any other suggestions?
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May 25, 2010 13:33
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So 5,000 miles of commuting plus any riding he did at weekends, plus the rolling burnouts past the local Catholic girls' school (you are doing those, right?)? What does he want from a rear tyre? 160/60 17s are not a tough size to find. Quite the contrary - pretty much every Japanese middleweight between 1988 and 1998 used them. Just type 160/60 into ebay.co.uk and see. For sport-ish touring in all weathers, try Pirelli Angel STs or BT020 / BT021. If you want cheap, try a Maxxis Supermaxx. Conti Attacks are OK for a rear tyre and also frequently discounted (because the front ones are shite). If he's that cheap, he can also look into ebay part-worns. Also, check out your local club racers during the season for part-worn race take offs - you need to find someone with a really old 600 or a 400 with a wider wheel, though. Honestly not sure how you're going to massively improve that mileage without buying something that says Cheng Shin or worse, "Michelin Macadam" on the side. Orange Someone posted:My buddy and I both have 1993 Honda CB 400 SuperFours. We've both got BT45s on there. I had them put on at the recommendation of the garage when the bike went in for the MOT. My buddy then replaced his cheapo chinese tyres with BT45s due to my input when his old ones started getting squirelly on wet corners and tight roundabouts.
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May 25, 2010 13:59
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Orange Someone posted:My buddy and I both have 1993 Honda CB 400 SuperFours. We've both got BT45s on there. I had them put on at the recommendation of the garage when the bike went in for the MOT. My buddy then replaced his cheapo chinese tyres with BT45s due to my input when his old ones started getting squirelly on wet corners and tight roundabouts. Go for a set of Michelin Pilot Road 2s. Great tyres and they'll last for aaaaaaaaaaages on a CB400.
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May 25, 2010 14:15
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Here4DaGangBang posted:Thanks for the replies. The basics behind turning I get, I just wondered exactly what "weight the inside peg" means, in detail. How much weight? Anyway, I suspect I'm overthinking it and the cure for all that ails me will be to ride more, so I'll get to doing that. I imagine that will go a long way to making me more comfortable with looking through turns and not freaking out too much about hitting the shoulder etc. Weighting the pegs...  I could write many words on this, but as a beginner people say to weight the inside peg because it gets you leaning with the motorcycle. The natural tendency is to stay upright and let the bike lean, which isn't ideal because it forces the bike to use more lean angle. So people say to weight the inside peg because it'll force you to lean with the bike. That it's in a nutshell...it gets way more complex than that though, when it comes to aggressive street/track/offroad riding. Orange Someone posted:My buddy and I both have 1993 Honda CB 400 SuperFours. We've both got BT45s on there. I had them put on at the recommendation of the garage when the bike went in for the MOT. My buddy then replaced his cheapo chinese tyres with BT45s due to my input when his old ones started getting squirelly on wet corners and tight roundabouts. Gonna second the PR2s...and 160/60 is a super easy tire size to find...many motards, the SV650, and most "budget bikes" run the 160.
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May 25, 2010 16:42
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Thanks guys, that's been really helpful. Personally I like the BT45s, and I was pretty sure that he actually had decent life out of them, but this is his first bike (passed back in september) and so I think he was expecting a longer life.
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May 25, 2010 16:53
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Orange Someone posted:Thanks guys, that's been really helpful. Bike tires take a lot more abuse than car tires. Keeping everything at proper PSI (36ish is probably a good ballpark to start with) and being gentle on the throttle will help extend the life of a tire. People get upwards of 10-15k out of them through sedate riding and proper care. On an aggressive, street/track tire, I've seen them roasted in 1500 miles or less.
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May 25, 2010 16:55
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Yeah, I know they take a lot more abuse, plus there's no such thing as a cheap motorbike tyre. He/we don't really take it that easy, but it is only a 400cc, so there's no tyre smoking burnouts. What do you mean by proper care of a tyre? Or are you refering to proper care of the suspension and powertrain?
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May 25, 2010 19:16
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Keeping pressures up, making sure the rear axle is aligned and the bearings are in good shape is the main part of it. If you've got a cush drive, making sure the rubbers are in good shape is good too.
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May 25, 2010 19:33
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Should I follow the tire pressure my manual says or what the tire says? I have Avon Roadriders AM26, and I have them set at F/R at 38 (when warm).
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May 26, 2010 02:01
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Sir.Tucker posted:Should I follow the tire pressure my manual says or what the tire says? Manual. The pressures on the tires are the max load pressure, if you're at the max total vehicle weight.
