Newbie to slicks

[Pebbles167]

I've recently sold my BMW K1200R and replaced it with a GSXR 750 SRAD with the hope of getting a bit more track action in over the next couple of years.

The bike is currently sitting on a Metzeler K3 Interact rear and a Pirelli Supercorsas front. Both great tyres for sure, but both have seen better days and will last maybe one or two track days at most before they need changing.

When that time comes I was thinking of switching over to slicks but not really sure where to start. As I said I'm happy to continue with road legal track tyres but if it's worth the extra confidence or grip then it's worth a shot with the slicks. Searching the net has come up with loads of opinions and mixed information but it's all out of date really. Have any of you got any decent advice or pointers on what might be a decent tyre to start out, or have any experiences or suggestions?

All opinions welcome cheers.

[PIGINAWIG]

My two penneth.....;

You'll not be needing slicks. There's only a handful of race series in the uk that use them. Even supersport use treaded rubber.

They take a tad longer to warm up and the increase in grip is minimal over treads.

They'd be the last thing to change to gain a few tenths.

[Tim85]

my advice is get whatevers cheapest. In reality id probably be just as quick on any sports tyres at my level but i go for either the road super corsas the pirelli superbike slicks which are like a trackday compound not race or the metzler equivilent. Which ever i can find cheapest at the time. At my level which is low to mid fast group i cant feel any difference in grip. The only thing i find is the slicks wear slightly quicker for me. Well they loose their profile quicker and i end up binning them before the wear markers are completely gone where as supercorsas i use until theres no tread on the edge left. They seem to last nearly as long as supercorsas but they get like a slight v shape rather than a smooth profile if that makes any sense.
Also if its just very patchy damp i still go out on supercorsas where as i dont on slicks. Might just be in my head but i dont want to risk it.
If your faster you will probably notice the difference a lot more but i dont go noticably faster on either although i dont really time myself so maybe i do and im just oblivious

[Pebbles167]

Top stuff, cheers.

I'll probably just replace with treaded tyres in that case as I can usually get them at a decent price. I was just considering them as an alternative as this particular series I've entered doesn't run a control tyre.

I may well still buy a set at some point to give them a try, but I'm certainly not the fastest guy around so unsure if I'd get the most from them.

[mckeann]

For UK days now, I just buy a set of supercorsa scrubs for £100. I save the new slicks for Euro trips. There isn't THAT much of a difference, if anything, treads are a little quicker to heat up and give more feedback than a slick if you're not pushing 100%

[Tim85]

if your racing your no doubt faster so you may get extra confidence from them. cant harm to try once anyway see what you think.

[snorky782]

mckeann said:

For UK days now, I just buy a set of supercorsa scrubs for £100. I save the new slicks for Euro trips. There isn't THAT much of a difference, if anything, treads are a little quicker to heat up and give more feedback than a slick if you're not pushing 100%

^^^^^^ Fast as fk. Nothing else needs saying. Anyone else commenting about the need for slicks is a dreamer.

[Tim85]

snorky782 said:

^^^^^^ Fast as fk. Nothing else needs saying. Anyone else commenting about the need for slicks is a dreamer.

No one has commented about the need for them?

[curlie467]

Haha, back in your cage snorkle.