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May 26, 2010 02:58
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Z3n posted:Manual. The pressures on the tires are the max load pressure, if you're at the max total vehicle weight. Should the PSI match whats recommended when the tires are cold or after riding a few miles to get them warmed up?
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May 27, 2010 00:53
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cold
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May 27, 2010 00:57
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So I ran my first track day on my street tires. I'm going for another track day in 2 weeks, should I replace these? http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/2972/p5260001.jpg http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/9386/p5260002.jpg
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May 27, 2010 02:44
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My '94 CBR600F2 manual calls for 36 in the front and 42 in the rear, both cold pressures. Seems a bit high...those okay?schreibs posted:So I ran my first track day on my street tires. I'm going for another track day in 2 weeks, should I replace these? I think your tires look good to go for another session. However, you have some very slight tearing on the outside edge of your tire and one side of the tread is more worn than the other. Double check your cold and hot pressures next session - I'm not expert enough and those marks are too small for me to be able to tell if it's hot tearing, cold tearing, or just caused by a slightly mal-adjusted suspension. FuzzyWuzzyBear fucked around with this message at 03:42 on May 27, 2010 |
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May 27, 2010 03:35
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schreibs posted:So I ran my first track day on my street tires. I'm going for another track day in 2 weeks, should I replace these? They're fine. How was your pace? I'd consider replacements if you're gonna move up a group. FuzzyWuzzyBear posted:My '94 CBR600F2 manual calls for 36 in the front and 42 in the rear, both cold pressures. Seems a bit high...those okay? Light stippling is pretty normal, you are really abusing the tires at the track. That sounds like the max PSI, I'd probably run 34/38.
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May 27, 2010 06:02
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FuzzyWuzzyBear posted:one side of the tread is more worn than the other. conclusion ... track is right/left handed.
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May 27, 2010 17:48
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Yes the track was mainly right handers, only 2.5 (chicane doesn't really count as a full turn) of the 12 turns were left. That's why I showed my right side of the tire since it has a lot more wear and the next track I go to will also be mainly rights.
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May 27, 2010 19:48
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schreibs posted:Yes the track was mainly right handers, only 2.5 (chicane doesn't really count as a full turn) of the 12 turns were left. That's why I showed my right side of the tire since it has a lot more wear and the next track I go to will also be mainly rights. In that case, remove the tyres and reverse them, quick! Be warned, the bike may try to go backwards, so unbolt the linkage and reverse your shift pattern before use.
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May 28, 2010 12:00
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Did some mountain riding yesterday for the first time in 2 months. Deal's Gap, Cherohala Skyway, Blood Mountain  . Anyway, my rears have a little bit of lean angle left which I'm fine with for the street, but what's up with my fronts?Rear   Front   Do I need a harder turn-in? Anything else that can be said about these while I'm here?
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Jun 7, 2010 16:55
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Don't worry about it, you always get closer to the edge of the rear tyre than the front.
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Jun 7, 2010 17:05
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Honestly, if you're torching the front chicken strips you're either trailbraking like crazy or carrying a LOT of lean angle (track levels). It took me a few trackdays to get to the point where I got rid of my front chicken strips, but I also don't trailbrake a lot. Throttle also has a lot to do with rear chicken strips. If you're at moderate levels of lean, but heavy throttle, you can deform the tire enough to erase the chicken strips without actually leaning to the edge of the tire. You can also ride up to the edge of the tire and even over it a little bit without the bike sliding, modern tires are very sticky. In pictures with soft sidewall tires under heavy abuse, you can see them almost fold over and deform to help maintain contact patch when you're leaning them hard and hard on the gas. Z3n fucked around with this message at 17:50 on Jun 7, 2010 |
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Jun 7, 2010 17:15
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Cool. Wasn't sure if it was related to poor technique or just one of those things that happens.
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Jun 7, 2010 17:24
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Today was my first time to the track with actual track tires  Something isn't quite right  Info: Bike - CBR1000RR Tire - Dunlop D209GPA. Med/soft rear, Med front Track - MidAmerica Motorplex. 2.2 miles, 14 turns, clockwise. Rider - intermediate noob. Weather - ~80F and mostly sunny Pressures - Started the day 31F/21R cold per Dunlop's (and Z3n's) suggestion. Hot off the track I was at 35f/27r. I dropped the front down to 34 and rear to 25 hot. After that I had more or less consistent hot pressures of 34f/26r. IIRC Dunlop suggests hot pressures of 34F/24R but don't quote me on that. This was after only one day at the track, put 104 miles or 47ish laps on them. The front looks great (might want to go down a psi or two???) but the rear isn't looking too hot... what the hell do I need to change? Right side of rear     Left side of rear   Right side of front  front left  It doesn't look quite as bad as I thought it did at the track, but  . Is this some kind of hot or cold tear? Rebound issue? I need to watch that loving Dave Moss video again.Edit. Watched part of the dave moss video. Sounds like it was a cold tear. Then I found this: http://www.dunlopracing.com/Pressures.pdf . That kinda backs it up  I was running way too high of pressures.
needknees fucked around with this message at 06:51 on Jun 8, 2010 |
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Jun 8, 2010 06:05
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So I went and got me some new tyres today, got rid of the 4 year-old stock tyres (also referred to as "rim protectors" in one comment I found on the web), and got a set of Bridgestone BT45s put on. This bit is a cross-post from the what did you do to your bike thread, but is there any reason that after having the tyres changed, the front brake should feel really effective now? I could swear the lever doesn't have to move very far at all before the front brake is doing its thing, and I don't think it was like that beforehand. I'm struggling to think of a reason for this, so maybe I'm just imagining it? From my 20km or so ride home, the bike feels really nice now, it loves to lean. Now to get them fully scrubbed in and start putting some twisty kms on them and get over whatever leaning issues I was having before - even today on the ride home I felt like I was leaning much better than before.
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Jun 11, 2010 13:29
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Um, I may have been somewhat of a numpty. When I asked for advice on rear tyres for my 1993 CB400, I may have got the wrong size. I picked the wrong year on this random website. Turns out it's not a 160/60 or whatever, I think it's 140/70-R17 or 130/70 (another website says 140/70-R17, but if I remember right, the tyre that's on there is a 13). Dammit, I need my bike back. I've been putting it off because I've got my 3 day interview tomorrow, and I have no transport to get my forks back from the garage.
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Jun 13, 2010 09:41
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Just ordered a set of Pilot Powers (120/60-17 & 160/60-17) for my new-to-me 2000 Monster 750. Debated looking for something with a reputation for longevity, but I was able to get the Powers for $194, and it's hard to argue with that price on a known very sticky tire. What would you guys recommend if I was looking for something more durable for next time? I'm probably only putting down about 60hp, and although it is a sporty bike, I probably won't be dragging my knee on freeway ramps, let alone tracking it. Given that that people claim the powers are sticky enough for a 130+hp bike, I'd think there'd be something that might get me a few extra thousand miles out to put on at my next tire change?
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Jun 14, 2010 00:04
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UserNotFound posted:Just ordered a set of Pilot Powers (120/60-17 & 160/60-17) for my new-to-me 2000 Monster 750. Debated looking for something with a reputation for longevity, but I was able to get the Powers for $194, and it's hard to argue with that price on a known very sticky tire. My Pilot Powers are wearing very nicely on a freakin 150rwhp literbike... I don't think you have too much to worry about. It would not surprise me to get 4500-5k out of this set of tires, which is a fair amount considering they've already gone through two trackdays and a fair amount of amazingly boring superslab travel. Now that I have been introduced to the awesomeness that is DOT race tires, I'm no longer going to run the PPs on the track. When this set wears out I am thinking of running a Pilot Road 2 in the rear and standard PP up front. That setup should leave both tires wearing about the same. Right now my front shows *very* little wear, while the rear is starting to show its age a bit.
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Jun 14, 2010 01:37
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UserNotFound posted:What would you guys recommend if I was looking for something more durable for next time? I'm probably only putting down about 60hp, and although it is a sporty bike, I probably won't be dragging my knee on freeway ramps, let alone tracking it. Given that that people claim the powers are sticky enough for a 130+hp bike, I'd think there'd be something that might get me a few extra thousand miles out to put on at my next tire change? Road 2CTs.
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Jun 14, 2010 02:53
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2ndclasscitizen posted:Road 2CTs. These are fantastic tires. My recommendation as well. Keep your pressures higher on those powers (say, 36f/38r) if you want life over absolute stick.
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Jun 14, 2010 04:02
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2ndclasscitizen posted:Road 2CTs. The rear 2CT on my '89 GSXR 750 lasted 6300 miles of mostly straight. The front has another 2000 left. I recently changed the rear to a Bridgestone BT023, brand new tire, and it feels fantastic. I think I love the way it feels more than the Road 2, but I don't know how long it'll last.
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Jun 14, 2010 05:41
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